Sue Mitchinson reveals the ongoing importance of Wellington School's Officer Training Corps Band – a familiar sight at Remembrance events across the West Country for almost 100 years

P icture the scene on November 11, 1918, in Wellington, Somerset. Lessons at Wellington School had been abandoned for the day after the Armistice news and the boys trooped joyfully into the town.

According to a school history: "They quickly decided something was lacking so they came back to School and the OTC Band prepared to march. Led by the band they swarmed rather than paraded through all the principal streets…They were late for lunch…"

Later in the afternoon a proper parade was organised, joining in the town's celebrations.

Formed just five years earlier, in 1913, the Officer Training Corps (OTC) Band was already an integral part of town and school events – and has been ever since.

The history describes, for example, how the OTC Band entertained honoured guests including 40 wounded soldiers from Taunton Hospital and their nurses, at a 1916 "Café Chantant", organised by ladies of the town in aid of Somerset Prisoners of War.

Now, almost 100 years later, the band has evolved into the Corps of Drums of the school's Combined Cadet Force (CCF), with a musical and marching ability that makes it highly sought after for local and regional events.

"We are one of few that are left," explained the Rev Jeremy Hellier, the CCF's Commanding Officer.

"They were very fashionable but to find one that's still going and has continued for nearly a hundred years is rare."

As always, this year the Corps of Drums will lead the Wellington Remembrance Parade in Wellington Park on Remembrance Sunday, with the school CCF and many other groups and individuals, from Brownies to the town's Army Cadet Force and local dignitaries. On November 11 itself, at 11am, the Corps of Drums provides a Bugler to play the Last Post and Reveille in the town centre. It also provides Buglers for local churches at their Remembrance services.

Further afield, the band was invited in June this year by the Somerset County Royal British Legion to help launch and end Somerset's Armed Forces Day celebrations, as part of national celebrations for Britain's Armed Forces.

The band were thrilled to march and play before HM's Lord Lieutenant of Somerset and Lady Elizabeth Gass, as well as the guest of honour and Britain's last Tommy, the late Harry Patch. "It was very unusual for a school to be asked. It was a great honour," said CO Hellier. Other engagements have included opening the Poppy Appeal for the Royal British Legion, leading the Battle of Britain Parade through the streets of Exeter, regularly leading the St George's Day parade through Taunton and performing for the regular forces where army bands have dwindled.

Director of music for the Corps of Drums is teacher Simon James.

He explained that a major force is the Drum Major, a student who leads the band and helps develop it each year as the older students leave school.

Girls as well as boys take on this leading role, girls having first joined the band in 1980 as their presence in the school grew.

"We try to practice at least once a week as a whole band and the individual sections will have their own practices," Simon said. "This is done on a purely voluntary basis and can be difficult to organise, so it is a testament to the Drum Major that the band comes together and plays so well."

The Corps of Drums currently has 38 cadets enrolled, with four reserves. They play side drums, tenor drums, cymbals, triangles, bass drum, flutes, clarinets, bell lyres, and bringing up the rear, bugles.

"This is a traditional set-up and gives a rich and diverse sound," said Simon.

"Tunes are broken up into musicians, drummers and bugle tunes, and the band currently plays a repertoire of 10 for each performance."

There has been a great resurgence of interest in the band recently, he said, and recruits now join from Year 8 upwards.

Their reasons for joining are many – the sense of history, the glory of performing at prestigious public events, because they are very musical or simply because they are "doers".

Simon's son, Anthony James, now chief bugler, summed it up: "I do it because it is fun but more importantly for me it is the public face of the school.

"We provide an important service for the community; one where we hope people will remember and appreciate the things that the Services do for us."

Simon himself has little connection to the Services but loves the work.

"The camaraderie within the Corps is fantastic," he said "and the contribution they make to the wider community is priceless.

"Working with such motivated pupils is enough to keep me leading a dedicated and superb band.

"There are few to match us in the South West and we are delighted to be in great demand."

A touching tradition has begun at Wellington School, to remember the former pupils who died in the two world wars.

Started by the wife of the Combined Cadet Force's Commanding Officer, Madeline Hellier, she helps a student from each of the school's five boarding houses to give a personal meaning to the words 'lest we forget.'

The students choose a name, then prepare flowers and research the school records and the internet, to find out about that former pupil who died and at what battle. On Remembrance Day at a service in the Chapel, itself built originally as a memorial to those who died in the First Word War, the students read out the details and place their dedicated flower baskets.

"The pupils find it very moving, it makes it personal and real for them to think about someone who was in the same boarding house, just a few years older than they are now," said Mrs Hellier.