Musn Gray Happy in his work
Bandmaster; WO I Richard Cregan, who really embraced the cavalry ethos and who had bravely ridden some of the less docile horses in order to prove his worth. He received a memorable sending off at the Band Annual Lunch at the Warrant Officers’ and Non Commissioned Officers’ Mess HCR. We now welcome our new Bandmaster WO I Ian Collin, who returns to the Band of the Blues and Royals, having left us as a LCoH and principal clarinetist in 2002 to undergo the Corps of Army Music Bandmaster’s Course, and subsequently serving in the Band of the Royal Irish Regiment from 2005 until their disbandment in 2007 and the Light Cavalry Band at Bovington from 2007 until 2011. With the onset of Autumn came the Band’s annual mini-concert series which spanned venues as far afield as Lincoln and East Grinstead, the latter The Trumpet Major
24 ■ Household Cavalry Regiment
Musn Miller tending to the needs of Mounted Band veteran LCpl Witter
providing a sellout Christmas concert that raised a large sum of money for the Army Benevolent Fund and witnessed LCoH Pritchard and LCpl May perform excellent solo renditions of ‘Frosty the Snowman’ and ‘Oh Holy Night’, respectively, to rapturous applause. The concert series climaxed with an atmospheric joint concert with The Band of The Lifeguards at the Guards Chapel in London, which raised a creditable sum for the Household Cavalry Operational Casualties Fund. Throughout this period we missed one of the real characters of the band; Musn Bramley who had been covering trumpet duties for the Queens Lifeguard and received a ‘baptism of fire’ riding the grey Knightsbridge, who even after assurances with regards to the horses reliability found himself ‘hanging on for dear life’ with the horse attempting to rear up whenever he played a note.
The Band performed creditably during this year’s promotions board with both Staff Corporals being promoted to the rank of WO2, however this has sadly led to the Band losing two of its veteran campaigners; WO II Robert Gough having been posted to Headquarters Land in Andover on a staff assignment, and Staff Corporal Gwyn Thomas who will shortly be taking over as the Band Sergeant Major of the Irish Guards Band. WO II Gough leaves after serving more than 22 years with the Band, and having risen through the ranks to both ‘principal cornet’ and ‘Trumpet Major’ before being appointed as Band Corporal Major (and serving in this role over six years). WOII Gough has handed the reins (sic) over to WOII (BCM) Stuart Marsh, the third consecutive generation of the Marsh family to have served in The Blues and Royals.
WOII (BCM) Gough and Major Tim Cooper discussing new horizons