"Bon jour, mesdames et messieurs, bienvenu
a la Citadelle de Quebec!"
Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, welcome
to the Citadelle of Quebec!"
The changing of the guard at the Citadelle
of Quebec is a daily tradition that draws visitors from far
and near. During the ceremony, the off going guard, those
soldiers that have been on duty for the past 24 hours, will
be relieved by the oncoming guard. The Royal 22nd Regiment,
housed at the Citadelle since 1920, is a portion of the guard
that serves as the permanent garrison. Normally the Royal
22nd's own band would march in this prestigious ceremony,
but for the festival, George M. Cohan's Own was asked to perform
on Friday and Saturday.
A series of bugle calls beginning at 0940
signals the guards, both off going and oncoming, to take their
positions.
The band also lines up at this point, awaiting
the conclusion of the inspection of the oncoming guard. As
soon as the inspection has been passed, the oncoming guard
will officially be designated the New Guard. Based on the
results of the inspection, one soldier will be designated
as the Commanding Officer's orderly for the next 24-hour period.
The band, under command of Regimental Bandmaster Adam Hitt,
2004, and Drum Major Glenn Atherton, 2005, stands at parade
rest through this evolution. Also present is the Royal 22nd's
own drum major, Warrant Officer Richard Chagnon.
The uniform that is worn by the Royal 22nd
Regiment is that of the First Line British Infantry. The bear
skin cap comes from the full dress uniform of the Royal Welch
Fusiliers, a unit with which the 22nd has been affiliated
with since 1927, the same year in which the uniform was adopted.
The cap is modeled after those worn by Napoleon's Imperial
Guard. |
All marching is done to cadence provided
by the band. As the guard marches on and off, the band plays
music in quick time. As the New Guard presents arms to the
Old Guard, the band plays a slow march. The slow march, traditionally
used by soldiers moving heavy gear in the field, has transformed
into a ceremonial display by military units.
The guard is numbered into five reliefs, the
first of which is escorted off the parade deck to effect the
first change of the guards. After their exit, the ceremony
comes to a close with the New Guard assuming their duties
and the Old Guard returning to their quarters.
Our band was fortunate to have been able to
have performed at such a traditional event.
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