Lanimer Day 1973 The first of many!!!!

Dan A · Lanimer Day 1973 The first of many!!!!

Rab... cheers mate I had quite forgotten the GEORGE COAD dit about the first Lanimer Day Parade. For those not acquainted with this prestigeous and much sought after gig. Its starts at approx 0800am whatever the weather and a parade led by us followed by a large mounted posse of drunken jocks (the town council) and several pipe bands who ride and march the perimeter of the town of Lanark. it takes a while as one of the rules is they have to stop at every pub for a whiskey or two. Needless to say we did not indulge at this early hour. If my memory is correct this parade took at least a couple of hours by this time the town posse and pipers were well and truly hammered. The band stood down for a while and then we did it all again!!!!! ( Great gig Graham!!!) In the afternoon the band adjourned to the local race course for a concert band gig followed by a Beat Retreat in the evening. A day to remember!!!

On completion of this epic the Band mustered in a local famous pub called Maisie Martins.... at that time still run by the lady herself. Needless to say the band were necking sevral beers after this appaling day when a drunken piper (what other sort is there) pinned GEORGE COADS ears back that the Band was a rubbish and the only decent music in the world was pipe music. GEORGE took up the challenge and persisted that anyone could play the pipes. This gained a large audience of pipers who were all keen for George to put the pipes where his mouth was!!!! George the darling, never one to hide his talents waited until they had lined up several scotches picked up the pipes and after a couple of minutes wrestling with the things played like a professional.... George had neglected to tell them that he done a Piping Course at Edinburgh Castle prior to a draft to the 42 Cdo Pipe Band in Singapore. Exit several pi$$ed off and out played Jocks. A beautiful George Coad moment.
The gig also brought a new saying to the band when knackered, pi$$ed, wet through or generally hacked off "I am well and truly Lanimered"

Thanks Rab for resurrecting Lanimer day you GIT. I think we should have a FOSNI Band reunion and thank Graham Hoskins personally!!!!

admin

PRICELESS!
Isn't it called beating the boundary or something like that?

I do remember doing something similar; a walk in the park compared to the epic detailed above. The Jocks were of course just as drunk. It did make Deal carnival seem like a breeze

RAB · Lanimer Day

Superb description Dan. and to make it even worse for me personally was the mounted Old Bill's horse who provided the outrider service while we marched. If you remember it decided to try and reciprocate the oompahs emerging from the bell of my bass, but using a part of its abdomin that is reserved for that and one more purpose alone.(a distinct memory of Stanley Bugler from Chatham Band 1970). The only respite I got from the stench was when the horse passed under a road sign not quite high enough to give the rider clearance. This resulted in a sore head and red face for the "Mountie" and a change of scenery for the horse as they moved to the offside of the parade..Your idea of a FOSNI reunion sounds great to me so I will rehearse drinking with both hands forthwith...

revhitchins

Rab and Dan
wasn't Daisie May's only just big enough to get half a band in at any one time, or was that one of the other 200 stops on the route? And, Rab, I agree with Dan's sentiments on this one: some things are best left neatly compartmentalised and supressed deeply within the subconscious - this gig is one of them!
Talking of George Caod, though, and notwithstanding that I always found George a really genuine bloke, I seem to remember he had an interesting take on how to economise on the household electric bill...
Then there was the annual Bon Accord festival in Aberdeen. I'd gone ashore one evening for a quiet meal (indian), discovered George just finishing a (very) large and hot curry whilst wiping away copious amounts of resulting perspiration. In order to keep me company while I had my meal, he ordered the same meal he'd just had and did it all again - complete with the copious perspiration!
(And before you bring it up, Rab, yes, that was the same gig when we reached Aberdeen - a whole day's travel then - and I discovered I'd brought the wrong uniform. 12 hours before first parade next morning, during which I made like Phineas Fogg back to Rosyth, broke into the grot, returned just in time to get the rig on and fall in. Lessons hard learnt...)

RAB

Oh Graham, I'm so pleased your memory has surpassed the powers of senility.
WE can't let "Bon-Accord" week pass without a mention of the Civic Reception laid on for the band by the Lord Provost. For those who are interested: Bon Accord week in Aberdeen was an annual 2week schools tour, with a couple of miles march down Union St each morning. Great social gig Cat 3 on full subsistance..TA Hall camp beds etc... The Lord Provost laid on a full Civic Lunch just for us which Graham Hoskins agreed to, provided we "behaved ourselves and took it easy" as we had a school concert afterwards..Pre-lunch trays of whisky, sherry, wine etc..quickly disappeared, followed by copious amounts of all flavours of incahol during lunch..TOM GALLACHER WAS PLASTERED!!! Mind you I didn't know Tom took a drink until one time I saw him sober...As the weather was fine they decided to have the concert outside on a grass area near the oggin..Things were fine ..weeelll..ok..but following earlier rain. the chair legs were digging into the grass..not a great problem for the more sober of us, but a major issue for Tom..He didn't have the sobriety or the will to correct the angle, and eventually gravity intervened and Tom was lying flat on his back still attempting to play Hootnanny..He then stopped and blamed Steve Cook for pushing him...Oh happy days..BUT NO MORE CIVIC LUNCHES.
Just one more thing Graham...where have you been raking to 'til this time in the morning?..

.(check times of Graham's posts)

revhitchins

I could lie and say that it was a delayed-timed posting, but I don't think they work on this site. Anyway, here I am again - even later. It's just been one of those weeks...
Your dit about Tom can't be left without reference to the finger wagging duel between him and Graham Hoskins, which I'm sure was the same occasion - or was it, after all, another surpressed memory from you-know-where?

RAB

OK Graham.. We've allowed you absence for two major gigs in your field of work.. Christmas and Easter....

Now come on young man....The least I expect as your "role model"..

..is your input to this Forum..

God(your new gaffer) forbid another ordained RMB/RM Commando should appear on the Forum and steal your thunder (similar to your pot playing),
and take over as Forum Padre...

...

Look forward to your re-appearance...

Hang on.. I'm doing your job here mate....

Hey Nonny

History repeats itself...

Immediately prior to The Kn*bs final departure from FOSNI band, HMS Scylla received the freedom of the city of Aberdeen. After the parade etc there was the civic reception. Bandy was in charge and called a halt before we got to desserts as far too much alcohol had been consumed. Luckily some bright spark managed to 'smuggle' out a fair quantity of vino and the party continued on the coach

. What followed was not pleasant,

but fortunately for us junior ranks some SNCOs hadn't behaved themselves either

so we all got a slap on the wrist from Drummy, a small whip around to placate the coach driver and NO MILK OR COOKIES BEFORE BEDTIME. In the cold and sober light of day it appears it was the band letting off steam due to the impending departure of knobby. C'est la vie.

Hey Nonny

Fosni band did do a Lanimer's Day in the 90s, it hadn't previously been done for years. It was crap, but not half as crap as it used to be according to the previous authors. Taff Ryan recounted an expression known as 'Happy Lanimers day' as the gig had indeed passed into the folk lore of the band.

General Melchett

"Happy Marches!" Now there's an oxymoron.....

ZedHorn

no... Happy MarcheRs would be an oxymoron!!!

Z

Hornblower

Oh well - it looks like I'm gonna have to 'Google' oxymoron...

RAB

Hornblower

Gosh Rab...

You're the best!

RAB