The 17th Pals’ Battalion Band continues to go from strength to strength, now comprising of over twenty members, including Sandie, otherwise known as ‘Bob’ who is the first female member.
Formed in 2012, the band commemorates both the lads who served in the Boys’ Brigade, particularly those who were members of the 17th Waltham Forest based at Highams Park Baptist Church and the footballers who served in the 17th Bn Middlesex Regiment in the Great War, which was more commonly known as the Footballers’ Battalion, with a main focus on the 41 players, staff and supporters of Clapton Orient Football Club, which was the first English Football Club to enlist en masse.
Having toured the Somme in 2016 and Ypres in 2017, the band’s reputation is reaching new heights!