The Little Banjo

The `Little Banjo' is the incredible story of a very precious musical instrument found in an old farm house in Canada in 2003. This compact musical instrument, a cross between a banjo and a mandolin, was created sometime between 1900 and 1915. In 1916, an unknown soldier became part of the Canadian war contingent and set sail on the SS Adriatic from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Arriving in Liverpool, England, he trained at British army bases before embarking on a frontline tour of duty on the World War One battlefields of France and Belgium. The incredible part of this story is that he carried the banjo with him as he traveled, witnessing the great battles of the war. As he played the instrument along the way, he wrote his personal diary and tour itinerary on the face and back of the banjo.

IBS257 and Dunrobincastle.com are planning to create a television documentary on the journey of the little banjo, retracing its steps across the infamous battlefields of World War One. This documentary, to be produced in May, 2004, will take the viewer back in time, to places where courage and honour sustained the young men who were enveloped by the nightmare of mustard gas, trench warfare and the Spanish Influenza of 1918.

The video of the tour will not only be produced for television, but as we take the tour from Halifax to England and then to France, we will webcast segments of the production right here on IBS257. Later, segments from `The Little Banjo', will be included on our educational web site, the TimeKeeper's Collection. For more details about the Little Banjo or how you can become a sponsor for this incredible journey, contact James Blondeau at Tallimar@istar.ca or call Canada (613) 832-1514.

Return to Information on the Timekeeper's Collection

The Little Banjo	Interior Back
Inside Back	Battlefields
Departure From Halifax	Battlefields
Battlefields	Battlefields
Battlefields	Battlefields