Wigan Album
British Legion Prize Band Wigan
5 Comments
Photo: Keith Fox
Item #: 12801
I joined 'em in the 60's, & that is well before my time.
We had a "Blazer" type uniform, collar 'n tie. Not the Military style in the pic.
The doors behind are either the Drill Hall or Market Hall, I would think
The year is 1937, on the Market Hall steps.My grandfather James (Jem) Turner is front row 1st left.The little boy in uniform is my cousin Jackie Turner he would be 7 years old and on parades walked at the front of the band with grandfather. The drummer is Teddy Connor lived in Heather Grove, Worseley Hall (miner who cut hair at times!) On the rh side 2nd step is Billy Woods & centre front with baton is Ned Morgan,he also played cornet and taught my cousin. The band practised in Dicconson St and when Grandfather died in 1958 he had been in brass bands for over 60 years. The uniform was updated probably at the end of the war and I think Grandfather funded the purchase. The band always lead the annual Remembrance Day gathering at the War Memorial. By popular demand played ''Wearing of the green'' when leading the annual RC walking day parade down Wellington St, Scholes. Thanks for posting the photo we enjoyed the memory and my cousin was the source of most of the info.
I have logged on many times since I posted the details back in January hoping that Keith Fox(who submitted the photo) or Art or perhaps some other interested locals may have made a contribution or generated more questions. I recall as a schoolboy standing at the main gates of Wigan Park handing out programmes when the Legion Band played concerts on Sundays in the summer.
Sadly, my cousin Jackie Turner, the little 7 year old in the front row, died on May 5th this year (2001). In spite of suffering greatly for the past few years he never complained. He would have been 80 this September. It is possible that he was the last surviving member of the band shown on this photo, and he was the source of most of the information I posted in answer to the original question ''?Year''
Correction to my last posting the year in brackets should be (2011)