Major Barnwell

Major Barnwell joined the Army in 1975 as a trumpet player. His career began with 2 years initial training in the Junior Musicians Troop Royal Artillery at Woolwich, where he took up the viola as a second study instrument.
He continued his training for a further year at the Royal Military School of Music, Kneller Hall, on a Pupil Bandsman Course, before returning to take up a position within the Royal Artillery (Woolwich) Band.

Whilst a member of the Royal Artillery Band, he took part in many notable events which included public duties at Buckingham Palace, the Royal Tournament at Earl's Court, the Edinburgh Military tattoo and several important services at Westminster Abbey and St. Paul's Cathedral in the presence of Royalty.

In 1985 he returned to Kneller Hall after being selected for the 3 year Student Bandmaster course. During that time, he was proud to be a member of the prestigious "Golden Eight" Fanfare Team and upon graduation in 1987, was awarded the Besson Cup for achieving the highest marks in the Ministry of Defence examinations for Bandmasters that year.

His first appointment as Bandmaster was with the Regimental Band of the Queen's Lancashire Regiment in March 1988. In June 1994 he was re-appointed Bandmaster of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers Band and later in the same year as Bandmaster of the Band of the Irish Guards.

He was commissioned into the Corps of Army Music on the 1st May 1996 and was posted to Kneller Hall for 2 years. He spent the first year working in Headquarters Directorate Corps of Army Music, before moving across to the Royal Military School of Music to work as the Deputy Chief Instructor. He was appointed Director of Music of the Band of The Prince of Wales Division (Clive) in June 1998. In March 2003 he was deployed with the Clive Band on Operation Telic in support of 34 Field Hospital and in July 2003 he was promoted to the rank of Major.
He returned to the Band of the Irish Guards in June 2005 to take up the appointment as the Director of Music and in October 2008 moved across to the Band of The Welsh Guards.