Page 163 - Rifles 2017 Issue No 3

Germany Tour
The Band and Bugles of The Ri es also enjoyed a tour to Germany this year. Our rst full day started with rehearsals, as that night was our rst Sounding Retreat. This was not too far away in the town of Sennelager. There we performed to the Of cers and SNCOs in the garden of the Of cers mess. This was also an engagement for one of the brass quintets, who performed during the dinner. Following this some of the Section Principals in the band made their way to Gutersloh Music Services. There we played alongside the young musicians at their Saturday School, helping them with some of their own repertoire.
We also visited the Haig School to perform for their students. We entertained the children with music such as Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Beauty and The Beast, Uptown funk and many more. As well as this, we introduced each instrument in turn, enabling the children to learn what each instrument sounds and looks like. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, and it certainly sounded like the children did too.
The following day we were in Schloss Neuhaus. Here we were supposed to perform a Sounding Retreat, however the weather unfortunately turned and so, with ‘the show must go on’ in mind, the band instead put on an indoor Cabaret Marching Display. While the guests were enjoying a drinks reception we marched into and then around the room, halting in a concert band formation and performing music to an appreciative audience.
Finally the Brass Quintet ended their tour with a dinner engagement on the Dutch border at a German NATO base. After a four-hour drive, they eventually arrived at a welfare home where they would be staying for the night. The dinner was in a small barn, now used for weddings, dinners and other formal events, and was one of the most beautiful venues the quintet had played in. The quintet were delighted then to be invited to the after dinner party, where they made some friends for the next time The Band and Bugles venture to Germany.
Musn E Milum
Cyprus Tour
Early one February morning,
while most were still asleep,
The Band and Bugles of The
Ri es loaded onto a coach
and travelled to Brize Norton.
From there we ew to Cyprus
to support 84 Squadron
and take part in other formal
events. It was a long day’s
travel and after leaving home
in the early hours, we nally
arrived at camp in Episkopi
late at night. However, the next morning we awoke to glorious views across the bay from our accommodation. Many made use of the rst full day in Cyprus before our freight arrived, with some going for runs around the hills and others going to the nearby beach to relax. Some members of the unit braved the chilly seasonal waters to go for a swim and play with a football. LCpl May even took out his snorkel to look at the marine life. Sjt Marsh and Cpl Renshaw went to the Cyprus Parachute Centre for some ground training, and a small group headed to the Troodos Mountains to go skiing. The following day the freight was delivered with all our kit, a great relief! The giant wardrobes meant uniforms were still just as good as when we packed them, with only a few items thrown from their hangers.
Out rst engagement while in Cyprus was for the handover/takeover of Commander British Forces Cyprus. After a short ceremony at Flagstaff House, which featured a great Bugle Fanfare, The Band and Bugles of The Ri es entertained the small crowd with light background music. This included pieces such as Dambusters, Family Guy, Barnard Castle and of course High on a Hill. This was then followed with a sunset ceremony where the ag was lowered and national anthems played.
The following day saw 84 Squadron’s 100th birthday celebrations in Akrotiri, an event we’d rehearsed for earlier in the week. The parade took place just off the runway, with aeroplanes continuing to manoeuvre behind the square, making for a noisy environment. To celebrate the RAF heritage, we played pieces such as Luftwaffe and RAF March Past. After the ceremony, all our kit was repacked ready to travel home and some people took the afternoon to explore a little more of the island. We all travelled to a local town for a Meze dinner. This consisted of many plates of food, either meat or sh, being brought to the table to be served alongside salad, hummus and breads. It was a lovely way to end the tour with everyone socialising together. Just before travelling back the next day, our crazy Assistant Director of Music managed to squeeze in a skydive before we all loaded on the transport and heading home.
LCpl E Barquilla
The Band and Bugles of The Ri es providing some background music at Flagstaff House
Buxton tattoo
In July The Band and Bugles of The Ri es travelled up Derbyshire to perform at the Buxton Military Tattoo. This event was also a great chance for bands to get together and see old friends. Alongside us were The Band of The Royal Corps of Signals, The Band of The Royal Logistics Corps and many other Reserve, Cadet and civilian bands and display teams. I was delighted my parents were able to come and watch as Derbyshire is my home county.
We rose early and were treated to bacon sandwiches on arrival at the magni cent venue, The Dome, Buxton. Rehearsals in the morning went well, with The Band and Bugles of The Ri es showing off a new part of their display. This involved marching to You Can’t Stop The Beat from the musical Hairspray.
The acoustics in the venue made this quite dif cult, however it looked and sounded great with people enjoying the modern twist to the display. The rst performance to the public opened with a great sounding Fanfare For a Digni ed Occasion by Bliss, played from the upper levels of the circular venue by musicians drawn from many bands, with the grand nale, the Massed Bands, Pipes and Drums, conducted by our own Director of Music.
After a full day of music and laugher it was time to travel home. My parents really enjoyed the perfor- mance and I can’t wait to be able to perform for them again.
Musn E Watson
MY PARENTS WERE
ABLE TO COME AND WATCH AS DERBYSHIRE IS MY HOME
THE RIFLES
THE BAND AND BUGLES OF THE RIFLES 161