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The Royal Marines Tercentenary, 1964

Article Highlights

• Introduction - Marking the 300th anniversary of the Royal Marines

• Planning

• Beating Retreat

• The celebrations

• The Royal Review

Beating Retreat

On 10 June 1964 the Massed Bands of the Royal Marines performed their famed Beat Retreat ceremony in honour of HRH the Duke of Edinburgh, who held the honorary rank of Captain General of the Royal Marines. The Corps made a special effort sending 380 representative Buglers and Musicians across the Royal Marines Band Service to the event.

The ceremony started with 28 drummers marching through Horse Guard’s Arch onto the Parade. They beat the Drummer's Call followed by the bugle calls 'The Band Call' and 'Fall In'.

The drummers then countermarched and joined the Massed Bands as they came on to the Parade from Wellington Barracks, just 300 yards away from Buckingham Palace. As they marched the Band played 'Sarie Marais', a traditional Afrikaans folk song created around the time of the Boer War. The Royal Marines Commandos had adopted the song as their official march in 1953.

At 1845 the Captain General walked through the Horse Guards' Arch accompanied by the First Sea Lord and the Commandant General Royal Marines. The Band greeted him with the 'Fanfare' on the Memorial Silver Trumpets as he walked through the archway to the dais where he was to watch the display. Her Majesty the Queen watched the ceremony from the Old Admiralty Building.

The ceremony produced many ‘firsts’ in Royal Marine pageantry. The Band played a new march 'The Admiral's Regiment'. They also gave the first public performance of 'The Preobrajensky March' - the new Regimental Slow March. They then broke into quick time to 'Silver Bugles', another new march specially composed for the occasion.

The stage was then set for the Corps of Drums, fifty-six strong, to Beat Retreat, before rejoining the band for the display in which, at one time, four bands were marching in four directions to music. The bands re-formed into one for the finale.

The Band played the Coronation March 'Orb and Sceptre' followed by the Evening Hymn and the traditional setting of 'Sunset' for bugles and band by Captain A C Green. To learn more about A C Green and ‘Sunset’ follow the link.

To break the silence that fell over the whole parade at the end of 'Sunset', the trumpets and band played a fanfare 'Salute to the Colours' and concluded with 'Rule Britannia' and the National Anthem.

After the Captain General had left the parade the Massed Bands marched off to the Regimental March. They reformed into 14 rows and marched down the Mall towards Buckingham Palace before dismissal in Wellington Barracks.

To discover more about the Royal Marines Tercentenary celebrations, select Next