The head of a West End institution led the Somerset Brigade Band through public ceremonies such as Remembrance Day and beating retreat, and represented Bermuda overseas in events including the New York St Patrick's Day Parade.

Alan Tucker, widely known as “Jimmy”, was the president and a former bandmaster of the band, which was formed in 1930 and persevered through the decline of other local bands.

Mr Tucker served as its third bandmaster from 1968 to 1999.

On its 75th anniversary, he told The Royal Gazette: “While bandmaster, I widened the music selection to include a variety of music, and I was instrumental in strengthening the membership and played music that young people liked.”

He added: “We recognise that the band cannot survive without having a continuous training programme in place, and we appreciate the ready assistance of members of the community who are willing to send their sons or daughters to join us, to help keep the band going for the next 75 years.”

Mr Tucker had no qualms telling others of his difficult childhood in the Somerset neighbourhood known as “Pond Road” as the eldest of 11 children. From an early age, he became a father figure to his siblings.

His maternal grandmother, Lucy Outerbridge Lewis, helped to raise him, with his neighbours, the Harneys, whose sons, Leonard and Shirley, became lifelong friends. Leonard also encouraged “Jimmy” to learn how to play a musical instrument.

Mr Tucker attended West End Primary School but, like most children of his time, had to drop out at the age of 13 to enter the workforce.

In 1950, he began work as a plumber, hired to install fittings at the Bermudiana Hotel, and later worked at the Naval Operating Base in Southampton, now Morgan’s Point, where he met Lorretta Elise Morrissey, who worked in the laundry.

They married on August 1957, with Jimmy adopting her son, Wendell Morrissey, and two children following, Alan Jay and Alana.

Mr Tucker began driving a taxi to support his family. He served as president of the Sandys Taxi Service, and was responsible for securing some of the first minibuses at the West End.

He also joined the Bermuda Militia Artillery, rising to sergeant. Under Major Laurence N. Dunn, Mr Tucker played the euphonium and became a leading member of the BMA Band.

He was tipped as a candidate to study overseas and become director of the Bermuda Regiment Band, although he turned it down for family obligations.

His skills as a plumber got him contracted by the Department of Works and Engineering, where Mr Tucker trained others.

He joined the Somerset Brigade Band in the 1960s, where his father-in-law, James Morrissey, was the band leader.

According to his family, Mr Tucker’s dedication became “legendary” at a time when similar bands abounded in popularity in Bermuda. He served the band over 50 years and in 1994 was awarded the Queen’s Badge of Honour.

In 2021, he was baptised as a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Mr Tucker is survived by his wife of almost 67 years, Lorretta, along with their son and daughter, and grandchildren.

• Alan Bernard Tucker, a former president and bandmaster of the Somerset Brigade Band, was born on September 27, 1935. He died in July 2024, aged 88