The Royal Corps of Army Music (RCAM, widely known by its former acronym CAMUS) is a Corps of the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurkha ...

dedicated to the provision and promotion of military music.

History

The formation of the Corps of Army Music was triggered by a defence review known as ''

Options for Change Options for Change was a restructuring of the British Armed Forces in summer 1990 after the end of the Cold War. Until this point, UK military strategy had been almost entirely focused on defending Western Europe against the Soviet Armed Forces, ...

'' in 1991 and followed a 1993 announcement by the Chief of the General Staff that the number of regular army bands was to be reduced from 69 to 30. The period saw the number of personnel fall from 2,000 to 1,100, with Lieutenant Colonel Roger Tomlinson of the Royal Military School of Music describing it as "a gloomy time for those of us in the military music business". The Queen signed a warrant on 13 August 1994 to allow the formation of the Corps of Army Music. All regular army officers who were Directors of Music in the various corps and regiments and all regular army musicians would transfer to the Corps of Army Music - now the newest and most junior corps in the army - on 1 September 1994. The home of the corps was established at Kneller Hall in Twickenham, a site that already encompassed the Royal Military School of Music. The school was founded by the

Duke of Cambridge Duke of Cambridge, one of several current royal dukedoms in the United Kingdom , is a hereditary title of specific rank of nobility in the British royal family. The title (named after the city of Cambridge in England) is heritable by male de ...

, soon after his appointment as Commander in Chief in 1857, when the first class of military musicians was formed, a 'Class of Music'. The establishment was retitled as The Royal Military School of Music by

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previ ...

in 1887. The Future Army Structures review of 2004 saw the bands of the Regular Army reduced from 30 to 23. In 2019 the number of Regular Army bands was further reduced to 14.

2019 restructuring

In 2019 the Corps of Army Music was restructured with a number of bands being co-located and re-named. In a process of 'Military Music Optimization', the regular Army band laydown was adjusted to enable several smaller bands to train and perform as larger bands for more significant Army events: 'Co-locating 11 of the smaller bands in three major garrisons and Sandhurst has increased the flexibility of CAMUS to perform at a huge breadth of events without compromising any of the traditional bands that have been performing for many years'.

Renaming and move

During a visit to Kneller Hall in December 2020, the

Earl Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form ''jarl'', and meant " chieftain", particu ...

and

Countess of Wessex Earl of Wessex is a title that has been created twice in British history – once in the pre-Conquest Anglo-Saxon nobility of England, and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. In the 6th century AD the region of Wessex (the lands of the ...

announced the Corps of Army Music would be renamed the Royal Corps of Army Music from January 2021. This change was formally marked with a new title presentation in January 2021 with the Countess in attendance. In September 2021, the Corps Headquarters moved to Gibraltar Barracks in Minley, whilst the Royal Military School of Music moved to HMS ''Nelson'' alongside the Royal Marines School of Music.

Bands of the Corps

The 14 constituent bands of the Corps are as follows: * Band of the Household Cavalry, at

Combermere Barracks Combermere Barracks, Windsor, is a British military installation from Windsor Castle. History The original barracks, known as Clewer Barracks, were designed to accommodate the Royal Horse Guards and were built at Clewer Park between 1796 and 1 ...

, Windsor *

Band of the Grenadier Guards The Band of the Grenadier Guards is one of the bands in the British Army. History In 1685 Charles II allowed the band to maintain 12 "hautbois" (oboe) players. His death in 1685 was so significant for the band that until the Second World W ...

, at

Wellington Barracks Wellington Barracks is a military barracks in Westminster, central London, for the Foot Guards battalions on public duties in that area. The building is located about three hundred yards from Buckingham Palace, allowing the guard to be able to ...

, Westminster, London * Band of the Coldstream Guards, at Wellington Barracks, Westminster, London * Band of the Scots Guards, at Wellington Barracks, Westminster, London *

Band of the Irish Guards The Band of the Irish Guards is one of five bands in the Foot Guards Regiments in the Household Division whose main role is to guard the British monarch. The Band supports the Regiment by providing the musical backing to which much of the ceremo ...

, at Wellington Barracks, Westminster, London *

Band of the Welsh Guards The Band of the Welsh Guards is the youngest of the five bands in the Foot Guards Regiments in the Household Division, specifically the Welsh Guards which primarily guards the British monarch. History The Welsh Guards Band was formed in 1915, ...

, at Wellington Barracks, Westminster, London *

Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland The Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland is one of the three official military bands of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, and is based at Dreghorn Barracks, Edinburgh. The bandsmen wear the feather bonnet with a red over white hackle and scarlet ...

, at

Dreghorn Barracks Dreghorn Barracks are located in Edinburgh, Scotland. The barracks are situated at the southern edge of the city, south of Colinton, and adjacent to the Edinburgh City Bypass. History The present barracks complex was largely built in 1937–1939 ...

, Edinburgh * Band and Bugles of The Rifles, at

Worthy Down Barracks Worthy Down Camp is a tri-service establishment near Winchester, in Hampshire, England. It forms part of the wider Winchester Garrison and houses the headquarters of the Defence College of Logistics, Policing and Administration (DCLPA), as well ...

, Winchester *

Countess of Wessex's String Orchestra The Countess of Wessex's String Orchestra (CWSO) is a 24-member string band from the British Army's Royal Corps of Army Music. It is currently the only independent full-time string band in the British Armed Forces. It is named after Sophie, Counte ...

, at Royal Artillery Barracks, Woolwich Station, London *British Army Band Catterick, at Piave Lines,

Catterick Garrison Catterick Garrison is a major garrison and military town south of Richmond, North Yorkshire, England. It is the largest British Army garrison in the world, with a population of around 13,000 in 2017 and covering over 2,400 acres (about 10 ...

Band of the Royal Armoured Corps The Band of the Royal Armoured Corps is a marching band of the Royal Corps of Army Music within the British Army. Although one of the newest bands their traditions go back can be traced to before 1939. Following the 2020 reorganisation of the R ...

**Band of the

King's Division The King's Division was a British Army command, training and administrative apparatus designated for infantry regiments in the North of England. History The King's Division was formed in 1968 with the union of the Lancastrian Brigade, Yorkshi ...

**Band of the

Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers The Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME ) is a corps of the British Army that maintains the equipment that the Army uses. The corps is described as the "British Army's Professional Engineers". History Prior to REME's for ...

*British Army Band Tidworth, at Lucknow Barracks,

Tidworth Camp Tidworth Camp is a military installation at Tidworth in Wiltshire, England. It forms part of the Tidworth, Netheravon and Bulford (TidNBul) Garrison. History The Camp was established when the War Office acquired a 19th-century mansion – Te ...

** Royal Artillery Band **Band of the

Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is head ...

**Band of the

Adjutant General's Corps The Adjutant General's Corps is a corps in the British Army responsible for many of its general administrative services, named for the Adjutant-General to the Forces (now the Commander Home Command). As of 2002, the AGC had a staff of 7,000 peo ...

*British Army Band Sandhurst, at the

Royal Military Academy Sandhurst The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS or RMA Sandhurst), commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is one of several military academies of the United Kingdom and is the British Army's initial officer training centre. It is located in the town o ...

Camberley Camberley is a town in the Borough of Surrey Heath in Surrey, England, approximately south-west of Central London. The town is in the far west of the county, close to the borders of Hampshire and Berkshire. Once part of Windsor Forest, Camb ...

** Band of the Royal Corps of Signals **Band of the

Royal Logistic Corps The Royal Logistic Corps provides logistic support functions to the British Army. It is the largest Corps in the Army. History The Royal Logistic Corps (RLC) was formed on 5 April 1993, by the union of five British Army corps: * Royal Engine ...

*British Army Band Colchester, at Merville Barracks,

Colchester Garrison Colchester Garrison is a major garrison located in Colchester in the county of Essex, Eastern England. It has been an important military base since the Roman era. The first permanent military garrison in Colchester was established by Legio XX ...

**Band of the Queen's Division (originally disbanded in 2018)RRF Regimental Handbook, pp. 14–15. ** Band of the Parachute Regiment **Band of the Army Air Corps *Band of the Prince of Wales, at

Brecon Brecon (; cy, Aberhonddu; ), archaically known as Brecknock, is a market town in Powys, mid Wales. In 1841, it had a population of 5,701. The population in 2001 was 7,901, increasing to 8,250 at the 2011 census. Historically it was the c ...

In addition to providing personnel for all the above bands, the Corps of Army Music provides 'technical support' for the

Band of the Brigade of Gurkhas The Band of the Brigade of Gurkhas is a British military band based at Shorncliffe. It supports the British Army and the Brigade of Gurkhas in ceremonial settings, pass off parades, concerts and many other musical support tasks. It is a directl ...

, based at Shorncliffe Camp, Folkestone, which is separately constituted. Other bands may be formed from time to time by drawing together personnel from different ensembles; for example the British Army Brass Band (founded by two Army Bandmasters in 2007) is 'made up of players across all bands of the Army, Regulars and Reservists'.

Army Reserve Bands

All Army Reserve bands report to their respective regimental/battalion headquarters and provide around 30% of all the Army's musical output. The current Army Reserve bands as of April 2021 are as follows: * Band of the Honourable Artillery Company * Band of the Royal Yeomanry (Inns of Court and City Yeomanry) * Lancashire Artillery Volunteers Band * The Nottinghamshire Band of the

* The (Northern) Band of the

Royal Corps of Signals The Royal Corps of Signals (often simply known as the Royal Signals – abbreviated to R SIGNALS or R SIGS) is one of the combat support arms of the British Army. Signals units are among the first into action, providing the battlefield commun ...

Lowland Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland The Lowland Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland is a military band in the Territorial Army and one of three military bands in the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The band is based at the East Claremont Street drill hall in Edinburgh and is adminis ...

* Highland Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland * Band of the

Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (Queen's and Royal Hampshires) The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (or PWRR, also known as 'The Tigers') is the senior English line infantry regiment of the British Army, second in the line infantry order of precedence to the Royal Regiment of Scotland and part of the Qu ...

Band of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers The Band of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers is an Army Reserve military band part of the 5th Battalion, Royal Regiment of Fusiliers. History In 1951 the Band of the 43rd (6th (City) Battalion, The Royal Northumberland Fusiliers) Royal Tank Re ...

* Band of the

Royal Anglian Regiment The Royal Anglian Regiment (R ANGLIAN) is an infantry regiment of the British Army. It consists of two Regular battalions and one Reserve battalion. The modern regiment was formed in 1964, making it the oldest of the Line Regiments now operating ...

* Volunteer Band of the Royal Gibraltar Regiment * Band of The Royal Irish Regiment (27th (Inniskilling) 83rd and 87th and Ulster Defence Regiment) * Band of the

Royal Welsh The Royal Welsh (R WELSH) ( cy, Y Cymry Brenhinol) is an armoured infantry regiment of the British Army. It was established in 2006 from the Royal Welch Fusiliers (23rd Foot) and the Royal Regiment of Wales (24th/41st Foot). History The ...

- The only Brass Band in the Army Reserve * Band of the

Duke of Lancaster's Regiment (King's Lancashire and Border) The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment (King's, Lancashire and Border) (LANCS) is an infantry regiment of the line within the British Army, part of the King's Division. Headquartered in Preston, Lancashire, Preston, it recruits throughout the North Wes ...

* Band of the Yorkshire Regiment (14th/15th, 19th & 33rd/76th Foot) * The Band of The Mercian Regiment * The Salamanca Band of

The Rifles The Rifles is an infantry regiment of the British Army. Formed in 2007, it consists of four Regular battalions and three Reserve battalions, plus a number of companies in other Army Reserve battalions. Each battalion of The Rifles was formerl ...

* The Waterloo Band of

* Band of 150th (Yorkshire) Regiment,

* Band of the

Army Medical Services The Army Medical Services (AMS) is the organisation responsible for administering the corps that deliver medical, veterinary, dental and nursing services in the British Army. It is headquartered at the former Staff College, Camberley, near the ...

Army Volunteer Bands

All Army Volunteer Bands serve in a voluntary capacity and have no army reserves commitment but still perform for various mess functions, church parades and civic functions, supporting their regiment and the wider regimental family. The uniform worn is that of the regular regiment which is headquartered in the Tower of London. * The Band and Drum Corps of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers (Lancashire) * The Band of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers (Warwickshire)

Order of Precedence

Footnotes

References

External links

Corps of Army Music
- on British Army official website {{DEFAULTSORT:Corps Of Army Music British administrative corps Musical groups established in 1994 Military units and formations established in 1994 1994 establishments in British Overseas Territories