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MacBean’s March

The Roayl Warwickshire Fusiliers / Royal Regiment of Fusiliers

Once used by The Royal Warwickshire Fusiliers as a slow march and composed by an officer of the Regiment, Lieutenant FW McBean (MacBean) in 1782. The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers continued it use as a slow march along with Rule Britannia and De Normandie including St. George (Royal Northumberland Fusiliers) Macbean’s March (Royal Warwickshire Fusiliers), De Normandie (Royal Fusiliers) and The Lancashire Fusiliers Slow March.

MacKenzie Highlanders

25th Battalion CEF

The battalion is perpetuated by The Nova Scotia Highlanders through their predecessors the 76th Colchester and Hants Rifles. The battalion was sent overseas in 1915 and served with the 5th Infantry Brigade of the 2nd Division. It was disbanded in 1920 along with many other CEF units.

MacLean March

236th Battalion CEF

Raised for WW1 service the 236th Battalion CEF was sent overseas but broken up and used to reinforce the 3rd Reserve Battalion. It was disbanded in 1920 however used this march during and may have a connection with the MacLean clan as they wore the Red Dress MacLean tartan.

Mademoiselle From Armemtieres

Princess Patricia Canadian Light Infantry

The march first appeared during WW1 and the Mademoiselle was a folk heroine by the time of WW2. A general belief is that the First World War version had only the first verse with the additional verses being of American origin. There are many different verses with being some respectable and others are quite unprintable. It is the third song in the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry Regimental March.

Maid of Glenconnel (The Dorsetshire)

The Dorset Regiment / The Devonshire and Dorset Regiment / The Les Carbiniers de Sherbrooke

The legend of the story is that in 1757 John Campbell was commissioned by the King to raise the 54th. His wife’s favorite song was The Maid of Gleconnel, which tells of a love maid lamenting her lover’s departure for the wars. The band adopted the tune and through regular became the regimental march. Though commonly known as the Dorsetshire the tune was an adaptation of the Scottish lament titled The Maid of Glenconnel. It is amongst the best of quicksteps that have been adopted from very old favorite songs. Prior to 1881 the 54th Regiment of Foot used it and pasted onto the Dorsetshire Regiment. On the 1958 amalgamation to form the Devonshire and Dorset Regiment it became part of the new regimental march in combination with We’ve Loved and Loved Together and Widdecombe Fair. In Canada the Les Carbiniers de Sherbrooke used the march until they re-organized as the Les Fusiliers de Sherbrooke in 1933 and the march was changed to Queen City.

Manchester

Le Regiment de St. Hyacinthe / Manchester Regiment

Although published in 1882 under the title The Manchester, it is in fact an adaptation of two popular Neapolitan songs La Luisella and Fenesta Vascia. Prior to the 1881amalgamation the march was known as the March of the 96th. The march served the regiment well as the title fits perfectly and had been connected with The Manchester Regiment (63rd & 96th Foot). In A. C. Bell’s History of the Manchester Regiment this piece is attributed to Alexander Vlacco, principally on the evidence of Brigadier General J. E. Watson who served with the 96th prior to 1881. He remembered it having been said that the march ‘was composed by a foreign bandmaster, who came from one of the Mediterranean islands’. In 1950 Kneller Hall was consulted and Mr. Vlacco was the only bandmaster who fitted the description.

Formed in 1871 at St. Hyacinthe, Quebec as the St. Hyacinthe Provisional Battalion of Infantry, The Le Regiment de St. Hyacinthe used this quick march until 1956 when they became the 6e Bataillon Royal 22e Regiment.

Mandolinata

(La Mandolinata)

16th Regiment of Foot / Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment / Bedfordshire Regiment

The 16th Regiment of Foot had used this march until 1881 when they became the Bedfordshire Regiment. In 1919 it was retained when the regiment was renamed the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment. This lasted until 1964 when the regiment became part of the Royal Anglian Regiment.

Maple Leaf Forever

Prince of Wales’s Leinster Regiment / Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (1st Bn)/ Queen's Own Rifles of Canada / Royal Westminster Regiment / Westminster Regiment

The Scottish composer Alexander Muir came to Canada and became a schoolmaster in Toronto. During a walk with a friend George Leslie along the Don River, a maple leaf became lodged on his sleeve that gave him the inspiration for this tune. His wife’s suggested that music should be found so students could sing it. After searching with little success he wrote the music and printed it at his own expense. Later, he entered it at the last minute to the Caledonian Society of Montreal for the patriotic poem contest, winning second prize. Although widely known in Canada, its popularity started after the Boer War.

French-Canadians did not like the text as it made reference their lost at the Plains of Abraham. The text makes reference to the thistle, shamrock, and rose that are the national emblems of Scotland, Ireland, and England, but misses the fleur-de-lys of France. In the third verse of the second version, Nootka Sound (Vancouver Island, BC) and Cape Race (NFLD) are mentioned indicating it was written after British Columbia entered Confederation in 1867, and Newfoundland in 1949.

The Westminster Regiment used the two tunes Maple Leaf Forever and The Warwickshire Lads. When the regiment was renamed The Royal Westminster Regiment The Warwickshire Lads was dropped from the medley.

The 1st Battalion of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry used the tune as their signature march while the Queen's Own Rifles of Canada combine the march with the Buffs.

At Officers Mess’ Nights, The Prince of Wales’s Leinster Regiment prior to disbandment used this march to celebrate the country where the 100th was raised and Come Back to Erin in honour of the Colonel-in-Chief.

March from Norma

12th Royal Lancers

Prior to their 1960 amalgamation the 12th Royal Lancers used this march for dismounted parades and it is based on the ’Druids’ Chorus from Berlini’s Norma of 1832. When the 12th Lancers were amalgamated with the 9th Lancers to form 9th/12th Royal Lancers (Princes of Wales’s) the march was discontinued.

March of the 3rd Regt of Foot, Lord Amherst’s

The Buffs

This march was never used by the Buffs but was written by General Reid of the Garb of Old Gaul fame. Lord Amherst was Colonel of the Regiment between 1768 and 1779 and could have been written during this time. Trevor Sharpe revived the march in the 1950s.

March of the 21st Regiment

Royal Highland Fusiliers

This slow march was adopted by The Royal Highland Fusiliers and combined with The Garb of Old Gaul, as arranged by Bandmaster Brush. The 21 Foot began in 1678 as The Earl of Mar’s Regiment becoming the 21st in 1694. In 1707 the title changed to The North British Fusiliers and along with other name changes became in 1881 the Royal Scots Fusiliers. In 1959 the regiment amalgamated with the Highland Light Infantry (City of Glasgow Regiment) to form the Royal Highland Fusiliers (Princess Margaret’s Own Glasgow and Ayrshire Regiment).

March of the 25 CFSD

25th Canadian Forces Supply Depot

Supply depots throughout Canada have a significant role in the Canadian Forces. Along with the various Service Battalions they supply units with many of the vital equipment and supplies required to carry out their varying takes. Located in Montreal, Quebec, the 25th Canadian Forces Supply Depot used this specially written march to reflect their commitment and service to this role.

March of the Bowmen

Small Arms School Corps

On the occasion of the centenary of the Corps in 1953, 'March of the Bowmen' from the Robin Hood Suite by Frederic Curzon was adopted as the Corps march. The first mention of the establishment of the School was in the Army List of 1854 when it was referred to as the School of Musketry, a name it bore until 1919 when its name was changed to the Small Arms School. In September 1855 a Corps of Instructors was added to the establishment, consisting of 100 First Class and 100 Second Class Instructors. In 1926 the School expanded to include the Machine Gun School at Netheravon. The Machine Gun Training Centres had been established in 1914 at Grantham and by the BEF in Wisques, France. This was followed on 14 October 1915 by the creation of the Machine Gun Corps (MGC). Originally equipped with the Maxim, these were replaced by the Vickers shortly after formation of the MGC. In 1929 the present badge was introduced, comprising of crossed rifles and a Vickers machine gun, surmounted by a crown and surrounded by a laurel wreath. The title Small Arms School Corps came into being at this time.

March of the Cameron Men

Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders / Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada / Queen's Own Highlanders (Seaforth and Camerons)

The music was composed just after the Crimean War and the song after the Egyptian War of 1882, honouring The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders. In 1961 the regiment became The Queen's Own Highlanders (Seaforth and Camerons) and continued the use of the march combined with Scotland the Braveas arranged by Bandmaster Henderson. The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada combine it with The Pibroch of Donuil Dhu as a regimental quick step.

March of the French 34eme Regiment

Border Regiment / King’s Own Royal Border Regiment

During the Peninsular War the 34th Regiment of Foot took part in most of the fighting during the period of 1809-14. It was during this time during the Battle of Arrogo dos Molinos they captured the French 34eme Regiment which included the band and drums. Each year the Regiment celebrated the battle by parading the captured drums and playing this march reflecting the fact that they are the only regiment in the British Army with this battle honour. Both the 34th and 55th (The Bronze Horse and The Lass of Gowrie) had their own quick marches prior to amalgamation in 1881. The Border Regiment used this fife and drum piece arranged for full band by Bandmaster Quick in 1920. Later Bandmaster Geary rearranged it with a new preface. In 1959 the regiment amalgamated to form the King’s Own Royal Border Regiment and continued the ceremony.

March of the Logistic Branch

Logistic Branch (CF)

The Logistic Branch was formed in the mid 1960’s when several corps and branches were combined: The Royal Canadian Navy Supply Branch, The Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps, Royal Canadian Army Service Corps, Royal Canadian Army Pay Corps, and the Mobile Support Equipment, Supply, Finance and Food Services from the Royal Canadian Air Force. This march was written in 1973 by Warrant Office Ken Irons and arranged by Captain Con Furey, both members of the Canadian Forces Central Band. The sixteen bar theme which recurs throughout the march provides both a forceful marching song and excellent tuneful melody which is easily recognizable.

March of the Peers

Academic Staff of the Canadian Military Colleges

The march is taken from an opera of Gilbert and Sulivan which looked at the social as well as the political side of life and Iolanthe with its chorus of peers of the realm, poked fun at the whole British social structure. The Academic Staff of the Canadian Military Colleges use this tune as a quickstep. The role of the Canadian Military Universities is to train and educate officers for service in the Canadian Forces. This task rests with the Academic Staff of the colleges where they motivate and prepare young men and women in the fields of leadership, disciplines of military life and physical fitness which will they need to cope with demands of a military career. Additionally, they constantly help to improve and upgrade the educational standard of presently serving officers.

March of the Priests

The Royal Horse Guards (The Blues)

Taken from Verdi’s opera Aida, The Royal Horse Guards (The Blues) used the march prior to their amalgamation in 1969 and was combined with The Royal Horse Guards March.

March of the Prince of Wales’s Own Regiment of Yorkshire

The Prince of Wales’s Own Regiment of Yorkshire

Adopted by The Prince of Wales’s Own Regiment of Yorkshire in 1958 this new arrangement is by the first bandmaster Mr. Pinkney. It consists of the former regimental marches Ca Ira (The West Yorkshire Regiment) and The Yorkshire Lass (The East Yorkshire Regiment).

March of the Scottish Archers

6th Duke of Connaught’s Royal Canadian Hussars /

8th (King's Royal Irish) Hussars / Queen’s Royal Irish Hussar

The tune was used by the 8th (KRI) Hussars as a slow march from about 1880 but dates back to around about 1780. It was published in 1903 with other cavalry slow marches under the title of the regiment. When the Queen’s Royal Irish Hussars were formed in 1958 on the amalgamation of the 4th and 8th Hussars this march was retained from the 8th. In Canada the 6th Duke of Connaught’s Royal Canadian Hussars used the march prior to becoming the Royal Canadian Hussars (Montreal) however did not retain it in favor of Men of Harlech.

March of the XV Regiment

Prince of Wales’s Own Regiment of Yorkshire

This composition was combined with God Bless the Prince of Wales to form the slow march of The Prince of Wales’s Own Regiment of Yorkshire.

March of the Yukon Regiment

The Yukon Regiment

Little is known about the march other than it was used by the Yukon Regiment that was formed in 1962 in Whitehorse and but put on the Supplementary Order of Battle six years later.

March Past of the 38 Brigade

38 Canadian Brigade Group

 The first western Military District was formed in 1870, with the formation of Manitoba as a province to the confederation of Canada. Saskatchewan formed its own Military District in 1905. In December 1941, brigades across the country were organized and commenced training for the defence of Canada. In February 1942, brigades were formed for each of the 11 military Districts of the militia. Regionally, Manitoba formed the 38th (Reserve) Brigade Group and Saskatchewan formed the 40th (Reserve) Brigade Group. Their mission was to train soldiers towards domestic security and to continually support the war effort with the recruitment of young Canadians. In 1948, Prairie Command was formed. It was comprised of Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario, and was headquartered in Winnipeg. In 1959, Prairie Command Headquarters closed and Northwestern Ontario reverted to Central Command, while Saskatchewan and Manitoba came under control of Western Command. Moving into the future, 38 Canadian Brigade Group (38 CBG) was established on 1 April 1997 after the amalgamation of the previous two districts-Manitoba Lakehead District and Saskatchewan District. 38 CBG comprises a Headquarters, located in Winnipeg, and 13 Army Reserve units distributed throughout Northwestern Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

March Past of the Royal Canadian Dental Corps

Dental Branch (CF) / Royal Canadian Dental Corps

In 1915 the Canadian Army Dental Corps CEF was created but disbanded in 1920. A year later it was reactivated until 1964 when the Canadian Forces were unified and the Dental Branch was created. Although the Royal Canadian Dental Corps passed into the history their march survived as arranged by Dr. James Gayfer, a prolific music writer and former Director of Music in the Canadian Army.

March Winnipeg

Princess Patricai’s Canadian Light Infantry

Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, in the southeast part of the province at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers. Founded as a fur-trading post, it developed rapidly as a modern outlet for produce of the prairies when it was first reached by rail in 1881. The city is on the site of the French-built Fort Rouge (1738) and the North West Company's Fort Gibraltar, later renamed Fort Garry, then Fort Winnipeg.

North West Company was one of the first fur-trading organization (1784-1821) explored western Canada. Organised by Montreal trading companies, it established new trading routes and posts in the Pacific Northwest. Known as ‘Northwesters’, these adventures men included noted explorers Sir Alexander Mackenzie, David Thompson, and Alexander Henry. The company's aggressive rivalry with the Hudson’s Bay Company led to ruinous warfare over the Red River Settlement and to amalgamation of the two companies in 1821. The Hudson's Bay Company was chartered in 1670 by the English crown to operate a fur trade monopoly and settlements in the Hudson Bay region of North America, and to discover a Northwest Passage to the Orient. The company's traders failed to find a passage, but they did establish a monopoly of the Canadian fur trade. The united company ruled a vast territory extending from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and its fortunes peaked under Sir George Simpson’s governorship. An internal reorganization in 1863 passed its stock from a few to many holders. The company's fur monopoly was curtailed by the 1869 transfer of its territory to the new dominion government in return for the sum of 300,000 pounds sterling. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries it was transformed from a fur-trading agency to a gigantic corporation with many varied business interests. The company was split up into separate organizations in 1930.

Raised in 1914 of mainly ex-regulars from Canadian and British Armies the PPCLI went to fight in WW1 with the Canadian Expeditionary Force of 1915. Three popular songs of the day were arranged in medley form as a quick march with each battalion later selecting a signature march. This march is presently used the 2nd Battalion based in Winnipeg.

Marcha Real

16th Lancers

HM King Alfonso of Spain became Colonel-in-Chief of the 16th Lancers in 1905 and the custom was adopted that the Spanish National Anthem was played at the conclusion of all band performances within the regiment. King Alfonso remained as Colonel-in-Chief of the Regiment until 1941, the year of his death while exiled in Rome.

Marche des Parachutistes Belges

Special Air Service Regiment

Near the end of WW2 Pieter Leeman was dining with a group of paratroopers and was asked to compose a march for them. The group commander, Major Timmerman drove him home that night with the theme coming to him that he completed later. This march became popular just after the Second World War, then subsided, only to rise again to popularity in another arrangement to the point that the famous orchestra leader Benny Goodman performed it during his concerts at the Brussels exposition. Leeman served in the band of the Band of the 4e Regiment Carabiniers and had this to say about the march: “ As is often the case with a ‘hit’, the Marche des Parachutists gushed out of my pen, as clear water out of a source. After dinner with the Parachutists, Major Timmerman was taking me home and already on the way home I had two thirds of the march in my head. As soon as I was home, I wrote down the themes and before dawn I had composed a march. I must admit that his march has become an international success. Several friends, who had spent their holidays abroad, told me they had heard this march all over the world: in France during a circus show, in India during a nuptial ceremony, in the United States during a festival of military music…” Better known in the British band circles as "Belgian Paras" it became the RQM of the Special Air Service Regiment. The present Belgian Paratroopers are derived from the Belgian SAS Squadron created in Britain in 1942 later in 1945 became a regiment.

Marche Lente du Royal 22e Régiment

Royal 22e Regiment

The Royal 22e Regiment, the Vandoos, was formed as the 22nd (French Canadien) Battalion CEF in 1914. They adopted this original slow march by C. Gabois, a former member of the band. It was composed in the traditional form of slow marches and uses trumpeting to good effect.

March Triquet

Royal 22e Regiment

This march is used by the Royal 22e Régiment that was raised as an infantry regiment becoming the most famous francophone organization of the Canadian Forces. The regiment comprises three Regular Force battalions, two Primary Reserve battalions, and a band, making it the largest regiment in the army. The ceremonial home of the regiment is La Citadelle in Quebec City, where the regimental museum is housed. The regiment's RHQ is located in Quebec City, with all three of its regular battalions stationed at various bases in the province of Quebec.

Maria Theresa

The Green Howards

The Hon. Charles Howard was Colonel of the Green Howards in 1742 and was selected for a diplomatic mission to the court of the Empress Marie Theresa in Vienna. The young and remarkable sovereign made a presentation to the Colonel before he left - three marches. The marches were a quick, slow and a funeral march. The first of the marches has been lost to the regiment but the others are still in use today. The slow march is played when trooping the colours or at inspection and once a year on the anniversary of the Battle of the Alma, fought on September 20, 1854.and became on of the regiment’s battle honours.

Marianne s'en va-t-au moulin

12e Régiment blindé du Canada

This folk song, popular in France and Canada, is the story about a young girl Marianne, whose donkey is eaten by a wolf while at the mill. The miller offers her another animal and when she gets home explains to her father that donkeys change their coats on St. Patrick’s Day. In 1952, Jean Papineau-Couture wrote music for the song and was aired as a puppet show on CBC TV. In 1971 Major J. Pierret, former Director of Music of the Royal 22e Régiment, arranged the music and used by the 12e Régiment blindé du Canada. With its headquarters at CFB Valcartier, Quebec and a reserve unit at Manège Trios Rivières, Québec, the tune as a strong link to a rich French military heritage.

Marie’s Wedding

(Lewis Bridal Song)

The Royal Scots

A 19th century tune published by Dr. Peter Macleod in a four volume collection of Scottish songs was popularized by the words Sir. Hugh Roberton. “I have been at a wedding on the Island of Lewis and, though I stayed for a mere hour and a half, the reception continued for five days and five nights with the bride and bridegroom in attendance throughout. It seems that nothing is hurried in Lewis! Except perhaps the progress of the guests towards such a wedding-reception!” The Royal Scots adopted it for their ‘B’ Company march.

May Blossoms

Wiltshire Regiment (Duke of Edinburgh’s)

The Wiltshire Regiment (Duke of Edinburgh’s) used this tune as a regimental slow march. In June 1959 they linked with the Royal Berkshire Regiment forming The Duke of Edinburgh’s Royal Regiment (Berkshire and Wiltshire).

Mechanised Infantry

The Rifles

The Rifles adopted this new slow march with a history dating back General Sir John Moore. In February 2007 the following regiments became part of the new regiment - The Devonshire and Dorset Light Infantry, The Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Light Infantry, The Light Infantry and the Royal Green Jackets.

Meeting of the Waters

North Saskatchewan Regiment / Rocky Mountain Rangers

Based on The Old Head of Dennis by Thomas Moore it is the regimental march of two Canadian regiments - the Rocky Mountain Rangers and the North Saskatchewan Regiment. Formed in April 1908 as the 102nd Regiment, the Rocky Mountain Rangers make their headquarters in Kamloops, British Columbia, where the North and South Thompson River meet. The adoption of this march seemed quite appropriate as the word ‘Kamloops’ means 'meeting of the waters'. The North Saskatchewan Regiment used The Jockey of York and this tune for their pipes and drums since their formation in 1955.

Memories Charms

Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadians)

Supplement to Canadian Army Orders dated 24th April 1950 indicates that the Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadians) used this march before the adoption of Soldiers of the Queen.

Men of Harlech

2nd Life Guards / 3rd Dragoon Guards (Prince of Wales’s) / IV Princess Louise Dragoon Guards / 9th Queen’s Royal Lancers / 9th/12th Royal Lancers (Prince of Wales’s) / 10th Royal Hussars / 17th Duke of York’s Royal Canadian Hussars / 24th Regiment of Foot / Governor General's Body Guard / Governor General's Horse Guards / Life Guards Princess Louise Dragoon Guards / Royal Canadian Hussars (Montreal) / Royal Regiment of Wales (24th/41st) / The Royal Welsh / Royal Welch Fusiliers / South Wales Borderers / Royal Scots Dragoon Guards / Welsh Guards

The history of the Harlech castle reflects a significant and important part of Welsh history. Tales of heroism and sieges are associated to the many skirmishes and battles fought there over three centuries. Harlech is a town in Merinethshire, Wales and takes its name from the location above the boulders and was constructed on the site of an old Celtic fortress. The site was chosen for its defensive and offensive possibilities as the castle’s design, based on the 12th century Hospitallers castle Krak des Chevalier, proved over the years of history.

Two Welsh uprising between 1294 and 1401 against the English by the Welsh saw many castles fall quickly but Harlech withstood the assaults and both times would take three years for the castle to surrender. During the War of the Roses the castle with stood repeated attacks by the English until March 1647. This heroic defense was the inspiration for the poem Men of Harlech. The song’s first printed appearance was in Edward Jones’s 1794 collection Musical and Poetical Relics of the Welsh Bards. A version of this melody was published as The March of the Men of Harlech in 1825 with words by Thomas Love Peacock and survives as the chief patriotic song of Wales.

The song may have been printed probably for the first time in Jones Relicks of the Welsh Bards in 1794. Llwyd, the Bard of Snowden, however claims that it originated during the siege of Harlech Castle in 1488. If this is so there is no doubt that it has been considerably modified over the years. One version of the words were written by the 19th century poet John Ceiriog Hughs and published in his Cant O Ganeuon (One Hundered Songs). The English words were first published in Cambrian Minstrelsie in Edinburgh around 1893.

The 24th Regiment of Foot, mainly Welshmen, made a gallant stand at Rorke's Drift during the 1897 war with the Zulu’s. Commanded by Lt Chard VC, Royal Engineers, a single company withstood a three day attack by the Zulus and won 11 Victoria Crosses. The song became highly popular in the music halls due to its music and words and was adopted by the 24th when the territorial system started. Later the Royal Regiment of Wales (24th/41st) continued it use from the merger of the South Wales Borderers (Men of Harlech) and the Welch Regiment (Ap Shenkin). In March 2006 The Royal Welsh regiment was formed from 3 former Welsh regiments thus combining all Welshmen into one unit. The new regiment adopted this march as their quick march.

Other regiments which use it as a slow march are the Life Guards which continue its use asas quick and slow march) and adopted from the 2nd Life Guards (quick); the Welsh Guards; the Royal Welch Fusiliers; 10th Royal Hussars combined with God Bless the Prince of Wales; the 9th/12th Royal Lancers past on by the 9th Queen’s Royal Lancers during the 1960 amalgamation. It is interesting to note that in 1948 Major General Norman, the Colonel of the Regiment first chose Men of Harlech as the Official Quick of the 9th Lancers and only later decided on Faust. This was later changed back and today it is combined with Coburg to form the slow march of the 9th/12th Royal Lancers; the 3rd Dragoon Guards used the tune prior to their amalgamation into the 3rd Carabiniers which did not adopt the march. It would not reappear until the 3rd Carabiniers were also amalgamated with the Royal Scot Greys to form the now famous Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers and Greys) that adopted the tune as a Mounted March (walk) and also to march the Regimental Standard off parade.

In Canada several regiments adopted the march; the Governor General's Horse Guards were formed in 1936 when the Governor General’s Body Guard (Men of Harlech) was amalgamated with the Mississauga Horse; the Royal Canadian Hussars (Montreal) adopted the march when formed on the amalgamation of the 17th Duke of York’s Royal Canadian Hussars (Men of Harlech) and 6th Duke of Connaught’s Royal Canadian Hussars (March of the Scottish Archers); the Princess Louise Dragoon Guards, formed Ottawa 1872, had been using the march until their 1936 amalgamation with the 4th Hussars to form the IV Princess Louise Dragoon Guards which also adopted it.

Men of Kent

Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment / Kent Militia / Queen’s Own Buffs, The Royal Kent Regiment / Queen’s Own Royal West Kent Regiment

This slow march was inherited from the Kent Militia by The Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment and continued to use the march as did The Queen’s Own Royal West Kent Regiment in 1961 when they formed the Queen’s Own Buffs, The Royal Kent Regiment. During the 1966 amalgamation when the Queen’s Regiment was formed the march was not adopted. The composer, James Rufus Tutton, became bandmaster of the Royal Horse Guards in 1848 and was one of the founders of the Society of British Musicians.

The Mercian Regiment

The Merican Regiment

The Mercian Regiment was formed on the 1st of September 2007 at Tamworth Castle by the amalgamation of four pre-existing regiments of The Prince of Wales’s Division: The 22nd (Cheshire) Regiment, The Worcestershire and Sherwood Forrester’s Regiment, The Staffordshire Regiment and The West Midlands Regiment.

The inspiration for the first half of the march was the pre-existing regimental marches and two personalities central to the Mercian Regiment, Lady Aethelred, a local historic figure and HRH, The Prince of Wales, the Colonel of The Regiment. In the introduction, the opening call is that of “The Staffordshire Regiment” answered by ‘Wa Wadna Fetch for Charlie’ the regimental march of the “22nd (Cheshire) Regiment. The first subject is based on the melodic material found in The 22nd’s March. The second subject invokes cries to the aforementioned personalities, central to the new regiment. The first ‘cry’, is that of ‘Aethelred!’ played by the upper woodwind and high brass, this is immediately answered by the lower registered instruments with, ‘The Prince of Wales!’ The two calls are interspersed with melodic material taken from the regimental march of the Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment. The second half of the march is an abridged arrangement of J F Wagner’s ‘Under The Double Eagle’, this represents the Mercian Regiment’s Cap Badge, a Double Eagle, wearing a Saxon Crown.

Mercury March

Communications and Electronics Branch

Composed by Captain Furey as the official march of the CF Communications and Electronics Branch that was formed from the unification of all manpower, skills and resources of the previous services. They maintain the old alliance with their British counterparts, the Royal Corps of Signals.

Merry Boys of Kent

68th King’s County Regiment

The 68th was formed in 1869 as the King’s County Battalion of Infantry in Kentville, Nova Scotia used this march until their 1912 disbandment as the 68th King’s County Regiment.

Merry Month of May

21st Lancers (Empress of India’s) / 10th Royal Hussars (Prince of Wales’s Own) / The Royal Hussars (Prince of Wales’s Own)

This tune is a folk-dance believed to have originated in the Midlands near the end of the 18th century. The 10th Royal Hussars used the march until their 1969 amalgamation with the 11th Hussars forming the Royal Hussars (PWO) with a new arrangement by Bandmaster Meredith Roberts. In 1992 the regiment was amalgamated again to form the King's Royal Hussars. The march did not survive the 1992 amalgamation when the King’s Royal Hussars were formed that use The King's Royal Hussars (quick) and Coburg (slow). The 21st Lancers (Empress of India’s) had used the march prior to the 1922 amalgamation forming the 17th/21st Lancers however the march was not retained.

Metropolian

Metropolitan Police / Military Provost Staff Corps

The march was composed in 1948 by Bandmaster Roger Barsotti formerly of the Queen's Royal Regiment for the Metropolitan Police and was later adopted by the Military Provost Staff Corps.

Milanollo

1st Life Guards / Coldstream Guards / Governor General’s Foot Guards / Life Guards / Suffolk Regiment

This march is taken from Johann Valentine Hamm composition originally written for Tereas and Marie Milanollo, the Italian violin duelists who toured the continent during the 1830's. It was during their visit to England in 1845 that the tune was introduced. Both band musicians and listeners love this march. It provides a musical challenge for the performers particularly on the march. For listeners there is a compelling heart rendering phrase that begins half way through the march. The arrangement by McKenzie-Rogan demonstrates his knowledge of good solid march composition.

The Coldstream Guards adopted the march when known as Milanollo and the official arrangement was authorized in 1882. Republished in 1925 as The Coldstream March it became well known under this name from 1907 to 1936. Today, it is now known as The Coldstream March - Milanollo being arranged by John Mackenzie-Rogan former Director of Music of the regiment.

Other regiments that adopted the march are the Life Guards as their quick march inherited from the 1st Life Guards and combined with Men of Harlech; the Suffolk Regiment after deciding on The Duchess; and the Governor General’s Foot Guards who hold the same precedence and status as that of the counterparts in the British Army.

Miller of the Dee

The Cheshire Regiment

This is an old Cheshire air with words by Isaac Bickerstaffe and is the contentment of the working man. The melody became a favourite in the early 18th century and was used in several ballad-operas. It was not until 1782 in a book called The Convival Songster that this song appeared in the form it is known today. The Cheshire Regiment combined it with The Hundred Pipers as a regimental Assembly March.

Minden March (Rose)

Hampshire Regiment / King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry / Lancashire Fusiliers / Royal Hampshire Regiment / The Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment (Queen’s and Royal Hampshires)

The struggle for power in Europe during the 18th century led to the Seven Years War that started in 1756. Britain and Prussia were allied against the Empires of France, Austria and Russia; Britain and France each competing to increase their colonial power, while Prussia was fighting for control of the German speaking people in the Austrian and Russian Empires. The Battle of Minden was fought on the 1st August 1759 and in the space of just a few hours, nine battalions of infantry (6 British and 3 Hanovarian) defeated a numerically superior French force of 11 cavalry squadrons and 17 infantry regiments. Marshal Conrades, the French commander saw his forces dissipated, largely because, and against all odds, the British advanced towards the French through the cross-fire of some sixty enemy cannons and shot them to pieces.

It was not a war winning battle, but it will always be remembered as an outstanding example of the discipline, courage, and professional skill of the ordinary British soldier. The six British infantry regiments which took part in the memorable advance were; The Senior Regiment-Napiers Twelfth (Late The Suffolk Regiment); Kingsley's Twentieth (The Lancashire Fusiliers); Huske's Twenty-Third (The Royal Welch Fusiliers); Home's Twenty-Fifth (King's Own Scottish Borderers); Stewart's Thirty-Seventh (The Royal Hampshire Regiment); and Brudnel's Fifty-First (King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry). The Minden Band is named after the Battle Of Minden, the inherited honour that is common to the three regiments of The Queen's Division and proudly carried on each of their colours.

The Hampshire Regiment did not have a slow march until the late 1980’s when Bandmaster WO1 CC Gray composed this piece that survived the 1992 amalgamation. The march was first publicly performed on Minden Day, August 1st 1991, in the presence of the Colonel-in-Chief, Princess Diana. The regiment served under The Duke of Brunswick in the Allied Army in 1759 shortly after the regiment was formed. The Battle of Minden, which took place in that year, is the Royal Hampshire Regiment principal battle honour.

The Lancashire Fusiliers also use this march which is based on an old tune titled Lammas Day, chosen to commemorate the Regiment’s participation in the Battle of Minden, fought on Lammas Day 1759.

The slow march was retained in 1992 when The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (Queen's and Royal Hampshires) became the senior English infantry regiment of the British Army on the amalgamation of The Queen’s Regiment and The Royal Hampshire Regiment.

The King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry used this composition for a slow march but was not adopted when the regiment became part of the Light Infantry. It commemorated the service with the Royal Navy under Admiral Nelson in the Corsican Campaign of the late 18th century.

Minstrel Boy

27th Foot (The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers) / Corps of Army Music

The melody is an old Irish air The Moreen or Little Mary and became very popular in America in the early days of the 19th century. The air comes from a Gaelic origin of the sixteenth century undergoing different version changes. The song may be found under a number of different names such as The Young Man’s Dream, Colonel O’Gara, Castle Hyde, the Last Rose of Summer and The Minstrel Boy. The earliest manuscript dates back to 1726 with a Scottish variant of 1788 as I Dreamed I Lay with words by Robert Burns.

It was printed in the fifth number of the Irish Melodies in 1813. The air is a variant of The Green Woods of Truigha in Buntings Ancient Music of Ireland vol. Ii dated 1809 to which Moore wedded Silence is in our festival halls and which Carleton (Traits and Stories of the Irish Peasentry) erroneously ascribes to O’Carolan. This air derives from a very remote Gaelic original, the history of which affords ample illustration of the character of national folk music generally. Mr. Floodalluding to it in his History of Irish Music (1905) said ‘ Perhaps in the whole range of Irish minstrelsy no melody has been transformed as Eamonn an Cnuic’. Though the air dates from the close of the sixteenth century, it underwent various modifications between the years 1600 and 1760 and it may be found under a score of different titles such as The Young Man’s Dream, The Green Woods of Tragh, Colonel O’Gara, The Groves of Blarney, Castle Hyde, Lady Jefferies Delight to name a few.

Thomas Moore was an Irish poet who published a book of Irish Melodies that include Believe Me If All Those Endearing Young Charms and The Harp that Once through Tara's Halls. The poem Lalla Rookh on Asian themes became very popular. This is a variation of the oldest of Irish melodies printed in Bunting’s Ancient Music of Ireland under the title The Green Woods of Truigha. The tune was used by the old 27th Foot (The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers) at various times but finally settled on The Sprig of Shillelagh in the mid-19th century.

This quick march, combined with Landlord Fill the Flowing Bowl, is used by the Corps of Army Music.

Mist Covered Mountains

Royal Regiment of Scotland

John Cameron wrote the words in 1856 and the tune was first known as Duil ri Baile Chaolais fhaicinn (Hoping to see Ballachulish). The original tune was based on Johnny stays long at the Fair. On December 16th, 2004, The Royal Regiment of Scotland was formed from the amalgamation of the six existing Scottish Regiments (see Scotland the Brave). The new slow march is a medley of three Scottish tunes, My Home / Mist Covered Mountains / Highland Cradle Song.

Money Musk

15th/19th Hussars / 57th Regiment of Foot (Queen’s Regiment) / 71st Regiment of Foot/ Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders / Durham Light Infantry / Highland Fusiliers / Highland Light Infantry / King’s Royal Rifle Corps/ Light Infantry / Queen’s Regiment / Queen's Own Rifles of Canada / Royal Rifles of Canada / Royal Scots

In Scotland in the area of Aberdennshire there is a small town called Monymusk. How the name of this town became associated with this march is unknown. Several regiments in the British Army have used the march such as The King’s Royal Rifle Corps (double); The Highland Fusiliers adopted it from the 71st Band and the Highland Light Infantry (City of Glasgow Regiment) used the tune for their band; The Durham Light Infantry used it with The Keel Row but was dropped by the present day regiment the Light Infantry; the 57th Regiment of Foot (Queen’s Regiment) once used the tune but was discontinued in 1875. They had adopted it due to the large number of Scots in the regiment at the time; The 2nd Bn The Queen’s Regiment played it at the end of band programmes from 1924 until the amalgamation of both battalions; the 15th/19th Hussars used it as a trot while the and the Royal Scots and the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders as The Charge.

In Canada the Queen's Own Rifles of Canada were formed in 1882 and trace their origins back to 1860. It is interesting to note that the Regiment has never been amalgamated only the name has been changed. As a result, they have a unique status of direct lineage of Rifles resulting in the Regiment keeping their Rifle green uniforms and the double past based on a dance tune of 1905. Other Canadian regiments were The Royal Rifles of Canada.

Monsieur Beaucaire

The Royal Canadian Dragoons

The name is taken from the novel, Monsieur Beaucaire, by the American novelist and dramatist Newton Booth Tarkington. The music is taken from the opera of the same name and was arranged into the mounted march of the Royal Canadian Dragoons.

Moses in Egypt

11th Hussars (Prince of Albert’s Own)

Written by Rossini, Act 1 of Oratorio “Moses in Egypt” and was first produced in Naples on March 5, 1818. Ther are two thories of how the regiment came about adopting the march. One theory is it was to commemorate their action in the Egyptian Campaign of 1801 and the other is that Bandmaster Signor Operti suggested it to the regiment. Both are quite reasonable and as for the first the Regiment was awarded the campaign honour of the Sphinx superscribed ‘Egypt’. When the regiment joined with the 10th Royal Hussars to form the Royal Hussars the march was not retained.

Mountain Rose

13th Battalion Volunteer Militia (Infantry) / 16th Regiment of Foot/ 47th Regiment of Foot / Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment/ Bedfordshire Regiment / Loyal Regiment / North Lancashire Regiment/ North Saskatchewan Regiment / Norfolk Regiment of Canada / Norfolk Rifles / Royal Hamilton Light Infantry / Royal Hamilton Regiment

Prior to the 1881amalgamation the 47th Foot used a march that sounded similar though it is not entirely clear where the piece had come from. Traditional believe is that the Regiment adopted it while involved in General Wolfe’s campaign, having been borrowed from one of the opposing French units. Bandmaster Frayling however gave a different account in 1934 dating the adoption to the first half of the 19th century “The civilian Bandmaster of the 16th Foot (The Bedforshire Regiment) transferred himself to the 47th and brought with him The Mountain Rose. It may have been his own composition.” The composer is actually unknown as is the Bandmaster linking the two regiments, but it is true that the 16th Foot also used the tune. The 47th, being Lancastrians may have identified with the rose motif. In 1881 the 47th became the North Lancashire Regiment (later the Loyal Regiment) retaining the march. In 1970 the regiment was again amalgamated to form the Queen’s Lancashire Regiment but the tune was retained as a secondary march.

The march was adopted by the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment which had been used by the Bedfordshire regiment before amalgamation. The arrangement may have been by Bandmaster George Miller. The march would be dropped when the regiment became the 3rd Battalion, The Royal Anglian Regiment.

In Canada this march was authorized in 1907 after being chosen by Bandmaster George Robinson of the 13th Battalion Volunteer Militia (Infantry), Canada. Robinson thought the tune most appropriate because the regiment stood guard in the shadow of Hamilton’s famous landmark. The 13th became the Royal Hamilton Regiment in 1920 and seven years later The Royal Hamilton Light Infantry. Throughout the years the regiment always retained the march. The march was also used by The North Saskatchewan Regiment for a regimental march and used The MacKenzie Highlanders for the pipe band. The march had been used by the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the regiment prior to the single battalion being created in 1970. The Norfolk Regiment of Canada adopted the march from the Norfolk Rifles however it was continued after the 1 936 conversion to the 25th (Norfolk) Field Brigade, RCA. The music provides two strong motifs and is a very good example of the strong harmonic use of accompaniment to a very busy melodic line.

Muckin O’Geordie Brye

King’s Own Scottish Borderers / Royal Highland Fusiliers / Scot Guards / Special Service Force (Canadian Forces)

This Lowland Scot song became a favourite of the music-hall comedian William Kemp and was widely sung on both the English and Scottish sides of the border. The old Scottish version makes use of many Scottish words that have over the years disappeared. Several regiments have use it such as the Royal Highland Fusiliers as ‘A’ Company’s march, The King’s Own Scottish Borderers for ‘C’ Company’s march and the Scots Guards for their S Company.

Formed in 1977, The Special Service Force (SSF) is Canada’s immediate response force capable of responding to disasters or emergencies in a national or international situation. It is located in Petawawa, Ontario and is under the command of Land Forces Central Headquarters in Toronto. Its predecessors, First Special Service Force was an American-Canadian force, known as the “Devils Brigade” was created in WW2 for special operations and became a legend in a short period of time and their Battle Honours were carried by the Canadian Airborne Regiment and the motto is used by the present day SSF. Used as a quickstep it was adopted for the pipe and drum bands of highland units serving with the force.

My Boy Willie

7th/11th Hussars / Canadian Armoured Fighting Vehicle Training Centre / Essex Regiment (Tank) / Le Régiment de trois-Rivièrs (RCAC) / Reconnaissance Corps / Royal Canadian Armoured Corps / Royal Canadian Armoured Corps School / Royal Tank Regiment / Windsor Regiment (RCAC)

Cavalry and the use of chariots were basically the first forms of mounted warfare. Since the time of the ancient Hittites, horsemen remained at a disadvantage against well-disciplined infantry until the introduction of the saddle in the 4th century A. D. In medieval Europe the mounted knight became the typical warrior. Despite the invention of small arms, cavalry remained important in warfare until the end of the 19th century. On various frontiers the cavalry's mobility was essential against the lightly armed natives, but its value was drastically diminished by the development of rapid-fire rifles and machine guns and was ultimately superseded by mobile tank and armoured units in World War Two. The tanks first appearance and was very successfully used during the Cambrai campaign in November 1917. The Battle of Cambrai gave the British some initial success. Later in 1918 at Cambrai the first battle between British and German tank units also took place. The Battle of Cambrai was so successful that the church bells were rung throughout Great Britain and each year this battle is commemorated as "Cambrai Day.

The tune, My Boy Willie composed by Maurice DeCelles, was used for several years as the quick march of the Royal Tank Regiment, then it as decided that the march was too short and Cadet Roussel was added. The tune originated from Cambrai, site of the first tank battle in which tanks were used and was brought to the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst by a Colonel of the Free French Forces after the capitulation of France in 1940. The arrangement is by Mr. J. L. Wallace, the Bandmaster of Sandhurst at the time. The slow march is a combination of this tune and Waltzing Matilda under the title The Royal Tank Regiment by Major Bill Lemon.

The Royal Tank Regiment is unique in the fact it was born a tank regiment and used the arrangement of My Boy Willie and Lippe Detmold. The latter is a German folk song adopted by the 1st Royal Tank Regiment while stationed in Detmold on the River Lippe.

The Reconnaissance Corps was formed in 1941 and a year later was granted cavalry status and became part of the Royal Armoured Corps. It adopted the black berets and a march arranged by Bandmaster WO1 Douglas A Pope using the tune Away To The Mountains. Not all Recce units used the official march instead they preferred the Armoured Corps march My Boy Willie. The unit was disbanded in 1946 after WW2 ended.

The Royal Canadian Armoured Corps adopted this tune as a Corps march, however, individual regiments have their own mounted and dismounted marches. The exception to the rule is The Windsor Regiment (RCAC). This regiment retained the march form The Essex Regiment (Tank) when redesigned to the present title in 1949. Another regiments were the 7th/11th Hussars until their amalgamation in 1965 to form the Sherbrooke Hussars and The Le Régiment de trois-Rivièrs (RCAC) prior to becoming the 12e Regiment blinde du Canada in 1968. In November 1936 the Canadian Armoured Fighting Vehicle Training Centre was established and played an important role in training tank during WW2. In 1945 the title was changed to the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps School but this march was continued on from original adoption from the Training Centre.

My Canada

Canadian Forces Base Ottawa

The march was originally written as a song for a Canada Day Program on Parliament Hill in 1982. Colonel Bell, the Base Commander of CFB Ottawa at that time, liked the tune and asked Major Stannard to arrange the song as a march. It was first performed in 1983 and adopted as CFB Ottawa’s quickstep and has been used on a number of occasions since then.

My Home

(Mo Dhachaidh)

Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) / Royal Highland Fusiliers / Royal Scots Dragoon Guards / The Royal Regiment of Scotland

The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) used the tune as their slow march for the pipes and drums along with Highland Cradle Song. The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards use the tune for a pipe march past in slow time as did the Royal Highland Fusiliers. On December 16th, 2004, The Royal Regiment of Scotland was formed from the amalgamation of the six existing Scottish Regiments (see Scotland the Brave). The new slow march is a medley of three Scottish tunes, My Home / Mist Covered Mountains / Highland Cradle Song.

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