Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Band : There were a number of earlier RCMP Bands throughout the history of the RCMP. The first band began as the result of a suggestion of Commissioner George A. French that the Unit at Swan River, Manitoba, the Headquarters of the RCMP, needed a band to provide entertainment during the long winter for the men and he local residents, thereby strengthening the ties between the force and the local citizenry. Their debut, under the direction of Constable Cliff Bryson, was 24 May 1876. Other bands formed at Regina, Fort Walsh, Fort Macleod, Lethebridge, Calgary and Battleford. As other forms of entertainment appeared in the West, the early Police Bands disappeared. These early bands were composed of volunteers: they were semi-official and were not permanent. The last reported unit was in Dawson City in 1903-04, under the direction of Corporal Cobb, when the Mounted Policemen and citizens of Dawson formed a band for the funeral of Constable J.H. Burns a popular member of the force who died in September 1903.
The most recent incarnation of the RCMP Band was formed in 1938 after a visit by Assistant Commissioner S.T. Wood to the Metropolitan Police in England in 1934. He was so impressed with their band that he recommended the formation of an RCMP Band. When he became Commissioner in 1938 he established the Band which continued on a part-time basis until 1958 when it became a full-time unit. A dance orchestra was also created in 1938.
Inspector J.T. Brown was the Band's first Director. The members of the Band were recruited from across Canada and ranged in age from 16 to 26 years old. Strict regulations regarding limits of height, medical fitness, education and aptitude were all employed. The intent was that all bandsmen would be trained and able to act as policemen.
The band made its first appearance on 30 April 1939 in Regina on a Sunday afternoon and was an immediate success. In 1939 the Headquarters for the Band was moved from Regina to Ottawa, where it played its first concert on 15 July 1939. During the war, in the absence of military bands, the RCMP Band appeared in many charity concerts and Victory Loan Drives, as well as playing in military parades and service dances.
Also in 1949 a second band was trained and stationed in Regina for duty in the West. In 1958 the two units were merged into one full-time unit stationed in Ottawa. A choral group was also created from Band members. The RCMP Band was dissolved in December 1993 as a result of financial constraints and a subsequent restructuring of the Force. RG18 General Inventory
