Days of Glory Characters

Abdelkader joined the French Army to gain equality and respect for natives in the French colonised African countries. He is the only literate black person in the regiment; this means he was promoted to Corporal because he could pass a test. While he is on the troop carrier travelling from Africa to France he is in the mess queuing for some food. He takes a tomato but it is taken away from him by a white chef and is told that they are for white troops only. Abdelkader then starts to rally the Africans in to a mutiny. The Sergeant comes down to sort out the trouble but instead it angers Abdelkader even more and he says, If we dont get tomatoes no one gets tomatoes and crushes a crate of them. Later on the troops are treated to some ballet for entertainment a decision that was primarily arranged for the three or four officers instead of the hundred so African soldiers. This annoys him again but once again his mutiny is subdued. His group are sent to free Alsace from the Germans desperate plea to hold ground in France. While they are moving to Alsace his officer sets of a trip-wire which blows up some mines that were lying in wait. The deadly trap had killed the majority of the group including Yassirs brother, Larbi.- the only members left were Messadoud, Yassir, Said, Abdelkader and it had badly injured Sergeant Martinez. This left Abdelkader as the highest ranking troop and with a difficult decision to either carry on with four soldiers or to return, leaving Alsace with out a defence. He chooses to go on. There is a big battle for Alsace in which it he is fighting desperately to survive, and then just in time, reinforcements arrive and push out the German invaders.

Messadoud is a marksman for his group in the French Army. He joined the French Army because he wanted to live in France and gain a better quality of life. When his group liberated the town of Marseilles he met a woman that he liked, her name was Irene. When he rejoins his group he promises to write to her. Unfortunately, although he writes numerous times to her he does not receive any replies. This is because she does not receive his letters; they are being censored by the French Army because it was frowned upon for a black person to have a relationship with a white partner. During the battle for Alsace Messadoud is fighting back the Germans but the building he is hiding in gets blown up by a German panzerschreck leaving him exposed to the enemy bullets which kill him.

Andrew Robertson 4DB

Said is a poor Algerian goat herder that joins the army as a rifleman to earn money, despite his mother asking him to stay because his father had died in world war one. During a large raid on a heavily fortified hill in Italy Said is being wrestled to the ground by a German soldier, Sergeant Martinez a pied-noir shoots the enemy soldier. Said thanks the Sergeant after the successful assault and becomes his errand boy because his old one was blown up. The regiment makes fun of him by calling him Aisha because he does jobs that are traditionally seen as womens jobs like making him coffee and cleaning his uniform. Said is invited into the Sergeants room for a smoke and a drink. When the Sergeant goes away, Said comes across a picture of an Arabian women that is the Sergeants mother, the Sergeant finds Said looking at his stuff and threatens to kill him if he told anyone about his mother. This offends Said and he takes a dislike to the Sergeant from then on. When he arrives in Alsace he tells the injured Sergeant that, he hopes he dies. During the battle of Alsace he goes to rescue the Sergeant from his bed risking his life. This shows that despite his feelings towards the Sergeant he still respected and cared enough for him to attempt to save his life. Unfortunately Said and the Sergeant are killed during Saids act of bravery.

Yassir is Moroccan and joins the French army with his only remaining relative his brother Larbi to make money so his brother can marry. His entire family were massacred by the French during their protectorate despite his relation with France. When his brother steals from a French church collection box he tells him to put the money back which shows that he respects France. Yassir is the submachine gunner of the group. Yassir is up in a high building spraying the German soldiers with bullets on the road below, covering Abdelkader while he makes an attempt to get to some cover. When Yassir and Abdelkader have regrouped they make a final attempt to survive and run to a nearby warehouse, when they are just about to reach the warehouse Yassir gets shot in the back and dies just a few meters away from safety.

Andrew Robertson 4DB

Andrew Robertson 4DB