Corps of drums

A corps of drums, sometimes known as a fife and drum corps or simply field music, is a traditional European military music formation. Historically, a Corps of Drums' primary role was communication. Today, the primary role of a Corps of Drums is ceremonial, performing in parades and military ceremonies. Besides drums, this formation may contain a variety of instruments, including trumpets, bugles, and fifes.

Instruments, particularly drums, have been used on battlefields as signaling devices across many different cultures. Unlike army musicians who form bands and are usually limited to auxiliary duties in wartime, drummers in a Corps of Drums are principally fully trained infantry soldiers, with recruitment as drummers coming after standard infantry training.

Its history can be traced back to Swiss mercenaries in the early Renaissance. By the early 16th century, each company of infantry soldiers had a single drummer and a single fife player. These two musicians would march at the head of the company, and when not providing uplifting marching tunes, they would be used by the company commander to convey orders on and off the battlefield. The drummers would be more aptly described as signalers than musicians, as shouted orders were very hard to hear over the din of battle. Later, the bugle would become the preferred means of communication on the battlefield, and the drummers adapted; they started training on bugles and carrying them in battle while retaining the drum and the title of drummer.

As time went on, the individual drummers and fife players would be organized at the battalion level instead of the company level. Thus, the Corps of Drums became attached to the battalion headquarters. They retained their role in each company in battle but would form one body of men at the head of a battalion on the march. A Drum Major (the equivalent of a Sergeant Major for the drummers) was appointed to be in charge of the drummers and organize training in the emerging discipline of military drumming. When off duty, the Corps of Drums would carry out various roles within the battalion, such as administering military justice and ensuring soldiers' billets were secured. The Corps would deploy with the rest of the battalion and would often form specialist platoons such as assault pioneers, supporting fire, or force protection.

The British Army maintains a Corps of Drums in each infantry battalion except for the Scottish, Irish, and Rifle regiments (The Rifles and the Royal Gurkha Rifles) which have pipes and drums and bugles, respectively. Each battalion of a regiment of line infantry maintains a Corps of Drums, which may be massed together on certain occasions. All corps-of-drums soldiers are called drummers (shortened to 'Dmr') regardless of the instrument they play, similar to the use of the term "sapper" for soldiers of the Royal Engineers.

Personnel who form the Corps of Drums are recruited from the whole battalion and are usually attached to the battalion headquarters. Each Corps of Drums is commanded by a drum major, a senior non-commissioned officer, who usually reports to the adjutant of the battalion.

Historical duties such as uncasing and casing of the colors on parade are continued in most units. Due to the specialist duties and ceremonial aspects of a drummer's life, a Corps of Drums may be the unofficial custodian of regimental customs and traditions.

Because the Corps of Drums' role on the battlefield was originally to signal orders, some units are organized into signal platoons for operating radios. Drummers would also accompany officers to meet officers of an opposing army to parley. Therefore, some Corps of Drums perform a liaison role.