Interesting comment from Bonzo3Legs because when I interviewed Ken Colyer - way back (early 1970s?) he said that when he returned to the UK after his spell in New Orleans he started to play with the other five again (Monty Sunshine, Chris Barber, Lonnie Donegan, Jim Bray and Ron Bowden) that the other five were not playing in what Ken considered the 'authentic' New Orleans style so he sacked them and formed a new band of British musicians who were more in keeping with his approach. Chris took over the leadership with Pat Halcox came in as trumpeter.
I knew Ron when I was a schoolboy jazz enthusiast in Portsmouth and his version of the events concurred with Ken. In fact not long after the split Ron left the Barber band and rejoined Ken Colyer.
However Ken's Wikipedia entry says:-

Colyer and the others parted company in 1954, each claiming in later years to have fired the other.

.... which leads me to suppose that there was probably a 'musical differences' row which ended up with them going their separate ways; though if Colyer was the titular leader, in theory, only he could do the sacking!