The Suffolk Fire Service Silver Band was the inspiration of Chief Fire Officer Griffiths and was formed in 1971, becoming one of only a few fire service bands in the country. It’s first meeting and rehearsal was at the Ipswich Fire Service Headquarters on 9th November that year. The first engagement the band performed at was the opening of the Lowestoft Division Headquarters on 2nd June 1972, and by the end of that first year, the band had built a solid membership of 36 players, all employed in the Fire Service.
By April 1973, the word Silver was dropped from the bands name and so began the Suffolk Fire Service Band. Over the next few years, the band performed at many prestigious events including at the opening of a new fire station in Wesel, West Germany. In 1974 the band was also honoured to perform for Her Majesty the Queen at the Fire Service Technical College, and in 1975, at the European premiere of the blockbuster film The Towering Inferno in Leicester Square.
In 1976 band membership was opened up to non-Fire Service players, though they were “recruited” as “volunteer firemen”, and the band continued to improve and enjoy great success in both local and national brass band competitions, eventually being promoted to the 3rd section.
In March 1998 the Band was awarded a lottery grant, and to celebrate, the band commissioned a piece of music. The piece, a march called Swift to Serve, was dedicated to fire-fighters everywhere and commemorated the 50th anniversary of the founding of the local authority fire-service after the second world-war.
Here is a recording of Swift To Serve taken at Lavenham Salvation Army 140th Anniversary concert in November 2024, kindly recorded by Roger Herbert:
However, by 1999 the band no longer had any members still employed by the Fire Service and sponsorship from them came to an end. The band became a completely self funding organisation, renamed as Suffolk Phoenix Brass, and it was at this time that a decision was taken not to continue with competitions, but to concentrate on a wider variety of concerts.
The band continues to go from strength to strength, building its membership and playing ability under the guidance of our Musical Director and making music for ourselves and the local community to enjoy!
Musical Directors
Suffolk Fire Service Silver Band
1971 Dennis Juniper, & Charles Long
Suffolk Fire Service Band
1975 Fred Cocker
1978 Charles Wannop
1980 Charles Long & Fred Cocker
1983 Steve Williams
1985 Terry Auld
1991 Keith Watson
1994 Roland Morris
Suffolk Phoenix Brass
1999 Keith Nice
2015 Geoff Webb
2021 Jonathan Cook
2024 Richard Atkins