Family’s pride as teenager follows in great grandfather’s footsteps ahead of Jubilee march in Northampton

A drummer inspired by her great grandfather to join the Army cadets will be making her family proud when she plays the drums in a Jubilee march in Northampton.

Fourteen-year-old Erin Alexander, from Mears Ashby, will be among the cadets taking part in the march this weekend.

Her mother, Zara, says the family is incredibly proud and here, in her own words, she explains the family tradition.

"Three years ago Erin's Great Grandfather Davie Alexander sadly passed away and he was In the R.A.O.C (Royal Army Ordinance Corps).

“When he passed away, Erin was determined to follow in his footsteps, she joined the L.N.R army cadets in Northampton during lockdown and she attended her cadet lessons through Zoom video calls. We thought she would of got bored as she tried Highland dancing and football but got bored of it.

“She proved us wrong she went to her first annual camp and she caught the bug and started to knuckle down.

“We took her to the music detachment which play on a Monday night, just to show her there was more than shooting a gun. They provided her with a snare drum and off she went and learned almost every song within weeks. She was put up front of the band Simpson detachment in Barrack Road Northampton, it was at this point we had realised how good she was.

“Erin had been watching videos of The Coldstream Guards on YouTube and fell in love with everything about this specific detachment, I had noted everyone's names that were interviewed on the videos and emailed them to see when and if she could start and how we would go about Erin applying, providing them videos and pictures of Erin playing, they were very quick to reply and excited for Erin to start.

“Erin has recently been bullied at her previous school and she's not been herself so we decided as a family to put Erin into the cadets to give her more confidence and make new friends. She has spread her wings like a butterfly all brave and full of confidence.

“Erin has two paths which she wants to look at as a career within the Army, she either wants to become a nurse within the Army in which she needs to get 3 x A's in English, Mathematics and Science and the army will pay a bursary towards Erin’s university fees so she can become a nurse/ Doctor within the army or her other choice is to join The Coldstream guards in which she wants to further her career playing the drum for the Queens Guards.

“Erin is very excited to March for the Queens Jubilee in Northampton on June 4.

“She plays everyday after school. She goes into the farmers fields opposite our house so she doesn't annoy people with the sound of her drum.

“As a family, we are all very proud of Erin and what she has become, she has flourished from a typical teenager who didn't respect adults to a girl who has now grown up tidying her bedroom, making her own bed, polishing her own boots and ironing her uniform, a polar opposite of what she was literally two years ago.”