Courtesy Photo | U.S. Army Shamaire Carrizal visits the home of the Star-Spangled Banner tune at the...... read more read more
U.S. Army soldiers serving with NATO in South West England will mark Independence Day on Saturday July 4th – as Gloucester Cathedral changes its bells to chime the U.S. national anthem, especially for the American forces based in the City.
The troops will parade in front of the Cathedral on Saturday morning as the bells play the ‘Star Spangled Banner’ across the historic city. The special rendition is to honour ten years of U.S. forces in Gloucester as part of NATO’s Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC).
The tune was originally composed by Gloucester-born John Stafford Smith in the 1770s and later adopted as the U.S. national anthem.
Ahead of July 4th this year, the American soldiers visited the Cathedral to hear the Director of Music Adrian Partington give a special rendition of the ‘Star Spangled Banner’ on the same organ played by John Stafford Smith’s father when he was the Cathedral organist in the eighteenth century.
They also received a blessing from the Dean of Gloucester, The Very Reverend Stephen Lake, to acknowledge their 10-year presence in the City as part of the ARRC.
U.S. Army troops are based in Gloucester as one of the 21 nations serving with NATO’s Allied Rapid Reaction Corps. The British-led Corps has been based in the City since 2010 after it moved from its former base in Germany exactly a decade ago.
Notes to Editors:
B-roll footage will be published to DVIDS on Saturday July 4th following the ceremony at Gloucester Cathedral when the cathedral bells will play the ‘Star Spangled Banner’ over the English city.
| Date Taken: | 07.01.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 07.02.2020 13:57 |
| Story ID: | 373343 |
| Location: | GLOUCESTER, GLOUCESTERSHIRE, GB |
| Hometown: | BILOXI, MISSISSIPPI, US |
| Hometown: | LAS CRUCES, NEW MEXICO, US |
| Web Views: | 103 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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