Royal Tournament 1981

Jim Mason · Royal Tournament 1981

1981 was the turn of the Massed Bands of the Royal Marines for Earls Court, but as it was a historic occasion, the show was opened by the combined bands of the Royal Marines, Irish Guards, and the Central Band of the Royal Air Force. The Royal Marines were as always, housed in the infamous Warwick Hall (all in one room!) The Irish Guards travelled in daily from their HQ in London, and the Central Band of the Royal Air Force came in by coach daily from Uxbridge.

Prior to the afternoon show on the second Friday, we received a message that the Central Band of the Royal Air Force was held up in a major traffic problem and would not arrive in time for the show. We had to make last minute changes to the display, and the audience was informed that "Due to circumstances beyong out control, the Central Band of the Royal Air Force will not appear at the afternoon performance"

The bands entered that arena playing David Cole's arrangement of The Army, the Navy and the Air Force, but on this occasion, the lyrics would have read "The Army, The Navy and (2 bars rest)" This was repeated each time the phrase was played throughout the march. The audience appreciated the gesture, and even the very senior Royal Air Force officer taking the salute managed a wry smile!

Each band had its own administration office in Earls Court and when the Royal Air Force eventually arrived they found that the Royal Air Force crest on their office now read;

THE CENTRAL BAND OF THE ROYAL AIR FORCE

(CLOSED ON FRIDAY AFTERNOONS)

FFoglamp

Yes. I was on that RT. ....and I remember that friday afternoon. good dit.

I like good dits

PIE is better. mmmmmmmmm

townsergeant

It wasn't 1981 but we still haven't found the infamous milk-bosun, who thought you had to take the milk bag out of its box before putting it in the machine!

My money is still on Sid Davis, twin Bro' of the PDM.

RAB

FFoglamp

Rab, I clocked up a few, like most of us. Most of the years merge in to one now.

So, Colonel Jim, Billy, or Rab, which year was it then ?

townsergeant

Hornblower

I was in the Albert Hall (can't remember the year - but it was in the 70's) rehearsing for the Festival of Remembrance. The RAF decided not to turn up for that one, apparently setting a trend to be continued in the 80's!

Those of you that have done this gig, or watched on telly, will know that there's a popular little tune played whilst the BL flags are being paraded. The Guards massed bands did the inevitable - but very funny - thing with it...

(With apologies to all that don't know the tune)

...the Army, the Navy and the (silence silence)

Wolfy · Milky Bar Kid!

Well Billy,

I was working the Warwick Hall Coffee boat when the milk incident happened. (Trying to make money to pay for my wedding which was a waste of bloody time now I think about it)

I have to say that the more I try and recollect it, the more convinced I am that it was Sid Tanner.

Brian Short was working the coffee boat too (when he wasn't alone in the dark behind the curtain of our makeshift "Cinema?) so if we can get him on here he may be able to put this one to rest for you.

Crusty Driller (percussion type person) was also in the vicinity as I recall.

Sorry I cant be more precise but the net is closing.
I hope you are not going to rip the p***s out of whoever it was once he's identified???

sticky blue

as if - waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

townsergeant · Re: Milky Bar Kid!

FFoglamp

Brian Short is already a member here. Goes under the name of "banging and crashing", but has become one of the many "one post wonders". Where do all these bods go? Have us regulars upset them, or do they pretend they have lives, and therefore no time to play on our favourite forum ?

Not sure if Dusty Miller (perc) is registered, but he definitely lurks, as he emailed me recently, and I know he got me from here.

As regards the famous milk monitor, can't remember either. Perhaps he's also the Aardvark ?

Anyway, no more question marks ?

Aaron Aardvark

????? moi???? wahh roflmao

FFoglamp

Thought it might be a lucky guess. Still, there is no pint in identifying Aa as the milk bosun, if we don't know who he is either?

1981 RT ? Was that the year I did the Royal Torment t-shirts. mmmmmmm nooooo, probably 1984 or 1987. Anyone recall ? :money:

Aaron Aardvark

87 i still have one wahhhhh

FFoglamp

A ha . So you were still around for that then ?

You must have been because that was also the "Fleet Band Aardvarks" t shirt time, sort of era !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

bootybandy

So, Double A was in FOSNI before Rab got there, and also in the 1987 RT. Well, that's his identity sussed??? I was always a little worried about him having a photo of Keith Boswell casually hanging around in a drawer. That's what has kept me thinking of the FOSNI / Fleet link. Curiouser and curiouser.

townsergeant

Best RT T-Shirt..the one with Bart Simpson on it!

Can't remember a lot about it......

Wolfy · Royal Torment

and those wonderful chinese christmas carols.. Ahhh What Larks eh?

sticky blue · Re: Royal Torment

MrJpig · Re: Royal Torment

Co-admin

Send it to me Tommo and I'll do it into a CD!
That was a brilliant tape... a real morale booster

FFoglamp

Max Bygrave has a copy of the Chinese Xmas Carols, and I have a "best of " (is that possible) on tape., so yes please deli man need a massed produced CD copy..........."Now thats what i call getting caught in Hong Kong just before Xmas"

sticky blue · Re: Royal Torment

sticky blue

Co-admin

I think Ffoglamp is going to send it to me... should be done by the time you get back

MrJpig

Thanks Guys

FFoglamp

CHINESE XMAS CAROLS

Mine is an old lo-fi copy on cassette.

Ask Max to remaster it on cd, and upload/download to Deli. Those two have the technology.

Then run off a few copies.

Or to cut out a middle man, ask Max to run off a few copies and send them in the post.

I use a CD firm in Florida. Only takes 3 days to get here !!!!

Pax80

Co-admin

Hopefully Tommo will send me his and I'll rip it down

bootybandy

Aaron Aardvark

sticky blue

Co-admin

Cheers ears. The photo will be on its way back to you shortly... it was DGP in front of the bands but we think we may have a lead on a photo.

sticky blue

sticky blue

found the said tape - will be on it's way tomorrow

nite nite

it's only 21:44 sad ba't'rd that I am

Co-admin

You are a star!

Many thanks dad

MrJpig

Cheers sticky.....I have a six pack...under here somewhere!!!!

sticky blue

I've got a six pack in the fridge

Co-admin

Job done. Please PM me your postal address and I'll send them in the morning. 16 tracks and it lasts just over 30 minutes!
Max, send your email if you are broadband and I'll email the tracks to you, one at a time of course.

K.S.J.LEVER

Are these 'Chinese Christmas Carols' going into full production and then onto CD............. Deli ????????????

Aaron Aardvark

Oh yes they are.........Hong Kong 'Chrismas' (sic) is superb.

Who was this Jesus Chris bloke anyway Deli???

Co-admin

Not full production... more a limited run for those who have asked for them.

K.S.J.LEVER

Would you please put me on your list Deli for these 'Chinese Christmas Carols'.

townsergeant

Wee Mac · 1977 Silver Jubilee Wembley Pageant

I'm new to the site and have just read dits on missing RAF Bands. It was the 1977 Wembley Pageant, for ER II's Silver Jubilee. The RM band entered from the players tunnel. The Guards from under the Royal box and the RAF were absent from the far end. It was the same gig, that an RM Band member was over heard by the DOM of the Guards, " I bet he wears Harmony hair spray", which was from an ad that was currently being shown on TV. Apparently, his Bearskin was well groomed.

Errol. It was Polly and Geordie who Built the Warwick Hall Turtle House!

Wee Mac · 1975 Edinburgh Tattoo

Yes, it was 1975 and because of the heavy rain, the RM motorcycles were cancelled and the Finale was next. Rolls one -two and on marched the massed bands, well some of them anyway. Have you ever seen a bugler run up hill in the pouring rain, wearing a cape and carrying his drum in both hands. Good effort Pedlar.
As already stated, Lt Sharp was on the dais that night, which meant the other RM Dom had that performance off. A young Oboe player, who shall be known as Baz, Walked up behind a soaked figure, who was waring a hooded anorak, gave him a good pat on the back and said, "F....ng good value that" Unfortunate for Baz, it was the other Dom, who shall be known as Wally. I'm not sure but I think Baz got away with It.

Anyway,.... for the rest of the Tattoo, we were confined to the building until needed.
( and we still did not get any oranges) That's another story for an older member)!

Wee Mac · CHINESE XMAS CAROLS

I had acopy when my kids were small. Used to really p..s them off at chrimbo.. Don't have it anymore ! I'll have a copy please Will pay p&p

Bomber

Nearly right about Pedlar, Mac if you remember he was doing tenor drum in the finale and marched on from the side swinging.

Wee Mac

If young Michael Edwin was on tenor drum, who ran past me carrying his drum??

Wee Mac

And what sort of scam was he on??

Wolfy

Bulger??? Scam????????? Don't usually see them words in the same sentence!!

RAB · Re: 1975 Edinburgh Tattoo

Wee Mac

You got it Rab! Although it was a bit before my time, the story was told to me by Bglr Brian Rose.

Nick B

Ok after all these years lets put it to bed. It WAS 1981 RT Tri-Service with Col. Jim as PDM and the RAf Band was travelling in from Uxbridge every day much to our disgust. They got held up by traffic and missed the matinee. We marched on and played two bars rest in their absence as Col. Jim States!! The milk Bosun was Rivs Jordan who stuck a knife into the box of milk in Warwick Hall (to open it) prior to attempting to load the milk machine for the first time!! I was there!!!

Mr Bass Trombone

The orange rolling incident may have happened at Endinburgh sometime in the very late 50s or 1960,I did my first Edinbugh in 1962 and it did not happen in that year. In those day's we still used blanco on our white gear and if rained as it often did,we wore those silly ground sheets known as capes no fun at all, it was just after that paint was trialed and we all know the result of that. The only consaltion of getting wet was that we got a TOT on return to Colinton much to the disgust of others who obviously got wet as well. I don't recall a dustbin but I know we used to toss coins during the lone piper, only copper ones we had halfpennies in those day's they didn't buy you much. I will try a little recall and see if I can come up with other incidents.

RAB

Len

Mr Bass Trombone

Well I guess there has obviously been more than one orange rolling at Endinburgh, I know there was one at the time I said, I can remember it being talked about at Deal, as for this dustbin I aint got a clue, if you were on that gig Rab it was before my Dogends days, but I bet it was fun anyway. See you and others of the Scottish contingent at the annual Beer swilling contest this year will I?????

Hornblower

I distinctly remember a similar incident on TV whilst I was still 'in the box' at Deal.

'Colchester Searchlight Tattoo' was televised and the cameraman cottoned on to the fact that one of the Guardsmens bearskin box had been carried on and left in the middle of the arena.

After it had been spotted, all you could see was one searchlight searching for the hat box once the band had passed over it again. Each time it was in a totally different place.

Turns out it was my future band that was doing the lifting and shifting.

Jim R mason · Orange Rolling

I believe that the first "Orange Rolling" took place at Edinburgh in 1961
I was the Director of Music and the bands were from Whale Island, The Cameronians, and the RAF Regiment, and it was during "The Skye Boat Song" slow march. This was also the occasion when the finale piece was "When the Saints" - After each performance I would start to climb down from the rostrum and the announcer would then say "Would you like to hear that again?" I would then climb back on to the rostrum and repeat the finale - this was even when the rain was p-----g down. On the last night he then announced "The bands will now march off playing
We Are No Away To Bide Away " - But they didn't - they stayed there and played "The Saints" again - and in spite of his plea to march off, they played it 5 more times! Eventually he announced "All right the bands win, will you now please march off" The audience loved it!

Jim Mason

Wee Mac

Would not be able to do that now. Bound to infringe someones Human Rights!
When I complained at the 1975 Jock Tattoo, that we only get Bananas in the "rat packs", Brian Rose, told me of an Orange rolling incident at the Jock Tattoo in 1965. He was a Bugler with the Staff band then.

As in 75/76, it was about the same time of a USA tour?
Any oldies remember ????????????

RAB · Re: Orange Rolling

medrummer

This thread has been running quite a while now so I think it is time to put all the speculation to bed.

I clearly remember these incidents and date, it was 29th February 1913. Because of the National Massage parlour strike it was decided to hold the Edingburgh tattoo in Deal castle. We were all given oranges which we had to paint with blanco to look like the RAF band. Because of the rain the paint washed off and people thought they were the Barbados police band, so when it came to that part of the march we all busked "The army, the navy and the oranges mistaken for the Barbados police band" Of course these extra bars threw the buglers into disarray [ which is also the name of the river running into Plymouth sound] Pedlar Palmer saved the day by releasing the nipple on the milk bag all buglers carried in their drums. [nowadays the milk is carried in cartons of course] the drum major followed the smell of rancid milk and the whole show was
completed in double time because the bass drummer only had one stick. The salute was taken by Col. Benjamin Brittain [the first RM PDM] Why do I remember it so clealy? well thats because the bus load of nurses that seemed to be on the road to us for the whole of my bandy career actually showed up!

I suppose someone will doubt or have their own version and cat black this!

Wee Mac

I think you may have been hit on the head by a stray white citrus fruit and you are suffering from Percussion

medrummer

townsergeant

Brian. Thanks for making me laugh!

BDCPL wef.

medrummer

townsergeant

Ah yes, C30's! Plymouth to Scrabster? That'll do nicely!

Dan A

C30's or C28's??? C28 were the leave travel forms and more popular and infinitely easy to fiddle than C30s which were duty travel....

bootybandy

C28's may have been easier to fiddle Dan, but I couldn't get mine past you for a trip to Deal from FOSNI when I left my car in Cochrane Car Park !!!! You eagle-eyed Drum Major person you....

RAB

Wee Mac

Geordie Renwick, might have something to say on this subject !!

geordieR

got caught by the joss man on the Victory, in deep doo doo.

Wee Mac

Wee Mac

Another source of beer tokens, was DTE's. There was and still is, only one bus that stops ouside Stonehouse Barracks. In the early 80's, acccording to the Chief Jenny in the pay office and submitted DTE forms, the Number 27 bus, should be carrying hundreds of Bootnecks.

Errol

I used to .....honest.

Royal Tournament 1981

Milky Bar Kid!

Re: Milky Bar Kid!

Royal Torment

Re: Royal Torment

Re: Royal Torment

Re: Royal Torment

1977 Silver Jubilee Wembley Pageant

1975 Edinburgh Tattoo

CHINESE XMAS CAROLS

Re: 1975 Edinburgh Tattoo

Orange Rolling

Re: Orange Rolling