The photographs that make up this Then and Now image were taken at the Bandstand, Alexandra Park, Hastings. The original photograph appeared in the Hastings & St Leonards Pictorial Advertiser on 17th May 1917. The article accompanying the photograph reads:
‘This splendid band of the 17th Seaforth Highlanders of Canada is composed of skilled musicians drawn from all parts of the Dominion. Prior to the outbreak of war they were all engaged in civilian occupations, embracing all callings, but did not hesitate to join up without personal consideration. Many of them were engaged with orchestras when in Canada but the band was not formed until they arrived in this country. Most of it’s members are all qualified as soloists and the Bandmaster, Mr A Williams WO, has gained many awards as a trombone player. When at Brighton recently they created a record for the season at their entertainments and Brighton is hoping to get them to repeat their visit at an early date. Although a heavy call from time to time is made upon their numbers from other branches of the service, it apparently has little effect on their efficiency, and the 28 members have in their short stay in this town earned great popularity. It is computed that another 1,000 chairs would have been occupied in the Park on Sunday if they had been available, but it seems that the attractiveness of this band of skilled musicians was not fully appreciated.’
The two photographs used to create the image, and the final combined image are below. You can view the top image full size on my Flickr page by clicking on it.
This image is part of a continuing series of Then and Now images I’ve created for East Sussex Council’s World War 1 commemoration website. The website is focused on the contribution that the men and women of East Sussex made towards the war effort.
