Baillies Mills band celebrates 80th anniversary with tour

Baillies Mills band celebrates 80th anniversary with tour

28 August 2019

MEMBERS of Baillies Mills Accordion Band recently returned from a tour of First World War battlefields in France and Belgium.

An advance party left Baillies Mills by coach on August 15, along with instruments and uniforms, and met with the main party who flew to London the following day. 

In total, a party of 55 made the trip, organised as part of the band’s 80th anniversary commemorations and had been in planning for some time.

After arriving in England, the touring party set sail from Dover to Calais and drove to Ypres in Belgium visiting cemeteries at Poperinge and Ypres on the way, with band secretary, Stephen Dickson, looking after the travel and logistical arrangements, ensuring that everything went like clockwork.

On August 17, the main event was a visit to the Thiepval Memorial and the Ulster Tower, with the 29 musicians parading to both venues and playing for a short time, although conditions were rather damp. 

At each site bugler, Andrew Carlisle and piper Matt Warwick, played the Last Post and a piper’s lament. The band was joined by some guest players from Brunswick and Edgarstown Accordion Bands.

The weekend was emotional on various levels, particularly for those who visited graves of family or local people. One such example was Sgt Matt Harper who served in the Royal Irish Rifles and was buried at Moeuvres Cemetery in France.

Mrs Margaret Carlisle — who accompanied the band as a guest with her husband John — laid a wreath in memory of her great uncle and watched as her son, Andrew, sounded the Last Post in a short ceremony.

Canon Robert Howard, rector of Annahilt and Magherahamlet, accompanied the tour party and, by chance, discovered in the last few weeks that a relative, also called Robert Howard, had fallen at the Somme in October 1917. 

Some hasty research was undertaken and, to the amazement of Canon Howard, the grave was located at Hooge Crater Cemetery near Ypres. 

The band tour party made a special stop and Canon Howard said a prayer and planted a cross for his ancestor from Co Tipperary. The Last Post was sounded and piper’s lament played.

A third personal tribute took place on the Sunday morning of August 18 when the band visited the grave of James Wilson at Barlin Cemetery. James hailed from Stubby Hill, Baillies Mills, and had fallen in 1917 when serving with a Canadian Regiment.

Extensive research on his life has been carried out by Philip Bell and, through arrangements made with band drummer Richard McLoughlin, a short service was held at his grave including a wreath laid in his memory. 

His name was recently added to the War Memorial in Hillsborough and the band played at the Remembrance Day ceremony there in 2018 to mark this event.

On Sunday evening, the band led the praise at a special praise service in St George’s Church Ypres led by Canon Howard. 

This proved to be a very unique and highly charged experience given the location and the music, with some tears of emotion expressed at the conclusion of the service when the band played Nearer my God to Thee.

The main event of the weekend took place at the Menin Gate, Ypres, on Sunday evening. An act of remembrance takes place here every night of the year and has done since 1928, with the buglers from the volunteers of Ypres Fire Brigade. 

At the gate the band played the Irish hymn tune St Columba and Nearer My God to Thee during an emotional act of remembrance. 

The proceedings were broadcast live on Facebook and the band has received many complimentary messages on their performance.

The tour party set out for home the next day, reflecting on a trip that stirred the emotions but tinged with pride in the part that Baillies Mills Band had played over the events of the weekend.