After several years since I first carried out my research and prepared the material, the time has finally come to present the splendid uniforms worn by the Italian soldiers — the famous “Five Hundred” — who fell heroically at Dogali.
One has to admit that style was, and still is, something almost innate in Italians. The uniforms, with their striking contrasts of colour, the officers’ blue sash, and the blue band on the helmets of the NCOs — what a touch of style! — make these some of the most beautiful uniforms I have ever reproduced.
a better view of each:
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| 1887 - Private Copyright Michele SAVASTA FIORE |
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| Corporal - 1887 Copyright Michele SAVASTA FIORE  Copyright Michele SAVASTA FIORE |
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| Sergeant - 1887 Copyright Michele SAVASTA FIORE |
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| Sergeant Major - 1887 Copyright Michele SAVASTA FIORE |
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| Second Lieutenant - 1887 Copyright Michele SAVASTA FIORE |
And finally, a second lieutenant proudly holding the Italian flag of the Kingdom of Italy — the real flag! — which I then decided to place in a setting with a visual effect that I found particularly striking.
The result makes me think that, even for this largely forgotten battle, since I have already gathered a considerable amount of material, I could put together an interesting booklet, provided there is enough interest among enthusiasts.
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| Copyright Michele SAVASTA FIOR |
What an awful system. Why go from one lined stripe to two for corporal to major corporal, and then from a partially lined stripe to a fully-lined stripe for sergeant to sergeant major? It gives me the shudders.
ReplyDeleteI don't know. I just took it from old pictures
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