By the left, quick march!

So you're a drum major with the Churchills?

Aye.

How long have you been doing that?

I have been drum major since 2006.

Are you the only drum major with the band?

I am, aye.

You're the fellow out the front, aren't you?

Yep.

And you took over from who, then?

I took over from Robin Hamilton.

Why did he drop out.?

The first day I led the band we were in France at the Battle of the Somme.

That's doing it in style!

Yep. It was the 90th anniversary of the Somme. Unfortunately the night before Robin had been taken into hospital while we were away!

So you fell into it by accident really?

Well, I had hinted that I wouldn't mind a chance at it in the future, but it kinda then was just sprung upon me...

So, had you any practice or did you know roughly what you were doing?

Very little to be honest. Since then I've learned a lot.

Things happening by accident seem to be quite the feature of your drum majoring, doesn't it?

(Laughs)

You were caught by the volcano in Iceland, weren't you?

Yep. (Laughs)

What happened there?

Well...we were planned - the band had been booked to take part in the St George's Day Parade and celebrations in London, through the Orange Order. We had went ahead the day before by boat to Liverpool with all the band's luggage, all the band's equipment, all the band's uniforms - everything - to hear while we waited on the boat that we made it but the volcano had erupted in Iceland and all flights had been grounded.

Right...

Out of a grand total of I'd say 30-something, five of us got and of the five only three were band members, and only two of those then managed to parade.

How long and where was the parade?

It was through the centre of London the week before St George's Day, April 17, through the centre of London.

...(laughing) and there was only three of you?

Ah...there was only two of us so we joined in with another group.

I was going to say, like, you didn't stand on your own?

We marched with Corby Purple Star. We met up with them as we had arranged to lay a wreath at the Cenotaph, we still had the wreath with us, so we still managed to lay it on behalf of the band, but it was...eh...

A small showing compared with what it should have been by the sounds of things!

Let's just say it wasn't quite the trip we had expected! Or planned for...but what can you do?

Do things normally go wrong with you when you are drum majoring?

Not normally no!

I just have this image of you walking along with your staff and one guy playing a drum beat!

It was...eh...I have to say we didn't march with any instruments, we just walked just to lay the wreath. That was the main reason for it.

How did you get started? Was it solely through what happened in France?

Before that when I was a child the only way my parents could get me to sleep at night was through military music.

You are kidding me...

I have always had a thing about...not quite an obsession...but I have always had a thing about military bands, military music, marching, and back in 1991 it was actually arranged through the Sentinel here, with Alastair Wilson, when he ran Challenge Alastair, it was arranged through him for me to lead a military band. I'm trying to think what age I would have been...I would have been six or seven, and that was my first time in front of a band.

Really? And you loved it?

Years later, I think it was around 1997, I joined the band to drum. I have been in the band since drumming then took over drum major at the Somme in July 2006.

It is quite a technical thing you do - drumming is one thing, but you need good co-ordination and stuff like that, but you need hand-eye co-ordination, you need to be able to wheel a band round corners and stuff like that. It's not just up the front posing, is it?

Some of it is down to the band themselves and recently, well every year, we try to do some sort of drill practice. So new members coming into the band they get to know what the various signals mean, because it is more than just walking along behind me, there is a bit more thought going into things.

Yeah, cos you are actually looking at the route and plotting when and how to get the band to wheel round bends and listening to the music and that.

Especially the bigger parades here, there are a lot of stop starts and you have to be mindful and know all the music because you need to know when to signal to the bass drummer when to stop the various marches, because he signals to the band member the various tunes, so you need to know all the tunes, on top of that you are thinking ahead of everything you need to do. So there is quite of work in it.

I understand that there is a family tradition with your family and the band on your mum's side. Your great grandfather actually taught the band?

Yep. As far as I am aware he actually taught the band for a while and had connections with another flute band in the City, the No Surrender Flute Band, and he taught them as well. And...my grandfather on my mum's side, he was in the band as well along with his brother, John Walker and Bertie. Both of them were in the band, but as young fellas I don't think they spent too much time in the band, and then it skipped a bit until I was in the band. But, it is in the family, my mum's side of the family.

Was your great grandfather close to one of the founder members?

Ehm, well...the formation of the band goes back a brave bit before that. It goes back to 1845, so it is actually our 175th anniversary year, and we have plans for that.

And you'll be at the front of all that. How do you feel about that?

It's ah...I suppose pride would be the word. Everytime I step out in front of the band I am very proud.

You love putting that uniform on don't you?

It's brilliant. Absolutely brilliant! It doesn't matter where we are - in the town here, up the country , Belgium, London, it doesn't matter. As soon as you get the uniform on I am proud to be a part of the Churchills. I wouldn't want to be in any other band.

Best hobby ever?

Definitely!