I think it's early 1900's and i'm
very intersted in the photo. I have found it before. If you look through the photo's of Salvation army bands here ...
http://www.sacollectables.com/gal_ukcorps.html... you'll see that the striped jacket looks to dissapear after 1912 so I guess it is 1912 or before although the bandmaster could have been wearing an old uniform - I think definately not a lot later.
The first Salvation Army Band was formed in Salisbury in 1878 and the first Corp band in County Durham in 1879 so I guess that gives a 30 year window.
My family were bandsmen and lived in Crowland until they moved to the Wisbech area in 1936. My father was 6 at the time and a few years later his father sent him to the salvation army to learn brass. The family has salvation roots prior to that so I am guessing that they would have been involved in brass bands in Crowland. My grandfather became bandmaster of the Wisbech town band and most of the family played in it so I am guessing they would have all played in Crowland.
Unfortunately my father is now dead but I do have a short recording of him where he talks about my great grandfather who played the bass drum in a brass band he died in 1911 so that must have been in Crowland.
The interesting person in the picture to me is the small boy in the centre.......... I have a picture of my father as a boy and the face here looks very similar. It would not have been Dad he would have been too young but it could be one of his brothers, Fred who was 7, Tom who was 13 or Jack who was 23 when dad was born in 1928. That would make Jack 7 in 1912.
It would be really nice to know more so please let me know if you uncover anything else
Stuart
