As the band entertained a good crowd at the Wyvern Theatre with a centenary flavour to its annual Proms Concert, a surprise turn of events happened. An audience member made himself known during the interval, holding a folder full of old band photographs.

The gentleman was Trevor Wilkins, great grandson of Sidney Wilkins, who was a founder member of the band. Trevor’s father, Sydney George Wilkins, who also played in the band, was conductor of the band in the 1950s.

As well as the pictures, Trevor was also holding a roll of tissue paper containing a ceremonial baton that was presented to the band around the time of the First World War. In a 1925 picture of the band outside the Mechanic's Institute (Swindon and the GWR, p113, ISBN 0-86299-790-9), the band’s then conductor, Charlie Baker, can be seen holding the baton. It was Charlie Baker who handed the baton to Sydney Wilkins when he took over as conductor.

The surprise of the evening came when Trevor announced that he wanted to return the baton to the band, hand it over to the band’s current conductor, Steve Armstrong-Watkins. And so a piece of history has leapt from early last century to this.

The band is hugely grateful to Trevor, and would love to hear from anyone else who recognises anyone in the pictures, or has any stories relating to its heritage.