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ABC Military Band playing with ABC commentator on a vessel
ABC Military Band playing with ABC commentator on a vessel

ABC Military Band playing with ABC commentator on a vessel

Photographer (Australian, 1899 - 1953)
Date1933-1951
Object number00034968
NameGlass plate negative
MediumEmulsion on glass
ClassificationsPhotographs
Credit LineANMM Collection
DescriptionThis photograph probably depicts the Australian Broadcasting Commission 22-piece Military Band (also known as the National Military Band) with a conductor, possibly Stephen Yorke, performing on board a small vessel with an Australian Broadcasting Commission commentator. A Royal Australian Navy heavy cruiser - either HMAS AUSTRALIA or HMAS CANBERRA - can be seen in the distance.HistoryThe Australian Broadcasting Commission Military Band was formed in October 1933 and comprised 40 players from all the Australian States. During World War II, the Band played concerts to raise funds for the war effort and improve morale. The Band was disbanded in 1951 due to insufficient funding and Stephen Yorke (Bandmaster in the Gloucestershire Regiment) had been the group's conductor throughout its existence.SignificanceThe Samuel J Hood photographic collection records an extensive range of maritime activity on Sydney Harbour, including sail and steam ships, naval vessels, crew portraits, crews at work, ship interiors, stevedores loading and unloading cargo, port scenes, pleasure boats and harbourside social activities from the 1890s through to the 1950s. They are also highly competent artistic studies and views - Hood was regarded as an important figure in early Australian photojournalism. Hood’s maritime photographs are one of the most significant collections of such work in Australia.