More Than a Flag True North

I think the world views East Belfast the way it views Belfast.

I mean, we're kind of semi-twinned with Beirut,

or we used to be anyway.

The people outside Belfast see a troubled area.

People inside Belfast, I think they see a bit of a mess,

that they are just struggling through from day to day.

SIREN WAILS

There are a lot of people disenfranchised, distanced,

fractured, and people are confused.

I think this has got to be the dead centre of my life.

The junction of the Newtonards and the Hollywood Road.

We lived in Sydenham

and then we moved up to the Hollywood Road.

My mum now lives in Belmont.

My granny lived in Foxglove Street.

Ravenscroft Avenue was our doctor's.

And the barber's was over there.

The shops were here and Radio Rentals

where we hired the TV and the video from was down there.

And this was just the middle of my life, this point here.

That's why I'm back, that's why... I mean, I never left.

In my head, certainly, I never left.

I may live on the other side of the Lough, longer than I've ever lived here,

but this is where I live, this is where I live in my head.

And my connection's here.

I suppose it's like anybody who grows up in a place.

It's part of you. You can't escape it.

And when somebody's pissing around with it as well

and giving it a bad name, you want to try and do something about that.

So I suppose that's why I'm here.

The commemoration of the First World War is a large part

of East Belfast over these next four years

and I thought that tying something in with that would allow me access.

I approached three bands.

I thought that was the best way to do it because I felt

that they were people who'd been pushed back to.

There is a camaraderie, there is a sense of identity

and belonging within the band fraternity.

INDISTINCT SHOUTS

Although there's been inroads made into East Belfast and the Protestant,

Unionist, loyalist community, as it's been labelled, it is limited.

I'm not trying to solve the problem. I'm just nibbling at it

with a little project with some people

who have not been approached before in this way

to do a commemorative thing about World War I,

examine themselves, who they are and where they are from.

-TOGETHER:

-..Go into action, rule Britannia...

I really do care that the people have not been properly represented.

I mean, there is a line I hear bandied about occasionally,

"Nobody likes us, we don't care."

But you have to care because you have to coexist with other people.

Also, the fact that, in 51 years of the Belfast Festival at Queen's,

this is the first time an Orange Order Hall has been a venue.

I love doing stuff that's breaking new ground.

I found that my great-great-grandfather had

went on to serve in the First World War.

And he made it to 27 October in 1914.

He made it to the fields of Flanders. That's as far as he got.

"Do not repeat tactics that have gained you one victory..."

What you are doing is trying to show the history of the past,

our heritage, our great-grandfathers'.

But also it's going to be our history,

we're making history doing this and it's going to be history

that could highlight us in a different way.

You never really get a chance to show people what a bandsman is,

they just see a front.

So, every chance you get to change, take it.

You associate a little bit with the band.

Bands are bad, so they say.

But they're not bad when you get to know them.

Whenever you see people talking on the TV about a flag or something,

the word loyalist is immediately associated with it.

So you're branded from that.

Being the flag, it's probably not the most important thing to me.

People died for it, respect it.

It's not an awful lot to ask for.

The flag isn't going to offend me.

If you're Irish and want to fly an Irish flag, fly it.

Am I a loyalist?

No.

They don't know me, they just see the uniform.

I'm just a normal guy.

And you put that uniform on and they think you're bad. Which...

..isn't right.

-Is your mind made up?

-Do you watch the news?

-Do you wish me to stop?

-What do you see?

-Do you see a uniform?

-Do you see a drum?

-Do you see a flute?

-Do you see me?

-I joined for honour.

-To protect heritage.

-To defend culture.

-To save traditions.

-To feel proud.

-To show off.

-To get girls.

Yeah!

I hope that the play will show us as a union.

We are bandsmen.

We are Protestants and we can show people that we can do other things

and not just play our instruments on the road.

And that's what's interesting. That's what's keeping me in this play.

It's inspirational.

My family weren't linked with a band.

We just done what every other Protestant done.

We just went out and celebrated the parades.

And that first sparked me off to join a band.

I was expecting the unexpected, basically.

And whenever I walked in, I was just gobsmacked,

I'd just seen UDR pictures, memorials, plaques everywhere.

And I went..."This is where I need to be".

My grandfather was in the UDR.

He was a soldier within their ranks.

And I felt that I was in his shoes

whenever I walked through those doors.

And I'd seen all the UDR Memorial.

And I went, "Yeah, this is my stop, I'm not moving."

If I didn't put my foot through them doors, I wouldn't be the man who I am today.

That was the best decision I ever made.

And I am in a band that is known,

that's been walking these streets for 40-odd years now.

And I'm proud to call myself a Raven man.

I'm doing this because I want to change people's minds.

Culture and identity is very important to me.

It's important to everyone, to be honest,

to every bandsman here who's taking part in this.

This has to challenge people's perceptions

of who we are and what we are.

But I'm just a normal guy of 26 years of age,

who's just got a keen interest and a love for a flute band.

And the poetry and the songs that we're singing

relate to our culture, to our identity,

to the lost generation of 1914 to 1918,

that we are so proud of the men that gave up their lives for us.

WHISTLING

I was always destined to be in the band, to be honest.

From a young age, I grew up banging pots and pans in my granda's house,

listening to the bands, watching the bands,

the songs and the colour, the music and the splendour of it all.

So, coming up here on the 12th night -

brilliant, magic,

the road is lined six to eight deep on each side of the road,

the crowds cheering you on.

You think about it, it actually brings a smile to my face...

..a sense of pride...

honour...

..and people shouting for your band, shouting your name

and seeing the smiles of people's faces

when you're marching past them.

Nowhere like it.

And to be honest, there's no other place I'd like to be on 12 July

than walking with my flute band.

This is the band's mural, this is home.

It says everything about our band.

Two flags, our crest, it tells us who we are.

It makes me smile because every time I know

when I see that mural that I'm in the Protestant Boys.

I've seen you when you parade. I've seen you out there.

I've seen it when the blood's up, I've seen you drumming, you know,

you engage in a different way, this is the same engagement.

I heard the phrase, "The band comes first and always." That's why

I scheduled the Monday night, because that's when they normally practise.

Several of them didn't turn up because they said,

"No, we have the band that night."

So the challenge was getting them all in the one place at one time,

as well as figuring out, lads, we need to be together to do this.

# For a moment I grant at the end of my day... #

I've never had all of them in the one place at the one time. They all work.

I mean, that in itself - and I'm ashamed to say it - was a shock.

I thought it would be a bit like Benefits Street or something

with some of them, at least.

No, all of them have got jobs or are students.

And they are very dedicated to the work that they do.

We're still trying to bring it together, it's terrifying.

I want to see your war faces. One, two, three...

THEY ALL YELL

SOUNDTRACK DROWNS SPEECH

We had the full house decorated.

We had the tree decorated and we had the whole house decorated.

We tried to decorate out the back, but we didn't see any point

because no-one would see it.

We had bunting coming from the top windows down to the fences.

But, yeah, we've kept this up,

because I think we've kind of forgot about it. But I like it up.

I says, "Mum, just leave it up, don't take it down."

I did ask her to keep the bunting up

and the flags all up around the fences and everything else,

but she took it all down because she says

that the marching season is finished, which is true.

But I really wanted to keep the stuff up

because it symbolises us as a community,

that we are Protestants up here.

Since I was born, I was always around the Union flag.

It's a symbol of strength, courage, determination and spirit.

Union flag is there and it's there for a reason.

And so is the tricolour and the rest of the flags that you see.

Thankfully, the Union flag is flying high.

And I am pleased that it's flying high.

MARCHING BAND MUSIC PLAYS

HE WHISTLES ALONG

Does this Protestant not know I don't like hill starts?

THEY LAUGH

I don't know how anyone can sit in their house on the 12th day

and not even go and watch the bands

or go and do something else,

cos it would rack me.

My mum and dad went to America, 2004,

er...with my brother and sister and they wanted me to go and I said,

"No, I'm not going, I'm not missing the 12th."

And I wasn't even in the band then.

I told my missus too, I said,

if we ever have a child due on the 12th day, I'm happy if her waters broke.

LAUGHTER

It's our life, it's a way of life. Nothing else comes into it.

See growing up, see England, Scotland and Wales,

they grew up when they were younger

and football is their night for a fella.

For us, it's bands is our night.

And we love it.

The 12th day is the best day.

He mightn't agree but I agree. The 12th day is the best day.

I like the 1st of July better.

The 1st of July means more.

We're walking that night for Protestants and Catholics who fought

in the First World War.

The 10th, the 16th and the 36th Ulster Division.

The 36th Ulster Division.

We're remembering every single person who

fought in the First World War on the 1st of July.

These were the men that obviously signed the Ulster Covenant.

Some wrote it in their own blood

and then obviously joined the Ulster Volunteer Force

on the 13th of January 1913 and then obviously war broke out

and then these men ended up joining the 36th Ulster Division.

The 8th Battalion Royal Irish Rifles

especially was the East Belfast Battalion, so it was.

Off to France they went.

Fought for King and country. Some obviously never returned.

There are obviously thousands still in France, buried there.

Many an Orangeman and many a Roman Catholic fought side-by-side

and died side-by-side.

You have to feel proud.

What is there not to feel proud about that men went and fought

and died for you?

It's been a real adventure, I suppose. It's been tough,

it's been frustrating, it's been difficult,

and it's been exhilarating, too,

just bringing these guys along and finding something in them

that they didn't know they had.

I think that there's a defence mechanism that has to operate

if you're in a marching band, because the world seems to be against you.

But these guys are letting the world in.

I have to let them do it on their own,

I have to let them stand on their own two feet,

and I think the heart of it is they are doing it for the best of reasons,

the best of intentions,

and if their skills are not up to professional standard, so what?

I'm nervous for them.

They'll get out there, it'll happen, I'll give them all the support I can.

The music, the sound, the lights, it'll all be there.

But it's up to them, in the end.

Whenever we're standing ready to go and the lights dim,

you want people to see that you're enjoying it.

What are you going to say when he says there's a war going on?

'You want to put everything, your heart and soul,

'blood, sweat and tears into this performance'

so people will have hairs stand up on the back of their necks

and go, "Right, OK, I didn't expect that from these ones."

Hunter, S.

Engineer.

Royal Navy HM Transports.

Harper Street, East Belfast.

Died of wounds.

Robert.

Rifleman. Royal Irish Rifles.

122 Castlereagh Street, East Belfast.

Killed in action.

If we didn't have wood, corrugated metal,

sandbags would do,

and we built up the parapet and kept our heads down.

My mum's coming, my sister, probably my girlfriend,

there's ones out of the band coming.

I think the guys from the band will be pretty pleased.

Anybody I speak to and tell them what we're doing, they're just like,

"Aye, dead on. You're not going to be able to do that."

I think whenever they see it, they'll be pleasantly surprised.

-Done much yourself?

-Sorry?

And have you done much killing in the Inniskilling Fusiliers,

Robert Anderson?

'For people to come here and to see us singing on stage,

'doing a bit of dance, doing a bit of drama, our culture is really

'important to us but this is another culture that we're taking part in.

'And hopefully their opinions are changed of us.'

You're just raging you can't kiss me.

'It actually has been great to take part in something

'and to feel proud of something else'

cos when you walk out on the streets with your band,

you feel immensely proud, especially the 12th of July, but...

..here's something to give me something else

to be immensely proud of.

APPLAUSE

Thank you, good night.

CHEERING

"Dear Cheryl, how life has changed from just a few weeks ago,

"from me, you and the girls sitting around the table, having our evening

"dinner, to me being out here in this war-stricken hellhole of a country.

"It's a far cry from home.

"I do hope this letter reaches you and I hope to see you

"in the not-so-distant future.

"All my love, Thomas."

'Today I'm heading to France

'to visit my great-great-grandfather's war grave.

'I decided to write a letter to try and sort of feel like he did,

'even though you're never going to.

'It's the closest you're going to get to it, is to write your thoughts out.

'Hopefully they can resemble something that maybe he did write.'

As far as I know,

this is the only picture that is still in the family of Thomas.

He had great respect for his country and what he did

and me going is the only way I can give him the respect that he needs.

Whenever you're talking to somebody that's in a band,

they have two faces.

One face is a socialising face.

They go out, they go out with their friends,

they go out with their mates, they go out with their girlfriends

or their wives or their fiancees, whatever it may be.

They put a uniform on, they're a completely different person.

And it's a huge responsibility.

It feels as though I'm putting duty on my shoulders.

I put my trousers on and my T-shirt on first

and I just walk about the house with it on until I have to go.

I get my boots on, my tunic on, my hat and belt on, put my flute

in my pocket and I step out that front door and I am a bandsman.

It's not that I'm really proud of myself, I'm just proud of the

decisions that I made for myself that make me the person I am today.

I got a poppy cross to take to France with me.

That's the way that you remember the fallen, is through poppies.

It's just a mark of respect for what he had done 100 years ago.

It's the way you can...

It's the closest connection that you're possibly going to have

to him, because he doesn't have a real grave where his body's resting

and there's a headstone for him. It's the only possible way...

that he's going to be remembered.

Over here is like a replica of France. You get the same feeling.

Just standing looking at all the waves. It's...

It's inspirational.

Whenever them boats hit the beaches

and they walked onto land they've never felt before,

they've fought people they've never seen before,

they were in surroundings they're not comfortable with,

they didn't know, they didn't know where they were.

Realistically, I don't think that was in their head at the time.

I think they were thinking, "The sooner we get this war done

"and finished, the sooner we can go back home."

You see bands on the road and they're in ranks.

Them boys would be in the same ranks.

Only they would have weapons.

But our weapons is drums and flutes.

If another world war were to happen and I was asked to join,

I wouldn't hesitate.

I would go for the same reasons them boys left their homes -

to fight for Queen and country.

It's been a lot stronger feeling than I expected.

You sort of come thinking it's just going to be a memorial,

gravestones, and you actually come out and you see...

so many names and so many people that were probably from Belfast as well.

It makes it a lot more real.

In the future, whenever you're

praying at memorial services or going to Remembrance Sunday,

you'll definitely be able to look back and be thinking of here.

When you've visited it and seen it, it'll always be in your head

whenever you're at them types of services.

There.

To be the first family member that I know of to come out here

and visit Thomas's grave,

it's nice to be able to lay the cross

beneath his name in memory of him.

It's 100 years from the battle so... it couldn't happen at a better time.

War's not a good thing.

You might win but...

..it's a great sacrifice for that win.

It's the ultimate sacrifice.

We've killed people, we've shot people, murdered people,

bombed people, families on both sides left brokenhearted.

We need respect and we need tolerance.

And we have to find a common ground in that.

And when you look out over the city centre and over the city

and Belfast Lough, the shipyard, the houses so close together,

yes, we know that there's a Protestant area, a Catholic area,

but them times are changing now as well.

Have to look forward, have to build a shared future

where the Orange tradition,

Protestant tradition, cultural heritage is accepted.

And we have to accept the Irish tradition, too.

Hopefully we have a future for my kids, my grandkids,

hopefully, if I live long to see them.

Hopefully they can enjoy the culture and the tradition

and heritage that I have, too.

And hopefully they'll still be able to walk

the 12th of July route every year.

We all realise that we are just the same people.

We do worship the same God.

When you pass on, you either go up above to the good Lord

or you go down below.

And if I get to Heaven,

hopefully I'll be playing my drum for the good Lord.