I was a 17 year old in the Royal Ulster Rifles Band stationed at Lisburn in 1950 after playing our regiment out at the docks in Liverpool on their way to Korea.
Once at the barracks in Lisburn we became friendly with the town band and the warm people of Lisburn...I have fond memories of the time...we played each other at cricket and had a umber of shared events.

I have a dim recollection that around this time, the whole Silver Band enlisted into the Army, or at least the TA. The current conductor was voted in as the Bandmaster and a similar vote was made to elect the NCO's. Does any one remember this or is my memory failing?

I can't believe that no one has answered Peter's posting. There MUST be folks who have read it and could answer it, but haven't. Come ON!

Peter, Welcome to the Forum,great to hear from someone new. In 1951 I was 11 years old so I can't remember anything about the Lisburn Silver Band , but I do know in later years the were the T.A.Band .I'm sure someone looking in here could give you more details. Here's hoping!!! Pam

hello Pamela. First off, thank you for your reply. I think it is highly likely that the vast majority of that Band have passed away by now but there is always a chance that some effervescent, young at heart 'silver surfer' will still be around. However, you have pretty much answered my query. It does look as if my memory might be valid, Viz. they DID join up en masse.
I sometimes forget how time has flown by and forget my own age. There will have been people in the band of a similar age as myself at the time but even they will be in their middle 80's.
As one might expect, my enquiry is born as a result of a shimmering mist of nostalgia, (common to many of us as we reach our dotage I'm afraid.) and a yearning for the past.

Since those days I have been all over the world and now live in Huntingdon, just outside Cambridge but this contact brings back warm feelings of a special time in my life.
Thank you , once again, for answering: may I wish you the best of good health and happiness for the future.

Peter

Thank you, Liz. Pamela ,perhaps, was encouraged by your response.
I am presuming you will be able to read my reply to Pamela so you will see how much the contact meant to me. Thank you.


Peter

Hi Peter, Where you born in Lisburn or were you a soldier here? I met my husband when he did his National Service here in 1959 / 1960. We have been married ever since. A life sentence or what! My daughter lives in a little village called Mortimer in Barkshire. You should take a little trip over here sometime. You would see a great change in the place and it would be a stroll down memory lane. Again nice to hear from you. Pam

Thanks Peter, you are a gentleman, not too many of them around today! So you are living in the flat lands. I lived in Cambridgeshire for over 30 years, but missed the hills. We retired to Devon and love the countryside here.

Take care
Liz

Hi Peter, In 1950 I transferred from the Royal Navy to the Royal Australian Navy just about the same time as the Korean War broke out and joined the Aircraft carrier HMAS Sydney in Portsmouth.

We were sent to Korea in early 1951 and during our stays in Kure Japan between operational tours off Korea I got to know a few Royal Ulster Riflemen who had been wounded in Korea and were recovering in the British Military Hospital in Kure.including one from Lisburn who was subsequently killed in Korea.

While you probably didn't know them the names that I remember were Billy Rice, Geordie Mars and Jackie Bustard. All three being in the Rifles.

I guess Leslie Corkin was the conductor of Lisburn Silver Band back then and the other name that I remember was Billy McCann. Mauri ex RN,RAN,USAF,MN.

Myself and another Ulsterman

What was your connection to the Silver band? How did you know their names?

I was in RUR band, we played carols at the Belfast City Hall on 19th. Dec. 1951 and , at the conclusion, sailed on the ferry to Liverpool where we boarded the troopship HMT Halladale for Hong Kong. It was reported in the Belfast Telegraph that we were bound for Korea but, in the event, RUR completed their Korea stint and were relieved to HK. where we met up with them. My oldest brother was ORQMS with RUR in Korea. The Regiment was severely decimated, particularly by the Imjin battle, but later, in '53(?) we received most of our POW's back, many in very poor shape.

I cannot remember any names from the Silver band but do remember that their Tuba player was a terrific fast bowler!

Thanks for the contact, I hope you are keeping well.

Hi Peter, I had no connection with the Silver Band other than knowing a few guys that were in it.like the ones that I mentioned.

Are you from Lisburn yourself?, I was born and bred there but left at 15 and a half to go into the Royal Navy January 1946 to be precise.

I did not know that the Rifles had been stationed in Hong Kong we were in Hong Kong in around April 1952 on our way to escort the "SS Gothic" on which Princess Elizabeth and the Duke were to travel to Australia from East Africa where they had been visiting, however this was cancelled when the King died.

I had some good nights out in Kure with the guys that I mentioned doing a crawl of the beer halls.in fact they used to be waiting for us at the dockyard gates,shortly after we would arrive in port. All the Best Mauri





Some good videos on the Computer of the RUR marching in Belfast though you probably have seen them also of course of the band. Mauri

Hi Mauri, No, I am not from Lisburn. The RUR were in HK until 1954....I think...because I left them to go on a course in London in October 1953. After my year course, I spent two months in St.Patrick's Bks, Ballymena, ( our regimental depot...purely to play football as the depot team was on a good cup run!) before re-joining RUR in Wuppertal, Germany. i certainly was with RUR in HK during April '52.
I was fortunate enough to play cricket for an Army Eleven against the Aussies Ashes team in early '53. In those days, cricket teams travelled to & fro by sea. The Aussies always took shore leave to limber up with a match against the Army in HK. The team i met was Captained by Linsday Hasset and had Richie Benaud ( on his first tour) and other luminaries such as Miller, Lindwall, Johnston, Harvey etc. Quite a thrill for me as youngster. Our team was mainly made up of Officers......all anxious to play such a glamour match....most would not get into a local team but we did have major Deighton as Captain, and MCC & Lancashire player. Unfortunately, the match was curtailed due to bad weather but I did get to bowl and had a short 'bat'. Oh for those long gone days back again! Now i can only watch sport.

Hello Pam, No, I was born in Liverpool to a father from Dublin & a Mother from Galway City. I enlisted in the RUR ( my Dad had been in Royal Irish Rifles in WW1) at Ballykinlar, Co. Down, in 1948. We went to Colchester in'49, back to Lisburn in '50, to Hong Kong in '51 and, subsequently, to Germany, twice, Cyprus .57, Germany in '60,then left RUR for a three year course in London and became a Bandmaster in the Royal Anglian Regiment and got married in 1965. Cyprus in '65, Colchester again in '67, Gibralter in '69 ( for the Spanish confrontation) Germany again in '71, ( which included a short trip to Belfast during the troubles.) and left the Army in 1972 to take up a post teaching at Millfield School in Somerset. Retired after 24 years to Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire in 1997. There you have it, a short pot pourri of my career.
I would like to make a final visit to N.I. but age & distance is against me. My Wife recently broke her right femur and fractured a vertebrae in her neck and, at 81, is finding it a struggle to get around. We go a lot to the theatre in Cambridge, cruise annually and do a lot of reading; so still quite a full life.

I've gone on a bit....you only asked me if I came from Lisburn...and you couldn't stop me talking!!!!

Thank you for that, Liz. I agree about the hills. As you might see in my reply to Pam, we lived in Somerset for over 24 years. I also know North Devon. I went to school in the 40's. My school was in the Saunton Sands Hotel: it was commandeered during the war and moved from Dover.

Look after yourself,

Peter

"Hold on Liz", When you say Peter is a Gentleman are you implying that the other male contributors are not?, with respect I take exception to that I know we had a couple of stupid idiots commenting on here but apart from them I would suggest that the other male contributors are all Gentlemen as I assume that all the female contributors again with a couple of exceptions are all well mannered ladies. Have a lovely week. Mauri

Hello Mauri

My apologies to you, I was not making a point against any of the men on the forum, I enjoy you all. Peter is a rather quaint gentleman that I enjoy hearing from, but that doesn't mean I don't like the rest of you. It is good to hear from you again after a bit of a break, it wouldn't be the same without you!

Hi Liz, Apology accepted, I really didn't think you were insulting the rest of the male contributors but thought it better be clarified. Beautiful sunny day here in Southern Ontario though the temperature still a bit low at 4oF. However as I keep reminding myself spring is just around the corner. Have a great day and Thank You for your kind words. Mauri

Hi

Sorry to jump onto this conversation but today i was given my Nan and granddads photo albums, in this is pictures of my Nans Brother Jackie Bustard who was killed in the Korea and i noticed whilst trying to google him this conversation came up and thinking you knew him! how amazing! would love to know anything you can remember!

Kind Regards
Lucy Simpson

Hi Lucy,

I don't think I can help you. I am pretty sure I knew a Bustard in the RUR but the memory is very vague and I would not say more than that. I hope someone else will step in.
Lovely that you have got your Grandparents albums and nice to hear that you took the trouble to google in your pursuit of more information. Your next step should be the Royal Ulster Rifles Association or depot or museum. Someone, somewhere will have the information you seek.
Good luck.

Peter,
I never had any connection with the Silver band but I remember some of the members. I remember reading in the local paper when they joined the TA as a unit. I will try to find out more details from a girl (in my memory) whose husband was very involved in the band. Her husband's name is Jim Boyd. All the best Margaret

Hi Lucy, Was your Nan's name Helen??, if so I am pretty sure she was in my class at the Central School. Her brother Jackie was a few years older than me and although I met and associated with some RUR men in Kure Japan who were recovering from wounds received in the Korean war was never lucky enough to meet up with Jack. I believe he was killed in the night action when over 100 RUR men were lost. Best Wishes. Mauri

Thank you, Margaret.

I am writing some memoires of the period and did not want to commit to a memory that seemed very vague to me in my dotage! It does seem from the previous threads of my enquiry that such an event did take place.

Thank you so much for contacting me.

best wishes,

Peter

Hi,

Yes my nan is helen and is married to robin! What a small world,

I've been told Jackie posed for a statue somewhere also before he was killed so I'm always trying to find out about this!