FOUR soldiers from Warminster have swapped life on the frontline in Iraq and Kosovo to put themselves in the firing line of infamous talent judge Simon Cowell.
The Drums of the 3rd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment (Duke of Wellingtons) have been auditioning for the ITV show Britain’s Got Talent.
Drum major Corporal Anthony Oxley, lead tipper Lance Corporal William Naita, base drummer Private Joe Jones and side drummers Privates Kadian Walker and Daniel Mottram, had to juggle pre-deployment training with drum practice to stand in front of judges Simon Cowell, Piers Morgan and Amanda Holden and a crowd of more than 1,000 people at the regional finals in Cardiff earlier this month.
“I’ve been in the platoon 13 years and it’s the most nerve wracking job I’ve ever done,” said Corp Oxley.
“With Simon and Piers on the panel we tried performing just like we were in front of high ranking officers.
“The audience were brilliant and gave us a massive reaction and showed support for the Army. When Amanda asked about my medals the public cheered.”
The drummers completed a variation of their original Victory Beating under dimmed lights and using luminous drumsticks to highlight the complete unity of every drummer.
Without any hesitation the drummers were awarded a unanimous ‘yes’ by all three judges.
Despite the high praise they received the drums team did not make it through to the next stage of filming in London.
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