And the Band Played On
From Uniform Girls 14 ‘I’ve warned you before, young lady. As the eldest member of the Marshland Majorettes, you’re expected to set an example.’ Christine Smith, tall, slim and eighteen, stood sulking in the centre of the small office. She had never wanted to join the Marshland Majorettes, but her parents had insisted. They had seen them perform at a village fair shortly after the Smith family had come to the area. ‘Just the thing for our Christine,’ her father had said. ‘Teach her a little discipline and poise.’ The poise was all very well; the discipline was another matter, especially when it was handed out by the troupe’s leaders, Mr and Mrs Jackson. ‘This time, I think, the hairbrush is called for,’ said Alice Jackson. Her husband, sitting beside her, nodded. Christine tried to think of something else. It wasn’t so much the music or the marching she so disliked; it was that silly uniform. A frilly little skirt which afford...