Canada’s oldest fire department band has been part of the Bridgewater community for over 150 years.
The Bridgewater Band was organized in 1868, led by founding bandmaster Charles Jeffries. Known simply as “The Band” to locals, it has gone by many names over the years: the Bridgewater Brass Band, the Citizens’ Band, the Regiment Band, and the Fireman’s Band.
From the start, the band provided its services for many important events. They helped send soldiers off to war and welcome them home, celebrated the opening of new businesses, and marked civic milestones like the inauguration of a railroad line in 1903 and the installation of the hospital’s cornerstone in 1919.
A Military Connection
Until 1908, the band was attached to the Kings County 68th Regiment, and members were issued military uniforms of the day: a red coat with arm lapels, blue pants with a red stripe, a snake-clasped belt, and a Glengarry cap. The band endured lean years during and after the First World War, relying on community fundraising and eventually a modest town council grant to keep going.
Becoming the Fire Department Band
In 1949, the band won a trophy at the Halifax Bicentennial Parade for best civilian band on parade. Despite this success, in 1952 the Bridgewater Citizens Band folded due to lack of funds. Later that same year, it was reorganized as the Bridgewater Fire Department Band; the name it carries to this day. It is now recognized as Canada’s oldest fire department band.
The new era started with a highlight: in 1958, the band was the only one chosen in Nova Scotia to play in Halifax for Princess Margaret’s royal visit.
Today
Only two events have ever disrupted the band’s practice and performance schedule in over 150 years: the COVID-19 pandemic and the Spanish flu of 1918. Both times, the band carried on.
Today the band has up to 40 members spanning all ages and professions, from students and retirees to teachers, paramedics, and engineers. On Wednesday evenings in summer, the band plays at the bandstand at Shipyards Landing Park on South King Street to share their music just as they have for the last century.
