St Albans City Band was formed in 1892 and very quickly established itself as a force to be reckoned with in the contest field, going under the name of the St. Albans City Silver Prize Band.
The picture to the left shows the Band in 1920.
In January 1900 the band took part in the first ever massed band concert to be held at the Royal Albert Hall. The concert, the idea of John Henry Iles, was conducted by Sir Arthur Sullivan and featured fifteen bands from around the British Isles, including the Black Dyke Mills and Besses O’ the Barn.
At the beginning of the Second World War, the band became the Home Guard Band. In June 1945 a rehearsal was interrupted to announce that the war had ended! In 1947 the band joined forces with the St Albans British Legion Band, adopting the equitable, but somewhat lengthy title of the St Albans City and British Legion Band. The British Legion part was dropped in 1967 to leave us with our current identity.
Author: Pete Scrowther