Page 101 - Chronicle Vol 17

THE CORONATION OF THEIR MAJESTIES KING CHARLES III AND QUEEN CAMILLA
During late April/early May, 7,000 members of the British and Commonwealth Armed Forces came together to prepare for the Coronation of Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla. A crucial element of the occasion were the military bands, allowing the Band and Bugles of the Rifles to take a ‘Swift and Bold’ centre stage. The band, along with the Band of the Brigade of Gurkhas, led a procession group of infantry personnel through the streets of London. Beginning at Waterloo station in the early hours of Coronation Day, to Wellington Barracks, where all Army procession groups were able to tend to their uniform and per- sonal admin before they stepped off to Whitehall, where the procession would begin to Buckingham Palace after the coronation service. Whilst we were stood at our ‘march off’ point, we were able to hear the service take place through the speakers, and despite the typical British weather, there were tens of thousands of people lining the route, cheering and clapping. When the main procession set off from Whitehall, all bands within each procession group played the same piece of music at the same time. This was made possible by the bass drummers, bugle/ drum majors and officers in command wearing earpieces that gave signals/cues for when to set off and call out commands. The bass drummers set their met- ronomes to 108bpm, ensuring everyone was in step and arriving at each stage of the procession at the correct time. A mixture of Army, Royal Air Force and Royal Navy marches were played, including one march composed specially for this Coronation - ‘King’s Company’, composed by Captain Ben Mason, Regional Bands Operations Officer.
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