History

Where did it All start

Coleford Town Band

"The picture was taken in the courtyard of the Angel Hotel in Coleford in 1946. This is now part of the main bar area as you enter the hotel as it was altered and extended several years ago.As you look at picture the band used to hold their rehearsals in one of the rooms up a set of stone stairs to the left of the band. The rehearsals were held there until about 1960 at which time the band were able to purchase the premises in Cinderhill Coleford"
‍**Mervyn**

Back row L-R: L. Hoare, C. Hill, Gordon Pritchard, S. Ward, K. Teague, Geoff Roberts.
Middle row L-R: B. Benfield, J. Cole, J. Baglin, G. Morgan, R. Preest, K. Jenkins, Tony Baker, Alf Bradley, B. Williams, B. Harris, Gilbert Gwynne
Front row L-R: W. Tomlins, C. Anderson, Maurice Savory, Sid Cooper, Evan Jones, John Baker, H. Poulton, Harry. Brown, E. Poulton

Reproduced by kind permission of SunGreen.co.uk

Yorkley Onward Band

Back Row: Committee (Left to Right), Baldwin, George James, Will Robins, Thomas James, William Thomas.
Back Row: Players (Left to Right): Richard Akers, William Ellway, George Morse, Tom Watkins, Jack Robins, George Searle, William Watts, Harry Marshall.
Standing, second row of players (Left to Right): John Jones, George Marshall, George Morse, Wallace Watkins, Charles Reese Jones, Albert Marshall, Albert Thomas, Campbell Anderson, Fred Nelmes, William Willetts.
Seated players (Left to Right): Oliver Thomas, Riley Brown, Horace Jones (founder conductor), Jerry Holdsworth, Charles Nelmes, Albert Williams.
On the ground (Left to Right):Fred Morse, Lionel Robins, Thomas Morse.

In her book "Early Days at Stone Cottage" Freda Phipps mentions the formation of the band: "My Dad (George Morse) was a member of Pillowell Brass Band until they disbanded in 1903 when some members including Dad and five or six of his nephews formed Yorkley Onward Band ... Until the (Onward) hall was built with donations and loans from some of the band members, the band always practiced in a hut in Crown Lane.".