Already an accomplished musician, Eddie Pickering joined the 50th Signal Regiment Band of the TA as soon as he left school. After progressing through various short-term roles he joined the 1st Royal Tank Regiment, with whom he spent two years based at Catterick Garrison then four years in Germany. Eddie then enrolled at Kneller Hall as a student bandmaster, and he shares his memories of the privileges and pressures of the course. On successful completion of his studies, Eddie was posted to the Cheshire Regiment, with whom he spent the next 23 years of his career. Eddie shares details of some of the incredible events and diverse venues around the world at which the Cheshires played. He also recalls the devastating bomb blast at the Droppin Well in December 1982 when they were stationed in Ballykelly, Northern Ireland; and talks about the overwhelmingly emotional reception of the band at their first engagement after the blast later that same week. Eddie’s recollections give a wonderful insight into the life and career of a regimental bandmaster, and it’s a privilege to hear him talk about – as he describes it – his dream job: a role he held for more than a quarter of a century.

Douglas Hassall shares how he narrowly escaped a death sentence after spending three and a half years as one of Japan’s prisoners of war during World War 2. Douglas accepted early on that escaping would be foolish as any escapees were executed; the camp being located in Vietnam also left the nearest allies 1100 miles away.  The Japanese employed beatings and other instantaneous punishments, something alien to a British soldier like Douglas, their neglectful medical care equally as shocking to him. Despite his horrible treatment Douglas highlights how incredibly lucky he was as the other camps had prisoners sleeping outside with no access to clean water. The few lenient guards allowed them to hold concerts and church services however over time the Japanese replaced them with cruel guards who murdered the prisoners’ pets.    Douglas got his first hint of freedom after a British interpreter secretly told him that allies were closing in, both of them unaware that Japan’s prisoners of war were all destined to die. Prison labour had halted and transportation of prisoners to the execution site had begun when the second atomic bomb fell forcing Japan to free everyone at the very last second.  Unfortunately Douglas’ release was bittersweet due to the plane transporting one of his friends back to England crashing killing everyone on board.   

By the age of 14, Esther Hayes was approaching Grade 8 standard on the flute and piano. Three years in the band of the TA led her to pursue a full-time military musician career, and after completing basic training at ATR Winchester she spent her first year at Kneller Hall. Esther shares memories from her subsequent assignment to the Band of the Royal Corps of Signals, followed by a return to Kneller Hall for three more gruelling years of hard work to become a bandmaster. She went on to make history as the first female bandmaster of the Paras, and she talks about her experience of what was then a heavily male-dominated environment. After several years with the Paras, Esther returned to Kneller Hall, spending a couple of years in post as a Training Design Warrant Officer before joining the Household Cavalry and further developing her skills by learning to ride a horse whilst playing the flute. She goes on to talk about an operational role in Afghanistan, a stint in the Band of the Queen’s Division, and another return to Kneller Hall, this time to facilitate the training of the student bandmasters joining the ranks: a full-circle moment, but by no means the end of her incredible career.