Milestones

YearDescription
1929Band formed by H. Stinchcombe with fifes and drums.
1939Instruments loaned to the Home Guard for the duration of the war.
1945Band re-formed by Bill ‘Skip’ Hancox with the original bass drum and four kettledrums plus an array of old second hand bugles.
1949Roy Nowell took over as instructor then eventually as bandmaster.
1958Purchase of ‘junk’ instruments from a scrap yard turned the band into a G trumpet band. Old RAF rope drums also obtained.
1960First championship success at the ‘Midland Open’.
1962Winners of both the ‘Midland’ and North of England championships.
1965‘Operation Steptoe’ was launched to buy new drums. We became the first National Scout Band Supreme Champions.
1966Second hand Eb trumpets purchased, Gs were sold. Our first royal engagement in Westminster Abbey. We won 19 championships including the National Supreme championship again.
1967Supreme Champions again. We made our first record, an EP which was a sell-out. First royal appearance at the Albert Hall. Played at the World Roller Skating Championships, also at the Royal Festival Hall, two television appearances and enjoyed a civic reception by the Mayor.
1968Supreme Champions again, two Royal film premieres, television appearances.
1969Supreme Champions. Free French reunion at the Albert Hall.
1970Supreme Champions. First Scout Band to play at Windsor Castle. Command performance at the Albert Hall, first Scout Band to appear in St. Paul’s Cathedral(twice in three months).
1971Royal fanfares in Westminster Abbey, runners up to Supreme Champions. Roy conducted 1,000 Scout bandsmen playing our music.
1972Our LP Avant Garde released. Another immediate sell-out. Regained Supreme Championship. Band received French Le Clerc Medal of Honour. Appeared again at Windsor Castle, Royal Albert Hall and London’s Guildhall.
1973Supreme Champions. Continental tour. Lord Mayor’s Show in London.
1974Supreme Champions, appeared at Batley Variety Club and at Wembley Stadium.
1975Runners up Supreme Champions. World Jamboree UK Band formed with our leaders and our music. Royal film premiere.
1976Supreme Champions replica award donated in recognition of our outstanding achievements. Royal film premiere.
1977Royal performance, Albert Hall, Royal film premiere, Royal fanfare at ‘Scout’ lifeboat launching. Received the Swiss Music Club international award. Television appearance. ‘Salute to the Queen’ at Buckingham Palace.
1978Royal Tournament appearance; Avant Garde re-issued.
1979Reunion dinner on March 31st. Jubilee tour of Jersey and Channel Isles.
1982Changed to marching brass valved instruments.Finalists in the British Open Band Championships at the Royal Albert Hall.
1984Played for foreign royal families at the World Lifeguard Championships at the National Exhibition Centre.
1985Fanfare team at the Royal Albert Hall for ‘Spotlight on Youth’ attended by members of the Royal Family.
1986Concert performance in Coventry Cathedral Scout Commemoration Service. Organised and played as the anchor band in a massed Scout Band Spectacular for the opening of the Stoke on Trent Garden Festival. Swedish tour, playing on a North Sea Cruise Ship and parading through the streets of Gothenburg before playing for King Olav of Norway. Code named ‘Viking Venture’.
1987Produced own band spectacular at the Bedworth Civic Hall ‘Fanfare for 87’ and deemed the most successful amateur event there that year.
1988Royal performance at Windsor Castle for the Queen’s Scout Parade. Our bandmaster honoured by the local newspaper as ‘Citizen of the Month’.
1989Another royal performance at the Albert Hall. ‘London Venture’ attended by King Olav of Norway and members of the British royal family. We received a standing ovation and a personal letter of congratulation on behalf of the King. This was our Diamond Jubilee and we celebrated with a huge reunion dinner.
1990Concert at Westminster Abbey for ‘Thinking Day’ Service. Took a prominent part in Coventry’s Blitz Commemoration events.
1990Concert in and outside Coventry Cathedral ‘Salute to Youth’.
1994Fanfares for International Freemen’s Conference Banquet at St. Mary’s Guild Hall to many accolades.
1996Drum corps took part in the Royal Queen’s Scout Parade at Windsor Castle and created such a good impression that an invitation was extended for the whole band in 1997. Took part in the celebration parade to mark the Queen’s Birthday in London, marching from Horse Guards Parade down the Mall past Buckingham Palace.
1997Full band display and concert performance at Windsor Castle attended by the Queen. We became the first Scout Band to be given the personal permission of the monarch to perform in this way.
1998Concert in Westminster Central Hall for ‘Thinking Day’ service. Stunning indoor performance at the Hotel Metropole, NEC for a Banquet of Independent School Head Teachers.
1999Our 70th Birthday celebrations. ‘Avant Garde’ our highly popular LP recording re-issued in CD form. The band goes on the internet with our own web page. The Band created a technological breakthrough by going on ‘the web’ with its own website, an instant success.
2000Ray, Holliday, David Holliday and Dean Cowell were all awarded the Medal of Merit for excellant service to the 13th band over a period of 30 years.
2001Scouting’s highest award, the Silver Wolf was awarded to Roy Nowell for ‘Services of the most exceptional nature in promoting and developing British Scout Banding over a period of 52 years.
2002The band adopted the complete new uniform and embraced a comprehensive change of appearance.
2003Band again perform at Windsor Castle. Entertaining the Royal review of Queens Scouts with their display and concert pieces.
2004Band return to Jersey to take part in the Battle of Flowers to celebrate 75 years of the band
2005Roy Nowell awarded MBE in the Queen’s New Year honours list.
2006Band are again invited to join the Jersey Battle of the Flowers parade
2012Band again join up with their Friends, the Jersey Scout Band, to take part in the Battle of the flowers
2019The band celebrate 90 years