A musician at arms Lt D Godfrey (1831-1903)
‘He has assisted many monarchs in their musical difficulties,’ wrote The Star newspaper in a tribute to Daniel Godfrey Snr in May 1898. ‘The late King Kalakau of the Sandwich Islands sent him the
Order of Kapiolani. From the Sultan of Zanzibar came two splendid gold bracelets for a new setting of the National Anthem of Zanzibar. The late Emperor Alexander of Russia presented him with a splendid enamel and silver cigar-case for arranging regimental marches for the Russian Army…’ As a composer and arranger for military bands, the influence of Dan Godfrey Jr’s father spread impressively wide. Himself the son of Charles Godfrey, the long-term bandmaster of the Coldstream Guards, Daniel Godfrey Snr was just 25 when he was appointed bandmaster of the Grenadier Guards in 1856, soon after which he was tasked with welcoming home British troops from the Crimea. He remained in post for the next 40 years, during which time he and the Grenadiers made the first ever visit to the US by a British military band since the country gained independence. A number of his compositions are still occasionally performed.