Video helped jog memory of Band

From: Johnnie Elliott, Caldbec Hill, Battle
By The Newsroom
Published 10th Mar 2017, 08:14 BST
Updated 24th Mar 2017, 10:42 BST

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The Queens Regiment had three Battalions. Each Battalion had a Regimental Band. 3 Queens, my Battalion, used to be The Royal Sussex Regiment.

It just happened I came from Battle, in East Sussex. There were a couple of chaps, also in the Band – Norman French, from Hastings and Rocket, from Bexhill.

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In March, 1984, while 1 and 2 Queens were both posted in Northern Ireland, 3 Queens were on a six-month tour of Belfast.

On March 31,1984, the three Bands did a parade at Ebrington Barracks. Cut backs had already begun. The three Bands became two larger Bands. The Albuhera & Quebec Band. This all happened a month before my accident.

I remember, flying out to NI. We went Business Class on a Hercules. My next memories are very patchy.

We stayed at a camp in Belfast. The troubles were still quite bad then.

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The parade took place at Ebrington Bks, Londonderry. The only thing I remember about the parade are the white and yellow markings on the parade ground.

I also remember when we used to travel from our camp in Belfast to Londonderry. We would always get bricked, driving down the Falls Road.

The parade was filmed. Another couple of mates, Terry Young and Bob Kitson, also in the Band, put the video on Youtube.

Thanks a lot boys, it does jog my memory a bit. I was on the parade, you can briefly see me at the end of the Parade, when we marched off.

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I am in The Quebec Band,the last Band, in the second row from the back, playing my clarinet, in between Bill Plummer on Alto and Jim Gaylor on Tenor Sax. I am the chap wearing a scarlet jacket.

Brian Cunningham, my bandmaster, brought the Band to play at Eastbourne a couple of times. I did go over and see them, they are the best. Sadly, they were done away with, in the cut backs.

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