The plot thickens....
I've been given
this link , which contains information somewhat at odds with that posted previously.
According to this reference, the old French color code was used up until 1970 and was:
Phase = Green
Neutral = Red
Earth = White or Gray
That sounds very much like the old Dutch system.
Navette de phase entre interrupteurs
Not sure what "navette" means, but from the "between switches" part I assume this is referring to what we would call travelers on a 3-way switching arrangement.
P.S. It was bugging me, so I had to go find my French-English dictionary to check on
navette -- It means
shuttle. I guess that "Shuttle of phase between switches" is as close to travelers as we'll get!
[This message has been edited by pauluk (edited 11-25-2002).]