Brief History
The Band can trace its history back to 1886 when William Thomas, a young farmer from the Salisbury area moved to Maidenhead and became the first Bandmaster of Maidenhead Citadel Band.
On 25 June 1892, 18 members of Maidenhead Band were arrested during an open air meeting as they "unlawfully obstructed the free passage of the Highway by standing together for the space of twenty minutes." Bandmaster William Thomas took responsibility for the Band's actions and was sentenced to several months manual labour in Reading Gaol.
In more recent times the size of the Band has fluctuated but has experienced a revival under the leadership of the current Bandmaster Stuart Hall, who is also a member of the International Staff Band.
The Band is possibly now the biggest it has ever been with many young players still entering from the junior sections.
Over the years Maidenhead Band has contributed many players to the Salvation Army's "Premier" Staff Bands. To date five Maidenhead Bandsmen have been members of Salvation Army Staff Bands; two in the International Staff Band, one in the Melbourne Staff Band and two in the German Staff Band.
Read more about this topic: Maidenhead Citadel Band
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