Beating Retreat
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Beating Retreat or Beating the Retreat is a military ceremony dating back to 16th century England and was first used in order to recall nearby patrolling units to their castle.
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[edit] History
Originally it was known as watch setting and was initiated at sunset by the firing of a single round from the evening gun.
An order from the army of James II of England dated to 18 June 1690 had his drums beating an order for his troops to retreat and a later order, from William III in 1694 read "The Drum Major and Drummers of the Regiment which gives a Captain of the Main Guard are to beat the Retreat through the large street, or as may be ordered. They are to be answered by all the Drummers of the guards, and by four Drummers of each Regiment in their respective Quarters". However, either or both orders may refer to the ceremonial tattoo.
For the first time ever this year on Thursday 5th June 2008, a Foreign band was allowed to play at the Beating Retreat. This band was that of the 1st Battalion Royal Malay Regiment, who had been helping to guard London, by mounting guards at the palaces. [1] Amoungst their performance pieces were arrangements of number of well known pieces from Film.
[edit] Modern British Ceremony
These days, most armed forces in the Commonwealth perform some ceremonial form of the retreat and it is often used as a proving test for new band members as well as a practice for difficult drill moves such as the Spin Wheel. The ceremonies generally involve the marching of a band, the firing of cannon and other decorative presentations. In many cases a castle is used as a prop or a backdrop for the parade (as in the Edinburgh Military Tattoo).
The London version takes place on Horseguards Parade, and is performed at by several military bands included the Massed bands of the Foot Guards, and the Mounted Bands of the Household Cavalry, as well as other performances which change each year. In 2008, the other performances were made by the Band of the Royal Malay Regiment, the Pipes and Drums of the Scots Guards, and the mounted Fanfare Trumpets and Timpani Drummers.
Each Year on two sucessive summer evenings starting at 19:00 hours, Beating Retreat is performed on Horseguards Parade, with a salute to the Queen or another member of the Royal Family.[2] In 2008, these evenings were Tursday 5th June and Friday the 6th June respectively.
Beating Retreat on Horseguards is open to be viewed by the public by ticket entry. Tickets are usually bought before the event and in 2008, were sold for the price of £10:00 [3] An unreliable method of obtaining tickets is from Ticket touts or on the gate during the day of the Beating Retreat Ceremony, where Army officials are sometimes seen to sell spare tickets to interested members of the public.
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- Note: Refer to See Also for list of Foot Guards Bands.
[edit] Australia
The Australian Defence Force traditional ceremony of Beating Retreat was handed down from the British Army. The first ceremony including performance of Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture" was held at the Royal Military College, Duntroon in 1968. Although this inaugural performance was a relatively low-key affair, the ceremony has since become an annual event at RMC and is well supported by the service community and the general public. The modern ceremony is thought to have its origins in the 16th century and combines three customs.
The first custom was originally performed by drummers only, marching on the ramparts to warn the soldiers that evening guard duties would soon commence. It also signalled soldiers outside the fortifications and labourers in the fields that the gates were about to be closed and they should retire within the walls for the night.
The second custom was practised on battlefields in past times when the fighting ceased at sunset. Following the Beating Retreat, many of the old regiments would say a prayer or sing a hymn in honour of their fallen, and the evening guard would fire three musket volleys "to put flight to the evil spirits of the enemy dead".
The final custom derives from the practice of lodging the Regimental Colour in the Colour Ensign's quarter when the evening guard was mounted. In modern times, that custom was replaced by the lowering of the national flag.
[edit] 2007 Ceremony
The 2007 ceremony was conducted on the nights of 27 & 28 September. It was attended by Chief of the Defence Force ACM Angus Houston and Chief of the Army LTGEN Peter Leahy.
The ceremony included parade ground marching, changing of the sentries, trooping of the Regimental Colour, inspection of the guards, firing of the evening gun, guards advance and volley firing (with the service issue Steyr AUG), evening hymn, retreat and lowering of the Australian flag, the pipers lament and marching off of the Regimental Colour.
Music was performed by an ensemble of the Royal Military College Band and the Australian Army Band Tasmania, and included "All That Jazz" from the musical Chicago, Michael Bublé's "Spider-Man Theme", Christina Aguilera's "Candyman", the Celtic instrumental "Toss the Feathers" and instrumental versions of Phil Collins' "Against All Odds" and two Elvis Presley songs (in a "Tribute to the King").
The ceremony culminated with the "1812 Overture" accompanied by a battery of 105mm Hamel light field guns, and a 5-minute fireworks display.
[edit] India
In India it officially denotes the end of Republic Day festivities. It is conducted on the evening of January 29, the third day after the Republic Day. It is performed by the bands of the three wings of the military, the Indian Army, Indian Navy and Indian Air Force. The venue is Raisina Hills and an adjacent square, flanked by the north and south block of the Indian Parliament.
The Chief Guest of the function is the President of India who arrives escorted by the 'President's Body Guards' (PBG), a cavalry unit.
[edit] Ceremony
The ceremony starts by the massed bands of the three services marching in unison, playing popular marching tunes like Colonel Bogey and Sons of the Brave. The Fanfare then is followed by the bands marching forward in quick time, then breaking into slow time, then by the 'compound march' involving movements to form intricate and beautiful patterns. The military band, again, breaks into quick time and goes back to the farthest end of Raisina Hills. Then the Pipes and Drums of the Indian Army play traditional Scottish tunes and Indian tunes like "Gurkha Brigade" and "Chaandni" . This band also does a compound march. The last bands to perform are the combined bands of the Navy and the Air Force. This part of the ceremony ends with their compound march.
The three band contingents march forward and take position close to the President's seat. The drummers give a solo performance (known as the Drummer's Call). A regular feature of this pageant is the last tune played before the Retreat. It is the famous Christian Hymn composed by William H Monk, Abide With Me. The chimes made by the tubular bells, placed quite at a distance, creates a mesmerising ambience.
This is followed by the bugle call for Retreat, and all the flags are slowly brought down. The band master then marches to the President and requests permission to take the bands away, and informs that the closing ceremony is now complete. The bands march back playing a popular martial tune Saare Jahan Se Achcha. As soon as the bands cross Raisina Hills a spectacular illumination display is set up on the North and South Blocks of the Parliament building.
[edit] See also
List of Foot Guards Bands:
[edit] References
- ^ Guard changes for May 2008 (pdf). Retrieved on 2008-06-07.
- ^ Beating Retreat - Beating Retreat Official Page
- ^ British Army Website. Retrieved on 2008-05-06.
