A lifetime of carols for 95-year-old bandsman Eric Davies

For more than a century, Christmas in Abergavenny has featured the sound of a Davies’ family member in The Salvation Army Band. This year, Eric Davies at 95-years-of-age, will be out on the High Street raising money for good causes, continuing a family tradition that began in the late 19th century.

For Eric, The Salvation Army band is not just a hobby it represents his family heritage. His grandmother, Lieutenant Temperance Walkley, arrived in the valleys as an officer in 1896 and soon married the local bandmaster, Jack Davies. Their son Arthur, Eric’s father, also became bandmaster and taught Eric to play when he was still a small boy.

By 1950, when he and his brother Cyril officially joined the band, the Davies family made up half of the eight‑strong brass ensemble. His father Arthur conducted, Cyril played euphonium, Eric played cornet and their uncle Harold played medium bass.

One of Eric’s proudest memories came in 1957 when invited to perform at the prestigious Bandmasters’ Councils Festival at the Royal Albert Hall − a concert featuring international bands from The Salvation Army. In 2024, during celebrations marking 140 years of The Salvation Army in Abergavenny and 150 years in Wales, Eric received a long‑service award in tribute to a lifetime of dedication, music and community service. 

And what is Eric’s secret to a long life? “I was brought up in The Salvation Army, taught to abstain from drinking and smoking? It’s kept me on the right road to the age of 95.”

The Abergavenny Corps will be celebrating Christmas with events at the local hall, Victoria Street, Abergavenny NP7 5DS.

• Sunday, 21st December - Carol Service, 4pm at the Hall. There will be no Sunday Morning Meeting at 10:30am that week.
• Wednesday, 24th December - Carols by Candlelight, 5:30pm at the Hall.
• Thursday, 25th December - Christmas Morning Celebration, 10:00am at the Hall.