When it comes to ceremonial occasions nobody does it better than the British and there is nothing finer than a colourful procession supported by one or more military bands in full flow.
There are around 50 Armed Forces bands in the UK, five belonging to the Guards Regiments and another five to the Royal Marines. Until 1994, however, there were as many as 64 Army bands alone but subsequent reviews and reductions in manpower have cut this down to 22. What a pity, although there are still an additional School of Music is based at Kneller Hall in Twickenham, West London, but with the building scheduled for closure and future sale, the School, which was founded in 1857, may have to move elsewhere.
The oldest band is the Royal Artillery which traces its roots back to 1557 at the Battle of St. Quentin in France, when British and Spanish forces defeated the French. However, the band was not officially recognised for another 200 years.
This story is from the Summer 2017 edition of Evergreen.
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This story is from the Summer 2017 edition of Evergreen.
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