The caption that was added at a later date reads: John Walter Glennie was born in Nelson in 1866 and was educated in Invercargill. His musical experience commenced when he became a foundation member of the Invercargill Drum & Fife Band in 1885. Later he joined the Invercargill Reed & Brass Band as a cornet player. This Band became the Invercargill City Band. Mr Glennie joined the Invercargill Garrison Band in 1896 as leader, a position he held until taking the baton of the Invercargill Municipal Band in 1904. He won the New Zealand cornet championship at Invercargill in 1894, was second at Timaru in 1895 and at Dunedin in 1896, and won the Australian Championship when the Garrison Band visited Melbourne in 1897. He also won the New Zeland Championship at Oamaru in the same year.

Mr Glennie was solo cornetist with the New Zealand Representative Band to tour Great Britain in 1903.