UBIQUITOUS AMBASSADORS
KNOTTINGLEY SILVER BAND
by TERRY SPENCER B.A. (Hons), Ph D.
CHAPTER TWO
CONTENTS |
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PAGE TWO |
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THE EARLY TWENTIETH CENTURY: 1901 - 1920
PAGE FOUR
The year was even more busy than usual for the band for apart from the
regular annual engagements the Band was required to take on additional
commitments. One of the first acts of a local committee formed to plan
festivities to mark the coronation of George V was to engage the Band to
lead the procession through the town. (92) In addition, the Band broke new
ground in August, leading a procession from Pontefract town centre to the
Castle, which was the venue for the Borough’s Dispensary Sunday fete. (93)
The year’s activities rounded off with the Orchestral Band providing the
music at the Town Hall Boxing Day dance, held that year under the aegis of
the Knottingley Football Club. (94) The events of 1911 were not all ones of
unalloyed pleasure, however, for the early part of the year was marked by
sorrowful occasions in both a national and local context.
The opening of the Prince of Wales Colliery, Pontefract, in 1860, resulted
in the development of the adjacent coal measures in the last quarter of the
nineteenth century and brought the mining industry to the very doorstep of
Knottingley, providing work for an element residing within the township.
While the town could not be categorised as a mining community, the strong
bond which already existed between the miners and the glassworkers as a
result of the socio-political alliance established in the district by Alfred
Greenwood in 1880, was reinforced by the rise of socialism and a burgeoning
sense of common identity amongst the labouring classes. (95) It is therefore
unsurprising that when, in early January 1911, a colliery disaster occurred
at Bolton On Dearn, situated on the South Yorkshire coalfield, the community
at Knottingley was at the forefront of action to raise money for the relief
of the bereaved dependants.
A grand variety concert was quickly arranged to be held in the Town Hall
in which the foremost talent within the town and surrounding district
volunteered to take part. The musical mainstay was the Silver Prize Band,
assisted by the English Concertina Band from Castleford. (96) The concert,
held on the evening of Saturday 21st January, drew a full house, largely
through the efforts of the Band which toured the streets of Knottingley and
Ferrybridge during the hours preceding the concert, playing and collecting
as it went along, an effort which not only realised £2-3-0 but increased
public awareness of the event. The concert provided three hours of
entertainment for the admission price of either 1 shilling or 6 pence. The
only disconcerting note to the events of the evening was a somewhat
sanctimonious introductory speech by Colonel Shaw, C.C., J.P., who
accompanied by Colonel Mitchell of Wath, while praising the “noble effort”,
stated that such accidents as that which had occurred would be avoided if
miners took more notice of their deputies, and then compounded his
insensitivity by leaving the hall early in order to fulfil his “military
duties”. The concert, launched in response to;
“The appeal of an energetic and sympathetic committee of a
[unidentified] workingmens’ club”, was organised by Mr. W.H. William,
the Club Secretary, assisted by Mr. J. W. Hughes, the club in question most
probably being the Hill Top W.M. Club. (97)
A sorrowful occasion of a more localised nature occurred in April 1911,
with the death of the Band’s long-serving President, Mr. John Harker. The
Band was represented at the funeral by Mr. A. Westerman and Mr. J. Clegg.
(98)
In 1912 the Band returned to Crystal Palace for the National Championships
held on the 28th September and were again successful, winning the
consolation Cup. In February 1913 it was reported that tradesmen in
Knottingley were displaying in their shop windows certificates, a set of
caps and the bandmaster’s cross belt won at the National Championships the
previous Autumn. (99) The set of caps had been donated by Messrs. Mallet,
Porter & Dowd, outfitters, (100) and nicely complemented the new uniforms
which the bandsmen had worn at the contest. The purchase of the new uniforms
had been agreed at a 16 man meeting in January 1912, and confirmed in March
when the newly elected Band President, Mr. R.F. Trueman, had offered to
provide the money for the purchase of the outfits. The design of the uniform
was based upon that of the famous Black Dyke Mills Band but with aluminium
shaded facings. As before, costs were partially defrayed by the sale of the
old uniforms to Band members. (101)
Again, a celebratory concert was planned at which it was hoped the
‘Champion Journal Cup’ would be formally presented to the Bandmaster by the
serving M.P., Mr. Handel Booth. It was also decided to invite local
manufacturers, E.L. Poulson, E.L. Robinson and William Bagley, to the event
to be held on the 1st November 1912, the last named being chosen to be
chairman of the meeting by 11 votes to 4. (102)
A concert committee of Band members was formed to arrange a programme of
entertainment. The ‘star turn’, Mr. Beanland, offered the use of piano,
pianist and also ‘Light Girls’ for a charge of £1, which Mr. Trueman, the
Band President, offered to pay from his own pocket. (103) The subsequent
soiree was a “great success, the place being full.”
Takings, which were at a record level, came from the following sources:
Door: £7-6-0
Programmes: 11s 11d
Tickets: £17-1-6
Total: £24-19-5
Expenses: £9-14-0
Profit: £15-5-5
of which sum Mr. Trueman was handed £15 towards the £40 he had paid for the
new uniforms. (104)
In July 1913, the Band gained 4th prize in a contest held at the Selby
Gala which provided a degree of confidence for the task ahead when in
September the application of the Band to enter the National Championships
for the third successive year was accepted. It was reported that the band
was rehearsing on a daily basis in the hope of bringing home an even bigger
trophy than that obtained the previous year, but alas, “the best laid
plans….” (105)
As the shadow of world war fell across the land in 1914 contesting was
placed in abeyance so that the Band’s appearance in 1913 spelt the end of an
era of its participation for many years.
As if to underline the approaching end of an era of growth and development
in its affairs, the Band also lost two stalwart supporters within less than
a twelvemonth. In Autumn 1912, the members stood in silent respect to mark
the loss of Samuel Marshall Senior, and in May 1913, the death occurred of
the erstwhile member and current President, R.P. Trueman.
Again, the Band was represented by members at the funeral of Trueman and
it is therefore obvious that the practice of the Band being in full
attendance in order to ‘play to rest’ former members and associates had not
been introduced at that date. Something approaching such an observation had
occurred as early as 1905 when prior to a memorial service held by the local
lodges of the Oddfellows and Foresters friendly societies, members assembled
at the Bay Horse Inn, Hill Top, and headed by the Silver Prize Band, walked
in solemn procession to the Tabernacle Free Church where an appropriate
sermon was preached by the Rev. J.P. Rieveley in memory of Isaac Heald.
(107) In common with so many aspects of Band history the commencement of the
playing of the full Band at funerals is unrecorded but none can deny either
the magnitude of the tribute nor the poignancy of its effect. The writer has
tender recollection of the Band’s rendition of ‘Abide With Me’ being
played at the graveside of Frank Spencer, uncle of the writer and
long-standing member of the Band. The hymn was played with such delicate
tenderness that it not only brought tears to the eyes of the assembled
mourners but even now, at a distance of more than 40 years, remembrance of
the occasion still pricks the eyes and clutches at the throat.
The increased incidence and subsequently enforced cessation in no way
diminished participation of ‘banding’, each year having its regular quota of
concerts, parades, demonstrations and sundry public events. The attendance
of the Band usually ensured the success of any event but there were
occasional failures. One somewhat dubious event was an all night dance held
to boost Band funds in January 1909 when the dance music was played by the
Orchestral Band under Sammy Marshall. The event, attended by 60 people, was
declared “a great success” but in the light of the relatively sparse
attendance, the success must have been somewhat limited. It is interesting
to note, however, that the report of the event states that,
“The Band have (sic) taken part in several big contests and have good
prospects for the future.” (108)
Not all such events were undertaken for the benefit of the Band. A concert
organised by the Knottingley Infirmary Committee in 1907, followed by a
dance with music by the Orchestral Band, was reported to be “very good,
but poorly attended.” (109)
On occasion the weather was responsible for the lack of success. In 1912
for instance when following a march through the streets by the Band and its
counterparts from Brotherton to attract awareness of the public, a concert
on behalf of the Ferrybridge Dispensary Committee was spoilt by rain. (110)
In this case, however, the situation was redeemed in the long term when in
1916 the two bands attended a demonstration held in a field near the Parish
(Mission) Room (in which Ferrybridge Church now stands following the
transfer from its original site in the 1950s) and helped to raise the sum of
£30-4-0. (111)
The outbreak of war in 1914 must have resulted in some diminution of Band
membership through voluntary and subsequently enforced conscription.
Unfortunately, no record of the period exists in the annals of the Band. It
is clear, however, that whatever erosion of membership may have occurred, a
sufficient nucleus remained to enable the band to function. Consequently,
the activity of the Band was extended to provide support for the war effort.
Within a month of the outbreak of hostilities it was reported that the Band
had marched through Knottingley playing patriotic selections and had raised
£2-1-4 on behalf of the local relief fund. (112) Again, in 1916, a charity
parade through the streets of Knottingley and Ferrybridge collected £4-10-0
on behalf of the British Farmers’ Red Cross Fund and a week later a “very
good gathering” at a concert at Hillam raised £9-10-0 on behalf of the
same organisation. (113) Almost on the eve of the Armistice the committee,
charged with providing comforts for the local servicemen, held a dance in
the Town Hall, the aim of which was to enable a Christmas gift to be
despatched to each of the town’s fighting men. Music was provided by the
Orchestral Band under S. Marshall and the event succeeded in raising £10. It
is sad to relate however, that fundraising for the cause was restricted when
other social events had to be cancelled due to danger from the influenza
pandemic. (114) The purpose of the dance appears to have usurped the
customary one of providing a Xmas treat for the town’s old folks, for in
December 1913, the Band had played at a concert in the Town Hall for that
purpose, contributing significantly to the success of the evening. (115)
Similarly, throughout the ensuing war period the Band continued to work
within and around the town for the benefit of the town’s Infirmary
Committee. (116) That such efforts were appreciated by the townsfolk in
general is exemplified by the occasion in May 1913 when the management of
the Palace Cinema presented;
“a fine entertainment by a large and enthusiastic audience” for the
benefit of the Silver Prize Band, ensuring that “Band funds were
considerably increased by this lift.” (117)
Terry Spencer 2006
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