The romantic reason is that it goes back to Roman times when their signallers - they had various horns to try to transmit orders over the noise of battle - used to wear exotic animal hides. I think that they wore them as a helmet cover and cape rather than as an apron.

Some British military drummers also had horns or trumpets as part of their duties as signallers - there are different sorts of drummers, some musicians, some messengers, some are trained as medical orderlies others are purely infantrymen.

A bandsman marching around with a drum or cymbals would, I am sure, wish to use a pelt, or any leather or padding to keep the knobbly bits of the drum off his uniform, and the metal parts of his uniform from scratching the drum, which might be highly decorated with regimental honours and damage to it might be frowned upon from a great height. Cymbals are silenced by being clasped against the chest, which must also have caused damage and discomfort.

I've marched with a side drum and soon learned that it can be a bruising experience.

Having officers going off killing animals in their spare time must have brought in a steady stream of pelts back in the days of the Raj. The Queen's uncle, Mountbatten of Burma, shot tigers which ended up as drummer's aprons - or so I am told. They have a little brass plate riveted to them to record the deed.

Anne the Pleater :ootd: