Ish,

Memory is fading but one of those piccies seems to have been taken in the Kellar bar at Gutersloh.

They don't live forever apparently so look upon it as euthanasia

https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-19706812

RAF Watton/Eastern Radar, early-mid 70s ... flaming pianos became quite common at major events. They were, however, specifically purchased from Noel Abel's Auctions, usually for about £5.

After a while, the tarmac driveway loop outside the Mess was a bit battered, and the surface studded with small blobs of molten lead.

See yorkshiremushroom dot com for some happy memories

Some years ago I was asked about piano burning by an American journalist. He had heard that the tradition had its basis in an edict issued in the 1920s or 30s that RAF officers should take piano lessons to improve their social skills, which had inspired such hatred that they eventually took their revenge on such instruments; was there any evidence for this? I could find none, and recalled that the early series of "It's a Knockout" had included races between two teams who each had to pass a piano through a hoop of (say) 2 ft diameter - clearly the quickest method involved sledgehammers... Might that have been an influence?

I for one am absolutely outraged at this Burning Of Pianos - in some sort of RAF Ceremony dating back to God knows when.

But I also acknowledge that there are certain things in life that should not be explained or attempted to be explained. Like God...

This is one of them...

Good luck chaps....and thank you for your service.

Eh? Burning pianos? Whatever next, books??
Behaviour like that will only confirm in normal peoples minds that the military are indeed a bunch of strange, moronic, self-entitled savages, that can only function in an artificial world of their own making.

Get on that Private Jet of yours and fly it up to a great height...and then open the doors - for further enlightenment...

Do I vaguely remember (late '50's early '60's) the odd piano being "cat" launched from Eagle/Ark Royal - or is it just old age again?

Bill

Serious error: the army have no tradition of piano euthanasia, not even the AAC.

My apologies. To be clear, the RAF.

There was a much travelled (by helicopter) piano in Norway.

lsh
:E

Bill Macgillivray - not sure when the RN might have launched the first piano but there was an occurrence in the late 70's when 892 Squadron returned to Ark Royal with the Leuchars Officers Mess piano which was indeed launched! There was also this clip from an evening tv showhttps://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https...mk_pASCIv0VEuA

I would imagine the launch strop would have cost more than the piano.

There used to be a piano dealer in Stamford who became very familiar with RAF 'traditions' (habits?) re pianos. A telephone enquiry would normally be answered thus:

"Good morning. We'd like to buy a piano"

"Certainly Sir. Are you RAF?"

"Why yes. Why do you ask?

"Do you need a 'player' or a 'burner' Sir"

And then there was the party where a piano-shaped stack of pallets was set alight. This, together with shouts of "isn't that your piano" should have been enough. Oh yes, there was also the cleverly concealed forklift that would pick up the real piano, move it behind the cloth backdrop and out of sight. If only we could have had a real forklift driver who could have kept the piano on the forks during the turn.... :(