Last week’s feature highlighted the McIntosh Girls Pipe Band. Around the same time that group was established, another all-female musical group emerged in the City: the Vernon Girls Trumpet Band.
Established in 1947—the same year the pipe band gave its first performance—the Vernon Girls Trumpet Band soon became a familiar presence at community events and developed a long-standing connection with the Vernon Winter Carnival. Public interest in the band was renewed in 2019 when alumni brought the group back together.
What many may not know is that the group began with military roots. Formed by Robert Hodgson, a retired regimental sergeant-major of the British Columbia Dragoons, and his wife Marguerite, the band was affiliated with the 903 RCA Cadets. Although female cadets were not officially permitted in Canada until 1975, Hodgson registered the members as a cadette corps under ambiguous names, using initials instead of full first names, in order to secure funding and resources. The girls trained at the Brigadier Murphy Armoury, learning not only music and marching but also military skills such as map reading and marksmanship.
At first, the band used plastic trumpets inherited from a defunct sea cadet group. Their uniforms included chocolate-brown jackets with military-style detailing, flared skirts, purple capes lined in gold, brown knee socks with purple tabs, and BC Dragoons berets. Their instruments consisted of one-valve trumpets, glockenspiels, and drums.
The group quickly gained recognition. By 1951, they had made 14 public appearances and were formally inspected by military personnel. Over time, they upgraded to brass instruments and began performing internationally. In 1966, they toured Switzerland, France, and the Netherlands, representing Canada at the International Youth Festival in Geneva. Highlights in the years that followed included award-winning appearances at the Washington State Apple Blossom Festival in 1969, a performance at Disneyland in 1979, the U.S. National Independence Day Parade in 1983, and the Youth Music Festival in Zurich in 1985.
The band remained largely self-funded and open to all interested girls. Leadership stayed within the family, with Robert Hodgson’s daughter June Rigby taking over as director. Her daughter and granddaughters later became members as well, continuing the tradition.
In 2009, the band disbanded due to rising travel costs. A decade later, alumni revived the group for the 2020 Vernon Winter Carnival Parade. They have continued to perform at local events since. Over the decades, more than 6000 women and girls have been part of the Vernon Girls Trumpet Band.
On July 5, 2025, a monument honouring the band’s legacy was unveiled at Civic Memorial Park, a lasting tribute to a group whose music and spirit helped shape Vernon’s cultural landscape.
Archives Manager, Gwyneth Evans