The Compagnies franches de la Marine were the regular soldiers of New France. They answered to the Ministry of Marine, not the army, and by the 1750s many of their officers came from Canadian families who had served the colony for generations. Ensign Joseph Coulon de Jumonville was one. When he was killed at Jumonville Glen in May 1754, the force that answered his death was led by his half-brother, Captain Louis Coulon de Villiers. On 3 July Coulon de Villiers arrived at Fort Necessity with some 800 French and Native allies, and by nightfall George Washington had surrendered. The terms, written in French, called Jumonville's death an assassination, and Washington signed them.

This Marine stands firing, his musket levelled with the bayonet fixed. He wears the company uniform of a grey-white coat with blue cuffs, a blue waistcoat and blue breeches, under a black tricorne edged in gold lace. A buff belt with a brass buckle carries his sword and cartridge pouch, and white gaiters are fastened below the knee. Finished in bright gloss enamel on a square base, he joins the rest of the company in the same style: Compagnies Franches de la Marine Officer, Compagnies Franches de la Marine Ensign with Colonel's Color and Compagnies Franches de la Marine Drummer. Together they make a full gloss display of a Marine company on parade or in line.

W. Britain model 47044. 54mm scale, metal, hand-painted in gloss enamel. Single foot figure on a square base. Boxed.