This headline in today's Times caught my eye....... I have to confess I just love marching to a good band and I certainly missed marching at this year's AJEX parade. Sitting down and watching others march by is really second best ! In previous years, I also marched in the British Legion parade and this was really something special, the band playing rousing music, never repeating a tune, for at least half an hour whilst the assembled parade marched off down Whitehall Casting my mind back to the days when I first joined-up, at the end of our 6 week's primary training, we got to march with the Beds & Herts regimental band and I can still remember how we really swaggered across the parade ground, I can understand the economics that dictate how many bands we can still afford but I will mourn their passing ! Ron
Ron. I will believe it when I see it. They might remove some of the corps bands but I doubt that they will touch the Household Division. Too many links to tourism in the capital. Regards Frank
I thought this letter below sums it all up very well. Letter From The Argus. 29th May 2001 Sussex Pride I refer to the letter (Opinion, May 11) concerning the Royal Sussex Regiment and the writer's sorrow the regiment's service during the war in Burma had not been mentioned. I served with 255 Tank Brigade during that campaign, with 590 Tank Transporter Company, and we were forming up the 44th Indian Armoured Division at Bolarum near Sucunderabad, India, under General Nicholson. The Royal Sussex Regiment, although normally a foot regiment, was one of three tank regiments seconded to us. They were given Stuart tanks and had the time of their lives loading and unloading on our transporters. Your un-named writer said how proud he would have been to have seen their service in Burma mentioned. My proudest moment at Bolarum came when General Nicholson called for a divisional church parade at the local church, a mile or so away. As our lines were above those of the Royal Sussex, our contingent of about 50 was held up while they formed up. As they marched off, with us following in the rear, their band struck up with the strains of Sussex By The Sea. Because I was the only one in my unit from Sussex, you can imagine the emotion that welled up inside of me. Although a grown man, I felt tears in my eyes. All of those thousands of miles from home, marching to my own county tune. Before we went into Burma, the Royal Sussex was replaced by an Indian tank regiment and the Sussex returned to the infantry. The last I heard was that the regiment was upholding the good name of Sussex somewhere in the railway corridor near Myitkyinar. I came home (in one piece) at the end of 1945 after the defeat of Japan. I was surprised the correspondent withheld his name -A S Compton, Rectory Gardens, Worthing
I marched as part of my battalion to Rule Britannia and it certainly made me lift my neck a bit higher out of my collar. F
