Steady Up!
I just heard back from the Halifax Citadel Regimental Association that they're going to give me an interview, after I passed the first stage of the process, the floor trial. On Monday I spent two hours learning Victorian military drill ca. 1868, being marked to see if I had any potential as a recruit for the 78th (Highlanders) Regiment of Foot. As far as I can tell, it's not related to the 78th Fraser Highlanders, which a number of my ancestors fought with at Louisbourg and Quebec during the Seven Years War.
Well, there were fourteen of us, about half were girls, who showed up for the floor trial, and the first thing they did was equip us with Snider-Enfield rifles, actual working Snider-Enfields. I was kind of expecting we would be given dummy rifles for the trial. While I am quite familiar with the heft of a battle rifle, I'm not used to holding the things at attention with correct posture, so my left arm especially was very sore. Other than that, we got a crash course in standard drill, like turning and marching. And I learned that only the Victorians have a more uncomfortable at ease position than an at attention position. I still have bruises on my chest from hitting myself there as part of the drill.
I also found a recruiting video for the regiment on Youtube, so you can see them in action.
Hopefully this interview will end in a job, as my application to Pier 21 doesn't seemed to have panned out. *Edit* After a few phone calls, I learned didn't get the job at Pier 21 - because of a technicality. I wasn't a student this year and the funding necessary to pay summer workers is dependent on their status as a student.
Well, there were fourteen of us, about half were girls, who showed up for the floor trial, and the first thing they did was equip us with Snider-Enfield rifles, actual working Snider-Enfields. I was kind of expecting we would be given dummy rifles for the trial. While I am quite familiar with the heft of a battle rifle, I'm not used to holding the things at attention with correct posture, so my left arm especially was very sore. Other than that, we got a crash course in standard drill, like turning and marching. And I learned that only the Victorians have a more uncomfortable at ease position than an at attention position. I still have bruises on my chest from hitting myself there as part of the drill.
I also found a recruiting video for the regiment on Youtube, so you can see them in action.
Click to viewHopefully this interview will end in a job, as my application to Pier 21 doesn't seemed to have panned out. *Edit* After a few phone calls, I learned didn't get the job at Pier 21 - because of a technicality. I wasn't a student this year and the funding necessary to pay summer workers is dependent on their status as a student.