Laurence Henry Hicks

Laurence Henry Hicks (1912–1997), OBE, was an English-born military bandmaster and composer. He migrated to Australia in 1952 after having served in World War II with both the British Army's Black Watch and the Fourth Canadian Armoured Division's military bands. From April 1952 Hicks was the first Director of Music for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). On 1 January 1963 he was appointed to The Order of the British Empire – Officer (Military) with the citation, "For service as Director of Music with the RAAF". In preparation for the 1968 independence of Nauru, Hicks composed music for the national anthem "Nauru Bwiema", with lyrics by Margaret Hendrie, a Nauruan writer. He was Squadron Leader of the Central Band which performed on 31 January at the independence ceremony in Nauru.

Laurence Hicks was born in 1912 in London, his father was a clarinet player in the British Army. At the age of 14 years he was a band boy for the Cameronian Scottish Rifles. The following year he attended Royal Military School of Music at Kneller Hall learning the clarinet and cello. He subsequently joined the Cameronian Scottish Rifles as a clarinetist and toured Egypt for two years and then India. He returned to study at Kneller Hall undertaking a bandmaster course and graduated in 1938. Hicks was appointed to the Black Watch and served with them at the outset of World War II. From 1940 to 1941 he taught woodwind instruments at Kneller Hall. The following year he trained a military band for the Canadian Army, in 1944 he took part in the allied invasion of Europe with the Fourth Canadian Armoured Division. In mid-June 1944 the Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps band performed at Normandy, Hicks recalled "we were mobbed by the troops particularly after we played the 'Colonel Bogey March' which everyone enjoyed". After the war he rejoined the Black Watch band and performed in India, Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Britain.

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