BRANCH No. 120 SUMMER 2019
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
ISSN2050-4926 INTERNATIONAL MILITARY MUSIC SOCIETY UNITED KINGDOM (FOUNDER) BRANCH Journal No. 120 SUMMER 2019 INTERNATIONAL MILITARY MUSIC SOCIETY UNITED KINGDOM (FOUNDER) BRANCH Founder President: Lt-Col Sir Vivian Dunn KCVO, OBE (1908-1995) Branch President: Major (Rtd.) Roger Swift Honorary Vice-Presidents: Miss Eileen Pearson, Mr Pat Higgins, Mr Philip Mather INTERNATIONAL VICE-PRESIDENT: CHAIRMAN’S CALL Major (Rtd.) Roger Swift It was with real pride that I was elected at March. It’s particularly striking that so CHAIRMAN: the Annual General meeting at The Royal much of the music performed for us to Jim Davies, Amberstone, Pyrford Road, Military School of Music in March to be enjoy was composed or arranged by Woking GU22 8UP your Branch Chairman in succession to members of the Royal Marine Band Tel: 01932 355135 Alan Purdie. To hold such a position is a Service; also, one can only wonder how E-mail: [email protected] great honour, following in the Jon Ridley and his fine musicians had the HON. SECRETARY: distinguished footsteps of predecessors stamina to give two performances on the Alan Purdie, 5 Hemming Close, including John Ambler, Colin Dean, Saturday! Hampton, Middlesex TW12 2JD Nigel Ellis and Alan, all of whom made The ‘low’ I referred to was the Tel: 020 8941 1416 (Monday to Friday their distinctive mark on the Branch’s confirmation we received of Kneller between 1000 and 1600) fortunes. I will endeavour to follow the Hall’s closure at the end of September E-mail: [email protected] path sent by these eminent colleagues and next year ending 150+ years as the home HON. TREASURER friends, all of whom continue as of military music. We look forward to & MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY: members of this Society. hearing about the plans for training of Guy Morris, 32 Claremont Avenue, CAMUS bandmasters and musicians; Hersham KT12 4NS Of course I wish Alan Purdie every your committee will be looking urgently Tel: 0870 904 6453 success as our Secretary. Having E-mail: [email protected] relinquished the role after a very happy to find a suitable location for our future quarterly meetings. JOURNAL EDITOR: tenure I know some of the demands and Mike Boxall, 38 Hortensia House, pressures he will be encountering. A priority for us all in the Society is to Hortensia Road, London SW10 0QP However, with his wide connections with recruit new members and we’ll be E- mail: military musicians and knowledge I looking at ways of achieving this using [email protected] know Alan is ideally qualified for his the increasingly-important means of social media. Have you visited our COMMITTEE MEMBERS: new role which he will fulfil with Charles Gray, Brian Hill, Rodney Illsley, distinction, and for which he has my full IMMS Facebook page? Martin West, and Ron Shooter (co-opted) support. Indeed, in his new capacity he While penning these notes it was good to has already met with the services’ three see on television Major David Barringer ADVISORY PANEL: Principal Directors of Music to explore John Curtis, Colin Dean, Lt.-Col. (Rtd.) and the Band of the Welsh Guards – Graham Jones MBE, Philip Mather, the relationships and extend mutual complete with a Drum Major in State Major (Rtd.) Richard Powell & Major benefits between the world of military Dress – at Wembley Stadium to support (Rtd.) Gordon Turner MBE music and this Society. the long-established singing of Abide With Me and the National Anthem before REGIONAL ORGANISER My first couple of days in office were North East & Cumbria: Ivor Shirley, marked by a ‘high’ and a ‘low.’ The the FA Cup Final. 9 Hurst Grove, Darlington DL1 4NX massed bands of the Royal Marines I wish you an enjoyable summer of WEBMASTER: reached new heights of musicianship, military music-making, including the Ron Rose, Flat 4, Kingsholm House, presentation and entertainment value at Household Division Festival of Music at 7 Twickenham Close, Swindon SN3 3FF this year’s Mountbatten Festival of the Guards’ Chapel later in June. E-mail: [email protected] Music at The Royal Albert Hall on 15/16 Jim Davies Website: www.imms-uk.org.uk The IMMS UK Branch Journal is published four times a year. The remaining closing dates Follow us on Facebook for copy for 2019 are 30th August and 15th 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 FRONTBranch COVER:Meetings addition to the UK Branch Journal three editions each year of Band International, which is Senior Drum Major Warrant Officer sent to all members worldwide. Further details about the Society and its activities are Terry Gardner pictured before leading available from the UK Branch Secretary. Enquiries and correspondence about the Society’s the Massed Bands on The Mall for the (At The Royal Military School of meetings should be addressed to the Branch Secretary and not to Kneller Hall. The contents RAF100 celebrations last July. of the UK Branch Journal are copyright and no part of it may be reproduced without (Music,Photo: MOD/CrownKneller Hall, copyright2018Twickenham) permission. Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of the President, the TW2 7DU) UK Branch Committee or the Society’s membership as a whole. Our meetings at Kneller Hall in 2 IMMS UK (Founder) Branch Journal – Summer 2019 2015 will take place on Saturdays 20th June, 12th September and BRANCH SECRETARY’S NOTES Branch meetings entertained by three musical items. concerns and to counsel me on With the kind permission of the These included Rusalka’s Song to the possible ways forward. Commandant, Colonel Victoria Reid Moon (Dvorak) and Rhapsody for My thanks go to him for this and for OBE, and with the support of her Euphonium (Curnow) both of which all the work he has done for the team, our meetings take place at The were accompanied by Major Swift on Society over the years. Royal Military School of Music, piano. Kneller Hall Twickenham TW2 7DU. Kneller Hall Concerts in the Park NOTE: The remaining meetings at Kneller Hall this year will be on I have received clarification that this Saturdays 15th June, 21st September year’s Concerts in the Park will be on: and 7th December, all starting at 1400. • Wednesday 26th June at 2000 featuring an evening of Scottish Members attending meetings should military band music allow sufficient time to complete the th security procedures at the school. To • Saturday 6 July at 1930 featuring the Army Big Band assist as far as we can, those travelling and Rock / Pop Group by public transport should notify me Serjeant Graham Allen and Major (Rtd.) in advance so I can pass their names Roger Swift at the March meeting in the • Saturday 20th July at 2000 which to the School. Kneller Hall Museum. will be a Celebration of the 25th (Photo: Jim Davies) anniversary of CAMUS. Those travelling by car to Kneller To complete the afternoon’s Please put these dates in your diary Hall for the first time should let me entertainment, Major Swift related and support what may be the last have their vehicles’ registration tales which brought back memories to Concerts in the Park. numbers by post, telephone or e-mail some of us of those by Stanley (see page 2). After their first Holloway. 2019 Household Division Music attendance, members’ details are Festival automatically passed to the June meeting Guardroom for subsequent visits – Our next Branch meeting will be on Once again the Household Division but please let me know of changes of Saturday 15th June starting at 1400 will be holding their Music Festival vehicle registrations! when our speaker will be Lieutenant from Tuesday 25th June to Sunday Colonel Vernon Yates, currently 30th June in the Guards Chapel. When attending our meetings, Commanding Officer of CAMUS As detailed on page 7, there will be a members should carry their IMMS Regional HQ. membership cards as proof of very varied programme of music identity. Lost membership cards can Colonel Yates will be regaling us with during that week ranging from Big be replaced on request. tales from his long and illustrious Band and Dixie Swingers through career and we may even get an insight Chamber and Jazz ensembles to a full March meeting into some of the future changes to Band Concert each evening. CAMUS following the news of the The March meeting began with the The final concert on Sunday 30th will closure of Kneller Hall in autumn AGM which had been moved from feature the return of the Veterans 2020. the morning and began at 1400 with Reunited Band. the Various Reports for the Branch We will, of course, let you know in Officers. These reports are printed in the Journal, and in Jim's Newsbriefs, The History of British Military full on pages 18 to 21 of this edition as soon as we get definite information Bands of the Journal. on what will be happening in the In 1994 Gordon Turner and his son As previously indicated, the members coming months. Alwyn produced three excellent were invited to endorse the Lieutenant Colonel Geoffrey volumes on the History of British appointment of Major (Rtd.) Roger Kingston Military Bands which document the history of our bands up to the point Swift as Branch President and Mr Jim During 2018 Lieutenant Colonel Davies as Branch Chairman. There when many were downsized and Kingston indicated that he wanted to amalgamated in the early 1990s. were two vacancies on the Committee relinquish his position as our Branch A strong supporter and friend of and Messrs Brian Hill and Martin President as he was finding it IMMS, is helping to dispose of a late West were elected.