The growing threats of Hitler’s rise to power in 1933, the Soviet Union and fascism in Europe escalated with Germany’s invasion of Poland on 1st September, 1939. The war to end all wars was still a strong memory but Britain found itself with no option. At 11.15 am on 3rd September, 1939 Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain announced that Britain was at war once again. The true scale of what lay ahead was simply unimaginable. Conscription meant that communities were broken up, the bandstands were empty and music stopped again. Many bandstands were permanently lost during the collection of scrap iron and ornamental railings for the war effort.