Glemsford Brass Band

The Glemsford Brass Band does not occur very often in the written annals of the village's History, but those references that do occur provide fascinating glimpses:

• Richard Deeks has a picture of the Band in 1893 in the Introduction to "Glorious Glemsford";
• in "The Matmaker and the Magistrate", Richard describes the Band leading the marchers as they set off to Melford;
• he also describes the Band greeting Henry Cook back to the village after his trial;
• and, again, Henry Cook is described as inviting the Band to play outside his house at Christmas - http://www.glemsford.org.uk/2008_03_01_lhsarchive.html;
• in the correspondence between Minnie Brown and Mrs Savage, the Band is shown as not being universally welcomed (!);
• there is an oblique reference to the Perseverance Brass Band in the Board School Minutes;
• and there are references to the Band in the newspaper extracts held on the Foxearth site.

Now I have been approached by David Cawdell, of the Lexden History Group, who says:

I am a brass band historian and am researching the histories of 'lost' village brass bands in Suffolk.

In the 1900's there estimated to be around 20,000 brass bands in the UK; nearly every village had one, towns had several, cities had dozens. Today there are only about 2,000, so somewhere there must be an awful lot of instruments, and memories, tucked away in attics and cupboards.

The village brass band was an important element in the social and religious life of the village, playing at fetes, harvest festivals, Christmas carolling etc. and it is an aspect that, I feel, should be recorded in print for future generations of historians.

I have recently finished researching the histories of the 'lost' village bands in North Essex and have written up their history in a book entitled "Grandad played the Cornet". I would now like to do the same for village bands in Suffolk.

I believe that your village had a brass band ... . Any further details or photographs or the name of a local resident who could help in my research would be greatly appreciated.

I have already sent him details of what I know, but if anyone has any other information, however small or seemingly unimportant, perhaps you could let me know, and I will forward it to David.

SC