Figure 1.--This photo postcard shows a bandsman. He is wearing an Army kilt uniform. He has a Bandsman's metal proficiency badge on sleeve and a military style tunic. A reader thinks the sporran is a non-military type. The studio was Foulds & Hibbert, Seaforth, Oxton, Southport & Liverpool. The message on reverse reads, " Dear D I've been granted another three months leave. We move to Lytham next week, so will write from there as soon as possible. W.T. " Posted to R. Baker, 2 Church Road, Osterley, London W. The use of te term "leave" suggests that he was in the Army. The boy looks to be about 13 years old.

Armies in the 19th century commonly used boys as musicians. American Civil War drummer boys are good examples, but this was common throughout Europe. Usually the muscians were younger teenafers, ocasionally boys 11-12 years old were also accepted. The British army used boy muscians in the Boer War at the turn of the 20th century. The armies by the time of World War I had stopped this practice and the fighting forces weee mostly composed of youths and men from about 17 years of age. I am not sure just what the precise British regulations were. We seem some very young teenagers in uniform, but these weere mostly cadets. We see a fe boys who were musciansand not cadets. They look to be army uniforms, but we are not sure. Nor do we know just how these boys were deployed. They would have been volunteers and only serving with their father's permission. Hopefully a reader will know more about this. Here we see what looks to be an example of a band boy. This photo postcard shows a bandsman. He is wearing an Army kilt uniform. He has a Bandsman's metal proficiency badge on sleeve and a military style tunic. A reader thinks the sporran is a non-military type. The studio was Foulds & Hibbert, Seaforth, Oxton, Southport & Liverpool. The message on reverse reads, " Dear D I've been granted another three months leave. We move to Lytham next week, so will write from there as soon as possible. W.T. " Posted to R. Baker, 2 Church Road, Osterley, London W. The use of te term "leave" suggests that he was in the Army. The boy looks to be about 13 years old. Given the kilt uniform, wee assume he played the baf pipes.

Created: 7:57 AM 3/28/2010
Last updated: 7:59 AM 3/28/2010