Staines Band visited [bclink id=”1583″ target=”_blank”] for this year’s Festival of Remembrance on 2 November 2013, under their recently-appointed bandmaster, Rob Howe, who is a member of Band of the Scots Guards. Marching in while [bclink id=”2276″ target=”_blank”] (Bandmaster Ken Hillson) played The Red Shield, Staines Band joined with the host band to play The British Legion March for the entry of the flags. Later in the program, they led the audience in some favorite wartime songs in Keep Smiling Through, as well as playing for the Drumhead Service.
Items from Staines Band included Ein Feste Burg, Soli Deo Gloria (William Himes), Guardian of My Soul (Darren Shaw) and The Wondrous Cross. The last item was written especially for the band by a former member, Dean Jones.
Hadleigh Temple Band reminded the audience of the sights and sounds of London in A London Celebration (Peter Graham). The timbrels created considerable interest with their display to Toccata, with red flags contrasting with their all-black outfits.
The Singing Company’s contribution consisted of the lively Sing Jubilate Deo and the more reflective Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream, which was enhanced by dance. The Songster Brigade sang two songs, You Are Mine, with its message that God is a God of hope, and the positive affirmation of We Shall Win (Ivor Bosanko).
The event was attended by many local dignitaries, including Rebecca Harris, MP, who spoke of her own contact with the forces and their need for our support.
The Reverend David Tudor, giving the address, highlighted the need for Remembrance, and also the importance of being inclusive. He illustrated this with the story of a Quaker missionary in Poland who could not be buried in the churchyard as he was not Catholic. After he had been interred right against the outside of the cemetery wall, the following morning it was discovered that the villagers had rebuilt the wall so that the grave was within the cemetery bounds.
The evening closed with Celebration (Leslie Condon), complete with flags, timbrels and the Songsters singing along with the words, “We’ll keep the old flag flying”.
The Hadleigh Temple Corps expressed their gratitude to Robin Bryant and his team of helpers for their hard work, and also to the Stibbard family for their ongoing financial support of this worthwhile venture.
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