Corporal Read, a clarinettist in the Central Band of the Royal Air Force, provides an insight into the preparations for, and a first hand account of his experience of being a part of The Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla:
Monday 24th April 2023: Attended the first brief today to understand the requirements for the Coronation - Operation Golden Orb. The Flight Sergeant briefed musicians of the Central Band on the plans for the day itself - how they’re planning on transporting 10,000 troops to London by train and bus, mustering us and then marching us to our holding areas. We’re expecting full day rehearsals, and an overnight rehearsal where everything will run to time just 14 hours ahead of what it will be on the day. We’re going to cover a lot of ground and play a lot of notes and it all starts on Friday!
Thursday 27th April 2023: College Band and Auxiliary musicians are arriving today in preparation for everything starting tomorrow. They’ll be staying on station until Sunday 7th May earliest. In between the intense rehearsals they’ll have quite a bit of down time far from homes and family. It’s so nice getting everyone together and seeing friends that have been posted to other places over the years, but I do realise I’m lucky to be able to get home to family most evenings. RAF Northolt will be home for RAF Music Services until after the Op, and during this next week we’ll all get military transport to the various rehearsal locations we need to be at. When we’re at other bases it’s likely that the coach will be our home/chilling out space.
Friday 28th April 2023: We started musical rehearsals today for the parade. This was a sat down rehearsal in the band room for the massed parade band although I don’t know how many were there today (we’re going to be an 80-piece band on the day but Regiment Band were at RAF Cosford for the Chief of the Air Staff Commendations). There were still 16 clarinettists in the rehearsal though!
As expected, there are a lot of marches. The aim is for all the bands in the procession to play the same march at the same speed at the same time, so that the crowds of people in London watching will never hear the same march twice. It will be constant with just a five-beat roll in between each one, so my stamina is going to increase a lot this week. There were not many marches that I didn’t know, and everyone here knows a good handful of them, so we didn’t need to spend much time on those ones. A couple have been added especially for the occasion and it was nice to hear them improve on second play throughs. The music is all very joyous and this takes a lot of energy to convey. When you’re playing marches from different Services continually, you do begin to recognise the differences between the Services’ musical styles – there’s something cinematic about the RAF.
Kit prep for the rest of the day as we head to RAF Halton tomorrow to join the rest of the RAF contingent. There’s a bit of interest as to how a band which is 8 musicians wide will fit around the roads of the RAF base, but looking forward to getting everyone together.
Saturday 29th April 2023: Caught the sun today. We were at RAF Halton, joining all the marching contingent and route liners who are currently seconded there on the Op. Everyone seems happy and they’re working jolly hard. There are two parade squares on the station joined by about 1km of road and we marched in a formation of 8 across, back and forth, either playing the marches that we’ll play to our holding area before the parade, or the 8/9 marches that are part of Coronation procession itself. We did this three times, each time taking about 40 minutes to an hour. So if we can do it here that many times, we can definitely do ourselves proud on the day.
The RAF Ceremonial Officer in charge of our entire output gave us a speech before our third run through – he started by saying how impressed he was with how it was going and that as a result we could finish early today. We all held our breath to hear what was coming next… “So, we’re just going to do it one more time”. Which we did.
We’re an 80-piece band, with another group of musicians on standby as spares. They stepped in for this third run through so they could experience what was required of them if they were needed. It must be a shame for them to sit and watch and not know if they’re going to be on the parade, but the morale is good, and everyone can appreciate the need for spare musicians for an engagement like this.
Sunday 30th April 23: There are pictures appearing in the national press from our day today, someone’s just sent me one which must show several hundreds of troops and said they’ve found me in there! We were at RAF Odiham for a tri-Service daytime rehearsal. There were 7,000 of us there and each Service had their own area of the airfield with port-a-loos, refreshments, and for the RAF at least 15 coaches. The Army had a field full of coaches, but we only saw all of that towards the end.
We arrived early so that before the exercise was due to start, they could guarantee everyone was there. At least 20 minutes before we were expecting to step off, we could see an Army band being marched into place in the distance. We all started at one end of the runway and marched all the way down it to a make-shift Admiralty Arch at the bend, where the aircraft usually turn off. Thankfully for us, that’s our holding place whilst we wait for the main parade to begin. I’ll be honest, my arm holding my clarinet was going numb, and the concept of an arm swing was beginning to become meaningless to my other arm.
It's all quite relaxed when we’re formed up in position - it’s best not to fidget because we know we won’t be able to on the day, but everything is a little more lenient when you know you’re doing this twice in a day, and this is the second out of three days in a row rehearsing. When we stepped off for the march to “Buckingham Palace” (sports fields next to a go-kart cart track), the feeling is instantly epic. We turned the corner back onto the main runway and I caught a glimpse of what was behind us. It went on into the hazy distance – it was truly huge. At this point there was a planned stop (in case we need to stop the parade for any reason on the day) and we did this several times before fully resetting at Admiralty Arch and practising the full parade. We arrived at the sports pitches, lining up next to an amalgamation of the Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, the Highland Band and the Lowland Band, before practising the march out of Buckingham palace through Electrician’s Gate (some traffic cones) and thankfully onto some coaches that saved us the march back to our holding area. This was a good 5 minutes’ drive away. Lunch was packed rations sat on or around the coach before we roused ourselves for a second run through (this time without the restarts). Often the second one just feels quicker because you know what’s coming, and other than the initial march down the runway into position, it was generally enjoyable.
Being part of the caravan of coaches to be escorted off the airfield really emphasises how special this kind of event is.
Monday 1st May 23: Happy May Day! We were back at RAF Halton today for the RAF only rehearsals. The Route Lining Band was with us for this and we watched as they marched their troops down the roads of Halton for 30 minutes. Then it was our turn. We ran the procession twice again, this time in our George Boots, which are firmer on top but generally a bit more forgiving on the soles, meaning I have a blister on my left foot little toe but I can still walk quite comfortably. My boots have been re-soled and were still ‘developing’ their grip on the tarmac, so I slipped a couple of times, but being at the back of the band no one else noticed. One of the marches we’re playing before and after the main parade is the Battle of Britain March, which we rehearsed today - there was goosebumps for an 8-player horn section during their melody. Looking forward to doing that for real!
Tuesday 2nd May 23: Just getting ready to head in for the night-time rehearsal. As we’re working tonight, today has been relaxed. A little bit of kit prep and note bashing (looking through the music) whilst working from home. Found some time for a nap too!
Wednesday 3rd May 23: We had the overnight rehearsal last night and I’m torn now between powering through and an overwhelming desire to close my eyes for a short while. Tired legs and feet today as we’ve been out for over 12 hours. We reported in our ceremonial uniform at RAF Northolt, where we gathered as a band before being transported in 3 coaches to our starting area. We don’t take the most direct route for various reasons, including security and all the road closures. Most of the troops were travelling to London by train to Waterloo Station, so we met there around 2130 – remember there are at least 7,000 of us, so we were drawing a crowd even at that time. We ran the exercise exactly how it’s going to be on the day, so we played music, grandly, and the feeling of marching over Waterloo Bridge towards the Houses of Parliament was amazing. Our first stop was Westminster Chapel, which was to be our holding area, and we arrived just as the RAF Route Lining Band was leaving. We were very well looked after, which was great as we were going to be here for a couple of hours. There were refreshments, coffee vans and cafes offering free drinks, all the toilets that were necessary, a tailor for uniform issues, irons and iron boards. It was nice to be in a comfortable, warm space out of the public eye during this time. Around 1am we were formed up again and marched to a drum tap to Trafalgar Square, where the RAF contingent of the parade was to form up. As we turned right from Admiralty Arch, even in the dark you could see the huge numbers of troops who had been marched into place before us. We had quite a stand here, perhaps an hour before we stepped off. Even at this time in the morning (3am?) there were people watching the night-time rehearsals. Visibility was pretty poor for this march so the band didn’t play as well as they would have liked in areas as we couldn’t see the music, but it was really useful for knowing how it’s going to be on the day. Presumably the Royal Family had been warned to not be at Buckingham Palace this evening, as we played at our full volume.
We’d been told that the troops wouldn’t gather in the garden of Buckingham Palace, although they will do on the day, but that the Massed Bands would so that they could practise the National Anthem etc. That was when we found out that we were placed in front of the Pipes and Drums!
We marched back over Waterloo Bridge just in time for the sunrise, which again was a surreal feeling. I believe we may have reached the Battle of Britain March by this point which felt suitably iconic.
It’s 9am now and I am going to get some shut eye. The rest of the day is our own, but we need to be ready for an early start tomorrow.
Thursday 4th May 23: Report was 0645hrs this morning, lots of bleary-eyed musicians on the buses to Halton given the previous few days. Our earlier than expected timing was because the Operation Commander was due to oversee a rehearsal, and we were all expecting the Chief of the Air Staff to visit. We’d always known that the press and media were to be invited today, so long sleeve shirts and ties were the order of the day. Luckily only two run throughs were required. Everyone was grateful for being able to see all the music in the daylight today and the important people seemed quite happy. A few friends were asked for interviews which will be released globally over the next couple of days.
Friday 5th May 23: Day off today but lots to prepare. I’ve brought my boots home to polish for a couple of hours and will be popping back into work to make sure the rest of my uniform is well ironed. Plans for an early night tonight.
Saturday 6th May 23: Just returned from the Coronation Parade in London. Was up at 0430hrs, and it’s just gone 1800hrs now (we had some drinks in the band room after the event). So now I’m going for a shower and chill, will either write more later or tomorrow morning.
Sunday 7th May 23: Today is formally the last day of Op Golden Orb for most of the RAF Musicians, so it seems fitting to use today to write about yesterday. I was asleep on the sofa by 2100hrs last night and it was nice to have some time to reflect before writing up.
Our report time yesterday was 0515hrs for a 0530hrs depart. This wasn’t dictated by the Band but rather by the Op organisers, as the coaches travel in convoy and have to arrive at our holding area at the correct time. Most of the military personnel were travelling by train which I see has made the press and social media over the last few days.
As we drove through London you could already see people setting off from all parts with their Union Flags and camping chairs. This was more obvious when we arrived at Waterloo Station where there were substantial crowds and a great buzz. We formed up with the RAF contingent and were soon marching over Waterloo Bridge, passed the Houses of Parliament and down Birdcage Walk to classic and joyous RAF marches.
Arriving at Westminster Chapel, you could tell all the musicians were hyped up for it, although we had an even longer wait that morning. Two large screens were showing the Coronation Service coverage (apparently the RAF Route Lining Band got some screen time) and there were regular cheers whenever the RAF troops, or Fanfare Team were featured. The music played before and during the service was exquisite and it was easy to feel really chuffed for the RAF Fanfare Team. We saw Their Majesties arrive, caught the RAF Route Lining Band moving into position, and then it was our turn to form up. Even outside the chapel, which is tucked away from the main processional viewing areas, there was an excited crowd. One young child asked when The King was coming out.
We were marched by drum tap to our starting point for the procession at Trafalgar Square and immediately hit by how difficult it would be to hear the words of command to ‘step off’. The crowds were huge and very excited - the Service at Westminster Abbey was being broadcast over speakers, but even that was difficult to make out. Anyway, we had some time to kill before we really needed to worry about it as there was about an hour’s stand. I hadn’t noticed it on the overnight rehearsal, but I could see a clock on a church in the distance which makes time take even longer. There was lots of people-watching to do to pass the time!
Soon after 1300hrs it was time. We were stood to attention, the Band was ‘made ready’ (an opportunity to blow through our instruments and desperately try and warm them up), and then “By the left, quick march” - and we were off. The crowds noticeably stepped up their enthusiasm and the band sounded magnificent (I know this because it turns out family had turned up to watch and I was sent their videos!). It felt like it was over too soon – there were nine marches to be played (and if we got to the end of them, we started again), and we only played through six of them before we were marching through the Garden Gates at Buckingham Palace. That was still about 20 minutes’ worth of marching though, and there was plenty still to follow behind us.
The sight of so many troops formed up in the Gardens of Buckingham Palace felt cinematic, and because the bands were at the back, we had an amazing view. Getting to play the National Anthem and to hear the three cheers (both of which must have been audible from the front of the Palace), felt historic.
After The King left, we marched out in our contingents and back down Birdcage Walk. We knew that the flypast had been shortened, and we also knew that we were likely to be escorting the troops back to Waterloo as the flypast happened so we wouldn’t be able to see it. However, we were playing the Battle of Britain March as we heard the aircraft go by!
It was a weary but excited coach ride back. This was the first opportunity most people had had to look at their phones all day, and they returned to all sorts of well wishes from family and friends.
Today is a rest day and most of College Band and the Auxiliary musicians are free to travel home after some enforced rest. Hopefully they’ve enjoyed their time down here. We have a couple of days operational recovery awarded to us, but Central Band are back at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday to play for a Garden party.
