"Music and Entertainment in the Trenches" Topic

"While music was used for training purposes at home, music making was the most important form of entertainment at the front. Besides the tireless work of the commissioned army song leaders to lead their men in song, independent musical activities sprang across military lines both to combat boredom as soldiers awaited the next bombardment and to divert their minds from the onslaught they were anxiously expecting. Traveling entertainment companies made up of civilians were sent from America's vibrant vaudeville circuit with the task of entertaining the various regiments.

Musical plays and competitions were organized within each regiment. Welfare organizations such as the Salvation Army and the Y.M.C.A., whose volunteers provided essential services and comfort to the soldiers, also offered singing get-togethers and impromptu concerts held in their tents or "huts."1 Women dominated the population of volunteers. It is interesting to note the differences and similarities of representation between women at home and women at the front…"

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Armand

Yes, but what about Private Baldrick, the world famous slug balancer?

TVAG

(smile)

Armand