"Comrades in Arms 1812" Topic

Good and moving job…

Main page

coolminiornot.com/462238

Armand

Magnifique!
Mais un peu surréaliste…
Je ne vois aucun intérêt à porter le tambour du "petit"!
Bernard

Indeed "moving" but one might note ….

By regulation, an enfant de troupe, raised and trained in the regimental dépôt, could enlist as a drummer at age 16. Otherwise 18 for a volunteer, 20 for a conscript. The first post for a drummer would be as an élève-tambour at the regimental dépôt, for at least some months of training.

The regiments mostly set out for Russia in February 1812. By the time of the winter retreat, the youngest a drummer could be was about 17-1/2 years old, and typically they were adult men.

Civilian musiciens, "gagistes" might be youngsters. But these seldom played a "combat signalling" caisse roulante drum as part of the regimental band, but instead a caisse claire (like a snare drum) or grosse caisse (base drum).

Also, one might note that the pathos of the scene might be put into the context of a poorly executed retreat by an invading army.

Still, a very nice paint job. I can appreciate the effort involved.

Happy you like it boys…

By memory… there were no small children of veteran soldiers who accompanied their parents campaigns (mother a Vivandier) who practiced military life initially as a drummer?

My first impression of this vignette was that of a father sacrificing his last effort to save his little son…

Armand

A vivandière bringing a child on campaign was officially against regulations.

However, if not accepted as an enfant de troupe (living at the dépôt) because the father and mother were still alive (preference being given to orphans or children with 1 living parent), a vivandière might try to "smuggle" a child into the battalion train, or get him hired as a civilian musician. But not as a "combat" drummer.

Give the boy a basson and I think it might be less "surrealistic".

Regulations were written to be broken. I knew multiple men who got into WW2 at 16 and 17. During the Civil War it was common practice, even women got into the field as men. The figure on his back looks young, but really how young? Hardship, lack of nutrition, who knows what a 15, 16 year old would look like, especially if originally from the underprivileged areas of the major cities.

So again, good paint job.

OK …. I was being a "grinch" …. 35thOVI is right – and it *is* a very good paint job.

" I knew multiple men who got into WW2 at 16 and 17"
Indeed my father was one such. He got into the 1er régiment de fusiliers marins a few days after his 17th birthday in the Fall of 1943.

But he was no "small child" at 175 cm (5 feet 9 inches) and 70 kgs (155 lbs).
He preferred boxing (and, ahem, knife-fighting) to football/soccer – and had been in the crews of my grandfather's 2 small merchant ships under contract to the British in the Mediterranean for almost 3 years before enlisting. He was promoted a quartier-maître (petty officer) in less than 7 months, just prior to landing in Italy.

In 1812, he would have carried the carabinier !
:-)

Thanks for your fathers service. 🙂

I am especially thankful. My father learned enough English (barely enough) during the war to charm a daughter of a sea-going family from Portsmouth into a marriage that was to produce …. me. He also parlayed his war service into acceptance at a university that otherwise would have laughed at his application.

My grandfather, on the other hand, was the really terrifying one – more smuggler than merchantman, and perhaps occasional pirate for all anyone knew. When the British departed Dunkerque, he packed all his family and belongings on to his ships, burnt or tore down his shore-side properties and steamed to North Africa.

"Mab gas bosches !", he would say until his dying day, using Breton for the insult.

I remember him an old man in Marseille in the 1960's : then a widower, still an atheist, still drinking, chain smoking Gauloises, gambling at cards, trading shares in ships and cargos, speaking an almost incomprehensible mish-mash of Breton, French and Provençal street-slang – a sailor's knife on his belt and an .38 ACP 1902 Colt in his coat pocket.

I hope I will not scare my daughter's children as much as that old man scared me.

Bien à vous !

Best to you too!

Leaving aside the issue about the drummer's age – why on earth would the soldier add to his burden by saving the drum?

Humanity…?

I would tried the same…

Armand

It held the units Cognac? 😉 would not any true British soldier have done the same for the units Rum! Ce n'est que logique.

Ha!…

Armand

Someones were'nt drummer boys the sons of veterans?

35thOVI Gin gave courage to the British and was probably cheaper!

Sometimes not Someone's