THE Remembrance commemorations this year will take on added poignancy, as the nation remembers the 70th anniversary of the end of the Second World War; but, for military musicians, Remembrancetide is the culmination of a busy period of ceremonial events.

"It’s an incredibly busy time of year for us, which can make it slightly challenging, both in terms of having enough time to physically cover all the things we have to cover, but also in terms of having your mind set in the right place," Cpl Bugler Nathan Crossley said; he will play the Last Post at the Cenotaph in Whitehall on Sunday morning.

Cpl Crossley and his colleagues from Her Majesty’s Royal Marine Band in Portsmouth will be performing at both the Festival of Remembrance on Saturday evening at the Royal Albert Hall, and the Remembrance Sunday commemorations at the Cenotaph.

The Festival of Remembrance requires more preparation than the Cenotaph service, because its format changes every year; but Cpl Crossley said that his focus was always on Remembrance Sunday, "on why it is we are doing what it is we are doing".

Cpl Crossley will feature in a special edition of Songs of Praise on Sunday at 4.15 p.m. on BBC1.

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