| Biography | The Royal Artillery Band has been based in Woolwich, South East London since 1763; the home of the Royal Artillery since 1716. However 2007 witnessed a farewell to Woolwich as the home of the Royal Artillery and moved to Larkhill, Wiltshire. Consequently leaving only the Band and Kings Troop Royal Horse Artillery to represent the Regiment in London.
The Royal Artillery used Fifes and Drums at St Quinten as long ago as 1557 but it was the Regiments desire to have a Band of Musick that led to the formation of the Royal Artillery Band in 1762 in Minden, Germany.
The Band grew from just eight musicians, proficient on both wind and string instruments, to a compliment of well over 100 musicians by the mid 1970s.
Today, it is established at 49 and, as has long been the tradition, many of its musicians play both a wind and string instrument.
One of only 8 State Bands, it is ideally situated to provide musical support for State and Ceremonial functions in the capital, ranging from The Changing of the Guard and Investitures at Buckingham Palace to supporting the Kings Troop RHA at Royal Salutes in Londons Royal Parks. In addition to this the Band provides musical support to the Regiments of the Royal Artillery both at home and abroad.
On a different note the Band enjoys performing at many top London locations with music of great variety; this can include a Pop Group entertaining at a corporate London event or a Fanfare Team heralding the arrival of a distinguished guest. A week in the life of the Band can include many if not all of these engagements totaling in an all round busy, demanding but enjoyable calendar.
In recent years the Band have traveled abroad on frequent occasions, notably to France, Hungary, Slovakia and Slovenia, with some members traveling as far as Syria and South Africa. More recently the Pop Group made a visit to Iraq. However, closer to home, in 2007 the Band took part in the Edinburgh Military Tattoo performing as part of the British massed bands. Other recent memorable engagements include performing at the Queens Golden Jubilee on Horse Guards Parade and playing to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar in Greenwich.
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