strange formation

[TerryS]

This pic is from the cover of a book and probably shows a war memorial. There are four files of British soldiers. The right file has their rifles slung over their left shoulders. The other three files have the butt uppermost, and hold the muzzles down at about the same angle as shoulder arms. What drill is this ?

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[Strangely Brown]

Terry,
Not an official drill that I have ever seen; I would suspect that it has been done to help the artists composition of the sculptor.

[Peter Laidler]

I think that it's just another method of carrying their weapons......, a bit like carrying the rifle slung but with the muzzle doen instead of up. On a long route march you'd carry your rifle at the most comfortable.

[Thunderbox]

Looks like a modern artist's conception lifted from the movies of how tired soldiers carry their rifles - delete an M60 and insert a No1. Looks a bit odd, because the soldiers have been otherwise depicted as immaculate drill clones that would be the RSM's ideal guard party (apart from the raised collars!).

Where does the book attribute memorial in the photo? It looks to be either 1920's Art Deco, or a modern bas relief.

[Mk VII]

As has been said, on a long march you carry your rifle in a variety of ways to vary the load, and I've done it and seen it done like this, and many other ways. In those days marching was a way of getting from A to B, nowadays everyone drives.

[Strangely Brown]

In those days marching was a way of getting from A to B, nowadays everyone drives.

In Victorian times the advance party would have the catering portion of the regiment with it and the band would be with the main column; when the main column came within earshot the band struck up with "Polly put the Kettle on" etc.

Somehow today's 24 rat pack doesn't have the same romance....

[limpetmine]

It was raining and they were keeping the water out of their barrels...
simple, no?

[Thunderbox]

You just don't see many - if any - WW1 pictures depicting soldiers carrying rifles like this, even when they're "marching easy". Seems like the sling was preferred - maybe so they could have their hands free to fill their pipes....

The guy "off-camera" to the right appears to be carrying two SMLEs, both facing inwards, or the opposite way around to normal slope arms.

The two guys at the front seem to be wearing double-breasted greatcoats and no webbing, but they're carrying rifles. Officers or Yeomanry/Household Division? Odd mix of formal and informal details; don't think the artist had ever served in uniform.

[Surpmil]

"Artistic ignorance"...I mean "license", that's all.

[RangeRover]

Courtesy of the image collection at the Canadian Great War Project (canadiangreatwarproject.com) here is a photo of CEF troops on a training march w/ some carrying their rifles as pictured in the book's cover (though these troops are carrying Ross Rifles rather than SMLEs).