1st Cinque Ports Rifle Volunteers Corps of Drums
Clandon Park
Author -
25 Miles and 349 Years
The Cinque Ports Corps of Drums at Clandon Park, 18th April 2010
(Pictures to be added shortly)
On the 14th October 1661 a new British Regiment mustered on Putney Heath for service overseas. They were bound for Tangier in North Africa, which had recently passed to Britain through King Charles II’s marriage to Catherine of Braganza. In a strategic position at the entry to the Mediterranean, but constantly threatened by the local warlike Moors, this new possession needed a defence force.
Two Drummers had been authorised for every company of a hundred infantrymen in British regiments since the 1500s. So it’s safe to assume that The Tangier Regiment’s Drummers would have been heard that day on Putney Heath, and on the Regiment’s return all of 22 years later!
In recognition of its service the King then re-
In April this year the stone flagged corridors of the museum echoed to the sounds of 14 pairs of ammo boots as the 1st Cinque Ports R.V. Corps of Drums assembled to provide an afternoon of Beating Retreat and music performances.
The museum’s curator, Ian Chatfield, made us feel immediately at home quartering us among display cases of historic uniforms, among which was a local Rifle Volunteer uniform and badges. It wasn’t long before the Drum Major ‘volunteered’ us to get out and practise, so outside in the bright morning sunshine we fumbled our way through the sections of our Beating Retreat routine.
After mulling over our mistakes (for me -
A belt, of sorts, found, the Drum Major’s problems hadn’t ended. The gravelled area
in front of the House, clear for our morning’s practice, had become an obstacle course
of parked cars. But after a few minutes mental re-
Entering playing that Corps of Drums classic Galanthia we halted before ‘Advance in Review Order’ – 8 bars of The British Grenadiers coming to a crashing halt on the fifteenth pace. Two Bass Drum beats then started us on The French March, a slow march, and into quick time with The British Grenadiers again.
At this point our new, un-
The goodly crowd who’d assembled on the terrace and steps of Clandon House for the
performance remained unaware of Eric’s surgery and continued to applaud this and
our next ‘figure marching sequence’. Better known to us as ‘going round in circles’,
this involves everyone following the person in front in various gyrations while playing
A 1914-
Uncoiling ourselves back into a standard Corps of Drums formation we halted facing the House to play Trumpet Tunes and The Jigs at the halt. Did I get the flutes up, flutes down in The Jigs right this time? Well, nearly… Fortunately my blushes were covered by the applause of the crowd following The Jigs’ abrupt end and our march off, the rousing Killaloe.
After a break for refreshments very kindly provided by museum curator Ian, we were
on again for the first of two static performances around music stands. These feature
standard marches from our music books, each march preceded by frantic page flipping
as we all search for it in the non-
Once found, however, the marches flowed pleasantly – Hazelmere, Legs Eleven, Belphegor, Children’s Love, For Flag and Empire, A Welsh Medley, Retreat Marches and others too numerous for my failing memory.
One unforgettable feature of our music performances is, of course, Kids’ Korner.
This is where Drummer Stone launches out fearlessly into the crowd encouraging all
the youngsters to come and grab a percussion instrument and join in bashing along
to a couple of rousing tunes. With a full complement of 3 to 10 year-
All too soon it was time to end our second performance, and our thoroughly enjoyable day at the regimental museum of The Queen's Royal Surrey Regiment. Of course we can’t know what those Drummers of The Tangier Regiment 349 years ago would have made of us, but we like to think that we’re doing our bit to continue the traditions of British Army drumming of which they were such an early part.
