GRENADIER GUARDS

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXV, Issue 22, 9 January 1935, Page 4

GRENADIER GUARDS

Band in Hastings on Sunday

The entry into Auckland of His Majesty’s Grenadier Guards Band, which 16 to make its first and only appearance at the Hastings racecourse on Sunday afternoon next at 2.30, and at McLean Park, Napier, on Sunday night beginning at 8.15, under the direction of Messrs, J. and N. Tait and under the auspices of the Commonwealth and New Zealand Governments, will long be remembered by those who were fortunate to’ witness the occasion. Thousands of people waited at the wharf long before the Wanganella arrived, and when the ship eventually got alongside and the Guards were seen on the deck the crowd started to cheer. The bandsmen of Auckland, representatives of the military, naval and civil bands, played popular melodic* until the members of the Grenadier Guards Band were released from the ship, and then started the most remarkable procession ever known in New Zealand. It was a difficult matter for the mounted troopers and the police to create a path for the bandsmen, so dense was the crowd on the wharf, but eventually this was effected. The crowd graduallv grew as the Guards in their scarlet and gold uniforms and their bearskin caps, together with their escorts, marched up Queen Street to their own music and that of the local bandsmen. It is estimated that over 100,(XX) people lined the street, stood on verandahs and peeped from the numerous windows. As the crowd grew so did the cheering increase and indescribable scenes of enthusiasm took place when the Grenadier Guards ultimately arrived at the Town Hall. To those caught in the crush it was anything but a pleasant morning, but the brilliant spectacle and the martial music of the long procession, with the Grenadier Guards bringing up the rear compensated for the traffic jams and the long waiting. The initial concert presented by the Grenadier Guards was enjoyed by an audience that filled every nook and corner of the Town Hall, and to suggest that they achieved an overwhelming success would be to put it too mildly. An audience at a Guards Band concert does not require fare such as a symphony orchestra could provide. A Guards Band is not a Bayreuth Festival combination Rather it represent* the peak of military music, with a complete organisation behind it; it is led by a musician who is a military officer, not by an academic or by a virtuoso. It sets out in its very existence what it is and

what it can do. The combination of the Guards band becomes an enthralling study for those anxious to bear music. Its work appeals to all equally. The director of the music is Major G. Miller, M.8.E., who has the distinction of being one of the most distinguished musicians in England.

The prices for admission are 2/-, with one shilling extra for the grandstand. The band’s programme includes slow and quick step marches. The Grenadier Guards Band will arrive by special train on Sunday morning.