FIGHTING BANDSMEN.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 9662, 10 February 1903, Page 4

FIGHTING BANDSMEN.

DIMINISHING NON-COMBATANTS IN THE NAVY. Tli© present Admiralty seem determined to negtect no measure which contributes to the efficiency of the Navy, and m. pur suit of this M-ise policy steps are now being taken to diminish the number of non-combatants carried on warships. The two most important classes hi this category are. domestics and bandsmen, neither of whom liavc so far been trained to handle the guns or take their place m the stokeholds. They ha.ye been classed as 'idlers," and m battle, would be employed m attending to the wounded. It has now been decided to transform the bandsmen into combatants. Hereafter they are to be incorporated m the Royal Marines. This wilJ involve a change* m uniform, and a change very much for the better. The new uniform is to consist of blue trousers, with broad red stripe, as worn by the Marine Artillery ; blue tunic of Artillery cut, but without facings; and a peaked cap of the new staff pattern. The bandsmen for the fleet will also, it is stilted, m future be trained m a manner similar to musicians for the Army at a naval Kneiler Hall. One of the results of this clnuige presumably will be that hereafter bandsmen will liave to be British (subjects. Hitherto there have been a great many foreigners on board our ships m, that 'capacity, and to the presence of foreign agents among them is attributed by some officers the leakage of important service secrets which has occurred m the past.