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| The band began life back in the autumn of 1979 as The Walthamstow District Scout Band. It's membership was made up, as it still is, of young people who are members of Walthamstow Scout District, who all belong to the band in addition to their other Scouting commitments, there are no "Band Scouts", who's only Scouting link is their membership to a Scout band. |  |
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Membership during those formative first five years grew steadily, as did the band's reputation, and before very long the band were being called on to perform at Fetes, Carnivals and Shows throughout London and the South East |
| But, Home, as the saying goes, is where the heart is, and two dates firmly fixed in the band’s calendar every year take place in Walthamstow. The first is the annual St George's Day Parade for Walthamstow Scout District, which takes place on the Sunday nearest April 23rd, at which you will see the band proudly leading all the Scouts of Walthamstow around the grounds of the Town Hall. The second event takes place in November, when the band, with heads held high, leads Walthamstow's Remembrance Day Parade, this is at the request of the Mayor of Waltham Forest, and the Local Branch of the Royal British Legion. |  |
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Further a field, the band has had it's fair share of "the big time" with performances at the Royal Albert Hall, Billingsgate Market, and the National Music Day Parade celebrating the 40th anniversary of HM The Queen's Ascension to the throne. This involved an inspection by their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, and a parade along The Mall.
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As with many organizations involving young people, membership has always been a problem, this reached a peak in 1989, when it looked like the band would have to close because of a steadily decreasing number of members. The band's leaders felt that to allow the band to close would leave a very long shadow over the band's past achievements, and so they set about looking for a way to increase membership. Their determination paid off, when in September 1989 the band returned after it's annual summer break, not, as the Walthamstow District Scout Band, but as the newly formed, Walthamstow Scout & Guide Band. |
This bigger, better and brighter band immediately set to work, not training it's new recruits to match the standard of the old band, but to become better than ever. This new thinking paid off, when in 1990 the band won the Headquarters Trophy for Best Non-valved Trumpet and Drum Band (Novice) at the National Scout Band Championships. Not content with winning it once, the band successfully defended their title in 1992 and again in 1994. |
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| Always looking for something different
to do, the band have also featured in the Walthamstow Scout Gang show, in
guises such as, The U.S.Cavalry, a Naval Band, to surprise surprise, a Scout
& Guide Band!
1995 saw the band placed within the top 20% of all Scout & Guide Bands in the United Kingdom when they were awarded a B grade at their annual inspection. The inspection is a requirement under Scout Association rules to ensure that the band is of a sufficiently high standard to represent the association in public. This B grade also put them on the much coveted Headquarters list, which is reserved for A & B grade, and is used when an outside body wants a Scout Band for a function. To date, the Band still holds its B Grade. |
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Richard Mathews (1996 Joint National Champion Drum Major - Novice) |
In an attempt to ‘stop the rot’ that had previously infected the Band, the decision was made in 1996 to make the momentous leap to using valved instruments. The pros are quite evident; a wider choice of available instruments gives more scope to vary tunes and their harmonies. The con’s include the increase in practice needed, the ever present problem of key personnel leaving, and the chance that it would have the opposite effect to the one desired and force the Band to shut. Happily, this didn’t happen, and at the 1996 St George’s Day Parade in Walthamstow, the Band went out in public playing it’s original bugles for the last time. The first competition the Band entered with its new instrumentation was the 1996 National Scout Band Championships. The gods of fate were obviously smiling on Walthamstow that day, as they came away with not one, not two, but THREE trophies. They were now the National Champions (Novice), they had won the best turnout award, and their Drum Major, Richard Mathews was the joint National Champion (Novice). |
| In one of those strange coincidences, the other wining Drum Major was Andy Knight, from Arundel & Littlehampton District Scout Band; the very Band that Walthamstow’s co-founding Bandmaster Jeff Page had joined when he moved away from London. This was all the excuse the Band needed for a celebration party, which they combined with a special camp held to celebrate their 18th Anniversary in September 1997. It was held at Gilwell Park, the spiritual home of Scouting and the guests of honour were Arundel & Littlehampton Band. A day of games and fun ended with the massed band marching through the campsite to the main flagpole, where a very moving Sunset ceremony was conducted. There aren’t many people who can say they have brought Gilwell Park to a standstill, but we can! |
For More Information about the Walthamstow District Scout and Guide Band contact band@walthamstow-scouts.org.uk
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