RAF Waddington Voluntary Band is Back!

I’m sure there is no need to explain the Pandemic that beset us all in 2020.

It badly disrupted everyone’s lives and devastated some industries, including the music industry. While at RAF Waddington our Band is a voluntary one, rehearsals and performances were still stopped in their tracks from early March 2020 with a final performance in the Officers’ Mess on the 5th of the month.

The Band was effectively silenced until 29 June 2021, when rehearsals resumed albeit with a socially distanced Band of 16 musicians. Later, by reducing the distancing to 1m plus and stretching the Band out to the far corners of the Bandroom, a more usual size Band was able to rehearse. The Band’s first engagement took place on 10 September outside the Officers’ Mess at RAF Digby for their Battle of Britain Sunset Ceremony,

and it then appeared at RAF Waddington’s Officers’ Mess for the Battle of Britain dinner on 16 September.

The Band is back, and although still socially distancing at rehearsals, is hoping it will not be too long before we can return to a much more normal time.

The period of silence, however did not mean that everything remained static. Having moved into new unrestored accommodation without heating in August 2019, by the time winter came along we had to decamp to the warmth of the Warrant Officers’ & Sergeants’ Mess each week. That remained until the Band was silenced. However, a project to restore the new Band complex (for both the Voluntary Band and the Pipe Band) began in early 2020 and has now transformed it into a warm rehearsal facility. From early May 2020 until late June 2021, the Band stuck together socially by holding quizzes on Zoom and although not everyone’s taste, it was good to see each other and have a catch up. To use Zoom to rehearse had been a thought but

because of the time delay/ lag in internet speeds, it proved impossible. The answer though was to make a series of videos of the Band with each individual recording their own part at home on a mobile phone etc and sending it to a central point to be edited together. The first few videos were edited by Band member Ashleigh Pead and a wonderful job she did. These videos were released on RAF Waddington’s own Facebook page achieving a good number of views. Standing out was ‘Cavalcade of Heroes’ composed by Bandmaster David Jackson. To part of this he added words, and these were sung by six RAF Nurses, all members of the RAF Spitfires Choir, and it can still be viewed on YouTube.

In more normal times the band has played at a variety of venues both off and on station and in the past twenty years has travelled to other parts of the country and abroad including Belgium, Cyprus and Washington DC. Most engagements are more local though for various community events for both veterans and the general public. The band have recently completed the City of Lincoln Freedom Parade and band members feature heavily in a Facebook video produced by the City of Lincoln council.

Now the Band is back, and we are looking to the future. We have been able to welcome several new Band members and wish to add to that if there are any musicians reading this – military personnel regardless of Service, civil servants, contractors and dependants – who would like to consider joining us or know anyone that plays an instrument locally even without any military connection, please keep reading.

The Band is a Concert Band and has brass, reed and percussion in its ranks. We would love to hear from anyone interested but particular vacancies at this time are within the brass section (french horn, cornet/ trumpet, trombone and euphonium). We would also welcome bassoonists and oboists – the double reed section! A percussionist able to play ‘tuned percussion’ (xylophone, glockenspiel etc) as well as ‘kit’ would also be very welcome.

The Band owns a good variety of musical instruments for anyone that does not have their own.

To contact the Band, ring or text Bandmaster Dave Jackson on 07717 422114 during normal working hours. He can also be reached on dave.jackson712@mod. gov.uk or you might like to visit the RAF Waddington SharePoint site, which resides within the ’Clubs’ section, and where there is an Interest Form to fill in.

It is also worth noting that the band has a wider area of coverage which includes the stations of Cranwell, Digby, Coningsby &, for the time being, Scampton. Players from these stations are also very welcome to get in touch.

Don’t be shy in coming forward as I’m often out and about on Station and ask those I meet if they play an instrument, getting a variety of answers. I know that quite a few I have not yet chanced to meet may be just what we are looking for!

David Jackson, RAF Waddington Voluntary Band Bandmaster