A COCKTAIL bartender turned semi-professional musician has been welcomed into the ranks of a military music group based in Colchester.

British Army Band Colchester consists of musicians from The Royal Corps of Army Music and is one of 14 regular Army bands in the British Army.

The group has now added musician Benjamin Pugh to their line-up, following his completion of initial trade training at the Alford Schools of Military Music in Portsmouth.

Mr Pugh originally hails from Kent and began learning how to play the tuba at just ten years old.

Since then, he has completed an undergraduate degree at Canterbury Christchurch University and a masters degree at the University of Salford.

To date, Mr Pugh has had a varied musical background, which has included performing with orchestras, wind bands, brass bands and New Orleans-style jazz ensembles.

Prior to joining the British Army, he had been a semi-professional musician as well as a cocktail bartender.

Writing on social media, a spokesman from British Army Band Colchester said: “We look forward to the contributions that Musn Pugh will provide to British Army Band Colchester and to the Royal Corps of Army Music.”