TOPIC:

Can any identify the regimental band in this photograph. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you very much in advance.
John

Hi John

Your images.



You have certainly tasked the forum with a challenge.
I think I would have more luck predicting next week's lottery numbers.

Harrismith maybe a good starting point as per the back of the card. However, the image may not even have been taken at Harrismith.

Harrismith was occupied by the British from early August 1900 until the end of the war, and then for ten years thereafter. The Eighth Infantry Division was to use the town as a base from where operations were conducted in order to provide the protection of convoys to distant garrisons.

8th Infantry Division Led by Lieutenant-General Sir Leslie Rundle.

The 16th Infantry Brigade (under command of Maj Gen B B D Campbell) consisting of 2nd Bn Grenadier Guards, 2nd Bn Scots Guards, 2nd Bn East Yorkshire Regt, the 1st Bn Leicester Regt, and the 21st Bearer Company, 21st Field Hospital;

The 17th Infantry Brigade (under Maj Gen J E Boyes) consisting of 1st Bn Worcestershire Regt, 2nd Bn Royal West Kent Regt, 1st Bn South Staffordshire Regt, the 2nd Bn Manchester Regt, and the 22nd Bearer Company, 22nd Field Hospital;

The 1st Brigade Imperial Yeomanry consisting of the 1st, 4th and 11th battalions;

5th Company, The Royal Engineers;

2nd, 77th and 79th Batteries, Royal Field Artillery;

23rd Field Hospital, Royal Army Medical Corps.

So many choices to pick from John, assuming it is one of the above units. Does the photograph you have come with any other militaria?



Dave....

Hi John,

I agree with Dave. This might be a hard task as so many Regiments passed through Harrismith.

Can you possibly upload a better quality image? A good look at the uniforms may just help.

I think the building may be the Harrismith railway station but the trees don’t quite look right for that.

Do have any other information such as a date or idea who they may be?

Ian

Hello Ian and Dave,
Unfortunately, I have no other information than what's on the photo, but I will add better photos (one with a dealer's watermark) in the hopes that you can see something that could possible indicate the regiment. I have a question regarding regimental bands. Would each and every regiment have its own band? That would make for a lot of bandsmen and musicians serving in S. Africa, no?
Thanks in advance,
John

John,

Thank you for uploading a better quality image. I can see now that the building is definitely not Harrismith railway station but a homestead, which would explain the close proximity of the trees.

I see that the bandsmen are all drummers and buglers with the exception of a Base Drummer and one man carrying a Tuba.

Regarding what is standard for each regiment I can only comment with certainty about the Wiltshire Regiment. This link is for a film of Lord Roberts’ arrival in Cape Town.

player.bfi.org.uk/free/film/watch-the-ar...capetown-1900-online

The Guard of Honour and band were furnished by the 1st Royal Irish and 2nd Wiltshire who travelled together on the Gascon. They were meant to disembark at Cape Town but after performing these ceremonial duties and lining the streets they were sent on to Port Elizabeth. The film includes a glimpse of a soldier carrying a French Horn.

I know that the Wiltshire instruments and unnecessary items were left in storage at Port Elizabeth but thinking about it there must have been occasion for a full band to be playing somewhere by one or more regiments. I have mostly only ever seen photographs of drummers and buglers on campaign in South Africa with just a few exceptions.

Regarding the Wiltshires, the only men identified as bandsmen were the Drummers and Buglers, no Fifers or anything else, although all drummers were buglers so I don’t know why just one man is labelled solely as a bugler, perhaps because he served with the Mounted Infantry and would not have carried a drum. There was also a Bandmaster, One Sgt Drummer and one L/Sgt Instructor Musician.

In total twenty-four Drummers served with the Regiment in South Africa. The Volunteer Battalion brought an extra two of their own and the 3rd (Militia) Battalion took one Sgt Drummer and nine Drummers to St Helena.

I haven’t found any information on the photographer.

Ian

Hi Ian,
Thank you very much for explaining things and writing a very informative post. I sincerely appreciate it. I can understand why people collect medals to musicians.
Thanks very much,
John