Drum Major Tom Birkett

Drum Major/Bandmaster Tom Birkett* The late Tom Birkett was born in 1917 in Whitehaven, Cumberland. He joined the Coldstream Guards on the 28th September 1936 at Caterham and as a former brass band cornet player, found himself a Drummer just as soon as his Drum Major heard him play a bugle. First promoted to Drum Major of the 3rd Battalion in 1945, he had only played transcriptions of marches played by the band; (he was later to lead a 50 strong corps of drums in the 2nd Battalion). It was against this schooling, he found himself having to reform the 3rd Battalion ’Drums for all the inherent parades marking the end of WW2. His main problem was the lack of printed music, so he ruled staves on to plain paper and began composing; something he had never previously tried!

After his army service he became Drum Major, later Bandmaster, to the Central Band of the RAF (the 2 year course for which he passed in 12 months!). Having written Out The Escort, (Armoury House), when serving in Malaya and leaving his many popular arrangements to one side, his more popular marches include: The Adjutant, Second Battalion, Hazelmere and The Quartermaster (Major Edwards). Tom took up the pen again around 1991, so Major Powell, Pineglen, Buttons in Twos, Coldstream Star and several others arrived for circulation in March 1992, with Buttons in Twos now having enjoyed an airing on HM The Queen’s Birthday Parade.