As I sit here wondering when life will get back to some sort of normal, I am pondering what to write about in a drum article that would make for a good distraction, yet relate to the state of things in the world today. One such drum that comes to mind for me is this WW II era Victorious snare drum. The very name Victorious is something that I think is appropriate because in due time, I feel we will all emerge stronger and victorious from the effects of Covid19. The drum in this article was constructed amid a time of uncertainty and trying times as it was engineered during WW II when everything in America was being directed toward the war effort. WFL Drum Company was starting to get some momentum in the drum world after Wm F Ludwig bought the building at 1728 N Damen Ave in Chicago in 1936. Wm F Ludwig planned to once again strike out on his own after regretfully selling his company Ludwig and Ludwig to the Conn Corporation in 1929. The business was a labor of love and just as things were picking up, everything changed overnight on Dec 7th 1941 as America found itself at war.
On April 2, 1942, the War production board ordered a reduction in the use of metals in non-essential items. For WFL this meant that they had to come up with a way to produce drums and hardware with little to no metal used. The answer came in a design that was invented by chief engineer Cecil Strupe. This new drum featured a wood shell, wood hoops and wooden lugs. The drum was equipped with a wooden internal tuning system that worked when a key was used on the sides that operated a mechanism that pushed against the heads causing tension. WFL called this line of drums Victorious as a way to infuse confidence in relation to our troops fighting for our freedom. WFL also made pedals, stands and other hardware using wood to reduce the use of metals. WFL operated on a skeleton crew throughout the war and according to WFL II, found additional work to stay afloat, making products like the backs of chairs. The design on Victorious drums was fairly short lived and within a few years, WFL was making drums with a wooden lug that had a threaded insert for tension. The design was very similar to what Slingerland was doing with their war time Rolling Bomber drums. WFL also published a three page flyer to go along with the Victorious drums in 1942 and this flyer is quite rare these days.
The drum I have is a beautiful example of a 1942 WFL war era snare drum. It is all original down to the stretched out calf head, while the paint on the lugs show minimal amounts of wear. The most interesting thing about this drum is the finish and badge. Unlike most drums that used a drum wrap and a metal badge, this drum has wrap almost like wallpaper and the badge is part of the wrap. It is literally printed into the pattern of the wrap! I would say as a rule with drums I collect, I like to own drums that are meant to be played, and could be done so at any time. I have a few exceptions and this drum is one of them. The old heads are stretched quite a bit and the internal tuning system is pretty fragile. It’s a beautiful drum but at this point, it is really more of a great piece of history to me. I am also fortunate to have an original three page pull out that served as a catalog during the early 40’s. It shows a full Victorious drum set, as well as the snare and color options that were available. The wooden hardware options are shown as well as the various sticks that were offered. This drum is a great piece of History that reminds me that during tough times, people found ways to get through and come out stronger on the other side. Victorious comes to mind….