40cm (16in) x 37.5cm (14.7in)
A George V side drum with plaque applied to the brass cylinder engraved - ‘Presented to The Drums / 2nd Btn The Queen’s Royal Regiment / By / Colonel R.G. Clarke CMG DSO / (2nd Battn 1899-1909) / 17th October 1932’. The present drum was restored by C. Nicholls, late of Potters Drum Makers of Aldershot. The drum with painted hoops, rope tension system, and emblazon featuring the Pascal Lamb, conjoined Cs of Catherine of Braganza within the Garter, naval crown, Sphinx and mottoes ‘Pristinae Virtutis Memor’ (Mindful of Former Valour); ‘Vel Exuviae Triumphans’ (Even in Defeat Triumphant), and Battle Honours to the end of the First World War.
Colonel Reginald Graham Clarke CMG, DSO, MBE (1879-1959) was educated at Harrow and commissioned in The Queen's Royal West Surrey Regiment in 1899 from the Militia. He served with the 2nd Battalion in the South African War and took part in the operations for the Relief of Ladysmith, including the Battle of Colenso. He was Mentioned in Despatches and received the Queen's Medal with five clasps and the King's Medal with two clasps.
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In the 1914-18 War he served in France and Flanders and his appointments included Corps Machine-Gun Officer 15 Corps and Deputy Inspector of Machine-Gun Units 4th Army HQ with the rank of Colonel. He was four times Mentioned in Despatches and was awarded the DSO in January 1918. He was made a Chevalier of the French Legion of Honour and received the French Croix de Guerre. In June 1919 he was made a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George. On 14th May 1924 he was appointed to command the 1st Battalion at Aldershot. In 1927 he took the Battalion to China on a four year tour. He retired from the Army in 1928 with the rank of Colonel. After his retirement he made many gifts to his regiment including two early 18th century life sized dummy boards representing Grenadiers of the 2nd Foot and the Drum Majors' Maces to the 1st and 2nd Battalions.
George Potter & Co., of Aldershot was an off shoot of the London based military drum and instrument maker Henry Potter of Charing Cross that was established by Samuel Potter (1772-1836) in 1810. Samuel Potter was the senior drum-major of the Coldstream Guards and the author ‘The Art of Beating the Drum’ (1815) and ‘The Art of Playing the Fife and The Bugle’. He named his business for his new born son Henry Samuel Potter (1810-1876), as military regulations disallowed his direct involvement in a commercial venture until leaving the Army in 1817. As a Chelsea Hospital out-pensioner Samuel worked in the business at 20 King Street, Westminster. His son Henry (1810-1876) carried it on at 37 Marsham Street, and later at 2 Bridge Street, before moving to Charing Cross in 1858. In 1868 Henry’s younger brother George (1846-1924) established George Potter & Co, at Bank Street, Aldershot. In 1918 George Potter of Aldershot opened the well known shop at the intersection of Aldershot’s Queen’s Road and Grosvenor Road, aka Potter’s Corner, which continued drum making in the traditional manner until the introduction of rod tensioned and transfer decorated drums in the 1960s.