Speaker Evening with Major David Marshall

Thu, Sep 11th 2014 at 7:30 pm - 11:00 pm

Meet at the Royal Oak at 7:30pm for dinner at 8:00pm, after which Major David Marshall will talk about his career as Director of Music in the Coldstream Guards. Neil Hugo will host the speaker.

Speaker Evening at the Royal Oak with Major David Marshall of the Coldstream Guards

David Marshall, ARMC LTCL BBCM psm, was born in Bodmin in 1944 and began piano lessons at the age of 8.  In 1960 he enlisted in his county regiment, the Somerset and Cornwall Light Infantry.  During his military service, David progressed from principal cornet of his regimental band to Bandmaster of the Worcestershire and Sherwood Forester's Regiment.  This honor was followed by the appointment of Director of the Music with, in succession, the Royal Armoured Corps, the Royal Corps of Transport and finally the Coldstream Guards, with whom he undertook tours of North America, Japan and Australia.  He retired in 1999 with the rank of Major after 40 years of army service.

Extract from the "History of the Band of the Coldstream Guards"

The Coldstream Regiment was formed in 1650 by George Monck, a General in Oliver Cromwell's "New Model Army" and can therefore claim to be one of the oldest regiments in the world. In 1661, shortly after the restoration of the monarchy, they were re-commissioned by King Charles II as Household Troops and from the town of Coldstream which lies just inside Scotland near Berwick-Upon-Tweed where it was first formed.

From the earliest days the Regiment had drummers and a "Band of Music" from 1742. This was in fact eight civilian musicians who were hired by the month by Officers of the Regiment to provide music for the Changing of the Guard at St James' Palace.  When, in 1785, the musicians were asked to perform at an aquatic excursion to Greenwich, they declined on the grounds that the performance was "incompatible with their several respectable and private engagements."  This was too much for the officers who asked the Duke of York, Colonel of the Regiment, for a regular attested band.  He agreed and from Hanover in Germany sent twelve musicians under the direction of Music Major CF Eley.  The instrumentation consisted of two oboes, four clarinets, two bassoons, two horns, one trumpet and a Serpent.  The date of the band's formation was May 16th, 1785.

...

Speaker Night with Major David Marshall, Coldstream Guards

In 1974 Captain Richard Annison Ridings took over as Director of Music and he went on to become Senior Director of Music, Guards Division. Major Roger Graham Swift served in the post from 1985 to 1990, when Major David Marshall then took over until retiring in Late 1999. Major Marshall was succeeded by Captain Ian McElligott. The present Director of Music is Major Graham Jones. Today the Band is scaled for 49 musicians, who apart from "doubling" on other instruments, such as strings and keyboards, are medical assistants, and in the event of a full scale conflict would be called upon to be stretcher bearers and field hospital assistants.

... Click here to read more about the history of the band ...

Speaker Night with Major David Marshall, Coldstream Guards

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