Scarva: Thousands to gather for Royal Black Institution's huge annual Sham Fight parade
The annual Sham Fight at Scarva – to be held on Monday, July 14 – promises to be one of the biggest-ever parades held at the annual event.
A total of 85 Royal Black Institution preceptories and 82 marching bands are confirmed for the traditional procession through the Co Down village.
The demonstration will start at 10.45am – 30 minutes earlier than usual – to accommodate the extra number of visiting preceptories in the parade as it makes its way from the assembly field on the Gilford Road to the Demesne.
John Adair is the registrar of the Sir Alfred Buller Memorial RBP 1000, which organises the event, and is well known for his portrayal of King William in the pageant for the past 30 years.
“There are 21 visiting preceptories new to the event, from counties Antrim, Fermanagh, Londonderry, and Tyrone, and that means there will be 85 preceptories in the procession,” he said.
"This will swell the ranks of the number on parade to upwards of 7,000, inclusive of sir knights and the members of the marching bands.”
The Scarva-based RBP 1000 will have the honour of leading the parade, accompanied by Waringsford Pipe Band.
The procession will include a wide variety of musical outfits, comprising flute, pipe, accordion and silver bands.
Rev William Anderson, Sovereign Grand Master of the Royal Black Institution, is “looking forward once again to the traditional parade through the charming village of Scarva”, when the loyal order “will proudly declare our stance for the reformed Christian faith”.
"Year after year, the members of RBP 1000 deliver a wonderful day of culture and pageantry, which attracts upwards of 100,000 visitors to Scarva,” he said.
"The procession through the village and beautiful Demesne, with preceptories carrying aloft colourful banners portraying biblical scenes, is an amazing spectacle.
"Scarva is renowned for holding the biggest one-day event, at a single location, anywhere in Northern Ireland, and we in the institution appreciate the huge level of support from so many who travel from near and far to witness such a unique cultural experience.”
Sandy Heak is a member of the organising team and one of the participants in the Sham Fight. He said: “It’s a truly special event, a wonderful day out for families, when the sleepy village of Scarva comes alive to the sights and sounds of an amazing spectacle.
"This year, with the 13th falling on a Sunday, this provides a break between the Twelfth celebrations on the Saturday and Scarva on Monday the 14th, and this could mean even more spectators turning out to enjoy the Sham Fight.”
As John Adair takes on his customary role of ‘King Billy’, Colin Cairns will once again don the costume of King James.
Colin is a veteran of the Sham Fight, having played the royal role for “well over 30 years”, back to “when Trevor Whitten was playing King William”.
"And I’ve never won once, so I don’t know what that’s telling me,” he jokes. “If I won, there’d be real trouble!”
Scarva Demesne will echo to the sound of battle cries as the spectacle of the Sham Fight unfolds at 1.30pm.
Around 20 sir knights from the Sir Alfred Buller Memorial RBP 1000 will take on the roles of Williamite and Jacobean forces to re-enact scenes from the Battle of the Boyne.
Dressed in period costumes of the late 17th Century, and carrying swords and muskets, the performers look forward to the usual mighty roar of appreciation from the crowd of excited spectators.
The Sham Fight will take place at 1.30pm, with the religious service due to start at 2pm, and the return parade scheduled to leave the Demesne at 3.15pm
Platform proceedings will include contributions from the Rev William Anderson, Sovereign Grand Master; Sir Knight Rev Edwin Frazer, County Grand Chaplain, Armagh; Sir Knight Douglas Cowan, Treasurer, Tandragee; Sir Knight Raymond Walker, WDM, Portadown; Sir Knight Samuel Courtney, BEM, WDM, Markethill; Sir Knight Noel Cairns, WDM, Banbridge; Sir Knight Trevor Holmes, WDM, Newry; and Sir Knight John Murray, WDM, Rathfriland.
The first resolution will focus on faith, followed by loyality and constitution.
The second resolution states: ‘As we gather here today, we take this opportunity to be thankful for the return to good health of His Majesty King Charles III and in doing so pledge our continued loyalty to our Monarch. We wish him and all the members of the Royal Family continued good health in this the second year of his reign.
‘We note that His Royal Highness Prince William has been greatly assisting the King with his many duties, and we trust that they both will continue to work together to build for the future of our monarchy and the defence of the Protestant Faith, thus enabling us today, and for many years to come, to say, God save the King!’
The third resolution states: ‘While in the past year, there have been agreements reviewed and new treaties agreed, the citizenship of those that reside in Northern Ireland continues to remain in a precarious state, with laws still being imposed by the European Union on the citizens of Northern Ireland.
‘This hybrid state along with open borders leads to much uncertainty, both within the business sector and in the lives of the people themselves. We therefore continue to call upon His Majesty’s Government to restore equal citizenship as set out in the Act of Union, to protect and provide stability in an increasingly unstable world for all the citizens of the United Kingdom.’
On the morning of the Scarva demonstration, as is customary, members of Scarva RBP 1000 will lay a wreath at the village memorial to local members of the security forces who were murdered during the Troubles.