Navy bands in Canada

[1] Musical units were primarily attached to the Compagnies Franches de la Marine and the Troupes de la marine, both of which were autonomous naval infantry units attached to the French Royal Navy.

Each unit of the Compagnies Franches de la Marine contained two drums (tambour) and a fife (instrument).

At the time, military bands in Canada (New France) were primarily based in the region that is now Quebec.

Due to its British heritage, naval music has long been part of the tradition of Canadian sailors and the sea.

Prior to 1767, Royal Marines Divisional Bands operated in Chatham, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Deal, and Downs.

Alfred Edward Zealley, a Naval officer who was considered to be the "Father of the Royal Canadian Navy bands"[This quote needs a citation], hailed from Bristol and moved to Toronto in 1915 at the age of 37, becoming director of music of the RCN in the 1930s.

These bands rotated responsibilities in terms of playing at base, church and public parades through Esquimalt, Victoria and Vancouver.

In 1939, a permanent force navy band was recruited in Toronto under the direction of Lieutenant Zealley.

[11] In the years after the war, the Naden Band continued to represent the Canadian Forces throughout British Columbia.

In June 1997, Art Eggleton, the then Minister of National Defence announced a restructuring of the Music Branch and the creation of a new band in Victoria, re-establishing a full-time regular force naval band on the West Coast.

Naval bands perform ceremonial and marching music, including the national anthems of foreign countries and patriotic songs like The Maple Leaf Forever.

After the 1968 Unification of the Canadian Armed Forces, corps of drums in both the RCN were dismantled and abolished, although notably making a return in the mid-1980s within the naval reserve.

In July 2013, a five-person corps of drums was unveiled for the first time by the Naden Band of Maritime Forces Pacific a Victoria Day Parade.

[16] During the Second World War, many naval units maintained small corps of drums that were stationed at all major navy bases.

While most of them were staffed by active duty sailors, others were volunteer bandsmen, who served as reservists and professional civilian percussionists.

[17] Like most other Commonwealth Realms, the RCN does not currently maintain any pipe and drum bands stemming from British tradition.

For reserve bands, they often participate in community as well as country's most revered commemorative naval events such as Remembrance Day parades and the Battle of the Atlantic anniversary.

Naval bands also have done at Grey Cup parades, for royal tours and state visits among other events.

The Royal Canadian Sea Cadets maintain different sized marching bands depending on the unit.

Some of these include the Vancouver Naval Veterans Band, which recruits from the area military and merchant navy population as well as civilians.