GENERAL DE GAULLE'S TIN SOLDIER Early 20th century Small painted lead cavalryman (CBG mark) representing a hussar who belonged to Charles de Gaulle as a child; wear. Height: 5 cm Contained in a remnant envelope with annotation in the hand of Philippe de Gaulle "Little toy soldier that belonged to my father when he was a child". Historical background: "At ten, schoolchildren are learning the History of France, and at fifteen, teenagers aspire to a great destiny. POUGET Jean, Un certain capitaine de Gaulle, Fayard, 1973. In a book of interviews, Philippe de Gaulle talks at length about his father's passion for tin soldiers: "He [General de Gaulle] mentioned, for them too, the fine collection of lead or rather tin soldiers he had built up. He must have been seven or eight years old at the time. I inherited it. Unfortunately, it disappeared during the war along with many other items. It was made up of at least eighteen hundred figures accompanied by lead warships. He and his brothers used to fight over these miniature soldiers. Provenance : - Charles de Gaulle (1890-1970) - Then Admiral Philippe de Gaulle (1921-2024) - Then descendants