Beating Retreat 2024

The summer term ended with our traditional Leaving Service and Beating Retreat ceremony. 

Every year, during the Leaving Service, each leaving Grecian (Year 13 student) is presented with a Bible as a gift from the governors of Christ’s Hospital. The Head Teacher then reads the Charge to leaving students: ‘I charge you never to forget the great benefits that you have received in this place, and in time to come, according to your means, to do all that you can to enable others to enjoy the same advantage. And remember that you carry with you, wherever you go, the good name of Christ’s Hospital.’

Beating Retreat, the final event of the school year, is a spectacular marching-in-formation performance by the CH Band to say farewell to leaving students. The ceremony stems from the early years of organised warfare, when drummers would parade through garrison towns, and soldiers would fall in behind them to march back to their barracks for the night. This parade of drummers is still the central theme of today’s ceremony, although it has been much enlarged to add to the spectacle.

This year’s Beating Retreat featured two marches written by students; St David’s Day by Band Captain, Oliver (GR/Year 13), and Slaidburn by Oliver B (GE/Year 11). Band Director, Mr Carter, said: ‘This is indicative of the pool of musical talent in our student body and highlights the proactive outlook of so many of our band members.’

The ceremony always features an impressive display of drum splits, one section of which was written by senior drummer, Raphael (DG/Year 12). The last section, written by our percussion teacher, Mr Hobson, was in honour of CH’s Royal Mathematical School and its relationship with navigation. The piece featured clock movements and lasted for 2 minutes and 47 seconds, because the latitude of the school is 51°2’47”N.

2024 is an Olympic year and to reflect that, the finale had an Olympic theme; John Williams’ Symphonic Marches climaxed with his ‘Olympic Fanfare and Theme’, while the Band formed the Olympic rings, as seen in the photograph below. The event ended with the Band marching off, one final time for our Grecians, to Sussex by the Sea.