Little Drummer Boys
Dec. 8th, 2007 06:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
perzephone
In my quest to find out what types of paint I could use on a skin drum head, I ran across some more useless trivia. It's something I've always wondered about. The British infantry used to take kids into battle with them who were just there to play a drum. I always wondered, "Why would an otherwise sane and logical race of tacticians insist on taking a drummer-boy into battle, and then get all upset when he was killed?"
The 'little drummer boys' passed signals along the ranks. It all makes sense now. The Brits should have given their drummer-boys some damn armor, and maybe a gun or at least a bayonet... something. Jeeze. Sending a defenseless kid into a battle w/a drum.
Reminds me of Jody's experience in the Army. She was a woman, and she joined the Mechanics Corp. Because she joined the Army, she had to go through marksmanship training (which she did earn a nice medal for, btw). However, had she made it through Basic, she would not be issued any firearms because even though the Mechanics Corps may have to go to the frontline in a hostile environment, they weren't allowed to carry firearms. What really makes this funny, though, is in the late 1970's, the U. S. Army wasn't all politically correct - women couldn't go to the frontline under any circumstance because they might be pregnant. Jody told me at one point during her marksmanship training, she asked the commanding officer about all this & he just stood there shaking his head.. especially when she asked him, "So if an enemy soldier attacks me while I'm changing the tire on a Jeep, what am I supposed to do - throw my tire iron at him?"
The 'little drummer boys' passed signals along the ranks. It all makes sense now. The Brits should have given their drummer-boys some damn armor, and maybe a gun or at least a bayonet... something. Jeeze. Sending a defenseless kid into a battle w/a drum.
Reminds me of Jody's experience in the Army. She was a woman, and she joined the Mechanics Corp. Because she joined the Army, she had to go through marksmanship training (which she did earn a nice medal for, btw). However, had she made it through Basic, she would not be issued any firearms because even though the Mechanics Corps may have to go to the frontline in a hostile environment, they weren't allowed to carry firearms. What really makes this funny, though, is in the late 1970's, the U. S. Army wasn't all politically correct - women couldn't go to the frontline under any circumstance because they might be pregnant. Jody told me at one point during her marksmanship training, she asked the commanding officer about all this & he just stood there shaking his head.. especially when she asked him, "So if an enemy soldier attacks me while I'm changing the tire on a Jeep, what am I supposed to do - throw my tire iron at him?"
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no subject
Date: 2007-12-09 03:53 pm (UTC)I think we have a lot in common :)
Welcome & blessings!
Date: 2007-12-10 06:03 am (UTC)Re: Welcome & blessings!
Date: 2007-12-12 10:08 am (UTC)Im keen to know how your drumming goes too, Im looking forward to making my next drum soon.
Re: Drum Making
Date: 2007-12-19 07:32 am (UTC)One thing I did find about painting drums was a website from the Montana Arts Council. It mentioned using earth-based paints, which I'm assuming means the various ochres and clays. So at least I feel like I'm being pointed in the right direction.
Re: Drum Making
Date: 2007-12-19 03:38 pm (UTC)oh I hate math, so its nothing like that at all hehehe it is a beautiful process and makes the drum mean more to the user.
OH wow, thats interesting about the earth based paints, I live in an area of rich red clay, Im going to look in to that, thanks *smooch*
I must take pics of my drum, I keep meaning too!