Happy memories in world of brass bands
I remember walking into the Clifton and Lightcliffe bandroom at Bailiff Bridge in 1960 and being greeted by wall to wall photographs.
As I looked at them I noticed Irvin Longbottom, who had been a member of the band for over 50 years. I can remember Irvin from my own early years at the band, he was never going to be described as a star player, but was a loyal bandsman. He never missed a rehearsal or engagement, his loyalty over many decades could never be questioned.
Irvin was born in 1902 and he married Alice in 1923. His introduction to banding came through his brother-in-law Ernest White who was a B-flat bass player in the old Brighouse Temperance Band, a band which we now know so well as Brighouse and Rastrick.
Irvin was at Clifton in 1932 when the band had fallen on hard times, but it managed to carry on with the help of a local business man. His family bought the band new uniforms and found it a new bandroom in Bailiff Bridge, which is still their headquarters 77 years later.
The price for this new found financial assistance was to change the band's name and incorporate the name of the village where the band's new philanthropist lived.
Irvin and Alice had three sons, Frank, Leslie and Eric, and all but Leslie joined their father in the world of brass bands.
In 1936 at the age of 12 Frank was given a cornet, which had seen better days, but as Frank says now: "We all had to start somewhere." Having been kitted out with an instrument and a uniform he was then told to sit on the back row in the bottom third cornet chair.
The tradition for any new youngster joining a band was that either your dad taught you to play, or it was one of the older members of the band who did it – in Frank's case it was the band's conductor Luther Dyson.
One of the most memorable events in Frank's early banding career took place at 11.15am on Sunday September 3, 1939, while at the Sunday morning rehearsal at Clifton and Lightcliffe. Everyone was aware that the Prime Minister was going to make an important radio broadcast to the nation. There was no radio in the bandroom but one of the older members went to see one of the elderly neighbours who lived in the same street as the bandroom. It was just a few minutes past 11 when the band's conductor Luther Dyson put his baton down, and the whole band went to the neighbour's house to hear the Prime Minister's speech, and those never to be forgotten words: "This country is at war with Germany." No one said anything, one of the members thanked the neighbour and they all went back to the bandroom and finished the rehearsal.
Frank played at Clifton and Lightcliffe until 1943, by which time he had progressed from third cornet to playing second-man down on the front row cornets. This was also the year that he was called up for military service and then when the war ended Frank was stationed in Sydney, Australia. He was finally demobbed in 1946, and re-joined Clifton and Lightcliffe in his old position as second-man down on the solo cornet line.
In 1948 he left the band to join the Shipley-based Butterfield Tank Works Band. Frank played in this band for about 12 months, when he received a visit from Milnes Wood, the conductor at Brighouse and Rastrick. Frank was seen as a promising front row cornet player, and most importantly was a Brighouse lad. Milnes Wood invited him to a rehearsal which was also his audition.
Having played on the front row solo cornets for 12 months he was asked if he would move on to the solo horn position. The vacancy had arisen because Harold Gilmour, the incumbent, had received his National Service papers and had to leave. Frank accepted the invitation and a position he retained for almost 13 years. During that period he also served as a committee man, secretary and, like his father, was a very loyal servant of the band.
In 1963 he felt it was time for a break to spend more time with his family. Life in a championship band in those days meant you were always on the road with endless concerts, recordings and contest preparation.
Having left the band and beginning to settle back into family life he was visited by a deputation from Black Dyke asking him to join. Thinking about his family he initially turned them down, but his wife who enjoyed him being at home also appreciated that banding was in his blood. His next move took him to Elland Silver Band as its new conductor and one of his memorable occasions at Elland was to conduct the band in a marathon concert which qualified them for an entry in the Guinness Book of Records.
With his son David’s improved playing, David left the Elland CEFA Band and joined the Crossley Carpet Band in Halifax. David didn’t drive so his dad had to take him to the rehearsals. It was soon suggested to him that as he brought David to all the rehearsals and engagements why didn’t he join as well? In no time at all Frank found himself back playing solo horn. The Crossley Carpet Band was one of those post-war works bands that shot to fame during the 1950s and 1960s.
Frank remained a loyal member of the band until its demise in 1969, this meant that both he and David were on the look out for another band.
An invitation to join the Lindley Band in Huddersfield soon followed, and they both enjoyed what transpired to be a short spell at Lindley, which was followed by an invitation to join another Huddersfield-based band at Lockwood.
By now Frank was in his 70s and re-joined his old friend and former conductor at Crossley Carpets band John Harrison when he re-joined Elland Silver Band, only this time as a player and John conducting .
Elland Silver Band have promoted a very well supported and successful slow melody and quartet competition for more than 20 years. As part of this event the organisers have always held a veterans’ section and it has always attracted a number of retired or semi-retired players.
One of the regulars to enter this section was Frank, and having spent part of the day watching many of the young children taking their first tentative step on the brass band ladder in their slow melody section. His memory would drift back 70 years to the days when he was taking his first steps on his brass band career. But, then not to be out done he stepped out on to the veterans’ stage, no doubt he was secretly still as nervous as he was all those years earlier, and of course as the youngsters in the under-11 section had been earlier in the day.
Frank finally retired from playing at Elland Silver Band shortly after his 82nd birthday. He has no regrets and could not have asked for more during his long career. “You make lots of friends playing in brass bands and I have made many over the years,” he says thoughtfully.
Brass bands have always been a family affair, some might say less these days than they used to be but Frank will never forget the many happy occasions he had in the world of brass bands.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Halifax
Tuesday 22 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 8 C to 16 C
Wind Speed: 24 mph
Wind direction: North
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 9 C to 14 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: North
