[Dixielandjazz] Fw: First Tune of the night

[Pat Ladd]

Hi Glen,

I like the sound of your grandmother.
 I have already made a comment on this but in view of your comment 
specifically to me I will addthis.

While I was serving King and Country as a `greasy gunner in the Royal 
Artilleree` (its a song) I was stationed at the Tower of London to help keep 
an eye on the Crown Jewels. During this period I was often involved in `The 
Ceremony of the Keys`. This occurs each night when the Yeoman Warders, thats 
Beefeaters to you, with an escort from whatever regiment is currently posted 
to the Tower, goes round and locks up.
I can`t recall all the details now but it involved a great deal of 
`bullshit`. Uniforms pressed, belts and gaiters  blanco`d, brasses polished 
(back and front), rifles polished with Kiwi `Oxblood` and boots worked over 
with a red hot spoon  and a toothbrush handle and spit and polish  until you 
could shave in the reflection in the toecaps.
The Yeoman warder, with a lamp and an escort would approach one of the 
internal guardposts and the sentry would challenge with the words `Halt. Who 
goes there?` The officer of the Keys party would say `The Keys`. The 
challenger would shout `Whose Keys?` to which the answer was `King Georges 
Keys`. `Pass King Georges Keys` was the reply and then we could get our 
heads down until it was our turn to turn out and take post in the sentry 
box.

I always felt it was quite a privilege to do duty in the historic place 
which had been a fort for around 2000years but it was a bit creepy at 2 in 
the morning and we often found sentries passed out having fainted and 
swearing that they had seen the ghost of Anne Boleyn coming down the steps 
from where her head was lopped off.
Great days.

Cheers

Pat
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Glen Page" <gpage at shaw.ca>
To: "Pat Ladd" <pj.ladd at btinternet.com>
Cc: "'Dixieland Jazz Mailing List'" <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Tuesday, July 27, 2010 3:08 PM
Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] First Tune of the night


> Hello all
>
> A long time ago it was traditional, in fact mandatory almost, to preface 
> any
> performance, including a moving picture show with the playing of "God Save
> The King"during which the respectful audience stood smartly to attention 
> and
> stopped chewing their gum.
>
> I still remember being with my grandmother who would bellow out "God save
> the people they, need more thy help today than King or Queen".
>
> I bet that Pat Ladd remembers those times.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Glen from BRITISH COLUMBIA.
>
>
>
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