The tattoo in 1945 revealed a light-hearted side to the Irish army….

Tattoo Performers in Crash

Trooper M. Corbett, trick motor-cyclists of the Military Tattoo, was injured last night, when another motor-cyclist crashed into his machines. He was removed to St. Bricin’s military hospital, and it was stated this morning that he almost fully recovered. It is expected that he will be able to resume at the Tattoo in a day or two.

Corbett, who finished a bottle of stout while standing erect on the saddle of his machine, was thrown to the ground by the crash, but he held on to the glass containing the stout, which he succeeded in finishing before he lost consciousness.

Irish Times, 5 September 1945