Gazette reader Clare Smale wrote to tell us who appeared in the Memory Lane section of the Jan 31 edition of the Gazette.



"The band is / was the Swindon British Railways Staff Association Silver Band.



"Front row - from left - the boy is Graham - Tommy Bassett - unknown - unknown - unknown - Fran Cowley - president Mr Harding in the suite- bandmaster with stick Sid Wilkin - unknown - Don? - Bill Hurst - end

"Back Row from right Wilson Redman (my Grampy)- trombone 'Sandy' Bill Bennett - Fred Titcombe - Jack Vincent - Sandy Cook - Kerry Redman (my Dad) - Bernard Styles - Cyril 'piggy' Winston (pig farmer) - no more names available and some of them may not be quite right as Dad was a bit unsure in places.


"The band marched through town prior to home matches, starting outside the town hall then down Wellington Rd and Broad st into the County Ground.

Played before match and half time. Uniforms ex-police uniforms.



"Decided they'd live things up a bit at half time by adding in some marching - got someone to be a mace bearer and one day band stopped and he didn't and they ended up at opposite ends of pitch! Fran Cowley is my great uncle and still lives in Wroughton and is still heavily invovled in brass in the Swindon area. My Dad (now 65) plays for Driffield Silver Band in East Yorkshire and my daughter (12) is carrying on the family tradition by playing the cornet in the Devizes and District wind band."