What is this officer doing?

[NigelS]

Must be female, its got drapes! can anyone make out its number?

NigelS

[Staffsyeoman]

Oops. My bad. I still think it's a Mk6* - just look at those pedals - It's mixing up me 'Apsburgs, and me 'Oenzollens, so it is sir. PT-12345 Pte Sproggitt, 125th Forward Piano Tuning Section, Army Service Corps. (as indicated by the PT- prefix)....

I'm reminded of Graham Chapman, as the Brigadier in the film "And Now For Something Completely Different"... "Now stop that... what started off as a perfectly reasonable sketch... has become silly. So I'm putting a stop to it. At my command, Director..."

[ppc1919]

We'll have to keep a close eye on their parachute testing! Not to worry though, Madam - I've defused it!

[high wood]

Some nice answers everyone but I am afraid that nobody was even close.

The photograph was in fact taken at the final read through of an ill fated musical production of "Waiting for Godot" as performed by the junior officers of the Staff College at Camberley. The play was to be performed entirely in the round and Lieutenant Blenkinsop can clearly be seen in the role of Vladimir. The part of Estragon was played by Captain Norbertson of the Indian Cavalry. The part of Godot was uncast as he obviously never actually appears in the play.

The Padre, the Right Reverend Nigel Smythe-Jarvis, who can be seen behind an early form of autocue machine, acted as the prompter. The play was produced and directed by General, Sir Herbert Fitz-Wallis with musical accompaniment by Lieutenant Bradfoot of the Queen's on the piano, which incidently is a Mark IV.

The play was ill received by the critics, mainly on the grounds that "nothing very much actually happens" and never transferred to the West End. The play was substantially rewritten by a Mr Samuel Beckett many years later. The musical numbers were dropped and the play went on to achieve a modicum of success.

[ppc1919]

The photograph was in fact taken at the final read through of an ill fated musical production of "Waiting for Godot" as performed by the junior officers of the Staff College at Camberley. The play was to be performed entirely in the round and Lieutenant Blenkinsop can clearly be seen in the role of Vladimir. The part of Estragon was played by Captain Norbertson of the Indian Cavalry. The part of Godot was uncast as he obviously never actually appears in the play.

The Padre, the Right Reverend Nigel Smythe-Jarvis, who can be seen behind an early form of autocue machine, acted as the prompter. The play was produced and directed by General, Sir Herbert Fitz-Wallis with musical accompaniment by Lieutenant Bradfoot of the Queen's on the piano, which incidently is a Mark IV.

The play was ill received by the critics, mainly on the grounds that "nothing very much actually happens" and never transferred to the West End. The play was substantially rewritten by a Mr Samuel Beckett many years later. The musical numbers were dropped and the play went on to achieve a modicum of success.

Having thought about it, that was going to be my second answer!

[Steven Broomfield]

The part of Godot was uncast as he obviously never actually appears in the play.

That's it.

Ruin the ending.

[andybw125]

If thats the ending, could that be the fat lady singing. Goodbye-ee?

Andy

[Moston]

FOOL, FOOLS..the lot of you !

Tricked by cheap British propaganda who used 1914-18 digital imagery manipulation programs (ink) to make the populace believe this was merely a 'concert' out in the open.

Balderdash.

The original photo (the apparent ' cropped' version shown in posting No. 1) - shows Capt Bachinmad slowly rolling his 'piano' through the streets on Bapaume on 1st July 1916.

The long awaited breakthrough along the Albert - Bapaume Road came about at 08:00 hrs on that day as Capt Bachinmad tinkled the ivories above the dim of the scrap going on around him.

Being well educated at The Royal School of Music he wisely changed music at La Boiselle from 'Tipperary' to 'Lily Marlene' and was greeted with huge cheers as Fritz climbed out of their trenches to sing along with such a pleaseant ditti.

Pozieres was tricky for him as he continued to roll forward at a staggering 1 mph - when he encountered a stiff pocket of resistance - as he fumbled for his handerchief...but a skilfull breaking of a snagged thread and he was able to use his pocket again with ease.

By the Windmill a request was made by some Flattenstuffenoberluintenant for a different tune but he was shouted down by a 4.5 inch.

It was only when he finally reached Bapaume that he turned round to realise that he was on his own that Capt Bachinmad played 'The Dead March' and flipped open the piano lid...only to discover with horror that some blithering idiot at HQ had forgotten to install the yet to invented thermo-nuclear device.

Naturally this whole story was a huge embarrasment to the British government which is why the image was so heavily doctored.

Fritz still to this day...complain of the duff note played near Le Sars.

[squirrel]

High Wood,

are you sure that it is a Mk1V piano? The vision slits don't look quite right to me.

[Steven Broomfield]

Whatever. it's definitely an hermaphrodite. The candelabra have been removed.

[centurion]

One should also remember the German answer the Stienway PanzerKampfGrande (Pkg). Only a limited number were built it was good on the level where it could blast out strains of Wagner but tended to tip into shell holes. A number of BeutePanzerPianolas were produced from captured British Battle Pianos.

The diminutive American Ford Honkytonk (designed by Waller and Joplin) was ordered in some numbers but these were cancelled before delivery.

[Tim Godden]

A little known fact regarding the little-used American Ford Honkytonk Mk1 and Mk1a is that many were cut and shut into the iconic X-wing fighters used in the moving picture Star Wars. This, of course, accounts for their rarity. It is said that Mr. Lucas used 90% of all known Mk1as, with the remainder having being broken up to make crates for illegally produced hard liquor during the years of prohibition in the early 1920s.

[Michael Johnson]

Not so fast. Any fule know that it's a Piano Rolls Armoured Car.

Reminds me of passage from one of the Bandy books, where Bandy has stolen a staff oficer's piano for the Squadron Mess.

"And the piano you lost, Sir, what did it look like?"

"It's plain, varnished!"

"Well if you can't find it, of course it's plain varnished."

[TonyE]

It is very simple. It is a very rare picture taken outside Skindles. Broomers has banished the pianist to the courtyard because he was drowning out the gurgle of the chocolate fountain.

The lady waiting outside is one of Siege Gunner's "friends".

Regards

TonyE

[SiegeGunner]

The lady waiting outside is one of Siege Gunner's "friends".

Not in that hat, she ain't ...

Is High Wood going to tell us what the event really was?

[Chucka]

"They've all gone sir"