Royal Marine Bandstand, Deal. Memorial Concert

On Sunday we went to Deal to join in the Memorial Concert and Re-dedication Service for the Royal Marine Bandstand.

On Friday 22nd September 1989 a huge bomb, planted by the IRA, exploded in the Recreation Room of the Staff Band of the Royal Marines School of Music in Deal. 11 Bandsmen lost their lives.

I was having breakfast at home in Ramsgate and heard the explosion. I was to spend the next few days on duty (as a police officer) at the barracks guarding the site of the explosion.

So on Sunday we went to join in the memorial service.

We arrived at 12noon and it was already packed with people and deckchairs etc although the Concert wasn’t due to start until 2pm.

The best shot I could get of the Bandstand (during the rehearsal) from where we were sitting was this:

The music, as one would expect from the Royal Marines, was excellent. They played, among others, Light Cavalry Overture by Suppe; Post Horn Galop; Sounds like Sinatra (as it says – music of Frank Sinatra); Music from the film Daedalus. There were also Solo pieces featuring Oboe, Trumpet and Trombone. Last Post and Reveille were played by the Bugles as was Sunset (Retreat) that accompanied the lowering of the Royal Marines Flag.

During the interval I had a stretch of the legs and took a couple of photographs of the fishing boats on Deal beach. This one of them:

We left after the concert, hot and tired, but pleased to have been part of the gathering that paid their respects to those who lost their lives 20 years ago.

test Filed under Around Thanet | Comment (1)