French cuirassier's breastplate & back plate

terry1956 · 27th July 2011, 12:03 PM

hi needed. can anyone please help me out with ID of this cuirassiers armour. I don,t think they are a match as breast and back plate have odd numbers stamped on them.
the letters i can make out at the bottom of the inner side of the breastplate are 2? eme laille La?geun no7224 this is what it looks like to me, the letters are on the lower right hand side as you look at them. on the lower left hand side are further letters and numbers but i can,t make them out due to rubbing.
stamped on the breastplate front face is the letter H and a further stamp of the numbers 242.
On the back plate are the following.
2 eme CA?LLE 1eme LA?GAIN and also what looks like ALED? CHAL then two lines with a T above then the french for august and the date as been rubbed out .
can anyone help. thanks, michael

also can anyone please let me know if the french made this armour in sizes, I can,t get into it at all, I am a size 46 inch chest, it fits my wife who is a size 10/12. I know that as a race we are larger but the cuirassiers got picked from the largest men in the french army and they also had a heavy uniform coat on, plus the lining of the armour, to get all that inside this armour would of made them very small men in deed. michael

katana · 31st July 2011, 02:50 AM

Hi Michael,
I think "CHAL then two lines with a T above " refers to Chatellerault ...a French area of arms production. I'm far from an expert on armour but I would be concerned that the year of manufacture/commision date is obliterated ....suggesting that the armour might be younger than you would like.

Kind Regards David

fernando · 31st July 2011, 04:40 PM

Hi Michael,
You got quite a large chest, anyhow.
Listen, why don't you try and get a better picture of the inscription ... you know, with a better contrast ?
Maybe that will improve the possibilities to figure out what is the text !

terry1956 · 31st July 2011, 04:41 PM

thanks katana, I don,t have much worry re date, its 2nd empire by design. But i have no idea what the 1eme and 2eme writing means, I am thinking size as i know that the armour was made in three sizes. This must be the small size as i can,t get into it at all ( i know big kid trying armour on)
I did have wife wearing the armour lay down on her back in the garden and try to get back up, which she was able to do by rolling over and getting on all fours and then getting up. I have read time and time again of french heavy cavalry not being able to get back up once knocked off their horses. Maybe it was not the armour but the lack of movement at the ankle due to their heavy jack boots which made it hard to get up.
anyway thanks for getting back,
the pictures are the best my camera can give, not good i know. michael

katana · 31st July 2011, 05:05 PM

Micheal, to improve the contrast of the wording perhaps you could try to rub charcoal dust over it before re-photographing. ( you could also use a dark coloured wax crayon ....but you would need to use mild heat (hair dryer) or, I think, acetone (nail varnish remover, wives and girlfriends are a great source of chemicals

) will remove the wax held in the grooves of the text afterwards) Or perhaps you could do the 'brass rubbing technique' .....thinner paper would give you more detail and ideally should be taped to the armour to stop it moving whilst 'rubbing the pencil lead over it. (a soft pencil 2B would be better than say an HB (average hardness) ...definately avoid a H rated lead....too hard )

A really nice object, by the way

Kind Regards David

terry1956 · 2nd August 2011, 12:03 PM

Thanks David will give it a go. michael

27th July 2011, 12:03 PM	#1
terry1956 Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: yeovil, somerset, uk Posts: 75	French cuirassier's breastplate & back plate hi needed. can anyone please help me out with ID of this cuirassiers armour. I don,t think they are a match as breast and back plate have odd numbers stamped on them. the letters i can make out at the bottom of the inner side of the breastplate are 2? eme laille La?geun no7224 this is what it looks like to me, the letters are on the lower right hand side as you look at them. on the lower left hand side are further letters and numbers but i can,t make them out due to rubbing. stamped on the breastplate front face is the letter H and a further stamp of the numbers 242. On the back plate are the following. 2 eme CA?LLE 1eme LA?GAIN and also what looks like ALED? CHAL then two lines with a T above then the french for august and the date as been rubbed out . can anyone help. thanks, michael also can anyone please let me know if the french made this armour in sizes, I can,t get into it at all, I am a size 46 inch chest, it fits my wife who is a size 10/12. I know that as a race we are larger but the cuirassiers got picked from the largest men in the french army and they also had a heavy uniform coat on, plus the lining of the armour, to get all that inside this armour would of made them very small men in deed. michael Attached Images Last edited by terry1956; 27th July 2011 at 08:29 PM. Reason: add information

31st July 2011, 04:41 PM	#4
terry1956 Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: yeovil, somerset, uk Posts: 75	Thanks thanks katana, I don,t have much worry re date, its 2nd empire by design. But i have no idea what the 1eme and 2eme writing means, I am thinking size as i know that the armour was made in three sizes. This must be the small size as i can,t get into it at all ( i know big kid trying armour on) I did have wife wearing the armour lay down on her back in the garden and try to get back up, which she was able to do by rolling over and getting on all fours and then getting up. I have read time and time again of french heavy cavalry not being able to get back up once knocked off their horses. Maybe it was not the armour but the lack of movement at the ankle due to their heavy jack boots which made it hard to get up. anyway thanks for getting back, the pictures are the best my camera can give, not good i know. michael

2nd August 2011, 12:03 PM	#6
terry1956 Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: yeovil, somerset, uk Posts: 75	thanks Thanks David will give it a go. michael

31st July 2011, 02:50 AM	#2
katana Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Kent Posts: 2,653	Hi Michael, I think "CHAL then two lines with a T above " refers to Chatellerault ...a French area of arms production. I'm far from an expert on armour but I would be concerned that the year of manufacture/commision date is obliterated ....suggesting that the armour might be younger than you would like. Kind Regards David

31st July 2011, 04:40 PM	#3
fernando (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Portugal Posts: 9,694	Hi Michael, You got quite a large chest, anyhow. Listen, why don't you try and get a better picture of the inscription ... you know, with a better contrast ? Maybe that will improve the possibilities to figure out what is the text !

31st July 2011, 05:05 PM	#5
katana Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Kent Posts: 2,653	Micheal, to improve the contrast of the wording perhaps you could try to rub charcoal dust over it before re-photographing. ( you could also use a dark coloured wax crayon ....but you would need to use mild heat (hair dryer) or, I think, acetone (nail varnish remover, wives and girlfriends are a great source of chemicals ) will remove the wax held in the grooves of the text afterwards) Or perhaps you could do the 'brass rubbing technique' .....thinner paper would give you more detail and ideally should be taped to the armour to stop it moving whilst 'rubbing the pencil lead over it. (a soft pencil 2B would be better than say an HB (average hardness) ...definately avoid a H rated lead....too hard ) A really nice object, by the way Kind Regards David