Royal Marines Band Service musicians prepare for Beating Retreat parade in Portsmouth - pictures

The Royal Marines Band Service were conducting important rehearsals at HMS Excellent in Portsmouth this morning before the Beating Retreat parade at Horse Guards Parade in London next week. Performances happen every two years and is considered one of the signatory events the musicians undertake. Personnel took to the fields at HMS Excellent, Whale Island, to practice timings and choreography.

Lieutenant Colonel Huw Williams, Commanding Officer of the RM Band Service, said there are plenty of rehearsal days ahead of the show. He told The News: “It’s early days. We’ve got the rest of this week, but we’ve made some really good progress so far. It’s all very condensed and it’s a busy period. I think everybody is feeling pretty good. The whole thing is coming together quite quickly. We try to make the rehearsals as efficient as possible, and are very well prepared.

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"We try to keep the stress levels low and manage things carefully to pull everything together.” The Principal Director of Music said the Beating Retreat is the only time the whole of the Royal Marines Band Service comes together. Shows will take place on July 11 and 12.

Funds raised from the event will be donated to the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity and RMA - The Royal Marines Charity. Lt Col Williams added that repetition is the key for the performance to go smoothly. “It’s such a large space, so it’s very difficult for the musicians on one side to hear those on the other,” he said. “Gradually, as you repeat things, the magic happens and musicians connect and it starts to become more precise.”

Buglers, drummers and other musicians played in unison and marched in formation across the field on Whale Island. Warrant Officer Two Chris Mace, Corps Drum Major, said the team is on track to where they need to be. He added: “The big difference is the scale. We have all five bands - Scotland, Plymouth, Lympstone, Portsmouth and HMS Collingwood - with us. Bringing everyone together to have a band on this scale, with a corps of drums, brass bands, fanfare team and a 86-man guard joining us, is different from day to day.

"We train together in Portsmouth before going off to our separate bands, but when we return, we’ve all got that core training and are working to the same end result. It’s quite easy to gel everything together after a bit of rehearsal time.

“It has been the focus of my attention since January working towards this. The bands enjoy getting together and enjoying their time in Portsmouth.” Jo Barnes, a Corporal Bugler based at HMS Collingwood in Fareham, said the rehearsals have been going well despite “being a bit ropey” to start with. The parade will involve more than 200 musicians working in harmony, compared to groups of between 30 and 40 which usually practice.

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Cpl Bugler Barnes, of Waterlooville, said: “When we get up to London and at Horse Guards, you’ll have sound bouncing off the different buildings, which causes a bit of a delay. Getting that together means we have to work harder as a team and keep listening to the base drums who are guiding us with the beat.

"It’ll sound incredible. I’m excited, this is my sixth beat retreat on Horse Guards, so it’s always good to go up and show London what we can do. We’re one of the finest military bands in the country. We’ll have to replicate the hard work we’re putting in here.” For James Nevan, a Bugler based at HMS Raleigh in Plymouth, it will be his first Beating Retreat parade.

He said: “With the band being far behind the corps of drums, it creates a large echo, so it’s about solidifying which beat we’re all on so the audience gets the right sound. It’s a great sound and the large band shows a good array of musicianship. I’m very much looking forward to it. I marched down The Mall as a sea cadet, so doing this with a proper Royal Marines band is a great opportunity.”