[Peter4447]

Thought this maybe of interest particularly to our ex-Prince Line members. Following the experience gained with the Merchant Navy Band, I have decided to form a smaller group specifically to undertake offical banquets, dinners, church services for RN/RFA/MN Associations. It was decided to try and name this small group after a famous shipping company of the past and, as such, to be the representative for all of the great fleets that have sailed beneath the Red Ensign. We floated this idea and it generated a lot of interest and the Trustees of the Sir James Knott Trust (the Founder of Prince Line) were particularly taken with this, so that the Band has adopted the name of the Prince Line Quintet.
Uniform will be formal evening dress, black with red lapels and a gold wire Prince Line cap badge worn on the right cuff. The music stand banners will be red with black trim and the white Prince of Wales' Feathers, all taken straight from the Prince Line funnel colours.
An arranger is very kindly doing quite a number of pieces of music for us and these include special arrangements of 'Blaydon Races' 'The Leaving of Liverpool' 'Rolling Home to dear old England' and others with a strong nautical flavour.
We are still fund-raising at the moment (any help gladly received!) to purchase the uniforms and stand banners but we certainly hope to have the Band up and running next month. It already has three firm dinner engagements booked and, hopefully, one of these will see the Band heading up the M5 to Liverpool next year. Three of the five members are ex-Royal Marine and Army Band members.
I appreciate that many of our SN members sailed under other Houseflags but I must stress that this little Band represents you all - to emphasis this we have chosen as the Band's motto 'E Pluribus Unum' - 'One out of Many'.
If anybody would like further details please send me a Private Message.
Peter4447

[John Rogers]

A great choice of colours for the band."Ich Dien"
John

[Keltic Star]

Fantastic news Peter 4447, look forward to pic's and hopefully you will cut a CD in the future.

Hope you have the The Prince Line Anthem as your signature tune.

To the tune of Bye Bye Blackbird

Pack my bag and pack my grip
I'm not coming back next trip
Bye Bye Prince Line

When she gets to London dock
I'll jump the b-----d in the lock
Prince Line, Bye Bye

No more turn to's on Sunday morning
No more stand by's without any warning
Bye Bye Prince Line

Bob
Ex: Welsh Prince, Javanese Prince, Northumbrian Prince, Tudor Prince, Cyprian Prince, Western Prince.

[Peter4447]

Hi Bob
Many thanks for that. We have a gentleman who is an excellent musical arranger who is giving us a great deal of support. He is touring Russia with a Band at the moment but when he gets back I'll ask him to do an arrangement of it for us. Its a bouncy and very well-known number so it should go down very well indeed - fortunately we don't have to sing the words though!
Kind regards
Peter4447

[fredkinghorn]

5'll get you ten that somebody will at your first concert.
ex. Syrian Prince.

fred

" once more with joy to my home I'm returning " ( Meistersingers of Nuremburg, R. Wagner )

[Peter4447]

Thanks for that Fred - we intend to use this as our signature tune, so will be played at the end of the dinners and can well imagine at that stage of an evening somebody will know the words - In Vino Veritas!!!
Regards
Peter4447

[adavidson]

Hi Bob: We sang the same tune except the words were changed to "Bye Bye Furness" - PS: I did three trips to the Med as third Mate on the "Norman Prince"

[Keltic Star]

Originally Posted by adavidson

Hi Bob: We sang the same tune except the words were changed to "Bye Bye Furness" - PS: I did three trips to the Med as third Mate on the "Norman Prince"

Prince Line, Furness Withy were really one and the same as far as seagoing staff were concerned. Although apprenticed to Furness, I only did one trip on the Sycamore, all other ships being Prince Line.

[Kalamaki Bob]

In the later years you could also add Shaw Savill to the mix. I was a Slow Starvation and Agony/Sail Saturday Afternoon apprentice but me and other staff sailed on Prince Line. I did two trips on the Malvern Prince.

Bob

[Robinj]

Originally Posted by adavidson

Hi Bob: We sang the same tune except the words were changed to "Bye Bye Furness" - PS: I did three trips to the Med as third Mate on the "Norman Prince"

I do'nt remember singing this, but also did a trip as R/O to the Med On the Norman Prince July/1962 - Sept/1962.