1st Battalion Group c1895

Some of the men in this photo are band or Corps of Drums members. The other ranks are wearing dress tunics with glengarry caps. The bass drummer seated on the right of the picture next to his drum, is in a winged tunic and dark coloured apron. The wings are without fringes unlike the two drummers sitting and standing at the other side of the photo. The seated man has a drum carriage across his chest. He and the man behind wear the fringed shoulder wings, and have white lace up the seams of the sleeves dotted with red crowns.
The other musicians can be seen behind and next to the bass drummer. The man seated next to him has a large white pouch on the front of his belt, and the man standing behind him also has a pouch which appears to have a badge on it. Both these men have fringeless wings on their shoulders and carry wind instruments. One more bandsman can be seen reclining in front of the officers . He is a boy and has a white pouch also, and an instrument. But he has no shoulder wings. The difference in the type of wings could be because the fringed type are Corps of Drums and the fringeless type are band. This would mean that the 'bass drummer' is in fact a time beater for the band rather than a member of the Corps of Drums.

Regimental Band | Regimental details