BADOTSA
Drum and Bugle bands have been a staple of The Boys’ Brigade almost since the first Companies were formed in the 1880s. The Bugles and Drums of The Stedfast Association (BADOTSA) retains that sense of history and provides a place for ex-members and serving Officers to continue their musical pursuits.
Originally formed as the ‘London Stedfast Association Bugle Band’ in the build up to the Millennium, the band took on the new name of ‘The Bugles and Drums of the Stedfast Association’ or, BADOTSA, for the BB 125 Anniversary Celebration day at Chatham on 31 May, 2008. This change of name recognised that the membership of the band had expanded from its London roots, and left the door open for members of other ex-member bands or Stedfast Associations to join future events.
Over the last two decades BADOTSA have performed at many prestigious events including several appearances at the Lord Mayor’s Parade in London where numbers of members in the band have been close to 100. The band regularly tour to play their music and have travelled to Scotland (Edinburgh Castle and Sterling Castle), Malta, Northern Ireland, Wales, Guernsey, and the Somme Battlefields, where BADOTSA performed at the iconic memorials of Thiepval and the Menin Gate.
The band is comprised of bugles, drums, cymbals, and bell lyres and are keen to welcome new members to their practices at venues all over the UK. For more information check out the BADOTSA website here.
This virtual exhibition is brought to you by The Boys’ Brigade Archive Trust. Our team of volunteers collect, publish, and archive memories from The Boys’ Brigade across the globe.
You too can support our work by donating to The Boys’ Brigade Archive Trust. To do so, please use our Just Giving link below.
Let’s bring more ‘BB’ stories to life!
