Marches of the Australian Army

In addition to the List below  click the following for more  a comprehensive list.

http://www.defence.gov.au/army/asod/cere_docs.html then select chapter 27

  … Continue Reading »

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Australian Military Bands in Brief

Military music

On 2 February 1788 at Sydney Cove, the reading of the Governor’s Commission was accompanied by music from the fife-and-drum corps musicians.

Military music, beginning with the fife-and-drum corps of the First Fleet, was the only public music-making apart from folk music sung in the public hotels. Both the fife-and-drum corps and the regimental band gave open-air concerts. The few musical instruments brought with them, including pianos, were often dragged overland to new homes.

Military bands have accompanied Australian ceremonies, parades, church services, mess dinners and performed at concerts on innumerable occasions since then. Musicians have long been incorporated into active armed service units, often doubling as medics. They have accompanied troops into action, sometimes as part of a fighting unit, and sometimes as a band.

Civilian pipe and drum bands have had a long and successful history in Australia, with some bands having performed continuously for over 100 years. … Continue Reading »

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Bands of the Australian Navy

Prior to Federation in Australia in 1901, when the various colonial states were brought together into one nation. there were Naval Brigade Bands belonging to each state, most of which had small naval elements. Plans were made to form a national navy and by 1911 the first ships, built in Britain, were commissioned into the new navy. In 19l3 the flagship RMAS Australia, a Battle Cruiser, was commissioned and the need arose to provide for a service in this ship.

Six musicians were recruited in Australia and the remainder in England, comprising ex-Royal Marines and British Army personnel. They were sent to the Royal Naval School of Music at Eastney Barracks. Portsmouth, where they received pre-commissioning training and were kitted up in the uniform of the Royal Marine Bands of the day, with their own badges and buttons. All musicians were double-handed, performing as an orchestra and a military band..

This flagship band formed the only permanent band in the RAN until 1927 when a second band was formed at HMAS Cerberus, the training establishment in Victoria. During the next ten years the strength of the Navy was developed with the addition of two County Class Cruisers, Australia II and Canberra, and the three Leander Class Cruisers, Sydney, Perth and Robart.

All these ships had bands and all ships saw active service during World War 11, with considerable loss of band ranks due to enemy action. The band’s action station was in the Transmitting Station, the same as Royal Marine Bands and casualties occurred in Perth, Canberra and Australia, with the whole band lost in Sydney.

The post war period saw a decline in band personnel, due to the demobilisation of wartime musicians, so a School of Music was created to train band boys to fill this void. Previous to this, all musicians were direct entry qualified performers.

Bands continued to serve at sea in the RAN’s two Aircraft Carriers and at the two shore establishments, a situation which continued up to the 80’s, when with the disbandment of the Fleet Air Arm a suitable ship to accommodate a band was no longer available. Today there are two shore based bands composing a 55-piece band based in Sydney and a 35-piece band at the training establishment at Victoria

In 1960 a decision was made to dress the bands in Naval uniform due to the similarity of the RM uniform to the Australian Army ceremonial dress. which had caused sonic confusion at different times, but which was regretted by oust band ranks who had formed an attachment to the RM dress over the years.

In company with most service bands of today there are now women musicians serving in the ranks, all of whom have settled into naval life, maintaining a high standard of professional ability and contributing in no small way to the efficiency of the bands.

In the 82 years of the bands’ existence many important performances have been undertaken. Notable amongst these have been the 1953 Spithead Review, 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne, Silver Jubilee Spithead Review, 1987 Royal Tournament, 1988 Marching Band Pageant Tokyo and the 1990 Gallipoli Commemoration.

Over the years many Royal Marines Bandmasters and Officers have been loamed to the RAN and in the past all prospective Band Officers have undertake it training at the Royal Marines School of Music, Deal, Kent.

The following is a list of Officers, both RM and RAN, who have served from 1913-1995:

Warrant Officer J Ventry RAN

Com Bandmaster H Blaskett RAN

Warrant Officer R Stoner RM

Lieutenant F Cockshead RAN

Com Bandmaster C McLean DSM RM

Lieutenant Commander C Hooker RAN

Lieutenant F Arnold RM

Lieutenant F Barnes RM

Lieutenant J Reynolds RM

Lieutenant J Jemmett RM

Sub Lieutenant K Watford RAN

Lieutenant Commander D Coxon RAN

Lieutenant T Lambert RM

Lieutenant Commander N Gullick RAN

Lieutenant Commander J McDonough RAN

Lieutenant Commander W Farrell AM RAN

Lieutenant K Foale RAN

Captain W Shillito RM

Lieutenant Commander V Knowles RAN

Lieutenant R Heath RAN

Lieutenant Commander A Greedy AM RAN

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