Cadets to Beat the Retreat at Dingwall

Dingwall will once again play host to the massed pipes and drums of the Army Cadet Force on Friday 9th April.  The first ‘Beat the Retreat’ event took place in Dingwall in April 2006 and now in its fourth year, the Retreat has become an annual event in the Dingwall Calendar.  This year is particularly special as it is the 150th anniversary of the Army Cadet Force. 

Cadets come from all over the UK every year for tuition at the Cameron Barracks.  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 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.  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 at 2.30 pm to march along Dingwall High Street.  They will mass outside the Royal British Legion where the salute will be taken by the Lord Lieutenant, Mrs Janet Bowen.  The Cadets will then entertain with a retreat programme. 

The event is free and all are welcome to come and watch this wonderful spectacle.