For the first time in nearly 25 years, the Massed Bands and Bugles of the Rifles will Sound Retreat on Horse Guards Parade this year. Nearly 300 members of The Rifles will be joined by 200 other servicemen and women from around the globe on June 1st and 2nd to perform a visual and musical spectacle to raise money for Care For Casualties.
Renowned for being the fastest marching band in the UK, The Rifles will perform a stirring range of military music. The finale of the two-hour performance will be accompanied by a firework display. Buglers will play from the rooftops of buildings surrounding Horse Guards Parade to create a unique experience for the audience. It sounds like an amazing experience and I really wish I could go!
Commenting on the event, Regimental Secretary, Lt, Col. (Retd.) John Poole-Warren said:
“We’re expecting over ten thousand people of all ages to join us for a once-in-a- lifetime experience that will also feature The Royal Gurkha Rifles Pipes and Drums, The Gurkha Kukri Dancers, The Band of the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry from Canada, the Rifles Fijian Choir and the Military Wives Choir. All the money raised will go to Care For Casualties, an amazing charity that provides unbelievable support for Riflemen, veterans and their families, whenever it’s needed”.
The event is on 1st and 2nd June and Tickets cost £10 each or £7.50 when you buy a block of four. The event begins at 8pm. Tickets can be bought from here.
As far back as 1756, the earliest Riflemen used bugles rather than drums to communicate orders on the battlefield. Riflemen were able to react rapidly to orders by marching at a quickened pace or even marching at the double. Today the Band and Bugles of The Rifles are famed for their marching at 140 paces to the minute. 13 regiments, each with their own band, amalgamated in 2007 to form The Rifles. Today just one band remains for The Rifles in the regular army, along with two Army Reserve bands, but as Richard Morrison highlighted in a recent article in The Times “the biggest employer of performing musicians in Britain is the Ministry of Defence.” Our numbers of musicians may have shrunk over the years, but passion for military music remains widespread.
Since 2007, The Rifles have been almost constantly on Operations, experiencing some of the fiercest fighting since the Second World War. Over 60 Riflemen have been killed in action and countless others have been severely wounded. Many have lost limbs, been permanently blinded or require long-term neurological care as a result of their injuries. Care for Casualties raises funds so that The Rifles can meet the enduring needs of our casualties and members of the Regimental family in need, providing support and assistance whenever we are called upon to do so. Its vital work can be seen in more detail at www.careforcasualties.org.uk.
All you have to do to enter is complete the Rafflecopter widget below. The giveaway is UK only – please only enter if you can make these dates in London. Good luck!
I was given a family ticket to giveaway.