The band were delighted to be a part of the Colchester Military Tournament 2014, returning for the second year in a row. This year the band would be playing with The Band of The Brigade of Gurkhas and later taking part in a massed bands performance alongside:

• The Band of The Brigade of Gurkhas
• The Royal British Legion Youth Band & Corps of Drums Romford
• The Band of The Parachute Regiment
• The Band of the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment
• The Lowland Band of The Royal Regiment Of Scotland

With the event running over Saturday and Sunday, the bands involvement began on Friday with us setting out in the afternoon to reach Colchester for a rehearsal with all of the bands involved. The journey wasn’t without its “entertainment” – just after passing Chelmsford we had to pull over…. the coach had died and we were stuck in a lay-by. After a 90 minute wait for a replacement coach we were on our way, again, to Colchester. Arriving late, the band jumped straight into action got on with the job and within a matter of minutes, all involved had forgotten that we were less rehearsed – it certainly didn’t show.

Saturday morning, and it was an early start to be up and travel over to The Abbey Field where the event was being held, although the weather wasn’t looking too promising. With the rain just about holding off for most of the day, the band had 2 performances in the morning – A display with The Band of The Brigade of Gurkhas and later a finale Massed Bands performance – and a second 2 in the afternoon (a repeat of the morning performances). At this point, it seems important to mention that the Ghurkhas march at 140 beats per minute (BPM) compared with the usual 120bpm – its safe to say we had a challenge on our hands, although our prior rehearsals had pushed us past that speed to make sure it wasn’t a shock on the day.

The event itself attracted thousands of spectators over the weekend and some of the other fun at the Tournament included:

• Red Devils Free-Fall Parachute Display Team
• Essex Dog Display Team
• Massed Pipes & Drums
• World War 1 Re-enactment
• Imps Motorcycle Display Team
• World War 2 Re-enactment
• Bolddog Lings Freestyle Motocross Team
• Variety of Live Music
• Trade Stands & Additional Attractions

Sunday followed much the same pattern but with a slightly improvement in the weather, and each performance from all of the bands were progressively sharper each time. Although it was slightly tiring with the 4 performances each day, and a rough start to the trip, it was certainly thoroughly enjoyed by all.