On 1 August 1947 the Royal Artillery Mounted Band, and the Portsmouth and Salisbury Plain bands were granted staff band status, along with three other corps bands.
In the case of these Royal Artillery bands, they were to be known as "minor staff bands" because they were under the administration of the Royal Artillery Band in Woolwich as the 'parent' unit.
The then serving bandmaster of the Mounted Band, Mr David McBain, was commissioned as its first director of music.
At that time, the band was stationed at Minden Barracks, Deepcut, Surrey.
In 1967 the band moved to Germany where it replaced the Royal Artillery (BAOR) Band at Dortmund, although the 'BAOR' had, until then, been stationed in Oldenburg.
During the band's extensive tour throughout Germany and in other European countries the band fulfilled many important engagements, including the British Week in Vienna ambassadorial event in October 1969.

The band returned to the UK in 1972 to be stationed for the first time at Larkhill, on Salisbury Plain, where it replaced the newly styled 'Royal Artillery Alanbrooke Band' (formerly the Royal Artillery (BAOR) Band).
By now, it had been decided that the two bands would alternate locations every five years.
The new arrangement continued until the final return of the Mounted Band to Larkhill, where it was disbanded within months of making its last-ever appearance at the Edinburgh Military Tattoo in 1984.
The Royal Artillery was required in 1976 to provide a band to play for the Mounting of the Guard at Buckingham Palace.
So that the Royal Artillery Band was able to still meet its previously agreed commitments for orchestra, the Royal Artillery Mounted Band formed the bulk of the 50-piece palace band, with its remaining men drawn from Woolwich.
The Woolwich musicians being in the minority were thereby required to remove their band swords, to satisfy a uniform appearance.
All three RA bands were reunited, with support from the various affiliated Territorial Army bands, at the Beating of the Retreat in June, 1980 on Horse Guards Parade, Whitehall Whitehall, in London, in the presence of Her Majesty the Queen, the Captain General of the Royal Regiment.

During the 43-strong band´s final five-year tenure in Germany, stationed at Dortmund, its strength rose briefly to 47 musicians (including three flutes, two oboes, thirteen clarinets, two bassoons, three French horns, and two euphoniums).
Each of its musicians, in the true tradition of the Royal Artillery bands, played at least two instruments - one military band instrument and one orchestral (one of its musicians was recruited as a bouzouki player / violist, who also learned to play the clarinet!).
This would be the high point in the size of the band, before it began to slowly diminish in size, though not in stature.
The diversity and number of ensembles contained within the capabilities of the band were widely known and respected, and even included such exotic instruments as the accordion, and aforementioned bouzouki, with the band notably becoming the first to include a synthesizer in its commercial recordings under its then Director of Music, [Captain] Terence (Terry) Kenny.
Musicians typically applied from all over the United Kingdom to join the band, responding to advertisements in such publications as 'Melody Maker' and 'Gramophone'.
Kenny was succeeded by [Captain] Brian Hicks as Director of Music in October 1977.
Hicks remained with the band until the first year of its return to Salisbury Plain.

Prior to the band's return to the United Kingdom in 1982, it could still muster 38 musicians, however, following voluntary redundancies and postings to other bands, the number of musicians declined to 24 by the time its ultimate album was recorded, towards the end of 1983, at Wembley Studios, under the baton of [Captain] Frank Anthony Renton.
Frank Renton did much to maintain the high profile of the Mounted Band, not least to boost the morale of the musicians awaiting their fates under the looming shadow of disbandment, with a choice of being posted to either Woolwich, or Germany t
On 1 August 1947 the Royal Artillery Mounted Band, and the Portsmouth and Salisbury Plain bands were granted staff band status, along with three other corps bands. In the case of these Royal Artillery bands, they were to be known as "minor staff bands" because they were under the administration of the Royal Artillery Band in Woolwich as the 'parent' unit. The then serving bandmaster of the Mounted Band, Mr David McBain, was commissioned as its first director of music. At that time, the band was stationed at Minden Barracks, Deepcut, Surrey. In 1967 the band moved to Germany where it replaced the Royal Artillery (BAOR) Band at Dortmund, although the 'BAOR' had, until then, been stationed in Oldenburg. During the band's extensive tour throughout Germany and in other European countries the band fulfilled many important engagements, including the British Week in Vienna ambassadorial event in October 1969.
The band returned to the UK in 1972 to be stationed for the first time at Larkhill, on Salisbury Plain, where it replaced the newly styled 'Royal Artillery Alanbrooke Band' (formerly the Royal Artillery (BAOR) Band). By now, it had been decided that the two bands would alternate locations every five years. The new arrangement continued until the final return of the Mounted Band to Larkhill, where it was disbanded within months of making its last-ever appearance at the Edinburgh Military Tattoo in 1984. The Royal Artillery was required in 1976 to provide a band to play for the Mounting of the Guard at Buckingham Palace. So that the Royal Artillery Band was able to still meet its previously agreed commitments for orchestra, the Royal Artillery Mounted Band formed the bulk of the 50-piece palace band, with its remaining men drawn from Woolwich. The Woolwich musicians being in the minority were thereby required to remove their band swords, to satisfy a uniform appearance. All three RA bands were reunited, with support from the various affiliated Territorial Army bands, at the Beating of the Retreat in June, 1980 on Horse Guards Parade, Whitehall Whitehall, in London, in the presence of Her Majesty the Queen, the Captain General of the Royal Regiment.
During the 43-strong band´s final five-year tenure in Germany, stationed at Dortmund, its strength rose briefly to 47 musicians (including three flutes, two oboes, thirteen clarinets, two bassoons, three French horns, and two euphoniums). Each of its musicians, in the true tradition of the Royal Artillery bands, played at least two instruments - one military band instrument and one orchestral (one of its musicians was recruited as a bouzouki player / violist, who also learned to play the clarinet!). This would be the high point in the size of the band, before it began to slowly diminish in size, though not in stature. The diversity and number of ensembles contained within the capabilities of the band were widely known and respected, and even included such exotic instruments as the accordion, and aforementioned bouzouki, with the band notably becoming the first to include a synthesizer in its commercial recordings under its then Director of Music, [Captain] Terence (Terry) Kenny. Musicians typically applied from all over the United Kingdom to join the band, responding to advertisements in such publications as 'Melody Maker' and 'Gramophone'. Kenny was succeeded by [Captain] Brian Hicks as Director of Music in October 1977. Hicks remained with the band until the first year of its return to Salisbury Plain.
Prior to the band's return to the United Kingdom in 1982, it could still muster 38 musicians, however, following voluntary redundancies and postings to other bands, the number of musicians declined to 24 by the time its ultimate album was recorded, towards the end of 1983, at Wembley Studios, under the baton of [Captain] Frank Anthony Renton. Frank Renton did much to maintain the high profile of the Mounted Band, not least to boost the morale of the musicians awaiting their fates under the looming shadow of disbandment, with a choice of being posted to either Woolwich, or Germany t
Royal Artillery Mounted Band