Cadets to Beat the Retreat at Dingwall

Once again Dingwall will play host to the massed pipes and drums of the Army Cadet Force on Good Friday.  The event took off two years ago when Dingwall Initiative contacted the Cadets having heard about the week long piping and drumming concentration at the Cameron Barracks in Inverness.  This resulted in the first ‘Beating the Retreat’ event that was held in Dingwall in April 2006.  Now in its third year, the Retreat is fast becoming an annual event in the Dingwall Calendar. 

Cadets of all levels come from all over the UK every year for the tuition at the Cameron Barracks.  The reason behind this is that the Cameron Barracks are the original home of Army piping with the first Army classes run by the Piobaireachd Society there in 1910.  When looking for a location to run the piping and drumming concentration for the cadets eight or nine years ago, it seemed fitting to come back to Inverness to run the workshops. 

The annual event has gone from strength to strength and the icing on the cake for the cadets at the end of their week’s tuition is the opportunity to show off their skills with the public showcase in Dingwall.  Highland Council, the British Legion and the Lord Lieutenancy have all got behind the event this year to help to make it happen to ensure that the cadets do not miss out.  National Cadet Piping Executive Officer, Major Jim Stout said ‘after a week of intensive instruction it is great for the cadets to get the chance to put what they have learned into practice and to entertain the public at the same time’.

The Cadets will leave the Army Cadet Centre on Ferry Road to march along Dingwall High Street at 2.30 pm on the 10th of April and will then entertain with a retreat programme outside the Royal British Legion.