In December 1919, following extensive talks with various Air Ministry departments, Major George Dyson wrote the following letter to the Secretary of HM Treasury;

Sir,

I am commanded by the Air Council to acquaint you for the information of the Lords Commissioners of HM Treasury, that they have under consideration the question of the establishment of a permanent Royal Air Force School of Music and the organisation of Bands for the Royal Air Force and in framing the following proposals have regard to the beneficial effect on order and discipline which a band produces.

The organisation would consist of:

1) A School of Music

2) A Central Band

3) A Cadet College Band

4) Voluntary Bands

The letter went on to detail the function and establishment of the proposed units; it made some more detailed recommendations and finished:

The estimated cost of the establishment proposed is as follows:

School of Music (including 60 NCO's attached to units) £22,310

RAF Central band Pay Allowances and maintenance £12,450

RAF Cadet College Band Pay Allowances and Maintenance £5,150

Grants for supply and maintenance of music and instruments £1,800

Total £41,710

I am to request that you will move Their Lordships of the Treasury to sanction the foregoing proposals.

The Lord Commissioners would not sanction the plan as presented but gave their approval to a modified one that was quickly worked out. In this the School of Music was to be disestablished but the proposed Central Band would be larger and would act as a training unit and as Headquarters for voluntary band instructors.

The Central Band would be sixty strong with a Director of Music in Charge. There would be twenty boys under training attached to the band and eighteen extra NCO's would be on the bands strength but posted out to various stations to act as voluntary band instructors. The Royal Air Force Cadet College was to have a band of twenty-four musicians with a warrant Officer Bandmaster. Voluntary Bands were to be encouraged but only as a spare time activity.

Excerpt taken from – Music in the Air by Ian Kendrick (out of print) click link for more information.

http://www.musicintheair.org.uk/raf-music-services/music-book.html