Rob Tolhurst
solo Cornet
In 2019 Sgt Tolhurst was posted to the Army Training Regiment (ATR) Winchester as a Section Commander. During his two-year posting he gained many military qualifications such as Skill at Arms (SAA) Instructor, Mental Resilience Trainer (MRT), Battlefield Casualty Drill (BCD) Instructor, Range Management Qualification (RMQ) and Drill Instructor where he was awarded top student on the course. During his time at ATR Winchester, Sgt Tolhurst received the Commanding Officer’s Panther Award for ‘Best Instructor’, was runner-up for the Army Recruiting and Initial Training Command (ARITC) ‘Trainer of the Year’ and received a Commendation from Commander Home Command in the 2021 Queen’s Birthday Honours list.
Sgt Tolhurst is the Principle Cornet of British Army Band Tidworth and has been a member of the band since September 2021. During his time here he has gained an LRSM in music performance and performed at several high profile engagements including the King’s Coronation, the British Grand Prix and his favourite engagement to date, the 2023 FA Cup Final at Wembley.
A keen sportsman, Sgt Tolhurst enjoys playing sport and keeping fit, regularly completing tough physical events for charities. In the winter months Sgt Tolhurst enjoys delivering skiing tuition to novice skiers.
Sgt Tolhurst lives in Swindon with his wife Grace.
Sergeant (Sgt) Tolhurst joined the Army in September 2013 after completing his A-Levels. He then studied at the Royal Military School of Music, Kneller Hall, in 2014 and upon leaving was assigned to The Band of The Prince of Wales’s Division in Saint Athan, South Wales. He finished his four years with the band as their Principal Cornet player and gained a diploma in Music Performance. He also gained other qualifications such as Endurance Training Leader (ETL) and became qualified as a Boxercise Instructor. Sgt Tolhurst travelled to many countries with the Band, including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Pakistan, Germany and Saudi Arabia to name a few. One of his favourite trips was to Afghanistan in 2017 where he and other musicians from the Band provided musical support to the troops during the Remembrance period.
Another of his highlights with the Band was at Stoke football stadium where he performed the Last Post in front of 28,000 people and was broadcast live on Sky Sports.
During his time in South Wales he played with many local brass bands until he eventually joined Tongwynlais Temperance Band and became their Principal Cornet player. He performed twice at the National Finals at the Royal Albert Hall with the band in 2017 and 2018, the latter on Principal Cornet.