The Hawaiian gazette., 1916-06-16
BANDSNENATFRONT
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Making Music Under Fire Alter
mates With Doing Red
Cross Work

" PARIS, May 30S--( Correspondence of
The Associated Press) Since the beat
fng Of the drums that called France to
arms, comparatively little martial music
has been, heardsa at the rear. Those who
have been allowed in the, zone of the
armies have occasionally met regimen.
tai band with drums and brass instru.
nents slung over their, shoulders, plod.
ding along the road toward the first
line; musicians 90 with the combatants
and are subject TO all the dangers Of
the war. ir. ,,..r D.. '.'''h
The strains Of the Marseillaise one
day revealed the presence of a regimen.
tai band among the ruins Of town
still under bombardment and close
, enough to the German lines 70 require
measures against gas. All the mu.
sirians had their masks on, giving them
II grotesque appearance but not inter.
fering with their lung power. 3:
Martial Strains in Paris Le.al..
The Coldstream Guards Band, direct
from Arras, and the Royal Italian Car
! ibineers Band, fresh from the Isonzo,
brought little Of the atmosphere of
the front 10 the Troeadero recently and
reminded Paris of the martial strains
that stirred the city during the first
days of the war. They were greeted by
, big crowds with the same enthusiasm as
prevailed on the boulevards in the mem
orable first week of August, l9l4. The
immense auditorium itself was crowded
long before the announced hour for the
| opening. ''
The bandsman at the front is not a
mere musician; after inspiring the
| troops with martial strains and when
the shot and shell have done their work,
he drops his instrument and, with the
Red Cross on his sleeve, goes out over
the field 10 pick up the wounded. Seine.
times he helps to bury the dead, aud II
some emergencies he brings up supplies
and ammunition.
At the assault of Vauquois in Febru-
airy, 1915, the band of a regiment was
ordered TO execute the Marseillaise from
| shelter, but at the moment of the
charge the colonel assigned an uneov.
cred spot to the band, which became a
standing target for the enemy, only 900
yards away, but continued none the less
ardently it's mission; it played the Mar.
seillaise eight times during the engage.
ment and not a man was Killed.
A few days later the musicians Of q
regiment acting as stretcher bearers
were ordered TO sound the charge for a
/ battalion that was about TO go into &C.
tion. The twenty-six men took their I'M
struments and went to the place where
the attack was to be made. The en-,
emmy 3 artillery just then began to en-.
filade the cross road where they were
sheltered while waiting for the order
! The ground was ploughed by shells and
covered with wounded in a few min,
dtcs. '''1' .-i& b, - &
Band Instruments Bullet Marked
The musicians became ag lin at once
strctchcr bearers. and when the order
6nGlly came TO sound the charge most
| of the twenty.six Instruments had been
| dnrtPd, crushed or torn to bits by the
Smelling. Two or three trumpets were
still intact, and With three or four mu
Sicians the trumpetCrs sounded the
charge and eltrfnated the Marseillaist
with it for half hour. Other member,
Of the band became separated and
| louhu t"cmFtINeN III dhotheI IeBlmeh'
of the brigade here there were trum
pets to spare; they seized them and
sounded the charge. Of the twenty-si,
musicians. four w,r" killed and sever
wounded. Tie leader was decorated
With the Legion e Honor.
When tn" regiment is resting behind
the frcnt the musicians are the only
ones who work; they give concerts To-
the civilians in the towns where thu
regiments are quartered-