SOCIAL HISTORY HISTORY : THE SENEGALESE TIRAILLEURS : 30,000 OF THESE TROOPS DIED IN THE FIRST WORLD WAR IN EUROPE : THEY GO INTO THE " HALL OF BLACK GENIUS"

The Senegalese Tirailleurs were a Crops of French Colonial Infantry in the French Army recruited from Senegal French West  Africa, the main province of the French Colonial Empire. The noun Tirailleurs which translates as "Skirmisher"    was a designation given by the French Army to indigenous infantry recruited as the various colonies and overseas possessions of the French Empire during the 19th and 20th century.  Despite recruitment not been limited to Senegal, these infantry units took on the objective " Senegalese"  since that was were the first Black African "Tirailleurs" were formed in 1857 and served France in a number of wars including World War 1 providing around 200,000 troops of which 30,000 of them died or killed in battles in Europe. Around 130,000 Senegalese fought in the first world war in Europe and many paid the ultimate price, there lives.In world war two other "Tirailleurs" regiments were raised in French North Africa from Arabs and Berbers populations of Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco.

The Arabs and Berbers from North Africa were called Tirailleurs Algeriiens or Turcos  also "Tirailleurs"  regiments were also raised in Indochina, they were called Vietnamese, Tonkinese or Annamiter. The Senegalese  Tirailleurs were formed in 1857 by Louis Faidherbe Governor General of French West Africa because he lacked sufficient French Troops to control the territory and meet other requirements of the first phase of colonization. The formal decree for the formation of this force was signed on 21st July 1857 in Plombieres-les-Bains by Napoleon 3rd .  Recruitment

was later extended to other French Colonies in Africa.