In the light of the decision of Ronnie Aldrich to disband the orchestra in 1964, nothing much happened with the Squadronaires Orchestra. At some later time, bandleader Harry Bence approached Aldrich, asking if he could re-form the orchestra. Bence subsequently reformed the 'New' Squadronaires, and ran the band as a commercial unit until his death in 1997. Following Bence's death, the future of the civilian band was in some doubt. Musical arranger and trumpet player Greg Francis then approached Mrs Mary Aldrich (Ronnie's widow) asking if he could obtain her permission to re-form the 'New Squadronaires' as a tribute to the original wartime Dance Band. He wanted to present the band 'as it was then' - with young players, dressed in RAF uniform, but most importantly, playing the music of the era. Mary Aldrich was delighted to offer her kind support in this. And so, the civilian 'New Squadronaires Orchestra' was re-formed in September 1997. It played its inaugural concert on the Isle of Man where the original band had performed for 11 years during the 1950s and 1960s. As the original venues, the Palace Ballrrom and Theatre had long since been redeveloped, the band played the concert at the Villa Marina.
