The Markham Main Colliery St. John’s Ambulance Brigade formed a band in 1924, purchasing a set of second hand instruments with which to start. By 1929 a new set of Besson instruments was purchased and the first contest entered the result being 3rd prize.
1936 saw the installation of Mr Edwin Griffiths as Bandmaster and the start of a youth programme to build the band with local people.
During the war the band continued and by the end of the war 75% of the band had been taught by the Bandmaster. By 1947 the band was quite successful, winning 16 prizes in the second section and the ladies’ section of the band collected clothing coupons enabling a new set of uniforms to be purchased.
Another important factor at this time was that a weekly contribution of 1/2d was granted from the local Branch of the National Mineworkers Union, a kind of sponsorship in today’s terminology. This is one of the reasons to keep the name and Heritage of Markham Main Colliery Band alive and active.
The Bandmaster, Edwin Griffiths and his three sons as well as three generations of the Smith family and two members from the Heaton family made Markham very much a village band and it grew and became successful moving up to the Championship section.
The band had its own band room within the colliery grounds but required larger rehearsal premises as the numbers grew and the percussion section expanded. Rehearsals moved into the Ambulance Brigade Hall offering more room and better acoustics.