Music on a Field of War

 

 It's a nice day for an outdoor concert.
The weather isn't too cold
and though there's been rain,
the grass is dry enough for the soldiers to sit on.

 

 

 

Instead of standing in a military formation
the bandsmen are arranged in a relaxed casual way.
They are easy to recognize by the distinctive epaulets
called Schwalbennest or swallow's nests
that always embellish the shoulders of an army bandsman's tunic.

On this occasion the band is accompanied
by a few regular soldiers with rifles slung across their shoulders.

Close behind them is horse-drawn farm wagon
loaded with something covered by a canvas tarpaulin.
On top, next to the farmer, is one of the bandsmen
holding a chalkboard sign that sadly is too faded to read.
 

 

 

 All the men wear a Pickelhaube, the standard helmet
of soldiers of Kaiser Wilhelm's Imperial German Army.
Most of the musicians are sprawled
along an embankment below the wagon.

 A few have their instruments
but more are probably stowed on the wagon.
Attached to each musician's belt is a ceremonial short sword,
an indication they are playing for some special event
that required a proper full dress uniform.

 

 

 In the center of the group is an officer,
possibly the band director,
as he holds a full length sword
while perusing either a music score or a map.
Next to him is the glockenspiel player,
the traditional instrument of all German military bands.

 

 

 Taken altogether
the band is quite large
with over 30 musicians.
Correcting the contrast and focus
on this faded postcard photograph
revealed a charming image of German soldiers

in a tranquil, almost carefree, setting
seemingly far from the chaos of warfare.

 

Pickelhaube of Bavaria Regiment 1914-18
Source: The Internet

 

The German Empire in 1914 was made up of 25 constituent states,
each of which had its own army, though unified under a central command.
The Pickelhaube originated in Prussia
but was standard issue for every German soldier's uniform.
However affixed to the front was a distinctive Wappen or helmet plate
unique for each kingdom's or province's regiments.

 

 

Helmetwappen of Bavaria Regiment 1914-18
Source: The Internet

 

The army of Bayern or Bavaria had a plate design
with two crowned lions clutching an oval shield over a wavy ribbon.
I think it matches the grainy pattern seen on the helmet plates of these soldiers.

 But the real charm of this photo comes
from a simple note written on the back
and an + marked on the front.

 

 

1917–18
Papa im Felde, Frankreich
Regimentsmusik Company
~
Papa in the Field, France
Regimental music company

The German phrase "im Felde" means "on the battlefield" though in WW1 a band would typically never be stationed anywhere near the front lines in France. They are more returning from a concert near a military headquarters far from the trenches of the Western Front. The note may have been added much later by the bandsman's child, but its message transforms the photo into a cherished memento, a relic of wartime service, and a memory of family and comrades.

 

 

 

 

 

This is my contribution to Sepia Saturday
where everyone has somewhere to go.

In honor of this weekend's theme image
I can't resist adding a few old car photos
from my collection of family photographs.

This is my dad, Russell Brubaker, at age 4

sitting on the radiator of an vintage Chevrolet coupe
in 1933, judging by the Maryland license plate.
It was his first start to many, many more photos with cars.

 

 

 Here he is at about age 17 or 18
sitting on the bumper of a friend's car.
This was taken somewhere near
Reisterstown, Maryland, west of Baltimore.

A companion took another picture
of Russ on the car bumper
this time with his friend and a pretty puppy
pretending to be a hood ornament.
I'm not sure whether I have more photos
of my dad with cars or with dogs.

 

This pretty young woman is my mom, Barbara Dobbin Brubaker,
kneeling in front of a 1950 Willys Jeep, her first car.
They had only been married a few months in 1950
before the army sent my dad to Korea.
My mother purchased this sturdy car, a used one, I think,
with the plan to drive it to California the following year 

to meet my dad when he returned by ship.

This became known as the first great family road trip
when my mother, her mother, and my dad's grandmother
drove cross country from Washington D.C. to Los Angeles, California.
I have accounts written by each of them about this wonderful adventure.

A few years later found mom and dad
in France where I was born.

It was here that my dad developed a love for cars
particularly small cars.
Here he is sitting in a tiny three-wheeled vehicle,
a clown car really, with a big grin on his face.
It's so small it looks like a child's pedal-powered cart.
Parked behind him is his Willys Jeep, the second one they owned,
but this little car is borrowed, maybe from an army buddy.
I can't identify the make, but as the photo was taken in France
I'll assume it is from a French manufacturer.

This last photo is of me at age five
riding on a small tank,
a French one from WW1, I believe.
It's just the kind of vehicle a real road warrior should have.
The gas mileage might be horrible
and the speed pretty pathetic,
but nobody would dare cut me off in heavy traffic.