Lieutenant Colonel C R Meldrum MBE

Lieutenant Colonel Bob Meldrum enlisted into the Army on 2 April 1975 and upon completion of junior service and a year of continuation training at Kneller Hall, the Royal Military School of Music, he joined the Regimental Band of the 9th/12th Royal Lancers as an Oboist. 

In January 1986, he embarked upon the residential Bandmaster Course at Kneller Hall.  He graduated top student of the Vaughan Williams Class, winning the coveted Worshipful Company of Musicians medal and in January 1989, was promoted to Warrant Officer Class One and appointed Bandmaster of the 1st Battalion, The Staffordshire Regiment.  During 5 years with the band, he completed band tours in Europe and the UK and operational tours in the Gulf and Northern Ireland. 

In November 1993, he returned to Kneller Hall to sit the Advanced Certificate examinations (psm). Successful at the first attempt, he was selected for promotion and on 1 April 1994, commissioned in the rank of Captain and appointed Director of Music, the Queen's Division.  On 1 August 1994, he was appointed Director of Music of the newly formed Minden Band of The Queen's Division and during four years, completed tours in Hong Kong, Germany, Bosnia, Northern Ireland and Finland. 

In August 1998, he was appointed Director of Music of the Band of the Adjutant General's Corps, with which he completed band tours in Finland, Germany and France and a six-month operational tour in Kosovo. 

In September 2000, he was promoted to Major and in March 2002, posted to Headquarters Corps of Army Music (HQ CAMUS) as Officer Commanding the Training Development Team (OC TDT). 

He was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2005 New Year's Honours for Service to Army Music; in August, he was appointed Director of Music of The Royal Artillery Band and in October, he completed an honours degree with the Open University.

In August 2007, he was appointed Senior Director of Music for the Edinburgh Military Tattoo, following which he was assigned to the Army Personnel Centre in Glasgow as the desk officer for CAMUS soldiers. 

On 2 April 2009, he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and appointed Principal Director of Music (Army).