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The Arborfield Bands.

 

 

The Pipe Band

 

Pipe Band Music.

Whilst browsing through the photos of the Pipe Band section, why not listen to some of the music we marched to on the various parades at Arborfield. The music clips are in mp3 format and, for those on dial up connections, may take a little time to download. Access is through clicking on the track numbers below. Minimise your Media Player to continue viewing the photos.

The arrangements on Tracks 01 to 07 are the work of Major (Retired) Calum Gray, one time Director of Music of the Band Of The Rifles.

 

Track 01

Scotland The Brave, Black Bear, Highland Laddie.

Track 02

Atholl Highlanders, Mucking O Geordies Byre, Bonnie Dundee

Track 03

Skye Boat Song.

Track 04

Flowers Of The Forest.

Track 05

Killiecrankie

Track 06

Auld Lang Syne.

Track 07

Amazing Grace.

Track 08

Lewis Bridal Song aka Mairi’s Wedding played by the Band Of The !st Bn Scots Guards.

                                                                                                                             http://www.bandwidthmusic.co.uk

 

  Pipe Band circa 1953/54

  Photograph digitally repaired and enhanced by Terry REDDIN 52A                                       Contributed by THEIN SAN 52B

Rear Rank: 1 N/K. 2 Pickworth. 3 N/K. 4 Thein San. 5 Davies. 6 Reed.

Centre Rank: 1 Martin. 2 Grounsell. 3 Corkran. 4 N/K. 5 N/K/. 6 Gerry. 7 N/K. 8 N/K.

Front Rank. 1 Thrower. 2 N/K. 3 Ormiston. 4 Povey. 5 PM Batt. 6 N/K. 7 Yule. 8 Wilson. 9 Johnson.

 

 

Pipe Band circa 1954/55

                                                                                                                          Contributed by David PICKWORTH 52A

Rear Rank: 1 Reed. 2 Myo Tint. 3 Telford. 4 Than Shwe. 5 Rennie. 6 Davies. 7 Elsey.

Centre Rank: 1 Thrower. 2 Clover. 3 Wilson. 4 King. 5 Headley. 6 Johnson. 7 Cousins.

Front Rank: 1 Martin. 2 Povey. 3 Pickworth. 4 PM Batt. 5 Major Hendricks. 7 Colonel Magee. 8 RSM MacNally. 9 Sgt McCutcheon.

                  11 Grounsell. 12 Yule.

 

Dan Rennie 53B, now living in New Zealand, also had a copy of the above photograph.  On the reverse of his copy he had made a note of the members of the band which has enabled us to complete the roll call.

 

Pipe Band 1955

                                                                                                                                        Contributed by THEIN ZAN 52B

The pipe band, led by Pipe Major Batt giving a display.  Charles Elsey 53A, Pictorial Archivist at the REME Museum places the display at Aldershot in the Summer of 1955.

 

                           Pipe Band circa 1953/54

                                                                           Contributed by Trevor STUBBERFIELD 52A

Apprentice Drum Major John Lofty Grounsell 52A leading the Pipe Band

 

Presentation of the two maces.

On the 24th October 1953, as recorded in The Arborfield Apprentice by Peter Gripton, two new maces were presented to the Drum Majors of the Military and Pipe Bands.  The presentation took place in the village of Badshot Lea, Surrey, near Aldershot.  The Pipe Band mace was presented to A/CPL John Grounsell 52A on behalf of local people in recognition of services to the community by the bands.  The Military Band mace was presented to A/DM R H Nixey by Messrs. George Potter & Company, Aldershot based makers of musical instruments.

John Grounsell, now living in Australia, recalls that he actually held the rank of A/CPL at the time of the presentation.  There had been a vacancy for an Apprentice Drum Major and because of his height and bearing he had been earmarked for the post.  However, it was felt that the jump from A/T to A/DM was too big a step and therefore promotion was to come in stages.  He also recalls that the relatively swift promotion went against the grain for some members of the A/SGTs mess and it was some time before he was accepted as a full member in his own right.

.

                                                                                  Contributed by John GROUNSELL 52A

A/DM R H Nixey and A/CPL John Grounsell

 

                                                                  Contributed by John GROUNSELL 52A

A/CPL John Grounsell receiving the Pipe Band Mace.

 

The two photos of the presentation had been removed, many years ago, from a booklet published about the ceremony and were only recently discovered by John Grounsell who made them available to the site.  Unfortunately they have suffered the ravages of time but are worth publishing as a record of an important part of the Arborfield story.

 

 

A small 2”x2” photo, believed taken in 1954, of the Pipe Band. Two of the Burmese Apprentices are shown playing the bagpipes, Myo Tint and Than Shwe. 

Pipe Major Batt, Irish Guards, leads with A/PM David Pickworth 52A. Far right is thought to be Danny Yule also 52A.  The drummer is Colin Headley 52B.

 

Contributed by Trevor STUBBERFIELD 52A

 

Published: 15th May 2007.