Pusser
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Drum Major's Dress BeltSerious question for a Drum Major – if its possible there is such a thing – about uniform history.
Tradition has it that only three people are allowed to touch the Regimental (Unit) Colours. The appointed Colour Officer, the Senior Mess Steward and the Drum Major. Colour Officer for the obvious reason. Mess Steward for cleaning and moving the Colours from the Officers’ Mess when they are due to be paraded ceremonially. Those of us, who were paying attention at these little ceremonies, when the Colours were drawn from the Mess, will remember the Senior Mess Steward presenting them to the Drum Major who then presented them to the Colour Officer. Clear so far?
On to the uniform bit, then.
The Drum Major’s Dress Belt (I always called it a ‘sash’) and the Colour Officer’s Carriage are remarkably similar but for a few cosmetic differences. John Ambler has published details concerning the establishment of today’s Dress Belt in his book ‘The Royal Marines Band Service.’ His information does not provide any kind of evolutionary history.
Bearing in mind, and I do not see we Booties are any different here, the Regimental Drums of most Military Units were/are also representations of the Colours and often used for precisely that function in the heat of battle if the Colours were blasted out of existence. Can it be assumed that the Drum Major was a sort of, kind of, stand-by Colour Bearer? Points that fuel this question are, and old fighting history of course, regiments marching to fight led by drums, bands, Colours etc. Drums used for signalling manoeuvres and usually sited near the battle boss along with the Colours, rallying point and all that stuff.
Is there an historical link between the design of the Colour Officer’s Carriage and Drum Major’s Dress Belt? Considering all the discussion and design hoops that must have been gone through to produce this piece of kit you would have thought the bit at the bottom of Drummy’s Sash would have looked less like, ‘How do we get rid of this pocket? I know, stick a drum over it,”’ than it does.
Dan will know, won’t you Dan? ...........................Dan?
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