Life in the Royal Marines Band Service

It's a glamorous life, being a Royal Marine Bandie. You look smart and perform in all the best places, people are always pleased to see you, and you play great music and cheer everyone up.

True? Well – up to a point. But life in the Band Service isn’t all about ceremony and public adulation.

Ask any trainee Bandie up to his or her eyes in mud and camouflage cream on a cold wet moor, and you’d get a very different story.

It’s also about weeks at the Commando Training Centre at Lympstone, learning every bootneck skill from living in the field to night patrolling, shooting, camouflage, and survival.

The first 15 weeks of the recruits’ course do not even involve any music. Instead the training is a mirror image of what trainee Commandos get, delivered by the same instructors on the same training areas.

The reason is that life in the Royal Marines Band Service demands far more than musical talent and skills.

Since the official formation of the band service in 1905 the musicians have taken part in almost every operation involving the Royal Marines, from the two World Wars to the Falklands, the Gulf, Kosovo and Iraq.

They have worked as specialist drivers, radio operators, and casualty receiving specialists. In the Falklands they guarded prisoners of war, in the Iraqi desert they carried out casualty decontamination, and during the firemen’s strikes they manned the Green Goddesses.

In April 2011 the CTC band deployed to Afghanistan, where Bandies worked in the Motor Transport Section, driving in combat logistic patrols to deliver supplies to forward operating bases.

They manned the ambulances in Camp Bastion and tended casualties – the traditional role of bandsmen and women as ‘stretcher-bearers’ has evolved into ‘casualty handlers,’ a much more demanding role.

In November, Bandies from the Ambulance Response Troop led by Band Sergeant Matt Weites were honoured in the House of Lords for their work supporting the Joint Force Medical Group based at Camp Bastion.

As the Bandies took on a variety of essential tasks in support of 3 Commando Brigade, they had their musical instruments at the ready and played in everything from repatriation ceremonies to cheerful morale-boosting concerts for the troops.

It is difficult to think of any other job in the world which combines the military and the musical in a similar way.

When young musicians apply to join the Band Service it is made clear from the start that it’s not all a life of musical practice and artistic interpretation.

“They are first and foremost a military band, with all the skills and disciplines that that implies,” said WO2 Ross Hunt, troop commander who runs new entry recruit training at the Royal Marines School of Music.

He explained: “It’s made very clear to them from the time they first apply that they are joining a military organisation.

“For the first 15 weeks after joining they do not practise, do not even pick up their instruments, but undergo essentially the same training as Commando recruits.”

The young musicians who have passed the highly competitive entrance tests to the Royal Marines School of Music in Portsmouth arrive in September.

Like any bootneck recruit their first two weeks are spent doing ‘phys’ and learning all the basic skills from drill to washing and ironing.

For the first 15 weeks of training, there are no music lessons and no playing. For many of them, it will be the longest period in their lives that they haven’t practised their instruments.

Instead it’s a routine of early morning parades, runs, kit inspections and the ‘Globe and Laurel’ routines familiar to all Royal Marine recruits – learning to fold their shirts and kit into the size of the Globe and Laurel magazine (a useful skill if they are going to live onboard a ship.) “The routine is definitely a bit of a shock for some of them, “ said WO2 Hunt.

“When their parents come to Families’ Day at the end of their third week, they often notice a change in their sons and daughters.

“All those things that they’ve probably told them for years to do – like tidying up their rooms – they are suddenly doing.”

October 2011 saw the current intake of recruits at the Royal Marines School of Music move to Lympstone, as the first troop to spend the last ten weeks of military training at the Commando Training Centre.

They became the first troop to pass out from Lympstone when they completed Phase One military training on December 15.

“They used to train at Longmoor, in Hampshire, and this is the first time we’ve had everyone at Lympstone for ten weeks.” said WO2 Hunt.

He explained: “It helps to cement a strong relationship between the band service and the rest of the Corps. It puts things into perspective with the recruits, who see other troops training for general service with the Royal Marines.

“And it works the other way, impressing upon the general recruits that the musicians are an integral part of the Corps.”

The recruits spend a whole week learning how to shoot on the rifle range and another week learning communications, signals and voice procedure. They follow this up with a series of field exercises on the training area at Woodbury Common.

Here they are taught every traditional infantry skill from navigation to night patrols, checkpoint exercises, camouflage and concealment, living in bivouacs, crawling through tunnels of water, and the infamous ‘wet and dry routine’.

This (not a particular favourite with the recruits, strangely enough) involves crawling through a stream until they are soaking wet, then a couple of hours later changing into dry clothes to get a warm night’s sleep – then getting up in the morning and changing back into their wet clothes.

Legend has it there was a young musician once who enjoyed the field training so much he transferred to the Corps as a commando.

But it’s fair to say most of the young recruits see these weeks of training as a means to an end, rather than enjoyable in themselves.

It helps that one of the five Royal Marine Bands is based at CTCRM Lympstone, and is on hand to provide inspiration if they get cast down by all the military training.

“Many of them listen to music in their accommodation, and they watched the Remembrance Day services with special interest,” said section commander B/Cpl Charlotte Stus, one of the team of instructors.

She said: “They were keen to see the CTC band and it’s good for them to keep that goal in mind, especially when things get tough.”

Recruit Kerry McDougall, 19, from Gloucestershire, who joined as a bassoonist, was attracted by the opportunity to play sport as well as music.

She said: “I knew it would be quite tough military training because they made that clear to us at the audition.

“The training has made me feel fitter and I enjoy parts of it, although I didn’t enjoy the wet and dry training. As long as you try your hardest you’re OK.”

“We’re not expected to be as fit as Commandos, but you do develop a different attitude of mind – I feel that I have stopped being a civilian and everyone’s motto is ‘just get on with it.’”

Recruit Jack Williams, 17, from Bedford, who plays saxophone, clarinet and viola, is one of the youngest recruits (they range in age from 16 to 23) and quit his sixth form to join the Band Service.

He said: “I took a year out trying to find a job and when I came here it was a shock at the beginning.

“I wasn’t used to it and struggled with the constant pressure and tests. We all want to play music and it’s hard to get your head around this Commando training at first.

“But it’s getting better. As it goes on you realise there is a point to it. Some parts are exciting, others are just hard work, but you’re never bored, you’re always focused and busy.”

“You’re doing the same thing every day and the friends you make are very close.”

He added: “It has increased my confidence, it builds that into you. But I am looking forward to getting back to the school and getting back to music.”

Recruit Sean Hodge, 22, from Plymouth, who joined as a bugler, has a music degree from Hertfordshire University.

He said: “Swapping life at university for this has been hard because I’ve been spoiled by student life. The military training has been a shock to me after being a student and I think the younger ones adapt better.

“But I enjoy it. The best bits are when things go badly and you make a bit of a joke out of it. “The worst thing is the field training, doing all the admin in the field, where nothing’s clean and you have to make it clean.

“There’s a good team spirit and I enjoy being with the troop. I’m looking forward to the music training.”

He added: “It was great to see the CTC band here – it’s a reminder of why we are here and what we’re aiming for.”

Recruit Matthew Dixon, 21, from Ramsbury, in Wiltshire said: “I went to college, took three years out and thought I’d try to pursue a career in music, and this is the best place to do it.

“It’s been a big change from my student life. You end up doing all this military training and don’t always understand at first why things are done the way they are, but after a while you look at the bigger picture and you start to understand your role and the role of the band.

“There are lots of parts I haven’t enjoyed but it’s only while it’s going on you don’t enjoy it, afterwards you look back and think ‘that wasn’t too bad.’

He added: “I’m more confident than when I joined and I’m really looking forward to playing. I’ve missed that from day one, but seeing the CTC band has been an inspiration.”

He added: “The instructors definitely don’t treat us exactly the same as commandos, we’ve been round the camp and seen how they’re treated.

“The team are really good. They want us to pass but they do toughen us up. It’s all character-building at the end of the day.”

If it’s tough for the musicians to adapt, it also takes a change in mind-set on the part of the instructors.

The team is led by a colour sergeant, with three corporals who are section commanders, and a drill instructor and a PTI.

Apart from B/Cpl Charlotte Stus, the teachers have been used to training highly competitive, testosterone-charged male commando recruits. About a third of the school of music recruits are women.

C/Sgt Paul O’Gorman, the unit platoon weapon instructor who leads the team, said: “I’ve taught women before at Royal Navy establishments, but they’ve been more promotional and qualification courses, whereas here I’m instructing female civvies straight into the military regime.”

Appealing to competitive instincts doesn’t always work with Bandies, according to Cpl Ben Lovelace, the platoon weapon instructor responsible for teaching map-reading, weapons and field training.

He said: “One difference I notice is that you can’t always keep them motivated through being competitive, because they’re not as competitive as commando recruits.

“They are bonded as a team and tend to help each other out, especially the girls, and they definitely need a carrot, not a stick.”

He added: “It’s a real change from my last job, being at sea with 50 charged lads working on counter-piracy – it needs a different head.

“These people are very bright and I enjoy teaching them, it’s a challenge.

“I find they pick up weapon drills really quickly, probably because they’re musicians and they’re used to reading something and putting it into practice.“

All the instructors have been impressed by the intelligence of the group.

C/Sgt O’Gorman said: “I have been very impressed by their keenness and by the way they take in information. They’ll take it on very quickly and at the end of any period they will ask good, structured questions. They’re very quick to pick things up.”

He added: “Do we treat them differently because they’re musicians? Yes, we do look at the bigger picture and we can adjust things.

“There are scales of corrective punishment for instance, and where we might give a commando recruit that amount of press-ups, these recruits might only get that amount, so there are differences, but not huge differences.”

He added: “I’ve trained five recruit troops before and as far as I’m concerned we’re treating these ones pretty much the same, they get the same harshness when needed and the same chuck-ups and praise.

“It’s the first time I’ve worked with the band and it’s thoroughly enjoyable. They’re great to work with, as long as you show you’re keen and enthusiastic they’ll be keen and enthusiastic about you.”

The musicians return to the Royal Marines School of Music in Portsmouth this month when their musical training begins in earnest.

It’s a long course, the longest in the Corps, and most will not pass out as fully-fledged members of the Royal Marines Band Service until 2014.

They will spend hours a day practising their instruments, often learning a new instrument from scratch, and learning how to march and play at the same time – much harder than they make it look.

When they return to the school of music in Portsmouth, they will leave behind the most intensive phase of their military training – but their musical training is equally disciplined.

“When you think about it, juxtaposing military and musical ways of life may seem like an impossible task,” said WO2 Hunt.

“The black-and-white approach of the military might seem incompatible with a musical career, as musicians bring qualities of emotion, expression and interpretation to their playing, and how can these qualities flourish alongside a rigid rank structure where orders have to be obeyed?”

He continued: “However, musical and military approaches to life are not necessarily mutually exclusive.

“You only have to look at the autocratic rule of many famous conductors to realise that they run their orchestras with an iron rod – or an iron baton perhaps.

“While they demand a military precision in the playing, there is still room for interpretation and emotion – in fact one finds the most incredible strains of emotion-filled music drifting from the most disciplined orchestras.”

He added: “Modern attitudes towards military training do allow for freedom of thought. Indeed, recruits are encouraged to have their own views – of course, it’s a case of knowing the right time to voice them!”