Air Cadet Drummers fromthe band of 121 (Nuneaton) Squadron found themselves well and truly in thespotlight when they had the honour of opening the program of music at a BeatingRetreat ceremony held in aid of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers Museum

The ceremony of BeatingRetreat has its origins in the practicalities of early warfare, when the drumwas used for all signals on the battlefield. The original call of retreat wasbeaten by drums alone. The ceremony has been modified over the years and allservice bands now perform their own particular style of Beating Retreat whichconcludes with the Sunset bugle call.

So it was fitting thatthe young percussionists, from the Nuneaton based Air Cadet Band, started theevenings musical program of Beating Retreat within the grounds of WarwickSchool by performing their own repertoire of beating signals and marches ondrums alone, before they themselves retreated to make way for The Minden Bandof The Queen’s Division.

The Minden Band,resplendent in their traditional scarlet ceremonial uniforms then marchedforward to perform their full version of the Beating Retreat ceremony whichincluded their own renditions of many traditional marches and popular themetunes. As silence and the evening sun fell over the Warwick School grounds the Minden Band concluded their splendid musical routine byperforming the Sunset Ceremony, as the flag of the Royal Regiment of Fusilierswas lowered.

The Minden Band, namedafter the 1759 Battle of Minden, is made up of 35 talented musicians with theprimary task to support the Regiment’s of the Queen’s Division. The Band is inmuch demand with recent tours to: Cyprus, Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan. The Minden Band is conducted by Major Bruce Miller,and appeared by kind permission of General Sir John McColl KCB CBE DSO

The Beating Retreat ceremony,on Wednesday 6th July 2011was held as a fundraising event in aid of the Royal Regiment of FusiliersMuseum.