During the heyday of the Drums, many of the College’s top ‘serious’ musicians also served with the band. Two truly notable Old Eastbournians who did so were Ralph Nicholson from Gonville in the 1920s, who went on to become Professor of Violin at the Royal College of Music as well as playing for 25 years with the London Symphony Orchestra, the Jacques and Boyd Neel String Orchestras and many others.

Ian Fraser (né Sykes) was in Pennell in the 1950s and Silver Drummer in the Drums.  Based in the USA, he has worked with most of the major artists of the last 50 years from Bing Crosby to Placido Domingo to Christina Aguilera and as Dame Julie Andrew’s musical director.  He has been awarded no less than eleven EMMYs.

The Corps of Drums display outside the LRC in July 2009

The Corps of Drums on Speech Day c.1955

The Corps of Drums at camp c.1920

The Corps of Drums c.1900