Remembrance

HMS Belfast in 1948

The Croydon Band will be playing for the remembrance service on HMS Belfast again this year.   I think this is the most important thing we do as a band, it is a real honour.   Two of our cornet players will be playing the last post, as well as the full band accompanying hymns for the service and some solemn music before hand and some marches afterwards.   Tonight was the last rehearsal for this, and all in all I think it went pretty well, we have a decent selection of solemn music for before the service, and a couple of appropriate marches for afterwards "A Life on The Ocean Wave" and "Hearts of Oak".   For years we used to play "On the Quarter Deck" and I could never understand why, it's not a very good march and nobody ever recognises it, so last year we changed to "A Life on The Ocean Wave" and got quite a few favorable comments.   I just hope that this year we are able to get it right again.

This is the second of these services I will have conducted, but I have played in them for many years and have always got a kick out of seeing how important it is to the veterans, especially those who served on the Belfast herself.   Last year I was very nervous, I hope that this year I will be a little more relaxed, and will be able to enjoy the experience.