The King's Own Calgary Regiment Band is the regimental band of

The King's Own Calgary Regiment The King's Own Calgary Regiment (RCAC), (''The King's Own'' or ''The KOCR''), is a Canadian Army armoured reconnaissance regiment of the Canadian Armed Forces Primary Reserve. Headquartered at the Mewata Armoury in Calgary, Alberta, the KOCR is a ...

based at

Mewata Armouries Mewata Armoury (also referred to as Mewata Armouries) is a Canadian Forces reserve armoury in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. ''Mewata'' ( is derived from the Cree word (), meaning "Oh, be joyful". The building was built between 1915 and 1918 for a ...

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

. It is currently one of two Primary Reserve bands in 41 Canadian Brigade Group and is the ''

de facto ''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with ''de jure'' ("by la ...

'' military bands for the southern

area. The regimental band is an composed of volunteer members, all of whom have completed the

Basic Military Qualification Basic Military Qualification (BMQ) refers to both the basic training course, and the graduation qualification, received by non-commissioned recruits or reservists seeking entry to the Canadian Forces } The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; french: Forc ...

(BMQ) and many of whom have studied and trained at the

Canadian Forces School of Music The Canadian Forces School of Music, CFSM (French language: École de musique des Forces canadiennes, EMFC) was an educational institution that supported the music branch and all Canadian military bands in the Canadian Forces. It was created in ...

CFB Borden Canadian Forces Base Borden (also CFB Borden, French: Base des Forces canadiennes Borden or BFC Borden), formerly RCAF Station Borden, is a large Canadian Forces base located in Ontario. The historic birthplace of the Royal Canadian Air Force, CF ...

. The band has the following ensembles: *Wind Ensemble *Brass Ensemble **Fanfare Team *Percussion Ensemble

History

It was established in 1910, it served as the official band of the

103rd Regiment (Calgary Rifles) The 103rd Regiment (Calgary Rifles) was an infantry regiment of the Canadian Non-Permanent Active Militia, authorized at Calgary, Alberta, Canada, by General Order on 1 April 1910. History The 103rd Regiment was raised in Calgary as a militia ...

, which was part of the

Non-Permanent Active Militia The Non-Permanent Active Militia (NPAM) was the name of Canada's part-time volunteer military force from 1855 to 1940. The NPAM (also called "the Militia" though that term could also encompass the full-time standing army known as the Permanent A ...

. It originally consisted of members of the

Calgary Fire Department The Calgary Fire Department (CFD) provides fire services for the city of Calgary, Alberta. The department was created on 25 August 1885 as the Calgary Hook, Ladder and Bucket Corps. As of February 2022, the department has 42 stations. The depart ...

and the Calgary Citizens Band. Following the outbreak of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, many musicians of the band volunteered for service with 50th Battalion of the

Canadian Expeditionary Force The Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) was the expeditionary field force of Canada during the First World War. It was formed following Britain’s declaration of war on Germany on 15 August 1914, with an initial strength of one infantry division ...

, where they continued to serves as musicians, as well as medical personnel,

stretcher bearer A stretcher-bearer is a person who carries a stretcher, generally with another person at its other end, especially in a war or emergency times when there is a very serious accident or a disaster. In case of military personnel, for example removi ...

s and stick orderlies. Unlike its service in the first war, the band did not deploy with the KOCR to

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. The band gained new members in 1963 with the official disbandment of the Band of the Calgary unit of the

Royal Canadian Army Service Corps The Royal Canadian Army Service Corps (RCASC) was an administrative and transport corps of the Canadian Army. The Canadian Army Service Corps was established in the Non-Permanent Active Militia in 1901 and in the Permanent Active Militia in 1903. ...

that year. In 1966, the band, then under the direction of Victor Wright, was dissolved by order of the

Department of National Defense Department of Defence or Department of Defense may refer to: Current departments of defence * Department of Defence (Australia) * Department of National Defence (Canada) * Department of Defence (Ireland) * Department of National Defense (Philippin ...

. It was reinstated in the early 1970s. A decade later, the band stirred controversy when it performed its regimental march, ''

Colonel Bogey March The "Colonel Bogey March" is a British march that was composed in 1914 by Lieutenant F. J. Ricketts (1881–1945) (pen name Kenneth J. Alford), a British Army bandmaster who later became the director of music for the Royal Marines at Plymout ...

'', during the visit of the

Prime Minister of Japan The prime minister of Japan (Japanese: 内閣総理大臣, Hepburn: ''Naikaku Sōri-Daijin'') is the head of government of Japan. The prime minister chairs the Cabinet of Japan and has the ability to select and dismiss its Ministers of Stat ...

Masayoshi Ōhira was a Japanese politician who was Prime Minister of Japan from 1978 to 1980. Ōhira's time in office was cut short when he died in office; he remains the most recent Japanese Prime Minister to die in office. Early life Masayoshi Ōhira was bo ...

to Ottawa in May 1980, which was perceived as an insult as it was used in the movie ''The Bridge on the River Kwai'', which depicted prisoners of war held under inhumane conditions by the Japanese. In June 1991, the band took part in the funeral of the John Michael Pierce, a British oil developer who died at a ranch in

Turner Valley Turner Valley is a town in the Calgary Metropolitan Region of Alberta, Canada that is surrounded by Foothills County. It is on Highway 22 (Cowboy Trail), west of Black Diamond and approximately southwest of Calgary. It was named after Robert a ...

. In 1992, the band released its first and as of 2020, only album titled: ''A Salute To Canada's War Veterans On Canada's 125th Anniversary 1992''. In May 2005, the band performed

martial music Martial music or military music is a specific genre of music intended for use in military settings performed by professional soldiers called field musicians. Much of the military music has been composed to announce military events as with b ...

at the

Scotiabank Saddledome Scotiabank Saddledome is a multi-use indoor arena in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Located in Stampede Park in the southeast end of downtown Calgary, the Saddledome was built in 1983 to replace the Stampede Corral as the home of the Calgary Flames ...

for Queen

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

during her visit to Calgary.

Modern day activities

The KOCR Band participates several activities: *

Military parade A military parade is a formation of soldiers whose movement is restricted by close-order manoeuvering known as drilling or marching. The military parade is now almost entirely ceremonial, though soldiers from time immemorial up until the lat ...

* Regimental Dinners * Concerts * Regimental Holidays *

Presentation of Colours The Presentation of Colours is a ceremony that marks an anniversary or event in the history of a particular regiment. This involves the presentation of a new version of the regimental colour to a regiment or equivalent formation in the armed for ...

* Funerals (state and regimental) The 35-member band primarily performs as a concert and parade band and performs at military and provincial functions in the community. Besides musicians, members of the band are also trained as mechanics, as well as infantry soldiers. Being based in

, it has performed in the city's many activities, including the

Calgary Stampede The Calgary Stampede is an annual rodeo, exhibition, and festival held every July in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The ten-day event, which bills itself as "The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth", attracts over one million visitors per year and featu ...

and the St. George's Day parade. It also performs during events that are held on the national scale, such as

Remembrance Day Remembrance Day (also known as Poppy Day owing to the tradition of wearing a remembrance poppy) is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth member states since the end of the First World War to honour armed forces members who have died in t ...

services and

Canada Day Canada Day (french: Fête du Canada), formerly known as Dominion Day (french: Fête du Dominion), is the national day of Canada. A federal statutory holiday, it celebrates the anniversary of Canadian Confederation which occurred on July 1, 18 ...

parades. Local sporting events are often in its schedule, including games with the

Calgary Flames The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary. The Flames compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference, and ...

and the

Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. They play their home games at Rogers Place, which ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kings Own Calgary Regiment Band, The King's Own Calgary Regiment Bands of the Canadian Army Musical groups established in 1910 1910 establishments in Alberta

History

Modern day activities

See also

References