Drum Major Knox

[Sticky Blue]

Marched off the parade on Friday 14th November. He is remembered by thick and thin stripes alike. I will post a full obit as soon as I get more details.
Gone but the memory and echo still resounds on the parade ground

[Andy O'Pray]

For those of us who knew of Drummie Knox, we know that another great Corps character has just marched under the arch for the final time. For those unfortunate not to have known him, he was the epitomy of a Royal Marine.

Farewell old ship and rest in peace.

Aye - Andy.

[Pilgrim Norway]

Drum Major Knox WAS the parade.....

We'll never forget the inspiration he gave, the pride with which he marched

Drummie Knox was CORPS and lead with style -

Rest Well

[Sticky Blue]

Drum Major Russell Geoffrey Knox BEM RM

Former Drum Major ‘Geoff’ Knox was born on the 1st September 1924 in Plymouth and joined the Plymouth Division as a Boy Bugler on 31 August 1939, three days prior to the outbreak of WW2. After completing his training he became a member of the Corps of Drums, playing with the Plymouth Divisional Band under their illustrious Director of Music - Major F J Ricketts.

As was customary in those days, when he was old enough, Geoff ‘turned over to the ranks’ and became a GD Marine at Deal in recruit training. His first ship as a marine was HMS Mauritius in which he saw active service in the Mediterranean in 1944. On at least two occasions he was selected to be a member of a special party of Marines who accompanied the Prime Minister - Winston Churchill, on conferences with Roosevelt and Stalin at overseas locations.

After WW2 he served in the cruiser HMS Nigeria on the South Atlantic Station for two and a half years and during that time was promoted Corporal. On returning to the UK he qualified as an MT1 and was promoted Sergeant.

In 1950 Geoff was appointed Drum Major of the Portsmouth Group Band and began seventeen years involvement in major ceremonial duties both home and abroad, as the drum major of the Portsmouth Band and later at Plymouth. At this time there were only three officially appointed Drum Majors in the Corps and the Portsmouth Band was in the forefront of national events with appearances at Wembley, Twickenham, Royal Albert Hall, Cenotaph and on other high profile occasions.

Early 1952 saw the Royal Yacht element of the Portsmouth Group Band embarked in the SS Gothic which was under charter by the Royal Navy to carry HRH Princess Elizabeth and HRH Prince Philip on a Royal Tour to Australia. On arrival at Mombassa but before the Royal couple embarked, HM The King died. The tour was aborted and the band returned to Portsmouth.

In November 1952, together with Major F V Dunn, Geoff flew to Malta to lead the Massed Bands of the Mediterranean Fleet and 3 Commando Brigade for the Presentation of Colours to 40, 42 and 45 Commando. In June the following year at the Coronation, the Portsmouth Band provided musical support for the tri-Service Guard of Honour outside Westminster Abbey. Geoff was awarded the Coronation Medal, as were all the members of the band.

In November 1953 the Royal Tour in the SS Gothic was resurrected and the band embarked for the six-month circumnavigation of the globe, the longest tour the HM Queen has ever made. On completion of the tour the Queen presented Geoff with a pair of gold cufflinks bearing the Royal Cypher, which he wore with great pride. During the following five years he saw service in the Royal Yacht Britannia taking him to various parts of the world.

At the beginning of 1959 the opportunity occurred for Geoff to move to the Plymouth Group Band, then at Stonehouse, where he joined the Corps twenty years earlier. For the next 8 years he led the Plymouth Band at many major ceremonial events, including Sir Winston Churchill’s funeral. There were also overseas visits to the USA, Italy and Nigeria. His dedication and loyal service was recognised in 1960 with the award of the BEM. He retired from the Corps in 1967 in the rank of Colour Sergeant and went into the licensed trade, first as a landlord of a public house in Plymouth, then moving into sales where he became a representative for Courage’s covering Service Messes in the Salisbury area. Later on he moved back to Plymouth working for Taunton Cider before finally retiring in 1989.

It was very sad that his well-deserved retirement was darkly clouded by the long drawn-out illness of his wife Eileen, who developed Alzheimer’s disease. Geoff became her carer in every possible way and nursed her until she eventually died in 1997.

Geoff Knox was a man of high integrity and exacting standards, always impeccably turned-out and a strong, but fair disciplinarian. Wherever he served he was a keen member of the Sergeant’s Mess and as Sergeant Major of the Band & Drums Company he was also a fine administrator. He was diagnosed with Leukaemia last year and underwent several periods of hospitalisation. He bore his illness with great courage and his attitude was very positive until the end. He died peacefully in hospital on 8 November. His funeral was held at Efford Crematorium, Plymouth on 18 November. The chapel was full to capacity, the RMA Plymouth Branch paraded with their Standard, his coffin was draped with the Union Flag and bore his white cap and medals. Three NCO Buglers from the Plymouth Band gave an excellent rendering of the Last Post and Reveille. Following the funeral a gathering of family and friends took place, very appropriately, in the Sergeants Mess Stonehouse, where his former colleagues and good friend Joe Fairclough read a tribute to Geoff and his memory was toasted.
Obit written by: Mr Colin Bowden (Drum Major RM Retd)