Robin
Neilson Smith ROSE was born in the village of Highworth near Swindon
Wilts on 19 July 1933. Little is now known of his family life and upbringing
before he enlisted in the Royal Marines as RMB/X 2486, on 1 October
1947, as a Band Boy aged 14¼ in 104 squad at Burford, Oxfordshire
at the Royal Naval School of Music, not too many miles up the road from
his home.
The open site of the former American hospital built at Broadwell Grove
for D-Day emergency casualties flown in to the nearby airfield at Brize
Norton, had been taken over by the Admiralty from our Allies in 1946
and was to be the ultimate home of the School before the return to Deal.
The accommodation was typical hospital wards of about 30 beds, the whole
camp connected by covered colonnades, and the Boys formed `B` Company
numbering between 250 and 300 in training, which culminated when each
Boy was considered "Fit for Sea"- a category much desired
by them, which came at 17½ or onwards to 18. On joining each
boy had been allocated a specific musical category to learn; most were
required to become proficient on a wind and a stringed instrument to
fulfil the need for each ship`s band to provide wind-band music and
orchestral sounds as well as dance band, thus maintaining the unique
versatility of the RM Band Service. When each Boy was considered "Fit
for Sea" he would be rated to adult Musician status, move to the
mens` accommodation, and be ready for drafting to a ship or shore establishment
band. Robin - who quickly acquired the nick-name of Syd which stuck
for the rest of his 26 years in the service - was allocated as a Solo
Cornet, which meant he had to specialise in the cornet and trumpet for
the three types of music required. At that time there were no Buglers
at the School and Solo Cornets had to perform these duties additionally;
when Duty Bugler for 24 hours sleeping in the cold and draughty Guardroom
near the main gate. Although not appreciated at the time, discipline
was relatively relaxed there, of which more in a moment. Sport was plentiful
and occasionally at weekends there would be an opportunity for the boys
to volunteer to act as beaters for pheasant shoots over the rolling
acres of the local landowner Colonel Savage, ex- Indian Army. The resulting
rewards were sometimes a few stray pheasants to be enjoyed cooked in
mess tins over the coke stoves which heated the rooms, and supplemented
the always-starving Boys in those days of wartime rationing which still
remained until the early 50s. This soon- to-be appreciated semi-idyllic
existence was to come to a traumatic end on 6 January 1950 when `B`
Company was shipped by 3-ton lorries to a special train waiting at a
local station, probably Ascot-under-Wychwood, to take us direct via
Oxford, Reading, Reigate, Tonbridge, Ashford & Folkestone to the
arrival at Deal station where the Boys were stunned into silence at
their first sight of an Adjutant mounted on a charger accompanied by
a Regimental Sergeant Major, both exotic creatures unknown at Burford.
Disembarkation, followed by forming up behind the Depôt band for
the march into and through Deal High Street and up the Strand past the
castle into East Barrack and its prisonlike atmosphere; a traumatic
change which was soon reinforced when daily routine took over and morning
parades were taken in North Barrack with all the adult marine recruits.
A real shock to the system after Burford camp!
However, boys are adaptable and quickly adjusted to this new taut discipline
and continued their all-round musical training with PT, general education
classes and sport at Walmer & Coldblow. The move to Deal also gave
more opportunity for band performances in public than the rural setting
in Oxfordshire. Syd took part in all these activities, gaining gradually
in knowledge and understanding, also physically in height from 5` 3``
to 6` in 2½ years. In the cornet class he was notable as a natural
with an embouchure that needed little routine attention; in short, he
could go on leave for a fortnight, come back and utter divine sounds
to rival the arch-angel Gabriel himself. In those days there was a very
quick succession of instructors thus little continuity in the tuition
and we were left largely to our own devices to make progress. Awareness
of these conditions probably influenced him, and myself, many years
later when we ourselves were appointed Instructors.
One of the changes made on moving back to Deal was that no-one was rated
Musician until their 18th birthday, and that day came for Syd on 19
July 1951 when he moved over to North barrack to await draft, being
attached to the Staff Band until June 1952 when he joined a band formed
for the C-in-C East Indies which served in the cruisers Ceylon &
Newfoundland based in Trincomalee, Ceylon and generally `Showing the
Flag` in the Indian Ocean from the Persian Gulf to Singapore. In October
54 the band was relieved and a return to Deal sent him on the Cpls course
before promotion to Corporal in March 56 and instructing duties in East
Barrack. Syd`s private life took a significant turn soon after as he
and Clare were married in August of that year, with the arrival of their
son David in late 1957. In May 58 he went to Albion as Volunteer Band
Instructor, being promoted to Sergeant in July 58 and in October 59
he returned to Deal having been selected for the 1960 Bandmasters Class.
This was the first class with Ernie Stride as Professor of Theory in
place of Michael Hurd. Among fellow classmates was David Wells who remembers
Syd as an outstanding member, having a wonderful ear for Aural work,
an ease with Harmony & Counterpoint, and natural authority with
the baton in Conducting; qualities which seemed to parallel his natural
ease with instrumental work. Add to this his quick wit and optimistic
outlook which was always ready to ready to raise morale and lighten
the mood. A successful exam result at the end of the year`s course then
led to his promotion to Bandmaster in June 1961.
In his new rank he was required in October 62 to take over the RM band
in St Vincent, the training establishment in Gosport; here the Rose
family enjoyed a settled life for 2½ years. A return to Deal
in April 1965 then led to another draft to sea, this time to relieve
me in Lion in July 65 as Flagship of the Home Fleet until December when
the band paid off. Clare always jokingly blamed me for Syd`s pierhead
jump.......as if I had anything to do with drafting?!
From 1966 to the end of his time in 1973 he was in Deal during which
he acquired the LRAM in Conducting and the LGSM in Teaching. This was
a period where he was mostly concerned with the Staff Band under the
PDM Colonel Paul Neville who had the highest regard for Syd`s professional
abilities and also his personal qualities of leadership and integrity.
These outstanding attributes must certainly have been a major factor
in his next step on going to Pension in July 1973 when he was appointed
Professor of Trumpet at the RMSM. These prestige positions were usually
won by former members of the major symphony orchestras, and it was significant
that this was a new indication for an ex-RMB member and showed the vastly
improving quality of RM musical training. This period of Syd`s life
clearly resulted in the steady production of a very large number of
high-quality performers on cornet and trumpet; an additional benefit
was gained by the Bugler branch which he had offered to take on to improve
their basic techniques, with results that are transparent to this day.
In March 1996 came the day appointed for the closure of Deal Barracks
and the move of the School of Music back to its original home-town of
Portsmouth. As a result Syd took the opportunity to retire a couple
of years early and enjoy life with Clare. They had suffered the tragic
loss of David in a road accident some years previous and this was perhaps
a fortunate decision as Clare later developed medical problems which
led to her decline and death from cancer. Syd seemed to manage solo
living very capably but this very private man undoubtedly missed his
family that he had cared for so much. About eight years ago he was persuaded
to join the Globe & Laurel Lodge of Freemasons where he was able
to resume some of the camaraderie of the Corps he had served so well;
however by now his own health was declining and it was sad to see this
former Warrant Officer of immaculate bearing clearly having difficulties
in mobility and posture, and it was probably from a feeling of personal
pride that he resigned about a year ago, as he became aware of his condition.
A caring group of neighbours and friends were attentive in offering
help around Fiveways Rise and were constant visitors at his bedside
when he was admitted to Kent & Canterbury Hospital where the ward
staff were devoted in their care, for which the Family thank them. Syd
leaves behind a huge number of former pupils; a reputation of having
been probably the finest teacher of trumpet the Royal Marines School
of Music has ever had; and a horde of friends and shipmates who held
him in the very highest regard.
Terry Freestone
