YEOVIL MILITARY TATTOO - 21 MAY 1998 The Story
Ringwood PB Invitation to Appear
When I received the call inviting Ringwood Pipe Band to attend this year's Tattoo I was chuffed indeed.
The other bands were all top class military bands and we are a grade 4 civilian pipe band.
The other bands were the Royal Marines (Plymouth), The RAF (Western) Band and The Light Division based at Winchester.
Let's create a massed band
It occurred to me that this was an opportunity to gather some support and create a massed band to match the military bands.
It was also essential that we had a first class Senior Drum Major to organise the troops. My first call was to Joe MacDonald (10 Edinburgh Tattoos)who leads our Wessex Tattoo in Salisbury, each February.
Joe always responds to a challenge and he was immediately "Up for it" together with the Hampshire Fire & Rescue PB. Five minutes later Joe rang to say that he had contacted P/M Robertson at the Devon Fire & Rescue PB and they were game.
They spread the word to City of Exeter and I contacted Surrey who had appeared at the Wessex Tattoo this year.
Come The Day
New tunes learnt and D/Ms regular get togethers at Eastleigh made for polished leadership on the day. Sen. Pipe Major Robert Pearson ensured the playing was consistent and rehearsals went well. All in all about 26 pipers and 12 drummers inc 3 bass drums.
At the mass bands rehearsal the size of the pipe band presented a difficulty for the march past of Royal British Legion standard bearers. The Director of Music Capt Jones of the Light Division asked for a special manoeuvre splitting
the band into 2 sections. No problem for Joe MacDonald and he soon had them all practising.
The evening was a great success. The massed pipes and drums followed the military bands and were a sight to behold as they marched round the floodlit Yeovil Football stadium with the 2-3000 crowd clapping to the marches.
As the pipe bands entered for the crowd gave a roar of approval as Scotland the Brave struck up and clapped as the band circled the ground and lines up either side of the massed military bands and at a 45 degree angle to them to make the show demanded by the Director of Music.
The bands played Amazing Grace with solo by P/M Roger Huth of Surrey PB and later the Lone Piper was Ringwood's own Iain McNeill playing "The Fair Maid of Barra".
The march off by all the bands was received with tumultuous and deserved applause. We're na awa tae bide awa, Heilan Laddie and Black Bear saw the disappearance of the pipe bands with loud drummers roars in all the right places!
After thoughts
I was proud of the way the pipes and drums had performed with so little rehearsal as a massed band.
Certainly the organisers and the crowd enjoyed the whole event. Salute had been taken by a rear admiral and Falklands hero Simon Weston had been in attendance and thanked everyone. He is a vice president of the charity.
During the evening meal, so kindly supplied by the organisers, I was chatting to Devon + Exeter band members and they have expressed a wish to take part in the Wessex Tattoo next year!
Also, I was told that the Breton band who played alongside Ringwood at our recent French trip have also said they are keen to play!
These new friends also made my day as it shows that by working together the whole can be a much greater experience than can be achieved by any of the component parts!
To all our friends in Hampshire Fire and Rescue, Devon Fire & Rescue, Surrey and City of Exeter Pipe Bands a big, big thank you. It was a pleasure.
To Colonel Ray Hall and all at the Star & Garter - Can we come back next year?
Ian McLennan
Photo's shortly
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