Chalk Farm Band

The Chalk Farm Band is brass band of the Salvation Army located at the Salvation Army Centre in , Chalk Farm, London, England. It is one of the best known brass bands of the Salvation Army in the UK.

Chalk Farm Band has always been at the forefront of Salvation Army banding.

Indeed, as early as 1898, just sixteen years after its formation in 1882, it was first featured as the solo band for a Salvation Army International Congress. The venue was London's Crystal Palace and the band was led by a youthful A W Punchard. This notable achievement proved to be a prelude to far greater accomplishments, for during the next fifty years, Bandmaster Punchard led the band in many pioneering developments that influenced the life and growth of Salvation Army bands worldwide. Particularly notable were the trail-blazing overseas tours over thirty of which have been completed to date.

During the 1930s, the band's progress became a model to be emulated by music sections throughout the world, no doubt as a result of extensive touring of Scandinavia and Central Europe. AWP was also regarded as the model bandmaster and was appointed National Bandmaster in 1922, a position he held until his Promotion to Glory in 1950.

Innovative ventures were being undertaken at home. The first of many gramophone recordings was made as early as 1912, for Pathe Frere, and the band's first radio broadcast was transmitted in 1924. Formal recognition of the band's consistently high standard of service came in 1934 when it was received by King George V at Buckingham Palace, London.

Bandmaster Punchard's eventual retirement in 1944 coincided with the gradual return of many of the band's servicemen from World War II. The rebuilding task passed to Frank Rawbone who greatly enhanced the technical skill and tonal qualities of the band. This enabled a tour of Sweden to be undertaken in 1948, the first extensive post war overseas campaign by a Salvation Army band.

...
Wikipedia