Editon 90
As a valued supporter, we are pleased to bring you up-to-speed with a weekly round-up of activities from RMA – The Royal Marines Charity and the wider Corps Family.
This week, we unveil ‘a lot of excitement’ following an extraordinary and thrilling drum-off at last weekend’s spectacular Mountbatten Festival of Music; and share news of some incredible career moves!
Thank you as always for your valued support.
Auction follows unique coupling
It was the experience of a lifetime for audiences attending the three sell-out concerts at last weekend’s 52nd Mountbatten Festival of Music at the Royal Albert Hall when the Massed Bands of His Majesty’s Royal Marines’ world-renowned Corps of Drums were joined on stage for a dynamic one-off ‘drum-off’ with legendary heavy metal drummer of Iron Maiden fame, Nicko McBrain.
The global drumming icon played ‘The Maiden Legacy’, a medley of Iron Maiden’s most popular songs (a special arrangement of the band’s classic hits ‘The Trooper, ‘Wasted Years’ and ‘Run To The Hills’) using a customised drum kit alongside the Royal Marines Massed Band and Corps of Drums for the piece
This now historic drum kit – named ‘Legacy of the Royals’ – is being auctioned to raise money for RMA – The Royal Marines Charity and the Grand Order of Water Rats charity. The online auction closes at 22:00 on Thursday 14th November 2024.
Incorporating vibrant, full colour illustrations, the entire kit comprises 11 drums custom-made by the British Drum Company, plus all the hardware that goes with it, including a full set of Paiste cymbals and a painted 40” gong, each item of equipment coming with its own custom Hardcase© protective case.
This year is the 360th anniversary of His Majesty’s Royal Marines, and in recognition of this historic milestone, each spectacular hand-crafted drum features Iron Maiden’s Eddie mascot in a different Royal Marines uniform from 1664 to the present day, with a Spean Bridge Memorial background featured on all drums.
Caroline Casey, Director of Fundraising at RMA – The Royal Marines Charity says: “Nicko’s incredible ‘Legacy of the Royals’ drum kit is without doubt a one-of-a-kind item with a unique provenance. It is guaranteed to become a much-sought after collectors’ item and attract significant interest from across the world.
We are incredibly privileged and absolutely over the moon by the generosity of both Nicko and the British Drum Company for choosing our Charity as one to benefit from this fantastic auction. In November, someone somewhere in the world will become the proud owner of a truly original piece of Iron Maiden history – and in doing so, pay homage to the exceptional Royal Marines Commandos. The auction has already started to drum up a lot of excitement!”
Check HERE for details of when the 52nd Mountbatten Festival of Music recording will become available.
Hitting the road again
A road trip to the Midlands and North of England last week saw Tony Radford, our Employment & Education Co-Ordinator, cementing partnerships with some of the Charity’s valued employment partners, exploring some exciting new ones – and meeting with RMR Merseyside at HMS Eaglet.
Included amongst his hectic itinerary was the opportunity to take The Sir Donald Gosling Sword of Honour 2023 to the offices of Yorkshire-based Roofdec. It is presented annually at our Guildhall Dinner to the business that has provided the most significant support to RMA – The Royal Marines Charity over the previous 12 months. Tony (above left) is pictured delivering it to MD Jon Barnes Jnr, and former RM; and Dan Thorpe, ex-Roofdec employee now with the Charity’s new employment partner Plan Ahead.
Roofdec, operated by the Barnes family, is one of the largest industrial roofing contractors in the country and has supported multiple former Royal Marines with employment opportunities.
After the handover, it it was off to Crewe to visit IT company CERCO which has long been offering invaluable support, access to free training courses and advice to RM veterans and those leaving and considering a career in the cyber-security world: before heading to Liverpool-based OPS Training that offers a multitude of lucrative career options in the wind industry.
Both these companies hold the coveted Gold Award from the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) for excellence in aligning its values to the Armed Forces Covenant and inspiring others to do the same.
Tony said: “CERCO has not only provided employment for some of our leavers but in addition is always available to give advice and offer direction to those who may be thinking that a career in cyber-security might be of interest. The value of them sharing such experience cannot be underestimated.
OPS’ training facility in the off-shore windfarm sector was hugely impressive. Having seen firsthand the sheer range of opportunities available – and also meeting some of the former Royal Marines now employed by the company – will be an added bonus when speaking to those looking for new employment on leaving the service.”
A shelter from the storm
A barrage of anti-social behaviour week-in and week-out that included threats, abuse, intimidation and at one point physical violence, was becoming too much to bear for Alex, a 65-year old former Royal Marine with physical and mental health issues.
He was living in the Edinburgh and Lothians area of Scotland, together with his wife who is wheelchair-bound. The constant aggravation was leading to a significant decline in their quality of life, causing them a lot of stress that was, in turn, exacerbating their existing health issues.
Yet despite local police intervention, this continual intimidation just would not stop.
Read below how, through partnership support and a small grant, RMA – The Royal Marines Charity was able to help release Alex from this unbearable situation.
On the watchlist
If you love the great outdoors and enjoy hardy tales of wild exploits, then this is an event not to be missed. Back by popular demand, former Royal Marine and legendary explorer, Barry (‘Baz’) Gray, will be at Portsmouth Cathedral in Hampshire on 6th April 2024 for an evening event entitled ‘Shackleton & Crean Expeditions From The Heroic Age’.
As the key speaker, Baz will talk about his own incredible expeditions to the vast wildernesses at the bottom of the earth, where he experienced adventure in a way only very few people have ever have the opportunity to do.
We remain indebted to Baz for his incredibly generous support since leaving the Corps eight years’ ago after 26 years’ of service: and now, not only will he be making a donation to the Charity on the back of this, his latest talk, he is also in the throes of planning an awesome Royal Marines Veterans’ Speed March in London on 21st July 2024 to again raise funds for RMA – The Royal Marines Charity.
A bird in the hand…
Many congratulations to former Royal Marine Barney Chandler who has recently become the newly appointed Ravenmaster at The Tower Of London, responsible for looking after the feathered protectors of the 1,000-year-old fortress.
According to legend, if the ravens leave the 11th-century tower beside the River Thames, its White Tower will crumble and the Kingdom of England will fall. In the 17th century, when told of the prophecy, King Charles II decreed that there must always be six ravens at the tower.
Barney – who served in Afghanistan and around the world during his 24 years in the Royal Marines – has taken bird-handling courses and had other formal training to prepare him for his new role however, as he says: “All the courses in the world don’t replace actually being here and being amongst the birds and knowing their habits.”