Uniforms of the Force Publique, 1880-1900

[Rob Herrick]

Does anybody have recommendations on where to find uniform detail for the Force Publique and other askaris used in the Congo from ~1880-~1900?

Thanks!
Rob Herrick

[aecurtis]

A start:

http://www.rudi-geudens.be/html/force_publique.htm
http://www.rudi-geudens.be/html/force_publique02.htm

And slightly later:

http://www.rudi-geudens.be/html/force_publique03.htm

[Plynkes]

The Foundry book Colonial Armies: Africa 1850 to 1918 by Peter Abbot has a section on the Congo covering it right from the days of The International African Association in the 1870s up to the end of the Great War. It has twenty-odd uniform line drawings covering that period. Not sure on availability right now, those Foundry books seem to fade in and out of print somewhat.

[Rob Herrick]

The Chris Peers book CENTRAL AFRICA: Tribal and Colonial Armies in the Congo, Gabon, Rwanda, Burundi, Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland, 1800 to 1900 is in print and available on Amazon for ~$33 US.

COLONIAL ARMIES IN AFRICA 1850-1918: Organisation, Warfare, Dress and Weapons (Armies of the Nineteenth Centu) by Peter Abbott is available on Amazon at ~$125 US. It appears to be out of print.

It's a shame, the Foundry books are nice.

[Arthur]

Not sure on availability right now, those Foundry books seem to fade in and out of print somewhat.

I don't think I'm going on a limb when I say Foundry books probably have very small print runs : they are after all special interest material which is unlikely to sell thousands of copies. Ergo, once all existing copies get sold, Foundry is unlikely to reprint the titles as this wouldn't be deemed economicaly viable.

Quite a shame as the Abbot book - and John French's superior The British In India - are top-notch reference tomes.