WW I Ambulancer drivers form a 24 piece SA Brass Band

A unique brass band came into existence during World War I. 

Twenty-five Salvation Army ambulances were serving the wounded in France. Many a German Salvationist casualty recognized the Army insignia on the workers' uniforms; many requests for prayer were gladly agreed to.

Among the ambulance workers based at Boulogne enough instrumentalists were discovered to form a twenty-four-piece brass band. During the summer of 1917 this Ambulance Band played on the local bandstand to crowds of up to ten thousand, and at Christmas brought cheer to three times that number of the war-wounded. 

By the time the musicians disbanded in 1918 the band had played in their spare-time to audiences totalling over a million, and through their activities over a thousand men had publicly decided to become active Christians.

And then there was this....Never has an Army band been formed with less hope of success than at the school in Thika, Kenya. The boys were intelligent and keen, and instruments were available; but the would-be players were all blind! However, the young officer teaching them, now Lieut-Colonel Gordon Swansbury, saw no reason why this should be an insuperable handicap. 
His inventive skills came into full play and, to quote his own words, 'all instruments, from tenor horn downward, were suspended from the shoulders by a leather strap. This enabled the player to have his left hand free to read his music, written in Braille symbols and clipped to his "stand", which was strapped to his left knee! Today, members of the original band are using the same method in other parts of Kenya.