drummajor

The officer at the front was the Bandmaster. When on the march his position is taken by the Drum Major and the Bandmaster marched within the ranks. The tunics of the bandsmen had gold braid across the chest, cuffs and skirt (rear) until WWII, then the braid dissappeared from the bandsmen's tunics, except for the Drum Major who still has the gold braided tunic.

Guards Bands did not have a Bandmaster in those days, the officer is officially termed Director of Music. These days the Guards Bands have a Bandmaster (WO1 rank) who is 2nd in command, plus a Director of Music, usually a Major, or in the case of the Senior Director of Music, Guards Division, Lt. Colonel.

Sorry GrenadierGuardsDmr but you are wrong. The officer in front of the band is a Director of Music,and state bands don't and never have had bandsmen. They are musicians. And despite the captions,the bearskin caps are not made from 'grizzly' bear but Canadian black bears.

What I think is interesting,and something i never noticed before,is that the musicians have one type of cuff and the NCOs have the one worn these days,the 'winged' cuff.

@kevinmorgan2012 Yes you are correct that, as an officer, the picture must show the Director of Music, (then) Major George Miller. My mistake. However they did have Bandmasters in those days. All, or nearly all, the Directors of Music passed through the NCO ranks as Bandmasters before being commissioned and appointed as Directors of Music. @timg2003 The 1952 publication "The King's Guards" by Major Henry Legge-Bourke refers to Foot Guards musicians as "bandsmen" so I'm fairly sure that was the term used in 1934. My understanding is that the term "Musician" was introduced when female musicians were accepted into the bands, and I believe that was the 1980's. HOWEVER I am always happy to have my knowledge expanded on these issues. Rgds.

This was part of a day-long Labor Day celebration according to The [New York} Sun. September 07, 1915, Page 5, middle of column 2 chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030272/1915-09-07/ed-... "There was a parade in which the Forty-seventh Regiment, the Willets Point Military Band. Boy Scouts, suffragettes. volunteer firemen, members of the G. A. R. and Spanish War Veterans took part."

I believe that there is a typographical error in the title. Isn't it Grenadier, instead of Grenaudier?

only1tanuki: We fixed the spelling of "Grenadier" in the title, to match the caption scratched into the negative. The question remains of whether the uniform and insignia belong to a Grenadier.

Drum Majors of the Grenadier Guards, both then and now, wore white leggings. The ensignia on his cross belt is also not that of the Grenadiers. It is a drum majors uniform of one of the Guards regiments but I am not sure it is the Grenadiers.

who says Pimpin aint easy? awesome!

The Drum Major is wearing State Dress minus the white spatterdash gaiters that should in principle go with it. He is in fact from the Scots Guards, as the print is just clear enough to make out the thistle in the centre of the star on the baldric or cross belt. Although the relevant part of the monogram is obscured, I'd say that the photograph was taken either before or shortly after the death of Queen Victoria in 1901, as the baldric bears the "Queen's crown". The architecture in the background suggests the Tower of London as a possible location.

Pretty sure I've seen this photo before. I think it might be the Kennedy Regiment Band in Townsville but earlier than 1913. Probably wrong but.............