[Retlaw]

Originally Posted by nholme

Hi Retlaw, just to put your mind at rest I'm the principal trumpet with East Lancs concert band and I'm working closely with Ian McGuinness on preparations for concerts over the next 4 years. If you attended the PALS memorial chapel last April it was me who played the last post. I'm not trying to poach anything, step on anybody's toes or pose as something that I'm not. I'm simply trying to pull together as much as is known about the history of the band in order to help promote the band. I thought it might be a good idea to ask the good people of Accrington if anyone had any memories of the band (or any of its predecessors) over the years. Jim Savage (band secretary for many years) has kindly given me a lot of historical information and I'm hoping that when I've pulled everything together I'll be able to make available an interesting history of the band over many years.

Ok. the Accrington Old Band led the Pals on their first march around the town in September 1914, but for some reason did not go with them as the passed the town hall where the mayor was taking the salute, the Band waited for them in Church St.
One thing did disappoint the people of Accrington, the Band wasn't invited to play when the Pals marched to the station, when they left for Caernarvon
The first Pals Band was formed by using instruments borrowed from Bulloughs, it was a comic band, they blacked their faces, Lt/Colonel Rickman didn't like it but as it entertained the men he tolerated it until he formed a proper military band.
My grandfather and an uncle played in several local bands at various times before WW1, but they were mainly concertina bands, grandad had a variety of different sizes of concertina's. I still have my fathers.