L%C3%A9on Am%C3%A9d%C3%A9e Fran%C3%A7ois Raffenel
Lon Amde Franois Raffenel was a general of the French army. Enlisting into the army in 1875 he quickly rose through the ranks and was accepted into the Ecole Spciale Militaire de SaintCyr in 1876. He saw extensive active service with the French colonial army in the Pacification of Tonkin between 1887 and 1892, being cited in the order of the day for his adept command of columns of native infantry. Having married in 1893 Raffenel requested transfer to the Francebased metropolitan army in 1894. This unusual move was complicated by the separate organisation of the two French armies but was approved by presidential decree. Raffenel spentyears in the metropolitan army and commanded the 27th Infantry Regiment and the elite 82nd Light Infantry Brigade. He was promoted to gnral de brigade in 1911 and received command of the 3rd Colonial Infantry Division, one of the finest divisions of the French Army. He fought with this unit at the Battle of Rossignol onAugust 1914 and was killed in
Raffenel was born at midday onAugust 1856 at SaintServan, IlleetVilaine. He was the son of Ame Jean Baptiste Raffenel, a marine commissioner and chevalier of the Legion of Honour and of Hortense Marguerite Hol, who lived in SaintServan. Raffenel enlisted in the army onJuly 1875 for a fiveyear term and was posted to the 82nd Infantry Regiment as a 2nd class private. He was promoted to corporal onJanuary 1876 and to quartermastersergeant onJuly that year.
Source: Wikipedia