103 Regiment RA Pipes & Drums

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103 Regiment RA Pipes & Drums The official page of the 103 Reg RA Pipes & Drums, part of . The new Regiment decided to maintain the Pipes and Drums as a Regimental tradition.

The 103rd (Lancashire Artillery Volunteers) Regiment Royal Artillery has a long and distinguished history, dating back to the 19th century. The regiment was originally formed in 1860 as the 1st Lancashire Artillery Volunteer Corps, a unit of part-time volunteers who were tasked with defending the local area in the event of an attack. Over the years, the unit grew and evolved, eventually becoming the 103rd (Lancashire Artillery Volunteers) Regiment Royal Artillery. Throughout its history, the regiment has seen action in several major conflicts, including both World Wars. During World War I, the regiment served on the Western Front, where it was involved in several major battles, including the Battle of the Somme. In World War II, the regiment served in a variety of roles, including as part of the defence of the UK against German air attacks and as part of the Allied forces that landed in Normandy on D-Day. In 1967, Lancashire's Artillery Regiments were amalgamated to form 103rd (Lancashire Artillery Volunteers) RA(V). These regiments included the 470th (3rd West Lancashire) Royal Artillery, together with its Pipes and Drums. Until 1970 the pipe band wore Irish Saffron kilts, whereupon the then Honorary Colonel of the Regiment, Brigadier Sir Douglas Crawford, donated the Crawford tartan, which is still worn in his honour. The Pipes and Drums strive to maintain the tradition of Army Reserve pipe bands in Merseyside, and along with A Troop 208 Battery, still wear with pride the distinctive blue and red hackle of the Liverpool Irish. Throughout its long history, the 103rd (Lancashire Artillery Volunteers) Regiment Royal Artillery has played an important role in defending the UK and in serving the local community. Its soldiers continue to serve with distinction both at home and abroad, and the regiment remains an important part of Liverpool's cultural heritage. To engage the band, please use the contact details and aim to give 8 weeks lead.

A great evening supporting the Bolton Volunteers Association at their annual dinner last night.It was also a special one...
04/10/2026

A great evening supporting the Bolton Volunteers Association at their annual dinner last night.

It was also a special one for us, marking the final formal event for our Battery Commander, Major Shellard.

A fitting night to be part of. 🥁

A fitting farewell to 216 Battery’s Battery Commander.

Last night marked Major Shellard’s final formal engagement as Battery Commander of 216 Battery, as he joined the Bolton Volunteers Association for their annual dinner.

The Mayor of Bolton was among the guests, while our 103 Regiment RA Pipes & Drums were on hand to add a bit of class to the occasion. 🥁

For Major Shellard, it brought his time in command to a close, surrounded by the people and community that 216 Battery is proud to be part of.

From everyone across 103 Regiment, thank you for your leadership and service to 216 Battery.

We wish you all the best for what comes next.

A bit of piping in Southport 🎶A couple of the team spent the weekend at Southport Air Show, with our Pipes & Drums helpi...
31/08/2026

A bit of piping in Southport 🎶

A couple of the team spent the weekend at Southport Air Show, with our Pipes & Drums helping to add a bit of Royal Artillery sound to the occasion.

Always good to be out and about, and a cracking shot of one of our pipers doing what he does best.

Hope you’ve had a good Bank Holiday weekend.

30/08/2026

A couple of our team have been at Southport Air Show supporting 103 Regiment RA. 🥁✈️

Different role. Same Regiment.

It’s another chance to get involved, represent the team and be part of something bigger than your usual routine.

If you spot us, come over and say hello.

🎥 Southport Air Show

This July, Horse Guards Parade becomes the most spectacular stage in London. 🎶The Massed Bands of the Household Division...
09/07/2026

This July, Horse Guards Parade becomes the most spectacular stage in London. 🎶

The Massed Bands of the Household Division join forces with Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber, the Swiss Top Secret Drum Corps, NATO's SHAPE International Jazz Band, a Ukrainian Choir, the Band and Bugles of the Ri**es, the Band of the Brigade of Gurkhas, The London Scottish Pipes and Drums, and the West End Musical Choir for three extraordinary nights of military music, West End classics, pyrotechnics and precision drill.

Despite the heat of the day, these resilient professionals have completed their exacting rehearsals and tonight will appear in all their finery as London basks in a beautiful heatwave.

A Military Musical Spectacular. Every evening 8–10 July 2026. Horse Guards Parade.

From Phantom of the Opera to the parade ground — this is British Army Music at its very best. 🎺

👉 Find out more and get your tickets NOW https://www.householddivision.org.uk/mms-tickets

Here’s to the dads who are always there when it matters. Happy Father’s Day from the Pipes and Drums of 103rd Regiment R...
21/06/2026

Here’s to the dads who are always there when it matters. Happy Father’s Day from the Pipes and Drums of 103rd Regiment Royal Artillery.

To all the dads… Happy Father’s Day.

Whether you’re teaching life lessons, cheering from the sidelines or always there when it matters most, today is for you.

To all the dads, stepdads, grandads and father figures across our Regiment and beyond, thank you for everything you do.

Happy Father’s Day from all of us at 103rd Regiment Royal Artillery.

15/06/2026

🎶 The finest pipe march ever written?

When Pipe Major John MacDonald composed "The 79th's Farewell to Gibraltar" in 1848, the 79th Regiment had just received orders to leave Gibraltar. At first, they were bound for the West Indies, where disease claimed more soldiers than battle. Then came a last-minute change of plan: Canada.

The title may have carried a bit of Highland humour too. The transport sat off Gibraltar for days, delayed by unfavourable winds, making the "farewell" take a little longer than expected.

Nearly 180 years on, the tune remains one of the most recognised marches in military piping. A reminder of the stories, traditions and people who came before us.

What's your favourite military march? 🎵

14/06/2026

Now for something a little different!

When Major (ret) Brian Hicks visited the Lancashire Artillery Band last week, he thought he was spectating at a routine rehearsal.

Instead, Director of Music Major Guy Booth had arranged a surprise.

The band began playing Brunel, the march Major Hicks composed as a student bandmaster at Kneller Hall and which won the 1960 Kneller Hall March composition Competition.

As the music started, Major Hicks was invited to take the baton and conduct the piece himself.

Making the moment even more special was the presence of his son, a member of the band, playing French horn, the very instrument Major Hicks learned as a young musician when he joined the Army as a Band Boy in 1950.

From winning composition competitions at Kneller Hall to serving as a Director of Music of the Parachute Regiment, The Royal Artillery and finally the Scots Guards, Major Hicks enjoyed an exceptional career in Army music. To stand in front of Army Reserve musicians and conduct his own composition more than six decades later, with his son among the players, was a reminder of the friendships, traditions and opportunities that military music creates.

Some things are bigger than a rehearsal.

13/06/2026

On the night of 13–14 June 1982, British troops fought one of the final and fiercest battles of the Falklands War.

The 2nd Battalion, Scots Guards, supported by 42 Commando Mortars, Blues and Royals light tanks, and naval gunfire from HMS Active, fought their way across the rocky slopes of Tumbledown Mountain. Close by, 7th Gurkha Ri**es stood ready to advance on Mount William, clearing the way for the Welsh Guards to move towards Sapper Hill.

Last year, standing on the crags above Grasmere in the Lakes, one of our Association pipers played Crags of Tumbledown Mountain in their honour.

We remember those who fought, those who fell, and the courage shown on those cold Falkland hills.

Their story is part of our history.
Lest we forget.

In 2024, moments before Alex started piping on Sword Beach, he first had to wade ashore from the Royal Marine landing cr...
07/06/2026

In 2024, moments before Alex started piping on Sword Beach, he first had to wade ashore from the Royal Marine landing craft that brought him to the beach like their forefathers had done 80years earlier.

A moment to remember those who served, fought and sacrificed.

06/06/2026

The sound that carried men forward.

On this day in 1944, thousands landed on Sword Beach under fire, stepping into the unknown.

80 years later, in 2024, members of our team stood on the same shoreline, retracing the route of those who came before. As one of the Association pipers stepped from a landing craft onto Sword Beach, the sound of the pipes echoed across the sand in tribute to the courage, sacrifice and determination shown on D-Day.

History isn’t just something we read about. Sometimes, we get the chance to walk where it happened.

Today, we remember all those who took part in the Normandy landings and those who never came home.

Lest We Forget.

Address

Artillery Reserve Centre, Nelson Street
Bolton
BL32RW

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