Quote:
Originally Posted by Hussar100
As for cost: we had no P&D. We had two pipers, later three. Their uniforms were in the distinctive Irish style apart from a hussar jacket. None of their kit was on our establishment and had to be paid for. In our case the officers mess imposed a levy. I'm sure the sgts mess, cpls mess and the JR's would have been equally keen to contribute if they had been offered the chance.
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Always depends on how the proposition is put. Our regimental pipes and drums, when I served in it, was a fully funded reserve unit with a separate unit identification code and identity within the CF. We did, however, have volunteer members who came out and practiced and performed with the band. For the most part it was seamless, and everyone understood that the serving soldiers got paid, and the volunteers were just that.
The line got blurred when we went on a trip to the U.S. for a major performance, and it was decided by our Pipe Major that the meal allowance money for the serving soldiers would be distributed 'fairly' among the volunteers.
I think it would have been okay if anyone had bothered to ask the serving soldiers first, as we mostly appreciated the efforts of the volunteers. However, the proposition was not put to us that way. We paraded after return to Canada, were presented the acquittance roll, told to sign, and then given a fraction of the money we had just signed for. Only when we asked what was going on, at that time, were we informed that we were gifting our fellow bandsmen some of our entitlement.
Presented in that way, the decision rankled. For some of the serving members, it was still just a part-time job and even the salary was little more than beer money. For myself, living at home and going through University, it was my only source of income. A number of us took offence and there were hard feelings. And of course, taking money we had legally signed for was, in retrospect, a criminal act. We didn't think to complain since the way it was presented was that we were being petty, taking a few dollars away from hard-working volunteers who contributed as much to the success of the band and its performance as we well-paid members of the military.
As it turned out, the band was reduced not long after in a round of budget cuts to almost entirely volunteer status, and we serving members involuntarily remustered to other trades (or out of service.) Our PM lingered a couple more years in one of a handful of token funded musician positions and also left the service.