This is an article that appeared in the Haslemere Herald on 6 June 1925.

Haslemere's Mr E Eley had been president of the Southern Counties Amateur Bands Association for thirty years and as a personal compliment to him and to acknowledge the long and honourable connection of the Town with the association it was decided to hold the next contest on Whit-Monday 1925.

Advance arrangements for the event were made by a local committee of twenty persons with Mr. Turner Bridger President of the Haslemere Town Band as its Chairman. Permission to hold the contest on the War Memorial Recreation Ground was sought and granted and it was agreed to erect tents for the Adjudicator, Bandsmen and Ladies. The organisation of teas and refreshments was undertaken. Marshals were appointed to supervise the bicycle enclosure and others to superintend the motor traffic. Extra police to regulate the traffic flow have been requested and would be drafted in, the Fire Brigade and Junior Band members had been organised to sell tickets. Mr Milton, Musical Director, Royal Horse Guards, had accepted the invitation to become the Adjudicator, Competing bands would arrive by train and would be met by a reception committee.

The weather on the day of the contest was warm and sunny and residents of Lower and Upper High streets had an entertaining time watching the bands being met, then form up, before marching to lively music into the town. [...] The roads to the ground were lined with people as the band proudly played and marched their way to the venue.

The contest was divided into two sections, in the second there were five competing bands, Haslemere, Ardingly, Ewell, Horsham, and Bognor. In the first section there were only two, Reading Temperance and Crawley Town. Railway duties prevented the 1924 champions, The Great Western Railway, from competing and Dorking Town had to decline due to the illness of their bandmaster.

Bands were allowed to choose their own March, Haslemere chose 'Death or Glory' by R Hall and were conducted by Mr R Murrell. Playing this march had bought them success in the past and was to do so on this occasion. Bognor playing 'The Cossack' by W Rimmer came second and these positions were to be repeated in the selection contest.

There were four Gold Medals to be awarded to the best soloists, three of these were won by Haslemere players, W. Carver (trombone), E Brooker (horn), O J Langridge (euphonium), the other medal for cornet playing went to Ewell band. Two silver medals presented by Mr. Ely for the best drummers were won by Mr G Thomas and Mr H Barnett, also of Haslemere. The first section was won by Reading Temperance and the contest closed with the massed bands playing 'Old Comrades'.

[...]

Nearly three thousand people had visited the contest and many stayed on to dance to the music played by the Town Band. Later, headed by the local Fire Engine, they made a triumphant entry into the town.

Over £77 had been taken in gate money and with advanced sales of programmes it was expected that final receipts would reach £150.