Sir Francis Drake Drum 17 May 2010

SIR FRANCIS DRAKE’S DRUM

“I came across this historic account today in a reputable history book and thought you might find it interesting,” asks a lady from Uckfield in East Sussex.

“As Francis Drake lay dying in the West Indies in 1596, he asked for his drum and then ordered it to be sent back to England swearing to return to defend his country when it was in danger.

“It was returned to Buckland Abbey.  The drum was said to have rattled when Napoleon Bonaparte was brought to Plymouth after the Battle of Waterloo.

“It has been heard three times recently. 1. When WWI started. 2. The drum was taken on board the Royal Oak and sounded when the German fleet were approaching (in order to surrender – so perhaps it was a victory salute?)

“Men were sent below by the Commander to find out twice what was making the noise and twice they returned having found nothing.  The Commander himself went below as all men were at battle stations.  Nobody could have beaten the drum. When the Royal Oak dropped anchor the drum stopped.

“The last time was during the darkest hours of WW2 when British forces had crossed the channel and were being driven back across the beach by the Germans.   The drum was heard to sound.  A miracle was required to stop our forces being massacred.  From the coastal towns of England, anything that could sail, set sail and brought our men safely home.

“I was deeply touched that over four hundred years later, Drake was still spiritually present to aid this country in times of danger.  Can Jenny tell us any more about Drake and how he helps us in times of danger?”

Here is Jenny’s reply:

“Because Francis Drake is now in his spirit form and nothing is hidden to him, he is now able to see the full horror and extent of this country’s burden.

“He was very patriotic in his time, a blackguard at worst, but he held this country and our queen at the time very close to his heart.

“In those black/bleak days, when England faced invasion by the French and Spanish, he was able with an uncanny sense of doing the right thing to come into his own to defeat a corrupt government/regime of its day.

“He had always felt inspired and to do what he thought was a noble act and he always stuck to his guns and principles, even though it might have cost him his life.

“In today’s quagmire of intrigue and distrust, where all noble acts are now, it would seem, a thing the past, he stirs again to fight on the side of righteousness and to rid England of the scum that has penetrated these shores in so many ways.

“He bangs his drum to show that England must rid itself of that scum that has corrupted this land and, in so doing, make England great again.

“His wish is to alert the people through his drumming that he is very much alive and welcomes the role of doing his mission for this impoverished land.  To rid this land of what is not right, of injustice and uncertainty and to put in place a strategy for the eventual savings of this land.

“One which he still holds very dear to his heart and he sees it as his mission, almost his right, to serve this country in the best way he knows how and that is to cut away at the root and branch, the stench of human corruption and where he sees that mishap and mismanagement have undermined the sweet nature of this noble England.

 “To say he is incensed would be to the extreme, as he also had to encounter many disagreeable corrupt measures in his own lifetime.

“He had a very special but unique relationship with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the first and there was a special heart felt warmth, as they were both fighting for a cause and that cause was to save England at all costs.

“Drake’s mission is to continue down this path and to restore balance and righteousness, which has long been denied to the people of this country.

“His pledge is to service this country and to bring back this great nation from the brink of disaster as it has been so many times before.

His drumming is for the attention of the people, those noble honest men, women and children, so that they too can honour with him – England, this noble land!” Jenny Ayers

Take my drum to England, hang et by the shore, Strike et when your powder’s runnin’ low; If the Dons sight Devon, I’ll quit the port o’ Heaven, An’ drum them up the Channel as we drummed them long ago — from “Drake’s Drum” by Sir Henry Newbolt.