As part of our Brass Roots project we will be doing a monthly spotlight on an interesting ‘thing’ that we need your help with…

We had another session this morning looking through the record books from 1928 and 1929. Amongst other things it mentions an Outing Fund designed to help members save up to go to the Crystal Palace contest.

I looked back at some documents I scanned from John Doughton’s collection and found this… the details and names match those mentioned in the record book so we think this is also from 1929. Mysteriously though it’s blank.

Reading more from the record book, the band decided not to employ their professional tutor at this time because the standard of playing was too low. Looking at contest registers the band did not contest at this time, which probably explains why this outing card was never used.

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As part of our Brass Roots project we will be doing a monthly spotlight on an interesting ‘thing’ that we need your help with…

Still a bit behind, but here’s a photo of the band that we believe was taken after they won the Soham contest in 1923.

Joe Stockbridge, Bob Hinkins, Frank Greenhill, Francis Simons, Val Mitchell, Percy Hales, Sid Cooper (all cornet); Mr Hummerston (Drums), Alf Pearce (Tenor Horn), Lewin Seeley (Tenor Horn), Jack Hinkins (Tenor Horn), Charles Hinkins (Bandmaster), Isadore Vermalyn (Flugel), Harry Smith (Tenor Horn), Bill Ward (Baritone), Harold Jellis (Baritone); George Sharpe (Double B), Amos Greenhill (Band Collector), Cyril Craft (Trombone), David Beale (Trombone), Len Sharpe (Bass Trombone), Alf Smith (Euphonium), Jim Beale (Eb Bass), Sid Day (Eb Bass)

We had a really interesting session this morning going through the original record books from 1926 and 1927 so it’s fantastic to put faces to some of the names we were reading about.

Can’t wait to get the record books scanned in so we can share some of the fascinating snippets…

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**Extra content!
Follow this link to listen to a lovely portrait of Cecil Adams from Graham F Smith‘s Listening Post interview
https://www.facebook.com/roystontownband/videos/10156227306929124/

As part of our Brass Roots project we will be doing a monthly spotlight on an interesting ‘thing’ that we need your help with…

Sorry this one is a bit late – December was quite busy! A photo this time of Fred Drake and Cecil Adams. This was originally scanned in from a collection from Lisa King.

It looks like a presentation at the Royal British Legion presumably on Remembrance Sunday, but we don’t have a record of what year it was taken or what the presentation was for. Can you help?

Do you have any memories of Fred or Cecil that you’d like to share?

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Brass Roots November Spotlight

As part of our Brass Roots project we will be doing a monthly spotlight on an interesting ‘thing’ that we need your help with…

This month i’m going with something a bit more recent – something that came up a lot when we asked people for their memorable band moments at our AGM.

A local arts group needed a band to support their project On Landguard Point, which was bidding for Arts Council funding as part of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad.

Somehow we ended up at the end of Clacton Pier, in the rain, under red umbrellas, playing music by Michael Neiman on film. That’s banding for you!

On Landguard Point Teaser from Pacitti Company on Vimeo.

Were you there? Did you go to the film showing?

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As part of our Brass Roots project we will be doing a monthly spotlight on an interesting ‘thing’ that we need your help with…

As some of the band have just returned from a trip to our twin town in Grossalmerode I thought this would suit! This document seems to be a programme for the first twinning trip between Royston and Grossalmerode – the band (of course!) were there to play.

Were you there? Do you remember the event? What are your favourite memories of twinning trips to Grossalmerode? Have you got any photos to share?

Thanks to Royston Museum for making this interesting artefact available to us 🙂

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