The Savage Report

The Role of the Corps Drum Major

or

Would a diminutive Drum Major be Short Staffed?

A True Story by Steve Savage aged 69.00921657 Months of Sundays

WO1 AD Bridges RM
The Corps Drum Major

As a means of killing two birds with one stone, it was suggested that I could combine another of my impressively informative articles with a 'Personality Parade'. The reason for this was simple - WO1 Bugler Andy Bridges. No, I don't mean he's simple, I mean he was the reason and it was the reason that was simple - just to clear that up… I think. As the Corps Drum Major's role had yet to be 'Savaged' and as the illustrious incumbent was about to leave the Service, there was never a more timely or suitable candidate…well, that and the fact that nobody else was interested of course! Being in the office next door to mine was also a huge bonus as I could go and get 'caffeined' as much as I wanted to throughout the interview. As per normal I decided to start with a bit of his Service history and a few tales of derring-do, and a few of derring-don't, before going onto the specifics of the job.

Andy, who incidentally denies having 'lackage of height' on his Service Certificate as a distinguishing feature, has been the Corps Drum Major for five years now and the WO1 Buglers' Branch Advisor since September 1999. He did, however, begin his Service career many, many years ago, back in the days when the only 'Ark' in the Fleet was Noah's, and Pontius Pilot was a mere Naval Airman.

Andy joined the Band Service as a Bugler in September 1979, along with many other stalwarts of the Band Service such as Fred Miller, Howie Staines and the then Musician Bob Platts to name but a few. No, folks I have not made an error. Bob Platts, our new WO1 Bugler and duly appointed Corps Bugle Major, joined the Band Service as a Cornet and Piano player. Unfortunately, after a short while it was decided that his performance on the pianoforte was far too 'forte' and not nearly 'piano' enough for everybody's liking, so he transferred to the Corps of Drums much to the distress of 'Boots the Chemist' who's sale of cotton wool plummeted.
Anyway, Andy passed out of training at Easter 1981 and he was drafted to Scotland to serve in the FOSNI Band under the direction of Lieutenant Ron Kempton, with Geoff Hill as the Bandmaster and John Griffiths as the Drum Major. Whilst serving north of the border, Andy took part in the first of what was to become a regular trip to the USMC base in Iceland - the country formally known as 'Bejams'. Andy is at pains to point out that the only other 'foreigns' on offer to the Band at the time were the regular visits to Northern Ireland and the annual pilgrimage to Deal, England, hence their keenness to go somewhere even colder!

Cpl Bugler Andy Bridges in Deal

After four enjoyable years of haggis, battered pizza, deep-fried Mars bars and '80 Shilling' he was off to Deal for obvious dietary reasons! During his stay, the Band undertook a three-month tour of the USA. Even though the Band visited 78 towns and cities in 85 days, and only had 3 free days during that time, Andy still rates it as one of the more memorable gigs. Andy then went on to undertake the Junior Command Course followed fairly swiftly by the Drum Major's Course.

Having been very successful on both courses, his first appointment as a 'second dickie' - or as Assistant Drum Major for the uninitiated, was in 1990 at CinC Fleet Band based at Northolt. Again, Andy did a bit of travelling while he was there, the pinnacle of which was the 'Orient '92' trip, or half of it at least, where Andy, as Drum Major and the Bandmaster, Simon Morgan, deployed along with the hungry 24 on board HMS Invincible for three months. At this point I decided to find out whether Andy was 'on the ball'. "Orient '92 eh?… where did you go on that trip then?" No answer was the reply. Damn! Better luck next time. It was during that trip that Andy was instrumental in saving much of the Band's library from being float tested from the back end of the Ship - a Bugler being instrumental, now there's a thing! Sorry, I couldn't resist! The tormented individual who was about to fling the dots skyward was asked why he was about to do the deed. He replied that three months on a warship in very confined conditions did not bode well with an overload of music by Harold Walters and as such, one of them had to go! I know exactly what he meant, as back in 1984 I gave FOF3 Band's copy of Italian Festival a Viking funeral off the back end of the Isle of Wight ferry for very similar reasons, but fortunately I wasn't talked out of it! Needless to say, Andy used his diplomatic skills and educated the young fellow as to the potential error of his ways, much to the Band's disappointment! As I mentioned, CinC Fleet's Band were only down to do the first half of the trip and were to be replaced half way through the trip in Singapore by CTCRM Band. As Fleet Band had built up a good rapport with the Ship's Company, many of them mustered, or were ordered, to assist in their disembarkation and the subsequent embarkation of the Lympstone Band. One can only speculate as to the look on the matelots' faces as the first Lympstone Band crates were opened and out came two sets of golf bats and a rack of pristine white tuxedos! They soon got to know the Sharps!!

The following year, Andy found himself back in the Land that is Scot, complete with a full appointment as Drum Major. As well as the obvious epicurean delights and his full appointment, Andy was pleased to be returning as it meant working alongside Bob Metcalf. Bob, who was renowned for his sense of humour - and attempting to become the World's first child benefit millionaire, would never fail to keep up morale if things all got a bit much. Andy recalls that on one occasion the Band were rehearsing a parade but it started raining - no surprise there then. Bob being observant as ever spotted Andy's obvious disappointment in the unavoidable stoppage of a good morning's drill. As a means of cheering him up a bit, he went on to demonstrate - with some considerable precision it would appear - the 'duties of a blank file man' and 'approaching an Officer with a message whilst wearing a waterproof cape'! Having witnessed Bob on parade many times, Andy still reckons that the two aforementioned drill movements were the only RM drill movements that Bob really got to grips with! During Andy's tenure as the Drum Major, the Band changed its name, venue and overall Boss, which meant that Andy was the last ever FOSNI Drum Major and the first for Scotland Band, something of which Andy is particularly proud.

1997 saw another move south of the Watford Gap, this time to Portsmouth Band, with the appointment as Corps Drum Major and promotion to WO2 taking place the following year. Further promotion to WO1 was forthcoming in September 1999 and Andy moved offices from Portsmouth Band to Headquarters Band Service at the other end of the building, where he has stayed ever since.

In his position as both the Corps Drum Major and Bugler's Branch Advisor, Andy has undertaken many different tasks other than leading Massed Bands. One of his day to day tasks is to run HQBSRM as its Sergeant Major. Whilst there are fewer Ranks on the nominal, we all still need looking after! Warrants still need writing, weekly orders still need to be produced and all the daily Sergeant Majoring still needs to be done. Basically Andy does the same as a Band's Drum Major would do but for fewer, but much higher Ranks! He is also 'Sergeant Major (Civ)', or as the HQBSRM strawberries prefer to call him, the civilian personnel line manager. With this particular hat on he sits on the interview panel when hiring new Staff, gets involved in the collation of reports and is actively involved in their welfare and management issues, often acting as a direct link between the civilian staff and their civilian bosses. Sorry, I suppose I should explain, 'strawberries' is Naval rhyming slang; 'strawberry mivvy' - civvy!

Andy also sits on the Royal Marines Dress Committee alongside the Supply Officer (Music). The Committee is there to discuss and authorise changes to uniform design and to the scale of issue. Both Andy and SO(M) have a considerable input into the Committee's discussions, particularly on the ceremonial side, and have recently managed to trade the old Band Service lovat suit for full whites - we just need a few more gigs in warmer climes to allow all of us to try them out! Of course, one of the biggest projects still to come to a conclusion is the ongoing saga of maternity wear for pregnant Band Service personnel. I have been reliably informed that while a lot of headway has been made, there is still a way to go yet - watch this space.

Andy also works closely with the Staff Officer Band Service insofar as general security issues are concerned. They actively work as the Band Service security advisors from the Bands on the ground to the New Entry troops. As far as the New Entry troops are concerned, Andy along with Bugle Major Tommy Lawton have the responsibility of teaching them the importance of security, the subsequent dangers of not being vigilant, and the techniques of personnel, vehicle and venue searching. These periods are coupled with various scenarios demonstrating security breaches, such as a stripped down weapon hidden throughout a vehicle, thus giving the New Entries a hands-on opportunity to try out their new found skills. Bearing in mind today's climate, it has never been so imperative to install this sense of awareness regarding all aspects of security at such an early stage of our young people's careers. As far as the wider Band Service is concerned, Andy acts as a permanent point of contact regarding any security issue. But his security duties do not end there. As far as the Mountbatten Festival of Music is concerned, Andy is extremely busy behind the scenes providing an invaluable link between the Metropolitan Police, SO1 MFM and the Band Service production Team. This involves many meetings at both the Metropolitan Police HQ and at the Royal Albert Hall to discuss the contingency plans should, Heaven forbid, a security incident should occur. To ensure that all the 'players' on the Security Team are aware of their role in the great scheme of things, they are subjected to a practice security incident. To ensure total effectiveness, the nature of the incident is initially unknown to the Team, but it could be anything linked to security such as a suspected armed intruder, a backstage fire, a coded bomb warning or a suspect package. These scenarios coupled with the expertise of those involved ensure that the Service personnel, the Royal Albert Hall staff and the public are the safest that they could possibly be. The importance of Andy's role in this element of the production of the MFM Concert Series cannot ever be underestimated.

It would appear that being located in HQBSRM makes you a prime candidate to appear on Committees of one sort or another. Andy is no different in that respect as he is a Committee member for the Blue Band, the Royal Marines Band Benevolent Fund, the Band Service Amenities Fund and the Central Band Fund. He also attends the General Management Board representing the Buglers branch, and as their advisor works on a daily basis to eradicate any problems and discuss any issues raised by the Buglers no matter where they serve. As well as involving the serving Buglers, Andy also keeps the 'old and bold' happy by organising and heading the biennial 'Inverted Chevrons' dinner and the Buglers' reunion the following day. This has grown over the years and is now an extremely well attended event that is enjoyed by all.

But there is no doubt that Andy is never happier than when he is leading Massed Bands, and as Corps Drum Major, he has been leading both the Massed Bands of the Royal Marines and indeed Tri-Service Massed Bands since July 1998, an impressive achievement. Whilst it may all appear to be an effortless display to those who view these events, it is only because so much time and effort has gone into the preparation. Once the list of music for a Massed Bands engagement has been finalised, Andy and Tommy Lawton get together with a copy of the sheet music and begin to plan the display based on the paces required to achieve the various drill movements and the musical phrases. This gives them a 'skeleton' for the display and a rough template for the music. CML would then get to work on producing the dots, having cut and paste them as required. (Whilst typing the word 'paste', I inadvertently left out the 's' and typed 'pate' which I was tempted to leave in as it is still a type of paste only posher!) The dots would then be recorded onto CD at march tempo. Andy and Tommy would then mark out the display area on an available car park, parade ground or on the green at Whale Island, turn on the CD player and get marching. This is where many of the potential problems are highlighted, reassessed, re-rehearsed and finally decided upon - No mean feat with just two blokes. Final tweaks would then be made to the sheet music to accommodate the display requirements and a front rank of drums are then called in to try it all out. Numerous walk-throughs later, the routine is beginning to take shape, and while it's not all 'follow the rank in front', it is fair to assume that if the front rank have got it right then the Band are going to find it a heck of a lot easier. The Bands would then arrive. The first Massed Bands rehearsals would normally be split. The whole Corps of Drums would now converge and rehearse their bit while the Band undertake musical rehearsals. Eventually the two elements would join up together and begin further walk-throughs, again with the CD player going, negative instruments. This allows the Band to concentrate on the drill elements and mark their music accordingly. The music is then introduced piece by piece, phrase by phrase until the display is in place. It's then off to the venue for the punters to enjoy the gig and for the Corps Drum Major to relish in a job well done.

Andy featured heavily in the advertising for Horse Guards Parade in 1999

Andy tells me that the majority of his career highlights have all been when he has led the Massed Bands. His first Massed Bands engagement as the Corps Drum Major was Beating Retreat on Horseguard's Parade in 1999. He would have ended his career in June 2003 with the same engagement; however this year's commitment to Operation 'Fresco' - the Fire Service strike, and Operation 'Telic' - the war in Iraq, by both the Band Service and the Corps, caused the parade on Horseguard's to be postponed. Andy didn't leave on a 'downer' though, as in its place was a smaller version of the Beating Retreat Ceremony in Her Majesty's very own back garden at Buckingham Palace. And just to highlight the aforementioned time scales for rehearsals, this engagement was put together in 2 days. Anyone who watched the event would certainly tell you that it was a spectacular ceremonial display in amazing surroundings. Definitely a fitting end to Andy's career.
Another of Andy's highlights was leading the cast of thousands at the Royal Military Tattoo 2000. It is fair to say that the Royal Marines Band Service put many of the aspects of the show together including the music and the drill. Andy with his team of Tri-Service Drum Majors put together a display of some considerable magnitude. The show was magnificent and the overall spectacle was in no small part due to Andy and his team. At the end of the day everything went exceptionally well for all concerned, and as Andy points out, everyone got something out of it; Sir Michael Parker got knighted, Andy got athlete's foot and I got a rather nice programme!

On a personal note, Andy wishes to take this opportunity to thank all those who he has worked with over the years for their professionalism and continued support. The Band Service has an inherent ability to maintain its unique sense of humour and to remain flexible which has frequently managed to keep it all together through some fairly difficult times. For that, Andy is eternally grateful. He will miss you all, but only because he is a rubbish shot!

There is no doubt that Andy's tenure as the Corps Drum Major has been exemplary. His performances in front of both the Royal Marines and the Tri-Service Bands around the globe have been flawless and he has quite rightly earned the utmost respect of his superiors and colleagues throughout the Armed Forces and beyond. He will be sadly missed. I wish both Andy and his family the best of luck and every success in the future.

Andy led the Band onto the gardens in Buckingham Palace on his last engagement in the RM Band Service

I left Andy for the four pace walk to my office. Now well and truly 'Savaged' I asked him whether he would like to do something far more enjoyable, like signing my leaving routine. Yes, Dear Reader, there is no escape from SO3 Band's magic drafting biro, for when it writes your name, like a Grand National runner on hearing the gun, you're off. For those of you who are unaware, I'm off to the Band at BRNC, Dartmouth for 2 years (Again!) before returning to Portsmouth. But fear not literary buffs, I will be taking my crayons and my notebook with me so there will hopefully be some more written ramblings in the future - although they will of course be written in a broad Devonian accent. This draft, my fourth to BRNC, will see me complete fourteen years' service in the South Hams - incidentally, I wonder if there really is a company called South Hams Information Technology Supplies! - as I was saying, this will see me complete fourteen years' service in the South Hams, so I'm hardly a stranger to Dartmouth. In fact on my arrival I will be the only Royal Marine ever to have served at the Naval College in every Rank up to and including WO1, something that I am particularly proud of. Whilst the thought of being a weekend commuter fills me with a certain sense of foreboding and being away from my family will be a massive wrench, the one really positive thing that I get out of this is a return to doing some music. I know that two years feels like an eternity now, but at the end of the day, as Arnold Schwartzeneggar once said whilst deciding which fancy dress costume he was going to wear to the Composer's Ball, 'I'll be Bach'.