INTERNATIONAL MILITARY MUSIC SOCIETY UNITED KINGDOM (FOUNDER) BRANCH Journal
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ISSN2050-4926 INTERNATIONAL MILITARY MUSIC SOCIETY UNITED KINGDOM (FOUNDER) BRANCH Journal No. 117 AUTUMN 2018 INTERNATIONAL MILITARY MUSIC SOCIETY UNITED KINGDOM (FOUNDER) BRANCH Founder President: Lt-Col Sir Vivian Dunn KCVO OBE (1908-1995) Branch President: Lt-Col (Rtd) Geoff Kingston Honorary Vice-Presidents: Mrs June Alford, Mr Pat Higgins, Mr Philip Mather, Miss Eileen Pearson INTERNATIONAL VICE- CHAIRMAN’S CALL recruitment of new members. Jim PRESIDENT: This year has been quite a challenging Davies has been proactive in this and Major (Rtd) Roger Swift one for me. Not only have we lost arranged for the Branch to have a CHAIRMAN: your Branch Vice-Chairman John display at the Household Division Alan Purdie, 5 Hemming Close, Crisford, but your Branch President, Music Festival in June and joined me Hampton, Middlesex TW12 2JD. Geoff Kingston, has decided that he at Kneller Hall for the Summer Tel: 020 8941 1416. will be standing down at next year’s Concerts. Sadly, we only managed to E-mail: [email protected] AGM. As you are all aware, John recruit one new member, but we will HON. SECRETARY: also stepped into the breach to take on keep trying! We have some new free- Jim Davies, Amberstone, Pyrford Road, the responsibility of International standing lightweight table-top display Pyrford, Surrey GU22 8UP. Treasurer and it has fallen to your boards, so if you are attending a Tel: 01932 355135. Committee to find a new Treasurer. concert where you believe there E-mail: [email protected] So far finding a new Treasurer has would be space to display them, HON. TREASURER proved impossible, and a decision please let me or Jim know. The new & MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY: will be made at the next Committee recruitment leaflet is nearing Guy Morris, 32 Claremont Avenue, meeting as to how to proceed. completion. It will be a similar trifold Hersham, Surrey KT12 4NS. The good news, however, is that your format to the previous one, but in a Tel: 0870 904 6453. new layout with a membership form E-mail [email protected] Committee asked me to approach Major Roger Swift to invite him to which can be filled in and returned to JOURNAL EDITOR: become the next Branch President, our Membership Secretary. Mike Boxall, 38 Hortensia House, At our next Committee meeting I will Hortensia Road, London SW10 0QP. and I am delighted to be able to tell E-mail: you that Roger has accepted the be looking to confirm the dates for our [email protected] invitation with effect from next meetings in 2019, and I hope to be March. This is, of course, subject to able to confirm speakers for next year COMMITTEE MEMBERS: the approval of the membership at in time for our meeting in December. Charles Gray, Brian Hill, Rodney Illsley If you have any ideas for possible and Ron Shooter next year’s AGM. While on the subject of the AGM, speakers, please feel free to let me or ADVISORY PANEL: there will be several vacancies on the Jim know (ideally with contact John Curtis, Colin Dean, details). Dr Graham Jones MBE, Philip Mather, Committee to be filled and I would Major (Rtd) Richard Powell, and Major urge you all to consider your role in I have just returned from my annual (Rtd) Gordon Turner MBE the Branch and put your name visit to my homeland for the forward for election. The Committee Edinburgh Festival and came across REGIONAL ORGANISER this thought from one of Scotland’s North East: Ivor Shirley, 9 Hurst meets four times a year on the Grove, Darlington, DL1 4NX morning of the Branch meetings and greatest writers, Sir Walter Scott, usually there is one all-day meeting “Life is too short for the indulgence of WEBMASTER: where more time can be given to animosity”. I leave you with this as Ron Rose, Flat 4, Kingsholm House, 7 discussing matters of concern. One of my parting shot. Twickenham Close, Swindon SN3 3FF. All best wishes. Alan Purdie E-mail: [email protected] these main concerns continues to be Website: www.imms-uk.org.uk The IMMS UK Branch Journal is published four times a year. The remaining closing date Follow us on Facebook for copy in 2018 is 14th November. Contributions for the Journal from members are always welcome. The annual membership subscription, due on 1st January, is £25 of which the UK Branch retains £8 to help finance local activities. Members receive in addition to the UK Branch Journal three editions each year of Band International, which is sent to all members FRONT COVER: Captain Neil worldwide. Further details about the Society and its activities are available from the UK Skipper leads the Band of the Royal Branch Secretary. Enquiries and correspondence about the Society’s meetings should be Artillery from Green Park on 9th June addressed to the Branch Secretary and not to Kneller Hall. The contents of the UK Branch after playing for the Royal Gun Journal are copyright and no part of it may be reproduced without permission. Opinions Salute marking The Queen's Official expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of the President, the UK Branch Committee Birthday. (Photo: Mike Boxall) or the Society’s membership as a whole. 2 IMMS UK (Founder) Branch Journal – Autumn 2018 BRANCH SECRETARY’S NOTES Branch meetings the massed cavalry bands - shortly to in 1999 to work with The Royal With the kind permission of the be disbanded - entered the Earl's British Legion. Commandant, Colonel Victoria Reid Court arena playing Mozart. In January 2013 he took over the post OBE, and with the support of her of Regimental Adjutant, Irish Guards, team, our meetings take place at The retiring in January 2018. He was Royal Military School of Music, Director of Ceremonies for the Order Kneller Hall Twickenham TW2 7DU. of St John for several years and is a The remaining meetings this year will Knight of St John. nd be on Saturdays 22 September and A member of Her Majesty’s Body th 8 December, starting at 14 00. Guard, the Honourable Corps of When attending meetings, you’ll need Gentlemen at Arms, he was the to allow time to complete the security Lieutenant from 2016 to 2018 and procedures at the School. If you travel was appointed a Lieutenant in the Colin Dean with Roger after his thorough by public transport or on foot, notify and humorous presentation. Royal Victorian Order (LVO) in me in advance. If travelling by car for (Photo: Jim Davies) 2018. the first time, notify me of your We also learnt something of the Married to Angela, he has two vehicle’s registration number. ‘hazards’ of being a mounted daughters and a son, James, who was Members’ details are held at the musician, as well as the challenges a Captain in the Irish Guards and left Guardroom for subsequent visits. posed by the Riding School for the the Army in 2013. Remember to carry your IMMS slightly older new rider. Quite apart membership card as proof of identity. from the security challenges then Lost membership cards can be prevailing, Roger's otherwise replaced on request. splendid charger Dunfermline simply Annual General Meeting would not walk over a manhole cover and wouldn’t go anywhere near Our AGM was held on Saturday elephants, fellow participants in a 16th June, delayed from 3rd March long-past tattoo! because of the wintry weather then th gripping the country. Members heard Portsmouth meeting 4 August reports from your officers about the I regret it was necessary to cancel the state of the Branch and our plans. regional meeting planned for th This year, because your officers are Saturday 4 August at Portsmouth now appointed by your committee, Guildhall. Unfortunately, the level of and as most of your committee response I received indicated that the members were mid-term, no elections meeting would not have been viable; were required. Ron Shooter's term as there would have been insufficient a committee member had expired, but members present to do justice to our he graciously agreed to be co-opted to visiting speakers. Colonel Timothy in the uniform of the the committee. I apologise to those disappointed by Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at A full list of officers and committee this decision; I hope to arrange a Arms. (Photo: Crown copyright) members is shown on page 2, and the meeting at Portsmouth before the officers’ reports to the AGM are Open Day Concert on Saturday th Newsbriefs reproduced on pages 18 to 21 of this 9 August next year; make a note in Journal. your diary now! Did you receive my recent e-mail nd Newsbriefs? If not, and you would th Branch meeting 22 September Branch meeting 16 June like to receive these occasional We were delighted to welcome Our guest speaker on Saturday nd Newsbriefs about the exciting Lieutenant Colonel Roger Tomlinson 22 September at Kneller Hall will be forthcoming military music events, as our guest speaker after the lunch Colonel Timothy Purdon LVO, OBE. please send me your e-mail address, break. Roger's delightfully-prepared, Commissioned into the Irish Guards or a new e-mail address if yours has thorough and humorous talk took us in 1969, he received an MBE for his recently changed; my e-mail address on a tour of military music and music- part in Op. Agila – the Ceasefire is: [email protected]. making. His career stretched from the Monitoring Force in Rhodesia/ Duke of York’s Royal Military Zimbabwe, commanding Assembly Do let me know about parades, School to the pinnacle of military Place Foxtrot.