Eventually, a recently commissioned band officer named 'Ernie' Ough (pronounced 'Ow', 'O', 'Uff' or 'Ugh' as he always introduced himself) took us over and he was a much harder taskmaster than 'Sam'. However, we certainly learned a lot under his tuition and guidance. General musical knowledge came easily to me but harmony and aural training were a different story. Not having the gift of 'perfect pitch' I found it hard work. (I remember marveling at the abilities of 'Bandy' Duncan, who did possess that gift. I also recall 'Ernie' telling us that it was no credit to those who had been born with it, but that by working at it almost everyone could eventually achieve a high degree of accuracy - and deserve the credit for having worked hard to acquire it!)

Having passed the promotion exam I was appointed as an instructor in the Boys Wing, which was a bit of a shock to the system, having spent so much time recently, working the seat of my trousers to the bone! I quickly discovered that the senior euphonium and cello instructor - a Band Sergeant whose name I cannot now recall - and I, did not see eye to eye. Our ideas about instructing methods on both instruments varied and for some peculiar reason he felt that his method was the one that should prevail. Nonetheless, there is a certain satisfaction in watching (and hearing) a student developing and improving whatever talents he has, although being the junior instructor, the most promising students didn't come my way! As by that time my wife and I had purchased a small 200 year-old (modernised) cottage close to the Deal sea front (the cellar sometimes flooded on stormy days), I had to put up with the job and just tried to think about the nice long leaves that instructors enjoyed. Of course, working in the Boys Wing wasn't only instructing. Many other supervisory duties went with it, including regularly rostered night duty that involved some 'prowling' (the United Nations now call it 'Peace Keeping') and required us to sleep in the guardroom. Mostly for comfort, after 'Lights Out' I wore what would now be called 'trainers' and soon afterwards discovered that the boys had christened me 'Creeping Jesus'. However, having travelled down the same pathways myself, I was well aware of the 'illegal' activities that could and did go on in the barrack rooms after 'lights out' and a stealthy approach was at times very useful in maintaining some semblance of order and discipline. With the duty Band Corporal there was always an armed RM sentry on the main gate. Once, in the middle of the night I was awakened to be told that for some reason the sentry had discarded his rifle and disappeared! I trundled along to his barrack-room, where I could distinctly see him was sitting on his bed being comforted by some mates. I asked for the senior marine present and immediately found myself surrounded by a number of rather large and burly RM's who told me quite emphatically that the missing sentry wasn't there! As at that stage I hadn't even got around to asking, I was especially grateful for the information and with commendable alacrity accepted their assurance and returned to the East Wing guardhouse to say that he couldn't be found! Discretion may not always be the better part of valour, but it is often the wisest!

(Left) Cover of the December 1952 'Blue Band' when I t cost 5/- per year and contained a plug for the 'Globe and Laurel' costing 1/- per issue. It was also interesting to note that since the previous issue there had been 72 new Boy Musician entries, 10 Buglers and 18 adult National Service Musicians.

Click the image (left) for the interesting title page showing the editorial committee. Please note the name of the Boy Musician representative, which many will recognise!

My office skills were again remembered and in addition to instructing I was roped onto the editorial committee of the 'Blue Band' under the editorship of an Instructor Lt.Cmdr, but 'Ted' Talling did most of the supervisory editing and I did a lot of the hard bits. I also did most of the organising for the1952 RMB annual re-union dinner (below).

Click to see an enlarged view

RMB Re-union Dinner 1952 A few names that might help in the recognition test! Left hand wall. Charlie Hotham, beyond him 'Ernie' Ough, then George Keene. Right wall, standing, 'Ted' Talling, A senior RN Schoolie (I think), 'Bertie' Barnes, Wing Cmdr RAF. D of Music. Major Pragnell, '?' 'Chinny' McLean, (behind him) as Toastmaster, 'Bomber' Wells. In the far corner between 'Viv' Dunne and 'Gusty' Gale, the newest Band Boy. Scattered here and there are many other well-knowns, whose seating positions are too complicated to identify. (I too was there, having had a complimentary ticket!) I fear that there is no prize for the most number of faces recognised!

At about this time my wife noticed that I always seemed to be very tired. I hadn't noticed this until it was pointed out to me, and then put it down to the job. I do remember that most days I would cycle home for lunch and immediately after eating it fall asleep with my head on my arms at the table. However a long leave was just coming up and I had obtained the necessary paint and borrowed a long ladder in order to paint the outside of the house.

In the last few weeks before the leave, every available instrumentalist had been roped in to form an impressively large massed band for an upcoming SSAFFA tattoo. This entailed long hours marching and counter-marching in increasingly complicated manoeuvres devised by Lieut. 'Tommy' Laing. The weather was reasonably hot, but punctuated by sharp heavy showers and we all kept getting soaked and then dried out again. A few days later and just into my leave and the house-painting, I developed a raging fever and ended up in the Barracks Sick Bay controlled by a young RN Doctor who seemed hardly to know his left hand from his right. After a week of total indecision, during which my temperature rose steadily to 105o F, I was transferred to Chatham RN Hospital - and wasn't to see Deal again for over six months - and only then as a civilian!