GeoffComber
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Two more !This is mine. I did it , nobody helped me , I did it all by myself. It was Major General's at Deal in 1976 and I had literally just stepped from the Wing into the Staff Band a few days earlier. In fact , I'm not sure but I might even have still been in the wing and on loan , whatever. The august personage of the General with all his tabs and bits of braid and , more worryingly those guys in the background with the notebooks , hove into view in the rear ranks and stopped , rather unexpectedly , in front of me. The dwarf on the corner with the second-hand uniform.He looked at me. I looked at him. He cleared his throat , erm.....(I waited with baited breath , what WAS this exalted personage going to ask? I positively vibrateded with eagerness , I was young goddammit !) "What do you think of Garb of Old Gaul ?" The bandmaster snorted , the drum Major's eyeballs rolled , my mouth went dry , what the bloody F£$%^ HELL was Garb of old Gaul ?
"Never heard of him Sir !"
He leaned towards me ...disbelievingly "Never ?.......Tcha !" (thats what he said , would I lie to you ?) and stalked off.
The bandmaster couldn't look at me , neither could Drummy.But at least it cut the inspection a bit shorter
But was this the same MG who got the following answer to an almost as stupid question ?
Of the Bass Drummer , " What made you take up the Bass Drum ?"
"The Bandmaster did , Sir !"
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admin
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Talking of Generals...
A certain Junior Musician in training at Deal had a visitor in the form of the Commandant General Royal Marines. A man covered in medal ribbons, badges, patches, eggaulets, epaulets, gourgettes, courgettes and many other marks and trinkets of his rank and authority. He went into the piano block (that is your one and only clue!) followed by an entourage of people ranging from Colonel down through half Colonels, Majors, Captains, Lts, RSMs, Corsp Bandmasters, Corps Drum Majors, Bandmasters, Drum Majors, colour sergeants, sergeants and corporals, General Duties and Band alike. They were all scrubbed and polished looking resplendant as they squezed into the little practice room where the lowly musician who had only recently passed out of basic training sat and went through the music he had been told to play for this esteemed visitor and his followers.
Commandant General: "So young musician ******** how long have you been out of basic training?"
The nameless one: "Two weeks"
Commandant General: "and what do you find the most difficult thing about being in the Royal Marines?"
The nameless one: "Remembering rank, Corporal"
I was not there so do not know who laughed, who blushed, who cried or who laughed.
Requests for the offender's name should be sent to me on the back of a £20 note  I'll not name him but it doesn't hurt to ask :D
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