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The Diamond Troupe was the concert party of the 29th Division (United Kingdom), a First World War infantry division within the British Army. Also known as the "Incomparable Division", the 29th was formed in 1915 by combining units that had previously been acting as garrisons about the British Empire. The division fought throughout the Gallipoli Campaign and, from 1916 to the end of the war, on the Western Front in France. Concert parties were an integral element of the war effort; and by 1917, virtually every division had at least one. They mirrored the Pierrot troupes of music halls and seaside resorts, offering soldiers a respite from war, reminding them of home, and providing a neutral outlet to air grievances about "food, conditions, and sergeants". The Diamond Troupe was one of a small number of concert parties to achieve considerable notoriety, both on the battlefield and at home. Its success was due to a combination of factors, not the least of which were the fame of the Division itself and the exceptional performances of many troupe members, especially by what historian Larry J Collins described as "the show-stopper": the female impersonator. The troupe's music director, Robert James Stannard, wrote in his diary that "…the biggest hits were () Hill with his fine singing, Queenie (troupe’s female impersonator ), who deceived a great many of the audience and Larry Nicol, the trick cyclist…" Jason Wilson, in his history of the well-known Canadian concert party, the Dumbbells, singled out the Diamond Troupe as being one of the "notable concert parties of the British Expedition Forces" – an assessment presaged in the 1919 edition of ''The Stage'', where the Diamond Troupe, along with the Australian troupe, Anzac Coves, were praised for having earned their applause "… by legitimate artistic means, and not on account of the increased wartime popularity of khaki or blue". == Formation of the Diamond Troupe == The Diamond Troupe was formed in April 1917 in Arras, France where the 29th Division’s headquarters and various details were billeted. There, amidst ruins and the sound of distant shelling, the first voice trials took place. Out of 60 candidates drawn from every unit in the Division, eight were initially selected. Most if not all troupe members had had some previous experience in the performing arts; and all had served either in the trenches or within striking distance of enemy guns. One member, Pte. Neville Giordano (1892-1958) from Cambridge, had even been part of the Division's historic landing on the Gallipoli Peninsula on 25 April 1915. The name “Diamond Troupe” was inspired by the 29th Division’s own logo, a red half-diamond, and by the tactical superiority of the diamond formation in a military advance. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「The Diamond Troupe」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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