Last Update: 09 September 2011

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Training Ship Mercury in Pictures

TS Mercury and Music

Music played a big part in the curriculum at Mercury right from the very start. At the core of things was a marching band based very much on Royal Navy and Royal Marines tradition. Looking at photographs over the years, the band seemed to average 30 members which, for a school that had between 130-150 pupils, was quite a high percentage. In addition, certainly in the earlier years, the school was capable of putting on quite lavish productions in the impressive theatre building. For example, Gilbert and Sullivan operas. In the audience for such events would be various bandmasters from the army or navy ‘on the lookout’ for talent. Indeed, the school records show many boys leaving Mercury for careers in military bands.