30th June 1935 saw the arrival at Boscombe of two lady officers, Adjutant Wingett and Captain Grover, and the reactions of the bandsmen to their arrival were vividly described in the book Great was the Company.
The faces of long rows of bonnetted women songsters, and of men musicians with their glittering instruments were turned on her [Wingett] as she ascended the platform.
She had been made aware of mixed feelings among the latter! As she put it privately to Grover
The bandsmen and others even higher up are not happy, poor dears. Its through having a woman CO for the first time in 25 years
The fact was also that they hadn't a hope that a woman should shoulder the expense of their long needed bandroom. But Wingett had already seen for herself the state of affairs, and described it in a private note to London.
Boscombe has the most dowdy hall in this lovely town. God's house should be the best! The band want a room, the officers want a room, the Home League want a kitchen. Alongside there is a disgraceful piece of vacant land with a broken down shed. Cannot something be done?
On the 11th May 1936 the builders moved in and meetings were transferred to the Temperance Hall. The hall re-opened on 15th July with the bandsmen at last having their own room, which was much appreciated, as shown in this local newspaper article of 1937
There has been an all round improvement in the band which now comprises some 40 instrumentalists. The interest and enthusiasm among the younger members is very noteworthy. The new band room which was recently added to the Citadel is proving a boon to the men and is greatly appreciated by them. It contains a library of spiritual and musical books, and a large photo of the founder adorns the wall.
Many of the spiritual books in this library had, in fact, been donated by General Bramwell Booth whilst 40 song books were given to the band in 1934 as a retirement gift from General Higgins.
Although grateful to Adjutant Wingett for their bandroom the bandsmen were not always pleased with her timekeeping. Their Sunday routine already included a pre-breakfast kneedrill at 7.30am, three openairs, and three indoor meetings. With most bandsmen reluctant to use a bus on the Lord's day and few of them having cars this routine already proved a rush - only made worse by the morning meeting continuing until 12.30 or 12.45 as it usually did.
To these year round activities were added summer openairs at Meyrick lift (on Monday evenings from 1928) and at the Rotunda (Sunday afternoons from 1936).
