In The Beginning

Back in 1973 it was felt by the young people of The Fountain that the time was ripe to reintroduce a flute band to the area. With this in mind permission was sought from the King family to dedicate the band to the memory of William King who had died at the hands of a republican mob in 1969.

From this a fund raising committee was set up to gain the funds necessary to start the band off, but with local support it wasn't long before the first kit of instruments was purchased and the band was ready and willing to learn.

The band practised at the home of Mr Myles Stott in Fountain Street (an old pub) and under the tuition of Uel Magowan 'flute' and Ronnie Gallagher 'drums' (both were veterans of the No Surrender flute band) the band soon reached the stage when they were ready to parade. A simple uniform of crimson and orange pullovers, white shirt and bow ties was chosen and the band was dedicated on April 6th 1974 in the Apprentice Boys Memorial Hall by Dean Good from St Columbs Cathedral.

There then followed eight years in which the band enjoyed playing at parades throughout the province and gained a reputation for top playing. During this time they travelled to Scotland on four successive seasons to take part in the annual 12th July celebrations, a trip they were to make again in 1992.

Unfortunately those early years were not without tragedy for they saw the loss of two much loved and admired members. Firstly Bobby Stott was killed by IRA terrorists n 1975 and in 1977 David Walker was killed in a road traffic accident on his way home from a band parade. And sadly in 1996 they lost another member, Robbie Shields who'd only been with them a few years as drum major. They will always be remembered as hard working bandsmen.

Time for change

In 1982 the band changed considerably in both style and appearance, for they now sported a smart uniform of blazers and trousers and had added a number of military marches to their repetoire.

This year saw the band enter the contest parade circuit, where they won many trophies including best melody flute, style and appearance and best overall band. Of which they held these titles three times in the North West Bands Association marching competition.

This was also the year that the band took the step and became a member of the NIBA. In 1982 the NIBA championships came to Londonderry which saw the guildhall host the contest. The band were very pleased with second place in their first indoor contest which was to be the first of many. 1983 was a new year and the band surpassed all expectations by winning the first of their successive NIBA championships in the Ulster Hall.

The band have also been successful in other major contests and have won the North West Bands Association contest 18 times since 1982 and never lost the Londonderry Feis in the 15 years they participated in the contest. In 1983 the band also became a member of the Flute Bands League and won the first of ten melody flute titles. In 1996, as well as the melody section they entered the grade 4 parts section were once again they lifted the silverware and have done so 6 times since. The band take great pride in being the first band to win the newly introduced Grade 4 section. They were also the first to win both the melody and grade 4 in the same year 1999 a feat they have achieved another three times 2001, 2002 and 2005.

The year 2002 saw the band enter the higher grade 4 section when the N.I.B.A. introduced this section, where they won both the melody and grade 4, which made them the first band to win two sections in N.I.B.A. history.

In 1988 the band ventured into the recording studio for the very first time, of which the tape "Aces High" was produced which proved to be a great sucess and sold very well.

The band have achieved success thanks to the dedication of their conductor Drew Porter who continues to give up his time to help the members achieve their dream.

Apart from travelling to Scotland the band have also travelled to parades in London, Liverpool and to Limerick where they took part in the International Music Festival.

Making friends

Over the years the band has made many friends in band circles, north and south of the border and mainland Britain and are always happy to meet them everywhere they go. They also have a good working relationship with the No Surrender Parent Club of the Apprentice Boys who they have had the pleasure of leading for over twenty seven years. Their friendship with the Royal British Legion has blossomed over the years and the band is honoured to lead them every year on their Remembrance Sunday parade.

In 1996 after a long fund raising process the band were able to upgrade their uniform to the one they are currently wearing, a specially tailored military style uniform with peak caps which was dedicated along with the new drums in the Apprentice Boys Memorial Hall.

Now in its 32nd year, the band has progressed alot since those early years and has made the melody flute one of the most popular sounds and styles of flute music. With the dedication of young members they hope to maintain their high standards and keep their number one position for many years to come.