WELSH GUARDS' BAND

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 13891, 25 June 1938, Page 3

WELSH GUARDS' BAND

TO COME TO NEW ZEALAND. FOlt CENTENNIAL EXHIBITION. The Welsh Guards’ Band has been engaged, at a cost of manv thousands of pounds to play at the New Zealand Centennial Exhibition in 1939-40. One of the most famous military bands in Great Britain, at belongs to the youngest of the five regiments of Foot Guards which*- with the Household Cavalry, compose the King's personal bodyguard, the flower of the British army. Negotiations to obtain the services of this band were fiist opened some months ago when the High Commissioner for New Zealand in London, Mr. W. J. Jordan, was asked to investigate the possibilities of persuading the band of one of the best English regiments to visit New Zealand for the centennial. Mr. Jordan put forward the name of the Welsh Guards. On Wednesday the secretary of the Exhibition Company Colonel H. E. Avery, received a cablegram from the general manager Mr. C. P. Hainswortli, now in London stating the terms on which the W elsh Guards Band would be obtainable and reeon, mending their acceptance. The matter was at once considered by rlie music committ-ci and Acstoiday morning a special meeting of the exhibition dii**otors, who decided to accept the offer. A cable to that ef--1 irri fins been dispatched to Mr Ha'nswoith Tim precise cost of obtaining the band and bringing it out to New Zealand has not. been made public, ! but it is understood that it runs into ! many thousands of pounds. The clir- | rectors are confident that the band will be one of the principal attractions of the exhibition Special arrangements have been incorporated in the design of the buildings tc provide alternate band shells or rotundas for northerly or southerly winds respectively, with accommodation for some 7000 listeners and \n ith spacious parade grounds where the band will be able to march up and down* i The bawd will con prise TO musicians and a bandmaster. It will play in Wellington for th? duration of Urn exhibition and will probably tour New Zealand afterwards giving concerts in the mam centres, before returning to England. As with the other four regiments of Foot Guards the uniform of the baud comprises a scarlet tunic with blue collar, cuffs and shoulder straps. blur trouser.-, with, a .scarlet stripe, and a tall bearskin cap or “busby.” The Welsh Guard's are distinguished from tin- other regiments, however, by the green nnd wh.'te plume worn at the side of the bearskin and bv having the buttons of their tunics grouped in fives. Tin* unform differs only in these respects IT om that of the Grenadier Guards, whose band visited New Zealand in 1935 Thespecial insignia of the Grenadiers are a. white plume in the busby and single-spaced buttons The Welsh Guards also wear a black bund roun .1 their peaked military caps, woi n on informal occasions. The Welsh Guards were raised in. 19i5 and served in the Great War. r l liov are the youngest of the five Foot Gua.’d r<\ in r;ts. The other

four are the Grenadiers, Coldstream, Scots and Irish Guards. The Grenadier Guards were originally a royalist regiment that server] under the exiled English princes in the Spa-ni.su Army and returned to England with thi* Stuarts at the Restoration iu 1060. They were formerly known as the Ist Regiment of Foot Guards, the title Grenadiers being conferred in i eco n • tion of their mi vices at Waterloo-. The Coldstreams were part ot General Monk’s army and took their title from the border village where Monk crossed the Tweed, marching into England to restore the - Monarchy. I'he Scots Guards were raised in Scotland aftei the Restoration. Tlicv became a portion of the English anuy after the Union, when they transferred their headquarters to London. Compared with these three regiments, the Irish and Welsh Guards are quite modern. The Irish Guards were, formed by Queen Victoria in recognition of the exploits of “her brave Irish” in the South African War. It was them felt that as Wales was the sole part of the United Kingdom net represented in the Royal bodyguard, a Welsh regiment should be raised, but no opportunity presented itself prior to the Great War. THE FOOT GUARDS The Foot. Guards are stationed constantly in London and their primary purpose in conjunction with the Household Cavalry, is that of safeguarding his Majesty’s person. They never serve overseas in time of peace. Their sentries outside Buckingham Palace are a familiar spectacle to thousands of New Zealanders who visit London. They are famous for the perfection of their appearance and military drill, and particularly for their marching. All five regiments have magnificent bands, and, although a comparatively new regiment., the Welsh Guards have already won a high reputation for their military music Formerly the Foot Guards possessed certain privileges not granted to ordinary regiments of the line; but ,to-dav most of these have been abolished. They are, however, sub-

ject to the exclusive command of their own officers. The Household Cavalry with which they are associated, comprises ii> • Life Guards a.’d the' Horse Cu. - ithe most sped .'if r bodes of in tli British Fmpiio. Thev r. on formal occasV ». in suininv - cuiras phoned helmets. : i - boots and with lame- oi iT.wn swords. Tin? tunics aud cloaks of the Life Guards are scarlet and the plumes ot their steel helmets are white; tlit' Horse Guards wear blue with scarlet plumes. On their fine, beautifully-groomed and marshalled horses, with their cloaks blowing, plumes nodding and cuhasse- nr. 1 swords flashing in the sunshine they make a magnificent sight a- they ride through the London streets