Okay so the other day I was casually rereading the brick again and at one point Javert says he was an adjutant guard.
Here is the definition of that courtesy of Google:
1. a military officer who acts as an administrative assistant to a senior officer.
a person’s assistant or deputy.
According to Wikipedia is corresponds roughly with a staff sergeant or a warrant officer.
Another site said that when addressing the adjutant guard the senior officer would say “mon adjutant” so basically “my assistant”
Anyways basically this means that yes brick Javert would have worn that guard outfit with the snazzy hat (no, not the bicorn; the other one):
But also it means he was some other guard’s assistant and I find that really interesting?? Like, he becomes a temporary assistant/bodyguard for the (then) secretary to the Prefect of Police later, which is why he is in M-sur-M … Does he have like this network of officials that give him referrals?
Also on a sort of unrelated note I found out that the gendarmerie, which was pretty much like the military force charged with police duties in the civilian population, kind of had a rivalry going with the local police (because they would sometimes have to fight over whose jurisdiction something fell under maybe??) And also the symbol of the gendarmerie was a flaming grenade. Silver laurel leaves seem to be a theme in the French Police (I think they’re worn on the collar?).
So is Javert actually higher ranking than a regular police officer? I had always thought he actually ranked below them, being given risky spy missions and such, but now I’m thinking the opposite. It does say he has subordinates in the brick.