City of Bristol Pipes and Drums

Remembrance Day Parade Bristol Cenotaph 2011

Written by Clive Reid Sunday, 13 November 2011 21:06

Sunday 13th. November 2011 was unusually warm and sunny. There was a large turn out by the public and the military were very well represented. The parade was lead by the Royal Marine Band which exhibited a standard of excellence in presentation and performance which we can aspire to.

The Bristol City Pipes and Drums had a good turn out with 13 Pipers and 7 drummers.

There were four bands in all and Bristol City Pipes and Drums found themselves in the happy position of leading the veterans. This of course meant a shorter course on the return from the cenotaph and we enjoyed this position so as not to drown out the other bands further up the marching order. We were all equipped with our new made to measure waistcoats from the boot of Ian Wyllie's car immediately before the parade but these were almost superfluous so warm was the day.

The music played on the outward stretch was the “Wings” set followed after a short break by the “Scotland the Brave” set until we took up position on the western side of the Cenotaph.

The City of Bristol dignitaries were conveyed in by horse drawn coach and disciplined horse escort with appropriate pomp and ceremony. The religious representatives (Anglican, Jewish and Muslim) delivered thought provoking readings from the New Testament, the Old Testament and the Koran. The two minute silence was observed and marked by gunfire and the bugler sounded the Last Post. Our solo piper Siobhan Mullan played a perfect haunting “Flowers of the Forest”, a lament for the fallen.

Our march back to College Green commenced with the “Green Hills” set and of course as we reached the slope out of the city centre we struck up the “Loch Maree” set.

Pipe Major: Julian Smart, Leading Tip: James McMillan, Drum Major Richard Bingham

Pipers: Siobhan Mullan, Diana Holl, Carol Varney, Andy Ferguson, Ian Wyllie, Craig Jamieson, Ben Brown, Colin Chapman, Keith Turner, Jack Gibson, Stuart McDowell and Clive Reid.

We missed our Anzac representative piper Alaine Cole who gave birth on Remembrance Day to James Douglas Cole. Congratulations to Alaine and Joe.

Drummers: James Cowley, Louise Cameron, Adrian Hart, Catherine Hopkins, Anthony McGrory, Kirsty Main-Ellen and Chris Cooknell.