RAF Central Band sheet music of 'RAF March Past'

The "Royal Air Force March Past" is the official march of the Royal Air Force (RAF) and is used in some other

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air forces. The original score was completed by Walford Davies in 1918 for the new RAF. It combined the rhythm of the

bugle call A bugle call is a short tune, originating as a military signal announcing scheduled and certain non-scheduled events on a military installation, battlefield, or ship. Historically, bugles, drums, and other loud musical instruments were used fo ...

of the Royal Flying Corps with that of the

Royal Naval Air Service The Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) was the air arm of the Royal Navy, under the direction of the Admiralty's Air Department, and existed formally from 1 July 1914 to 1 April 1918, when it was merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps t ...

. The call appears in both the introduction and the

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. It was originally known as the Adastral I (in reference to the RAF's motto). The second part of the march past, the trio, was composed by Sir George Dyson. The march can be played both as a slow march and a quick march, and has been used as both when the

Queen's Colour Squadron The King's Colour Squadron, formerly the Queen's Colour Squadron, is the unit of the Royal Air Force charged with the safe-keeping of the King's Colour for the Royal Air Force in the United Kingdom. Since its formation, it has been formed excl ...

and RAF bands perform public duties such as mounting the guard at

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Canadian version

Authority was granted in February 1943 by His Majesty's Stationery Office to publish the "RAF March Past" piece in Canada under the title "RCAF March Past". It was the official march of the

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...

until the unification of the

Canadian Armed Forces } The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; french: Forces armées canadiennes, ''FAC'') are the unified military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air elements referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Force. ...

in 1968. It continued to be the authorized march of Air Command and the

Air Operations Branch The Air Operations Branch (french: links=no, Branche des opérations aériennes) is a personnel branch of the Canadian Forces (CF). All members of the branch wear air force uniform. Training Royal Canadian Air Force Academy The Royal Canadian Air ...

of the Canadian Forces from 1968-2011. In 2011 Air Command reverted its name to

and the RCAF March Past continues as the official march of the RCAF. It is also the official march of the Royal Canadian Air Cadets and the Air Force Association of Canada. A pipe band arrangement was composed in the 1950s by Pipe Major

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of the

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Pipe Band, and a trio for pipes was composed in 1970 by Pipe Major

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Lyrics

The following are the lyrics to be sung to the Trio section of the march (composed by George Dyson). It references the

motto A motto (derived from the Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of an individual, family, social group, or organisation. M ...

of the RAF, ''" Per Ardua Ad Astra"'' ( Latin, "Through adversity to the stars"). :RAF March Past :Through adversities we'll conquer. :Blaze into the stars, :A trail of glory :We'll live on land and sea :'Til victory is won. :Men in blue skies are winging :In each heart one thought is ringing. :Fight for the right, :God is our might, :We shall be free.

Audio samples

Audio of the RAF March Past

RCAF March Past on Youtube

References

{{reflist *Tracy, Robert. "Our Symbols - A Historical Link With Our Air Force Roots". ''Air Force Magazine''. Vol. 22, No. 3. 1998. ISSN 0704-6804. pp. 94–96. * Air Force Association of Canada. ''Air Force on the March!'' CD liner notes. British military marches Royal Air Force March Past Royal Air Force music 1918 compositions Songs about aviators