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Bands of the Royal Irish Rangers
Active 1 July 1968 – 1 July 1992
Country Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom
Branch Flag of the British Army British Army
Type Military Band
Part of Royal Irish Rangers
Irish Bands
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Band of the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers
Band of the Royal Ulster Rifles
Band of the Royal Irish Fusiliers
Band of the Royal Irish Regiment

The Bands of the Royal Irish Rangers were infantry bands of the Royal Irish Rangers (27th (Inniskilling, 83rd, and 87th) regiment which was disbanded following the Options for Change reform of the British Army in the 1990s.

History[]

The Band of the Royal Irish Rangers was an unusual band in that it initially consisted of three separate bands. The bands were formed in 1968 as a result of the 1966 Defence White Paper which saw the three remaining Irish regiments merged into a single unit: The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, The Royal Ulster Rifles, and The Royal Irish Fusiliers (Princess Victoria's). The former bands of these regiments formed the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Bands of the Royal Irish Rangers respectively in the new 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Battalions of the Royal Irish Rangers. This organisation remained for a while until just six months after the formation of the new regiment, the 3rd battalion was disbanded, leaving just the 1st and 2nd Bands left in the 1st and 2nd Battalions respectively. The 3rd Band was merged into the 1st, while the 2nd Band spent the majority of its first years overseas.[1]

Band of the 1st Battalion, Royal Irish Rangers[]

The 1st Battalion rotated back and forth between British and German stations in its role as a wheeled mechanised infantry unit. From 1 April – 20 October 1977 the battalion deployed to Cyprus for a UN tour, where it was joined by the band as well. In May 1979 the battalion moved to Brooke Barracks in West Berlin, with the band taking part in the Queen's Birthday Parade, the Berlin Military Tattoo, and later Allied Forces Day Parade. The band also performed with the Deutsche Opera, the first military band to do so during the 1980 production of Jacques Offenbach's La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein. The performance was repeated the next year as well following the successful collaboration.[1]

In 1981, the 1st Band joined other Irish Regiments' bands and Pipes & Drums during their beating retreat ceremony on Horse Guards Parade, and also played at the Wembley Military Tattoo that year, which was the largest ever. Between March and July 1983 the band deployed to the Falkland Islands and also British Forces Belize. Following their return the band returned to London to take part in public duties.[1]

Band of the 2nd Battalion, Royal Irish Rangers[]

The 2nd Battalion was formed while it was in Gibraltar, and the band performed several times in the Gibraltar caves and made two trips to Morocco to perform for King Hassan II in Rabat. The two bands were united for a short time in 1970 when a performance occurred at Ulster Hall in Belfast, Northern Ireland. However, the 2nd battalion moved to Bahrain and its Dependencies. While in Bahrain, the battalion formed three sub-bands: Tyrolean Band, and two Dance Bands. The Tyrolean Band performed at Gulf Aviation Airport, securing a twelve-week booking, and in 1971 visited the Kingdom of Ethiopia to perform with Ethiopian and Indian bandsmen. In 1979 the battalion deployed to Canada for training exercises and was joined by the band which performed at several locations including the Wainwright Stampede.[1]

Band of the Royal Irish Regiment[]

Following the Fall of the Berlin Wall and subsequent Dissolution of the Soviet Union, the British Army was cut in size under what became known as the 'Options for Change'. Among the many changes this program introduced was a complete reorganisation of the British Army's music, with all the separate regimental bands merged into newly formed 'Corps Bands' and 'Divisional Bands'. These bands included two bands each for the Infantry Divisions and Royal Armoured Corps and one for each of the supporting corps. The new Corps of Army Music was formed to oversee the bands as they were removed from their respective units and joined the new corps, adopting their cap badge and training. On 1 July 1992 the Royal Irish Rangers merged with the part-time Ulster Defence Regiment to form the new Royal Irish Regiment (27th (Inniskilling), 83rd, 87th, and Ulster Defence Regiment). These changes saw the 1st Battalion and 2nd Battalion bands merged into a new larger Band of the Royal Irish Regiment. In September 1994, the band staged its final Beating Retreat in Cyprus before moving to the Regimental Headquarters in Ballymena, and was re-organised into a new divisional 35-strong regimental band. Following the move to Corps of Army Music, the band's structure was slightly changed to include a Director of Music alongside the previous Bandmaster. The Director of Music held the rank of Captain or Major while the Bandmaster was a Warrant Officer Class 1 (now class 2). The Bandmaster relinquished his duties to the Director of Music though remains the 2nd-in-command.[1][2]

With the formation of the new band, there was no need for the musicians to keep moving alongside the regular battalions (7, the most in the army at this time), so in 1994 they settled into their base at Saint Patrick's Barracks in Ballymena. Subordinate to the Corps of Army Music, the new band performed more than it had when attached to the battalions, including performances at the British Embassy in the District of Columbia; Royal Military Academy Sandhurst; Royal Tournament; Royal Albert Hall Festival of Remembrance; and the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo.[1][2]

Finally, on 31 October 2007 the band was disbanded and replaced by the part-time North Irish Territorial Army Band (later renamed as the Band of the Royal Irish Regiment (V)).[3]

Bandmasters[]

1st Battalion, The Royal Irish Rangers[]

Bandmasters of the Band of the 1st Battalion, The Royal Irish Rangers included:[4]

  • 1968: Warrant Officer Class One (WO 1) Ronald Frank Horn (former 3rd Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment – later Royal Irish Rangers Depot)
  • 1968 – 1969: WO 1 Brian William Kingsbury (former 1st Battalion, Royal Irish Fusiliers – later Band of the Yorkshire Brigade)
  • 1969 – 1973: WO 1 Nigel Anderton (former Royal Artillery Band Woolwich – later Instructor, Royal Artillery Band Woolwich)
  • 1973 – 1980: WO 1 Carl Richard Miles Pearce (former Royal Gloucestershire Regiment – retired)
  • 1980 – 1985: WO 1 David Brian Catt (former 2nd Battalion, Queen's Regiment – retired)
  • 1985 – 1986 WO 1 James Wallace
  • 1986 – 1991: WO 1 David McCluskey Clarke (former 3rd Battalion, Parachute Regiment – retired)
  • 1991 – 1992: WO 1 Robert Wayne Hopla (former Royal Green Jackets)

2nd Battalion, The Royal Irish Rangers[]

Bandmasters of the Band of the 2nd Battalion, The Royal Irish Rangers included:[4]

  • 1968 – 1970: WO 1 Maurice Edward Clark (former 1st Battalion, Royal Ulster Rifles – later Royal Irish Rangers Depot)
  • 1970 – 1975: WO 1 Arthur William Healey (former 1st Battalion, The Loyal Regiment – retired)
  • 1975 – 1980: WO 1 William Charles Gilpin (former 1st Battalion, The Border Regiment – later King's Division Depot)
  • 1980 – 1990: WO 1 John Frederick Winterflood (former 1st Battalion, The Royal Scots – later Royal Military School of Music)
  • 1990 – 1992: WO 1 Richard Granville Sowerby (former Royal Corps of Transport – retired)

3rd Battalion, The Royal Irish Rangers[]

Bandmasters of the Band of the 3rd Battalion, The Royal Irish Rangers included:[4]

  • 1968: WO 1 Brian William Kingsbury (former 1st Battalion, Royal Irish Fusiliers – later Band of the Yorkshire Brigade)

Footnotes[]

References[]