Entering Harbour in New York City

Members of the ship's company sight seeing in New York

Firstly, I must apologise for the lack of diary coverage of late, so sorry. There has not been much to comment on until the recent trip to New York, but lets backtrack a little to where we left off.

The 'Argus Experience' feels like a long time ago now, but the memories of that medical sojourn remain strong and good. Meal times were peppered with contradiction as we were served some 'top scran' on numerous occasions, only to be told in no uncertain terms when it was time to leave by the demented Scottish 'Galley Guard'.

By the time the exercise started we were well prepared and anticipated a large influx of casualties, whether real or 'play'. The influx was somewhat staggered with a posse of pretend victims with various injuries and a few minor casualties (broken fingernails etc). Then a girl with mumps was brought into the ship which sparked panic and phone calls to parents to find out who hadn't had mumps before, therefore being at risk of infection. All those who hadn't had mumps were forbidden from entering the PCRF, leaving a skeleton crew of about 9 or 10 of us. No other casualties were allowed in either, so the exercise and PCRF ground to a halt for about a day a half. This lead to rumours that the whole ship would be banned from America and that we might have to return early. Luckily, everything turned out just fine and our friend with the mumps left us. We just had time to receive some higher-ranking Commando officers who wanted to pretend to be wounded and look around the facility.

We were expected to do a concert before we left, and this looked in jeopardy as we were told we would now be leaving on the day of the scheduled gig. We were eager to get our hands on our instruments and so we did the concert a day early. It was a rush job but it was good to play for the people we had been working with and they appreciated it, I think! We finished them off with a Beat Retreat then sprinted to the bar for some free beer. We were due to leave the next day and dutifully packed all our bags only to be turned away and told to come back at 5am the next morning. Familiar phrases like "hurry up and wait", "darn that chopper" and "time for a fag" were ejected in a dejected but unsurprised manner. Les Sheppard travel strikes again!

"Why did we have to leave the Argus anyway?" I hear your inquisitive minds ponder. We were summoned by a higher power to HMS Albion to play them into Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The Corps of Drums did not travel with us as they were whisked away to provide support for HMS Cornwall, thus forming a splinter faction. More from them later. This spell on the Albion, sarcastically nicknamed the 'Moral-bion', due to the distinct bad feeling in the air, was in some ways the worst section of the trip. Commandos and Bandies have mixed relations and this lot didn't seem to chuffed to see cheerful bandspeople descending on them to play their 'triangles'. We were assigned a large corridor and assembly room to be cleaned for CO's rounds that we were lucky enough to be involved with. We vented our frustrations using scotchbrite, mops, and floor polish and spent an afternoon and evening making stains and dirt sorry that they dared to exist. If there was cake for the best cleaners we would have won it, had it cut for us, placed on a gaudy platter, then fed to us by the RSM himself!!!!!!! We all felt warm inside then confused as to why cleaning had made us feel this way. We decided that it was fine to feel a sense of achievement as our smiling faces smiled back at us from the shining floor; then we carried our warmth and shared it in Fort Lauderdale for what was a magnificent run to the shore. A heady mix of live funk band, cocktails, a car chase in a taxi and sleeping on the beach made for a great night. We went out in smaller groups than usual, but it made a nice change to have some 'breathing space'. Our last duty on the Albion was a cocktail party and as we were unable to provide a marching band due to the lack of 'bugle power', we performed a 20 minute sit down sunset ceremony sat down. After that we packed up and boarded a bus (our favoured mode of transport) and set off to meet back up with the Invincible in Port Canaveral, Florida.

I now hand you over to Alaine Shakespeare to take up the adventure from HMS Cornwall.

On Tuesday the 22nd June, four members of the Corps of Drums were invited to spend nine days on HMS Cornwall visiting the sights of Boston, Massachusetts to play at the ships cocktail party for the British Ambassador. We were flown onto the Cornwall straight from the Argus and soon settled into the ships routine to spend only two days at sea before getting alongside. Rehearsals started straight away as we were to incorporate a guard and colour party into the end of our routine for a ceremonial sunset. The officers wanted everything to be perfect as this was going to be quite a high profile event for the ship. After numerous attempts to get the ensign lowered on the last note of the bugle, everything was ready. The VIP's started to arrive and the wine began to flow. The daylong rehearsals paid off and the cocktail party went without a hitch. This now left us with three more days to enjoy the sights and shops of Boston before we took to the high seas again for the passage to New York. Our transfer back to the Invincible took place a day later than expected, however, we managed to get flown back a day before our arrival into New York.

Back to John for the rest of the story.

We had a long weekend in Port Canaveral to kick back and relax. Dave Prentice organised a hire car and motel so we could have a second serving of Busch Gardens, this time in Tampa Bay. Mick Hearman, Jase Walker, and myself joined him for a cracking night out involving a revolving dance floor and a full twelve hours of 'Busch'! A two hour thunder storm and falling off a big brass gorilla did not take the shine off a great day, especially because we got in free with a flash of our ID cards!! The rest of the guys enjoyed the sights of Port Canaveral, including the awe-inspiring Kennedy Space Centre and Universal Studios a short taxi ride away. Cocoa beach provided more bars and copious amounts of sunshine to top up those tans. A few of our readers may find loved ones with 'additions' on our return due to the high concentration of Tattoo and Piercing parlours in the area.

There was just time to make use of the wonderful facilities at the base before we set sail in the shape of a 'chiefs v indians' volleyball game. The chiefs weren't chuffed as the enigmatic indians swept them aside with some sprightly Ian Airlie volleying. Dave Prentice bizarrely managed to get injured, although I am told that physical weakness is a common symptom after receiving a third stripe!

Four days later and we were Procedure Alpha-ing into New York! The fact that it was the last stop combined with the prestige of the destination caused a flume of excitement. Capt Mick Dowrick suddenly pulled a surprise gig out of his sleeve. We were to appear on Fox TV News the next morning which meant we'd be playing several million viewers, even more of a shock was the leave expiry time of 04:45am. After we had given them four separate slots, we retired to the dressing rooms for our personal massages, brown M+M's and colonic irrigation. I jest of course, but it would have been appreciated, you naughty Fox! Back to the ship for two hours sleep then back on the road to perform a short concert at the British Memorial Garden in Hanover Square. This went well and we were treated to a meal afterwards too. Nice Carvery, pint of mixed fruit juice, Cheers! Still only half the day gone and two gigs to the good, we travelled back to the ship for the jazz quintet and Beat Retreat. All went swimmingly, the Beat Retreat including Highland Cathedral for which the 1st lieutenant on bagpipes joined us in full Scottish regalia. Shoreside beckoned as we once again split up into smaller groups to taste the juices of the Big Apple.

After seeing the buglers in action I was intrigued by the show 'Stomp'. It was a great show and easy to see why it's such an inspiration to anyone, go see it! I also got to visit 'Birdland' and the 'Village Vanguard', both with top bands playing, featuring the cream of New Yorks' session players, a real treat! It was also an opportunity to go out in rig. Most of the guys took up the opportunity, going out in stones during the day and half lovats at night. It made for a great talking point with the locals and got us free entry to the top sights including the Chrysler Building and Empire State Building. It did of course get us quite a few drinks bought for us, especially after the ships rig run in town and afterwards. We went out in full whites, showing all the matelots how it should be done. We stole the limelight that night. Unlucky Jack! And the next night was 4th July so we went out in them again to catch the amazing atmosphere and take in some awesome fireworks to boot. Shopping is unbelievable too, good job the 'other halfs' weren't here to give the credit cards even more of a kicking! New York is an amazing city with a constant buzz about it, and you don't want to sleep because there's so much to miss out on. What a shock to the system Dartmouth will be after all that. Another Procedure Alpha to leave and we bade a fond farewell to 'le Pomme Grande' with a final opportunity to get some phots of the skyline and Statue of Liberty on the way.

Last leg of the trip now and we were called upon to give another concert for the ships company, which had had quite a turn around in staff. Great moments from Mark Upton with his rendition of 'Maria' and Dave Prentice pulled on his bee costume for 'Flight of the Bumble Bee' and worked a cracking audience into a frenzy. Although quite relaxed, the last few days across the pond have given us to remould ourselves musically and socially with rehearsals for forthcoming concerts interspersed with social interaction with the rest of the ship. Special mention must go to a couple of people who have joined us especially for the trip. Musn Mark Upton from CTCRM band and Musn Richie 'Scottie' Burton from RMSM (who we hope to see in September) who were both invaluable in the Solo Cornet seat and superb social animals within the confines of 'The Barracks' and beyond.

This is probably the last entry in the diary so goodbye for now and thanks for following our progress. Look out for our 'pop video' at the next CJH concert!!!!

John Beckley, Gary Turner, Alaine Shakespeare.