MUSIC IN CAMP

Dragon, 1 December 1942, Page 14

MUSIC IN CAMP

Music s in the heart of man and doesn't seem to be suppressed for long even in a military camp. The worse the locality the more a chap's spirits are forced to rise above its exigencies. You have only to visit one of the local showerrooms to hear a burst of song from some revelling soldier 1 will admit that most of these vocal efforts are confined to the lonely lovesick lyric. But then, what else would you sing in a military camp when you were aching for a civilised bath or an equally inviting girl friend. Around the huts, you can hear a diversity of musical talent. A cobber of mine, when he in the mood," plays his beloved accordion, for hours; another his mouth organ, and still another, his fiddle. Just last week, a friend and I must have appeared a bit "nuts" while humming over rather dramatically some Schubert songs. Have you heard those strains ot Bach coming from our Block in bold string tone? The Padre s room at the Y.M.C.A. has been a rendezvous of musicians. Anything from vocal, string, flute, clarinet ■ saxophone or piano to male quartets can be heard there as the weeks pass by. We are very grateful for the use of the room and piano. Church parades are of mixed value musically, but the band is a great asset in the Camp Theatre Services—and what would the Main Guards be like without the usual obligato from the same jolly crowd? The booming tones make marching spring to new life as the "New" Guard proudly pass the "Old."

Radio and recordings do much to restore some sense of homeliness in the hut-lines where most of our leisure is spent. Rest there is as pleasant as can be away from home . . ; some months ago, our Scottish blood was rampantly stirred, daily for several weeks, by the plaintive swirl of the pipes, coming down-wind from the trees near the hospital. Good luck, Jock, I hope those pipes didn't go where they were often sent." What with concerts by outside folk, Brigade units and occasional dances, not to mention the constant influence of the two theatres music lives on at our camp. Without it, we'd soon crack up, and forget that some day, this too, will pass and freedom will once more be ours. & pj pj