Band Together

                          The Jerome Gatehouse Collection Trust, A Military Band Archive

Collage of Jerome and part of his collection

A steelworker from Cwm near Ebbw Vale, Jerome Gatehouse had one huge passion, beside his wife. It was anything and everything to do with military bands, no matter where in the world they were. He started with the aim of obtaining a photograph of every military band in Great Britain. Then, while still in his early thirties, he was forced to give up work so he began his lifelong quest.  This resulted in the largest known collection of military band memorabilia int the world.

More of the collection

Behind the front door of a small terraced house in Newport sits the result of his labours. Over 40,000 items including hundreds of LPs, tapes and videos as well as framed pictures, dress uniforms, helmets, instruments and millions of pieces of paper and journals.

Jerome wrote, but never published, his history of military bands, which lies in files tucked safely away.

The collection has been partly catalogued and a database is being constructed, but what it really needs is a home where it can be exhibited and enjoyed by visitors. At the moment its combined weight is risking the joists of the upper floors of Ann Gatehouse's home.


A new round of Newsletters are planned, the first on the theme of the First World War.

To find out more you can contact the Jerome Gatehouse Collection Trust at:

email:   gatehousecollection@ntlworld.com

www.jeromegatehousecollection.org.uk

The collection contains the histories of no less than 2,000 bands, including those of every British 1st and 2nd Battalion and Staff Bands.

With the current round of cutbacks and redundancies from our armed forces, this collection has even more relevance.  Here they keep the memories and experiences of generations for the generations to come.