Established in 1827, the Lincoln and Welland Regiment Band has continuously served St. Catharines and the Niagara Region. In 1898, the L &W Regiment Band began the tradition of playing summer concerts in Montebello Park, a tradition that lasted until the mid 1990s. In 1899, The Lincolnshire Poacher became the official march of the L &W Regiment. The L &W Band's first notable ceremony was in 1901, when His Royal Highness Prince Arthur visited St. Catharines. At that time, the L &W Band had 32 bandsmen and six buglers on parade—a band similar in size to today's, minus the buglers, a tradition lost to time. Throughout the 1900s, the band continued to perform and participated in both World Wars, where musicians acted as stretcher bearers, and many served on the front lines. Notably, Bandmaster Joseph Holden became Bandmaster of the "Originals Club of Toronto." The Originals Club was composed of World War I veterans of the First Canadian Expeditionary Force, as well as Charles Adams Sr. (father of former mayor of St. Catharines, Roy Adams), who was the bandmaster of the First Canadian Expeditionary Force Band during World War I. In 2008, restructuring within the Canadian Armed Forces led to a reduction in the number of bands authorized within our Brigade. This restructuring resulted in the formation of The Lincoln and Welland Regiment Association Band, an all-volunteer group supporting the musical needs of our Regiment.