The Life & Times of the Legendary Mr. D

AMBASSADORS OF EMPIRE The Life and Times of the Legendary

Mr. D

The story of ARTHUR W. DELAMONT and his champion

VANCOUVER KITSILANO BOYS’ BAND

The Life and Times of the Legendary Mr. D The story of Arthur W. Delamont and his champion Vancouver Kitsilano Boys’ Band

The story of Arthur Delamont touches many people. It is about the famous and the not so famous. The young and the old.

It is about four generations of boys who became men. It is about four generations of men who never forgot how to be boys….. It is the story about the band which never grew old. A band that won over 200 trophies and awards during an unprecedented 50 year history.

A band that made 15 European tours and attended 5 world fairs.

A band that dined with royalty but never lost the common touch. As one Vancouver columnist wrote: “Woodwinds, Brass and Glory,” a Vancouver institution, more famous in Europe than in Canada. When Arthur Delamont died in 1982 at the age of 90, the band died with him. He had not groomed a successor. He had not wanted his band to go on without him.……

The life and times of the legendary

Mr. D

c1930s Vancouver Province

The story of ARTHUR W DELAMONT and his champion

VANCOUVER KITSILANO BOYS’ BAND

by Christopher Best

Copyright 2013 Christopher Best

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without prior permission of the publisher or, in the case of photocopying or other reprographic copying, a licence from Access Copyright, www.accesscopywrite.ca, 1-800-893-5777 Warfleet Press 1038 east 63rd Avenue, Vancouver, B.C., V5X 2L1 www.warfleetpress.com All photos from the collection of Christopher Best unless otherwise noted.

Cover Photo: 1937 The boys in San Francisco for the opening of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Cover design by Christopher Best Text design by Christopher Best Edited by Dr. Robert S. Thomson Printed and bound in China

Library and Archives Canada Cataloging in Publication

Best, Christopher 1949 The Life and Times of the Legendary Mr. D, The Story of Arthur W Delamont and his champion Vancouver Kitsilano Boys’ Band ISBN 978-0-9812574-6-4

1. Best, Christopher, 1949-. 2. Bands-Canada-Biography-Youth-Canadian-Culture

c1930s Vancouver Province

iv vi

Frank West Millerd, Van Band 8 grad 195

CONTENTS

Foreword.....................................................................................i Preface............................................................................iv 1. Salvation Army Beginnings............................................... .. ..1 2. 1931 Champions at the Toronto Exposition..........................12 3. 1933 Champions at the Chicago World’s Fair........................22 4. 1934 Champions West of England Band Festival.................38 5. 1936 Champions Crystal Palace Band Festival.....................66 6. 1937 Guests in San Francisco - Golden Gate Bridge..............88 7. 1939 Guests at New York World’s Fair & on to England......96 8. 1940s Supporting The War Effort at Home.......................118 9. 1950 Champions at the Oosterbeek Band Festival..............136 10. 1953 Top Billing Moss/Empire Vaudeville Circuit............158 11. 1955 Park Concerts, Jersey Island, and a UK Tour.............178

ABOVE: In the 1930s and 1950s the boys became so famous that cartoons appeared in the Vancouver Sun and Province newspapers. Every time they went on a trip and returned with a prize, a new cartoon appeared. This one appeared with an article called “A Boy With A Horn” sometime in the early 1950s. (artwork by Gerald Lipman)

12.1958 Champions at Kerkrade & Brussels World’s Fair ................196 13.1962 Champions again at Kerkrade Band Festival........................220 14. 1966 Champions again at Kerkrade Band Festival........................236 15. 1967 Train trip to Montreal for Expo 67 .....................................248 16. 1968 A Tour of the Capitals of Europe..........................................254 17. 1970 Another tour of the Capitals of Europe..................................266 18. 1972 A Visit To Sweden and Norway...........................................274 19. 1974 Their last Tour of the UK including Russia and Estonia.......284 20. 1976 Several Reunion Concerts ....................................................296 21. 1981 Do Not Go Gently Into That Good Night..............................302 22. 1998 The Old Boys’ Reunion Concerts..........................................310 Books by Warfleet Press.......................................................................338 Acknowledgements.............................................................................343 Index....................................................................................................351

FOREWORD

The Kitsilano Boys’ Band is a Canadian legend. Billed on its international concert tours from the 1930s through the 1970s as “The World’s Most Famous Boys’ Band,” it became a unique tradition in Canada’s musical history.

Programmes, handbills and posters of the day show it performing a breathtaking range of music: “from Sousa to Boogie-Woogie.” Highly acclaimed by critics and audiences alike for its brilliant performances, its disciplined musicianship and superb showmanship, the band of thirty-nine 14 to 20-year olds bore witness to the potential of youth, and to the inspired leadership of its founder, Arthur W. Delamont.

In the early days of writing this book the author had entertained the idea of entitling it “Ambassadors of Empire.” Such a title today may well have struck a nostalgic note; perhaps, in a Canada long accustomed to multiculturalism, pluralism, and its own national flag and patriated constitution it might have seemed rather quaint. But while the current title better captures the aura which Mr. Delamont cast, the notional one did reflect one of his ambitions. He wanted young Canadians to experience “the Old Country” from which he had emigrated. Indeed, he regarded the band’s extended concert tours as a means of returning them home to their ‘roots.’ Thus “Ambassadors of Empire” suggested a journey in two directions: into Canada to develop the tradition of the British concert band, and out of Canada to show the “Mother Country”—in decline as a world power since 1945—that her colonial sons still kept the torch alive. The formal portraits of successive ‘Kits’ bands standing before the Queen Victoria monument at Buckingham Palace symbolize this dimension of the Delamont vision. So, too, do the mirror images of formal band portraits on the steps of Vancouver’s courthouse. Yet the term ‘empire’ also resonated with Britain’s famous Moss-Empire chain of vaudeville theatres throughout the U.K. in which the Kits Band projected its image in pre-television days.

Mr. D, as the “boys” called Delamont, was an extraordinary character.

With his shock of white hair, his commanding presence and firmly expressive baton, he could be at once charming, irascible, encouraging and overbearing. His disapproving scowl during a hard-wrought musical passage

OPPOSITE: Vancouver Kitsilano Boys’ Band: Canadian champions Toronto 1931. Pacific Northwest and B.C. champions 1931-2-3-4.

First prize winners World’s Fair Chicago, 1933. First prize winners West of England Band Festival, 1934.

BELOW: 1939 Poster advertising the boys at the Shakespeare Theatre in Liverpool. This theatre was a part of the Moss-Empire chain.

ii ~ The Band Always Featured Soloists

ABOVE: Michael Hadley was on the 1950 and the 1953 Kits Band tours to England and Holland.

BELOW: Ray Smith, who was in the band in the 40s. Ray was an exceptional trumpet player.

He became the CEO of MacMillan Bloedel in Vancouver.

could burst suddenly into a radiant, beatific smile of approval. His character evinced an energetic counterpoint: good humour, caustic wit, cutting criticism, understated praise, and artistic vision, He was a demanding mentor.

Yet beneath all the artist’s antics lay concern not only for excellent musicianship, but for fostering the journey into manhood of ‘his’ boys. For him, this journey was as much moral as musical. It was not unusual, for example, for him to cut off a passage in mid-flight during rehearsal in order to deliver a ‘sound bite’ homily on questions of trust, loyalty, honor, probity, responsibility, social service and—unlikely as it seemed to those who had suffered his wrath—compassion. At such times, his origins as a Salvation Army bandsmen were poignantly eloquent. If, as some claim, Mr. D had copied (or at least paralleled) the ‘American’ concert band style of John Philip Sousa, it was the Salvation Army bands of the UK that shaped the tonal quality of Canada’s Kitsilano Boys’ Band. To achieve such a rich sound was a huge challenge. It was conditioned as much by instrumentation as style. North American bands, to choose but one example, preferred the trumpet, whereas British bands held to the cornet. Thus what might pass for the ‘Sousa style’ of clarion brassiness contrasted with the mellifluousness of the British style.

Mr. D drilled his boys in the art of hymnic playing. He did so by insisting on their practicing long, sustained tones, and by rehearsing the ensemble with hymns and anthems that required sostenuto performance. Indeed, each instrumental section saw to it that its collective ‘voice’ never broke a phrase, not even for a breath. He insisted on his young musicians listening intently to each ‘voice’ in the ensemble. But while maintaining a full range of tonal colour, he also insisted on brilliant attack, accurate tempo—and dynamics, dynamics, dynamics. It was arguably this blend of ‘Sousa’ and the British band that characterized the Vancouver Kitsilano Boys’ Band.

The band always featured soloists of exceptional achievement. One recalls the soaring and vivacious triple-tongued trumpet trios and the sterling performances of trombone or euphonium. Jazz numbers featured instruments typical of the genre: tenor saxophone, trombone, clarinet and drums.

Classical works from Bach to Grieg and Holst spotlighted brass and woodwinds playing passages originally scored for symphonic strings. All this was backed by rich ensemble playing.

From its beginnings in 1928 to its final years, this pre-eminent concert band rehearsed twice-weekly in the basement of Kitsilano’s General Gordon Primary School. It trained young people to the highest standards of musicianship and performance. And throughout those years it paid rent. This magnificent musical group was unsupported by government grants, Canada Council, corporate sponsors or even the School Board. Its graduates have gone on to become leaders in a variety of fields. Many of them have attained national honours: Queen’s Counsel, Order of Canada and Fellow of the

FOREWORD ~ iii Royal Society of Canada.

Many former bandsmen knew Mr. D during a number of phases of their early development and later careers, and maintained contact with him throughout their lives. I am one of these. The experience has been a formative influence. Having begun as a youngster under his tutelage, I grew into a Kits Band musician, played in two overseas tours, and eventually helped arrange the band’s visits in Belgium and Germany. Mr. D and I became good friends. My being invited to write this Foreword is therefore a special honour.

Michael L. Hadley, CD, PhD, FRSC.

LEFT: 1931 This Brass Quartet took First Place at the B.C. Music Festival four years in a row: 1931, 1932, 1933 and 1934.

They also won First Place at the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto in 1931.

Left to right: Roy Johnston, Gordon Delamont (seated), Arthur Butroid and Wallace Oatway (standing) Roy Johnston won no less than 16 medals before he left the band after the summer of 1934. He was known as the “Boy Wonder.”

Below Left: Bronze medal for solo playing won by Wally Oatway at the Canadian National Band Festival in Toronto in 1931. Arthur encouraged his boys to enter solo competitions as much as possible.

Below: Boys on the train to Toronto, 1931.

PREFACE In writing this book I conducted over 100 interviews with former band members, sons of former members who had passed away and other people who had been prominent in the music field at the time. These interviews proved to be the most interesting and rewarding part of my research. They were extremely important in filling in the gaps in the band’s history, of which I was not aware, as well as affording me many stories and anecdotes from different periods of the band’s history. All of the former members led busy and successful lives after their band years but each of them remembered their band days with the most vivid of recollections. My only regret is that I had not started earlier with my interviews, as many of the original members of the band had passed away by the time I began my research. Nevertheless, I did manage to interview two key original members of the the General Gordon School Band from 1928 (Roy Johnston and Clif Bryson). Both continued playing professionally all their lives, Roy with Mr. D in his Arthur Delamont Concert Band and Clif first as a professional musician and conductor in the original RCMP band and later as a band director in Vancouver and Australia with numerous bands.

I was also able to interview the sons and daughters of several of the original members: Steve Oatway’s father Wallace was the third boy to join Arthur’s band, Dave McCullough’s father Gordon was one of Arthur’s first drummers, Arthur Butroid’s daughter did not know much about her father’s early years but did give me access to his scrapbooks and photos from his band days and Gordon Delamont’s two daughters Susan and Debra and son Gordo remembered their father to me with great affection and esteem. As well, over the span of twenty years I have had many conversations with Vera Delamont, Arthur’s daughter, who granted me access to the family scrapbooks.

The most important years in the band’s history would have to be from the beginning (1928) through 1936. These were the formative years when Arthur marched his boys through the provincial, national and world band championships. In 1936, they beat 25 of Britain’s best adult bands at the National Brass Band Championship at the Crystal Palace in London during their second British tour. They would make one more tour of Britain in the thirties (1939), where they found themselves more or less trapped in

BY JOVE WHAT A BAND THE STORY

VANCOUVER KITSILANO BOYS BAND

Christopher Best

ABOVE:

By Jove What A Band, my first book on Arthur Delamont.

OPPOSITE: Arthur W. Delamont in Vancouver, 1970.

BELOW: A Pictorial Record. Available at www.warfleetpress.com

vi ~ Representing Twenty Years Of Research Great Yarmouth when war was declared.

Much was written about the band in the newspapers in the 1930s, both in Vancouver and in towns they passed through on tour, both in England and across Canada. Many of these newspaper clippings were collected by Lillie Delamont (Arthur’s wife) and Garfield White, the band’s publicity manager, who kept in contact with town newspapers, letting them know when the

ABOVE: Art Butroid became a Commander in the Royal Canadian Navy OPPOSITE: 1935 Massed band concert in the Orpheum Theatre in Vancouver with seven of Arthur’s bands: Vancouver Girls’ Band, General Gordon School Band, Point Grey Junior High School Band, West Vancouver Boys’ Band, Prince of Wales and Queen Mary and the Kitsilano Boys’ Band.

BELOW: Clif Bryson directed RCMP Bands for twenty years.

band would be passing through so the newspaper could inform the town of the band’s pending engagement at the local civic hall or school. Thanks to their due diligence and foresightedness, much has been left in print of the band’s history during this period. It is also a testimony to the high esteem that Arthur and his band enjoyed by music critics, civic officials and the general public of the day that so much was written about their activities in the newspapers.

I made a concerted effort to discover as much as I could about this period of the band’s history and I was able to interview several other boys who had been in the band then as well. They included Bernard Temoin, Hector McKay, Alan Johnston, Don Radelet, Ron Ptolemy, Jim McCullock and Dal Richards.

During the 1940s the band did not make any overseas tours but did travel around British Columbia in support of the war effort. They played at military bases throughout the province to help bolster the morale of the soldiers. My interview with Jimmy Pattison, who was in the band in the 1940s, helped me discover more about the history of the band during this period. Another interview with Stan Smith whose father Ray Smith had been in the band in those days was important.

Stan’s grandfather, Stanley V. Smith, had been an original member of the band as well.

I was able to interview many boys

PREFACE ~ vii from the 1950s and their scrapbooks continued to afford me invaluable newspaper clippings of the band’s travels and successes during this period.

By the 1960s, the band was less featured in the local newspapers, as times had changed and people’s interests were much more eclectic. However I was in the band in the sixties, so I have been able to include my own personal remembrances and stories from that period: my three trips to Europe with the band, and my own and other sixties boys’ newspaper articles and photos from the day.

CHAPTER ONE

SALVATION ARMY BEGINNINGS

1. THE SALVATION ARMY

Band History: 1910 Hereford, England * Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan * National Congress of Sal-

vationists * The Empress of Ireland * The Territorial Staff Band * Black Friday * Vancouver 1920 * Kitsilano * General Gordon School Band * Percy Williams * Anecdotes: Eddie Morse and Freddie Archer * The Originals * Roy Johnston

1892 Hereford, England It all began when Arthur William Delamont

was born into a religious family that followed the teaching, preaching and drum beating of William Booth, who only 27 years earlier, had founded the Salvation Army, a religious and charitable organization run along military lines for evangelizing and the social betterment of the poor and degraded.

Arthur was the second oldest of five boys and three girls born to John and Seraphine Delamont. Their names were Leonard, Arthur, Walter, Frank, Herb, Lizzie, Myrtle and Beatrice. Arthur’s father, John, was a bouncer for General Booth and played bass horn in the Hereford Salvation Army Band. He was also a member of the volunteer Fire Brigade. John Delamont was a leather tanner by trade and worked at Messr. Herrons’ Skinyard. Arthur was apprenticed to the drapery trade with Ald C. Witts and Leonard learned hairdressing with Mr. J. Lawford of Widemarsh Street. In 1910 John Delamont answered a call in the Salvation Army newspaper War Cry for qualified bandsmen to emigrate to Canada to help bolster some of the Salvation Army bands in the small towns on Canada’s prairies. That is how the Delamont family came to be in Moose Jaw.

1910 Moose Jaw was a town of about 15,000 people, with its fair share of picket fences and boys and girls playing in the streets. There was one thing though that made Moose Jaw stand out from the rest of the towns on the prairies: its Salvation Army Band. The band was vastly improved with the arrival of the Delamont family: John played bass; Leonard, Arthur and Frank all played the cornet; Walter played baritone horn and Herb played the alto horn in E flat. The Salvation Army Band swelled to 22 members with the addition of the Delamont family. Resplendent in their scarlet tunics with white embroidery, they presented quite a spectacle marching down the main street of Moose Jaw or performing a concert in the park. For more solemn occasions the white embroidery was left behind. Besides playing the cornet in Moose Jaw, Arthur indulged himself in the sport of motorcycle racing.

National Congress of Salvationists Every four years a call

went out across the Dominion for qualified Salvation bandsmen to participate in a Territorial Staff Band to play at a National Congress of Salvationists to be held in London, England. The next congress was being held in 1914.

ABOVE: Moose Jaw Fire Brigade, John standing.

OPPOSITE PAGE: 1900. Hereford Salvation Army Band.

John Delamont seated second row from bottom, second from the right.

Courtesy: Ray Farr BELOW: A Salvation Army satirical cartoon of the day.

2 ~ The Territorial Staff Band

ABOVE: The Delamont family band in Moose Jaw about 1910. From left to right: Walter, Arthur, John, Herb, Leonard and Frank.

Below: Arthur with his motorcycle, 1914.

Here is how it read: The International Congress, London, England, June 11 to 27, 1914, a last call! If you wish to join one of the parties sailing under the auspices the Salvation Army, write immediately to: Lieutenant Colonel Turner, 20 Albert Street, Toronto. If resident in Manitoba, Saskatchewan or Alberta, write: Staff Captain Tudge, 231 Rupert Street, Winnipeg. If in British Columbia write: Staff Captain White, 301 Hastings Street East in Vancouver.

April 12, 1914 A Trip To London There was much com-

motion and excitement in the Delamont household on Athabasca Street in Moose Jaw. Father had long before sent a letter off to Toronto requesting their participation in the Territorial Staff Band but the boys knew that they probably would not all get to go to England. The letter with the answer had just arrived. Father took his time opening the letter and then he handed it to mother, as he could not read. Mother declared, “Only Leonard and Arthur get to go.” After the disappointment subsided, they were soon all rallying around Leonard and Arthur, wishing them God speed and a safe voyage.

Like most boys their age, Arthur and Leonard were interested in boats and trains and motorcycles. Turning to their mother they asked what the name of the ship was that would be taking them to England. Mother handed them the letter and they read out loud the name of the ship: ‘The R.M.S. Empress of Ireland.’

THE SALVATION ARMY ~ 3

The Territorial Staff Band of Canada was a musical

organization that Salvationists all over the Dominion longed to see and hear but Canada is a land of enormous distances and travelling was expensive.

Besides, the band contained a large part of the Salvation Army staff and business would have come to a stand-still if they had been absent from their positions for any lengthy period. In all there were 400 Salvationists going to the International Congress in London. They were divided among five different ocean liners. The Empress of Ireland carried 165 members and all 37 members of the Territorial Staff Band including Commissioner Rees, Colonel Maidment, Adjutant Hanagan (the Bandmaster) and their wives.

May 1914 Early one morning five members of the Delamont family departed for Quebec City: Arthur, Leonard, their mother Seraphine, their father John, and their eldest sister, Lizzie, who was an officer in the Army. The Empress of Ireland was a class “A” ship of the Canadian Pacific Line. It had been built in Glasgow in 1906. Its skipper, Captain Kendell, had become famous when on one crossing he had apprehended the notorious Dr. Crippen, who had been trying to escape from England to Canada. On board the ship the band played ‘God Be With You ‘Til We Meet Again’ as it pulled away from the dock in Quebec City. After dinner Commissioner Rees called a meeting of all the band members, to whom he said, “I understand you like to be thought of as the Commissioners’ Band. Why not come back to Canada as God’s Band?”

The Empress pulled into the dock at Rimouski about 10 pm that evening to drop off and pick up mail. Shortly after leaving Rimouski she was broadsided by a Norwegian tanker, the Storstad. The devastation was swift

ABOVE: Colonel Maidment (left) and Commissioner Rees on board the Empress of Ireland.

BELOW: The Territorial Staff Band of the Salvation Army that set sail on the ill-fated RMS Empress of Ireland in 1914. They include Commissioner Rees and Colonel Maidment. The survivors are marked with a white X.

4 ~ Black Friday

ABOVE: Captain Kendall BELOW: The Moose Jaw Salvation Army Band after the sinking of the RMS Empress of Ireland. Their two comrades who died on the Empress can be seen at the top of the photo on either side.

swift and deadly. Within fourteen minutes the Empress had disappeared beneath the St. Lawrence. The shrieks and cries of the survivors in the frigid waters pierced the evening quiet like knives. The crew had managed to get several lifeboats off the sinking ship and into the water before she went down and they were busy picking up survivors. The Delamont family, who had been asleep (like most of the passengers on board), tried to make their way up the narrow staircase from third class to the decks above. By the time they reached the last staircase, the ship was almost vertical. Leonard managed to help his mother up on deck along with Lizzie and John. Once on deck he took off his life jacket and put it on his mother, kissing her goodbye. Then they were all washed overboard. Arthur, who had been trapped below, managed to crawl out a porthole and run along the side of the ship until he reached the bow, where he too was washed overboard. Arthur was picked up by a lifeboat that also contained his father and mother and sister. When he asked his father if he had seen Leonard his father replied, not wanting to alarm his mother, “I think he was picked up by one of the other lifeboats.” The survivors standing on the shore watched the last lifeboat as it reached safety and when there was no sign of Leonard, Arthur’s mother could contain her sorrow no longer and screamed, “Leonard, my poor Leonard.”

Black Friday The day went down in Salvation Army history as Black

Friday, for out of 1,475 people on board the Empress only 397 survived. Out of the 37 members of the Territorial Staff Band only 9 survived. Commissioner Rees, Colonel Maidment, Adjutant Hanagan and all their wives perished. The eulogy read: “They were the fairest and best of the movement in Canada and the loss to the executive and ranks of Blood and Fire

THE SALVATION ARMY ~ 5 (the Salvation Army war cry) will in many ways prove irreparable, for its most prominent leaders have sung their last Glory song on earth.”

When Captain Kendall, who had been hit on the head and rendered unconscious, was told of the loss, he cried like a baby. The coffins of the dead were unloaded off the rescue ship Alsatian at Rimouski and then shipped to Quebec City and then on to Toronto where a funeral service was held in the Toronto Arena. Massed bands of the Guelph, Toronto, Oshawa, Chatham and Hamilton Salvation Army bands filled the bleachers. In the center was a huge cross made of floral arrangements. At the head of the cross sat the survivors of the Territorial Staff Band.

After the disaster, Arthur returned to Moose Jaw with his family and spent his time playing in the local theatre pit orchestra. He married Lillie Elizabeth Krantz in 1916 and in 1918 they had a son, Gordon. Arthur’s prospects for pursuing his musical career in Moose Jaw did not seem promising, so in 1922 he packed up his family and moved out west to Vancouver.

Vancouver in the 1920s was growing by leaps and bounds. People were flocking to Vancouver in hope of a better life and to be a part of a young and growing city. The Vancouver music scene in the 1920’s was vibrant and abuzz with endless possibilities for talented young musicians. There were several vaudeville houses including two Pantages theatres (both on Hastings Street), the Orpheum, the Capitol, the Strand and the Beacon.

There were many bands including military bands: Duke of Connaught’s Own Rifles Bugle Band, Seaforth Highlander’s Band, Irish Fuselier’s Marching Band, Corp of Commissioners’ Pipe Band; community bands: Grandview Band, Collingwood District Band, Mt. Pleasant Band; family bands: Timm’s Family Band, Beaton Family Band; professional bands: BCER Co. Trumpet & Drum Band; Parks Board Band. There were even several Indian bands in the surrounding communities.

Besides concert and marching bands there were several local dance bands that played in the theatres and dance halls: Sonny Richardson & his Kampus Kings, Calvin Winters and his Capitolians and the Earl Hill Orchestra. In 1921 a dance hall (the largest in BC) was built on Bowen Island, which allowed 800 people to shimmy at one time. Vancouver’s first band concert took place in 1887 and in 1891 the

ABOVE: The Duke of Connaught’s Regiment.

BELOW: 1920 Arthur playing in vaudeville at the Pantages Theatre in Vancouver.

6 ~ The General Gordon School Band Vancouver Opera House opened on Granville Street. Sarah Bernhardt performed there and Mark Twain and Pauline Johnson read excerpts from their books. In 1897 the first movie house opened in Vancouver. In 1910 the Vancouver Exhibition (a precursor to the Pacific National Exhibition) opened at Hastings Park. Radio came to Vancouver in 1922 and the Vancouver Province and later the Vancouver Sun began live broadcasts. The only prominent youth band in the city in the twenties was the National Juvenile Band led by William Hoskins Sara and Jack Parle. Into all this excitement came Arthur Delamont in 1922 eager to make a name for himself.

Up And Coming Neighbourhood Called Kitsilano

ABOVE: The Delamont Grocery store in Kitsilano about the mid 1920s.

BELOW: The Vancouver Parks Board Band, 1925.

Arthur may be seated on the grass at right with the cornet. Location: The Pavilion in Stanley Park.

Vancouver Public Library, Special Collections, VPL 4220

When the Delamonts arrived in Vancouver, Arthur immediately went down to the local musicians’ office to get his membership card. He was told that he would have to wait six months before he could play professionally, so he opened the Delamont Grocery Store at 7th and Maple Street in an up and coming neighborhood of Vancouver called Kitsilano. When his six months were up, he began playing his trumpet in the vaudeville houses of Vancouver.

In 1924 Arthur and Lillie’s second child, a girl, was born. They named her Vera. It was not long before Arthur had enough money to buy three lots in Kitsilano next to General Gordon Elementary School. He had three houses built, rented out two of them and moved his family into the third house which was next to the General Gordon School playground.

From his living room window every day he could see the school children going back and forth to school and it gave him an idea. He was teaching Gordon to play the trumpet and it would be nice if Gordon had some boys of

THE SALVATION ARMY ~ 7

his own age to play his music with, so why not start a boys’ band! One day he decided to go over and talk to the school principal, Captain Steeves, about his idea.

Captain Steeves was delighted with Arthur’s idea and he even said that he would send his own son, Hugh, down to play in his band. He also told Arthur that he could use the little school house at the back of the playground for evening rehearsals. Arthur knew that vaudeville would not last and he did not want Gordon hanging around the street corners getting into trouble, so he thought he would give it a try. When he mentioned his idea to the other musicians in the pit orchestra one evening at the Pantages Theatre they said he was crazy and warned him that boys that age could not sit still long enough to play anything decent. If there was anything that made Arthur more determined than ever it was someone telling him that something could not be done. So upon hearing their remarks he packed up his trumpet, got up and told them he was off to start a boys’ band.

The General Gordon School Band True to his word, Ar-

thur made an announcement to the students at the school, found some old instruments in various attics, and one evening the General Gordon School Band was formed. When Arthur and Captain R.P.Steeves conceived the

ABOVE: 1928 The General Gordon School Band on the steps of General Gordon Elementary school.

BELOW: The Orpheum in the 1940s.

8 ~ Percy Williams idea of organizing a band in connection with the school, they had no idea that it would one day become the finest youth band of its kind in the country and maybe in the entire world. Together, they assembled a small group of boys, some so young they had difficulty holding their instruments. On the night of the first practice it was discovered that only one youngster had received previous instruction. What they played is unknown; it was reported there was plenty of sound. One afternoon the band made an appearance on the school grounds before a large number of spectators. The music supervisor for schools was an interested listener. When asked to comment on their prowess she politely remarked, “The little dears….” Those ‘little dears’ numbered between fifteen and twenty in the beginning. They all lived around General Gordon School, on Sixth or Seventh avenue. It was ‘word of mouth’ that brought many of them to Arthur’s doorstep. “Word got around that Arthur Delamont was starting a boys’ band in Kitsilano. Everyone joined!” (Clif Bryson 1928, band director, RCMP) ABOVE: 1928 Gordon Delamont in the front yard of their house on West 7th Avenue.

BELOW: Gordy McCullough and Doug Harkness’ wife in later years.

Percy Williams To Arthur’s surprise, the boys came willingly to

rehearsals, and when he told them they were going to march in their first parade to welcome home local runner Percy Williams from his double victory in the Amsterdam Olympic Games in June of 1928, they were all the more enthusiastic. Arthur knew how to motivate young boys. Just as he and his brother Leonard had been motivated by thoughts of playing in the Territorial Staff Band, these boys were no different. Lillie and some of the mothers set about making uniforms for the boys: pill box hats, white shirts and dark trousers with a dark stripe down one leg. When the big day came the boys looked magnificent marching behind Percy Williams in their new uniforms with their instruments glistening in the afternoon sun. With the success of the Percy Williams parade, boys started to flock to Arthur by the dozens.

After his boys’ success in the Percy Williams parade, Arthur entered the boys in the Canadian Pacific Exhibition Band Festival in the summer of 1929 at Exhibition Park in Vancouver and they came in second. Not a bad start, he thought, but not good enough; they would now have to really get down to work.

In music as in life, timing is everything. In 1929 the stock market crashed.

People were out of work all across the country. During times of national tragedy, people look to the arts, music and cinema to forget their troubles.

Arthur’s timing could not have been better.

THE SALVATION ARMY ~ 9

Background & Anecdotes Eddie Morse and Freddie Archer In 1927, Clifton Bryson’s grandad bought him a saxophone. Clif took lessons for a year and in 1928 heard that Arthur Delamont was starting a band at General Gordon School (The news had spread like wildfire all over the neighborhood). Clif said he would never forget his audition with Arthur. Clif started on a C melody saxophone and was the first saxophone in the band.

Before Kits, he had gone down and joined the National Juvenile Band, which was very popular. He told Hoskins Sara that he played a C melody saxophone. Sara said, “No, sorry! There is no place for a C melody saxophone.” Clif went back to his teacher, Eddie Morse, who was operating a music company at that time (Freddie Archer and Eddie Morse had taken it over from the Conn Company). That’s where Clif found his first job at one dollar a week. Anyway, Eddie switched Clif over to an E flat alto. With the C melody, Clif played note to note with the piano. With his new E flat alto, he had to transpose down a minor third.

He took his audition with Arthur in his kitchen. Delamont put a piece of music up and Clif said, “Do I have to transpose this?” Delamont just about exploded! “What do you know about transposition?!” Clif explained, “When I play with the piano, I have to transpose down a minor third.” Mr. D, as the boys called him, just couldn’t get over that. Anyway, he was pretty much starting everybody from scratch. He welcomed Clif with open arms. He put him in with the alto horns because they were so weak. Clif found the part so dull, playing off-beats. Finally Herbie Melton joined on tenor sax and then Alan Newbury on alto and they had a trio.

At first, rehearsals were held in the little school house situated in the back corner of the playground behind General Gordon School. There was ‘Norman Pearson’ or ‘Norie’ as the boys called him. He was a champion cricket player who is now in the BC Hall of Fame. Norie played trombone and was a good friend of Gordy McCullough. Gordie started on trombone but used to hang out at the Strand and Beacon theatres watching the drummers. He told Arthur one day, “I want to switch to drums or I will quit!”

So Arthur let him. Gordie McCullough lived at 2551 West 7th Avenue.

Van Dunfee was another trombone player. He lived at 2725 West 16th.

Then there was ‘Donald Endicott’ who played trumpet. He lived at 2239 Trafalgar Street. Van Dunfee, Gordy McCullough and Donald Endicott all later played together in a dance band at the ‘Alma Hall,’ which stood at the corner of Fourth Avenue and Alma in Kitsilano. (Clif Bryson interview) Then there was Ardie Steeves. Ardie had a good life. He was the youngest in his family and he was spoiled. He became a pretty good trumpet

ABOVE: Doug Harkness on a trip up to Vancouver in later years.

BELOW: 1929 Gordy McCullough on trombone before he switched to the drums.

10 ~ The Originals

ABOVE: Roy Johnston in 1928 before he joined the Kitsilano Boys’ band.

BELOW: Art Butroid in his back yard with his French horn.

player. Ardie used to go to the movies alot in the thirties. His mother had a jar of coins which she used to let Ardie help himself to, so he could go to the picture shows at least once a week. I guess she thought it would be good for him. Ardie’s dad had told him, in the spring of 1931, “If you place first in the solo trumpet class at the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto, I will give you a new car.” It was the first big national contest that Arthur entered his boys in. Ardie telephoned home from Toronto to tell his dad the good news so that his new car would be waiting for him when he arrived home. Ardie drove that car to band practices ever after.

He lived at 3636 West 4th Avenue.

Doug MacAdams came from a wealthy family. His dad had some money in the stock market and got it out before the crash of 1929. He had over a million dollars, an enormous amount in those days. He lived at 2745 Point Grey Road. Dougie Cooper was also in the band. He played drums along with Gordie McCullough. He lived at 2476 West 6th Avenue.

Dougie Harkness was another boy in the neighbourhood group. He was the practical joker and lived at 2834 West 3rd Avenue. Mack Morrison’s father became the first president of Arthur’s parents’ association, called “the Committee.” He led the Committee from 1931 to 1935 or 1936. Mack was a trumpet player and lived at 4573 West 1st Avenue.

Doug Barlow’s father was the first secretary of the Committee and Jimmy Findlay’s father was a chief magistrate of the Vancouver Law Courts.

Both Doug and Jimmy played clarinet. Jimmy wound up doing some publicity for the band when it was on tour in England in 1936. Doug lived at 2516 West 6th Avenue and Jimmy lived at 6579 Maple Street.

Jack Habkirk’s father became a city alderman in the thirties. The Habkirk’s were from Winnipeg where Jack’s father had worked as the composing room foreman at the Winnipeg Free Press. They lived at 6210 Cypress Street.

Other boys in the beginning included Wally Oatway, who played baritone. He was the third boy to join Arthur’s band, after Gordon and Clif Bryson. The day Arthur announced to the students at General Gordon that he was forming a band, Wally ran all the way over to Arthur’s house to be the first in line. Then there were four boys who played tuba, Walter Mottishaw, John Hardy, Stuart Ross (who started on trumpet but switched to tuba) and Dordie Baird (who became a DJ). Pete Watt was another and he played trombone. Most of the boys lived in close proximity to one another, within the boundaries of this up-and-coming new neighborhood on Vancouver’s west side called Kitsilano.

‘The Originals’ These boys would become known over the years

as ‘The Originals.’ Almost all of the ‘originals’ stayed with Arthur

.

THE SALVATION ARMY ~ 11 right up to the big climax at the Crystal Palace Band Festival in London, England in the summer of 1936. That’s one reason they were so darn good!

Other ‘originals’ included Arthur Butroid (who became a Commander in the Canadian Navy during the war), Jack Fairburn (who later ran a lumber company), Clifford Wood (who became an Aide-de-Camp to a Canadian General in Italy during WWII), and Ross Armstrong (who became an optometrist). Bob Randall’s family owned the Hastings Park Raceway. Bob later became the director of the Ascot Jockey Club. George Reifel was another original, as was Phil Baldwin who became a radio announcer.

Freddie Woodcock was there too.

Roy Johnston was the star of the band. The ‘Boy Wonder’ they called him. He joined the band in 1929 and

was their star trumpet soloist. By 1934, he had garnered no less than sixteen medals for his solo and quartet playing in various competitions.

In those days, they used to give out medals to winning soloists or group players. In 1931, Roy played the flugelhorn solo in Haute Monde at the Canadian National Exposition Band Festival in Toronto. This was the test piece in the big competition that the band won (their first great victory). It made them National Champs! Roy’s music teacher told him he should look into this new band starting up in Kitsilano. Roy didn’t know anything about Arthur and he had never heard of the band. As mentioned they rehearsed in the little house at the back of General Gordon School.

Arthur’s place was just across the fence. The boys sat on benches, five kids to a bench. Each bench accomodated six or seven kids but they had to keep their arms in close.

Arthur said to Roy, “Sit there on the first chair!” Don Endicott sat next to Roy that first night. No one ever sat between them up until the day they both left. Before they started, Mr. D sat beside Roy. He asked him to move over because he wanted to talk to him. Mr. D asked him some questions.

“How long have you been in the National Juvenile Band? How long have you been taking lessons? What do you think about their band?” Roy told him he was quitting. The last time that he heard them they really hadn’t done such a good job. He continued, “Mr Delamont, I heard them the other day and I thought they sounded like the devil.” Arthur said, “Don’t you ever talk like that in here again. Nobody swears in this place.” That was swearing to him. So Roy got beaten down before he even played a note. He’d done something wrong right away. He never did it again. Such was Mr. D’s influence. (Roy Johnston interview) Jack Allen also joined the band in 1929. Jack and Roy soon became great pals. Roy Johnston was in the band from 1929 to 1934. He later became a BC Hydro right of way agent and played professionally.

ABOVE: An early photo of Art Butroid in his front yard in Kitsilano. Art played E flat horn /French horn in Arthur’s first band and was a member of the brass quartet that took first place at the BC Music Festival from 1931 to 1934.

They also took first place in Toronto in 1931.

BELOW: The National Juvenile Band of William Hoskins Sara and Jack Parle wore Stetson hats and Mountie style uniforms. CVA-99-1907, Vancouver Archives

CHAPTER TWO

CHAMPIONS AT THE TORONTO EXHIBITION

B

and History: 1930 Victoria Music Festival * Canadian National Exhibition * Their first transcontinental trip * Toronto * James Oliver of the St. Hilda’s Band * Young Canada Day * Canada’s Junior Band * Vancouver * Background: 1930s A remarkable period in Canada * 1928 Youth bands in Vancouver * Arthur intended to make his living from his bands * The Kitsilano High School Band * A Committee * Anecdotes: Roy Johnston and Spencer’s Department Store * Arthur playing at the Stanley Theatre

Spring of 1930 The Pacific Northwest Music Festival was in full swing

and the boys travelled overnight on the Princess Alice steamship which departed from Pier D on the waterfront in downtown Vancouver for its sailing to Victoria. Arthur decided to enter his boys. When word got around Kitsilano that he was starting a ‘travellin’ band,’ even more boys flocked to his doorstep. They stayed at the Empress Hotel. It is doubtful that Arthur would have been able or willing to pay for such lavish accommodations. It is more likely that they acquired the lavish accommodations through the able work of Garfield White, who became the band’s publicity manager about this time.

Garfield worked for the CPR as assistant to the head ticket agent for Canada.

His efforts and diligence would prove indispensible to Arthur when coordinating and promoting the band’s trips in the years to come. The CPR was making money. It always made money. During the Depression, it was a vital part of the community. The trains were the way to travel. It was a world of trains, hotels and ships. The boys did not win first place in Victoria in 1930.

Only two points separated the top two bands, (89 for the Juveniles and 87 for the boys from Kitsilano) but it was still not good enough for Arthur. He knew if his boys’ band was going to be successful he would have to set goals that would challenge his boys, keep them busy and be fun at the same time.

Competition would be a prime motivator both inside the band and out.

Fall 1930 A letter arrived for Arthur from the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto saying they did have a class for junior bands, but that they were surprised to hear that there was a band of such high caliber on the west coast that would be interested in competing in their festival. It continued, “If you want to come the test piece is Haute Monde.” Arthur was so upset by the tone of the letter that he immediately rushed down to Ward Music on Hastings Street and put in an order for Haute Monde.

Before Arthur and his boys left for Toronto, there was some unfinished business that they had to take care of in Victoria. Arthur loaded his boys onto the Princess Alice steamship one evening for the overnight trip to the 1931 Pacific Northwest Music Festival. When it was all over, his boys were on top, winning the festival over their closest rival, the Victoria Boys’ Band,

OPPOSITE: 1930 Arthur started the Vancouver Girls’ Band in 1930 which lasted until 1936.

BELOW: The National Juvenile Band in May 1928, CVA 99-1867, Vancouver Archives, Stuart Thompson.

14 ~ National Champions! (the score: 84 to 81) to bring home the United Commercial Traveler’s Trophy. William Hoskin Sara’s National Juvenile Band had not entered that year.

Now, back in Vancouver, when they left the CPR Terminal on Cordova Street for Toronto, they departed as Provincial Champions.

The following advertisement could be seen in Vancouver papers regarding a concert the boys performed at the Strand Theatre in conjunction with the feature film “Men of the Sky,” before their departure in special train cars for Toronto. “A real band of real boys, the Kitsilano High School Boys’ Band of 48, winners of Shield, Victoria Music Festival and Brass Quartet, Pacific Northwest Music Festival, on their way to Toronto to participate in competition at the Canadian National Exposition,” read the headlines.

On the first trans-continental trip made by the band across Canada they were accompanied by Lillie Delamont and their ABOVE: 1931 The boys playing at the Tranquille Sanatorium near Kamloops on the way to Toronto.

BELOW: The Princess Alice at dock in Victoria’s Inner Harbour. The Princess Alice and the Princess Adelaide were mainly used for the night run between Vancouver and Victoria up to about 1931 and then they were replaced by other CPR steamships.

eight year old daughter Vera, who became the band’s mascot. Whether it just evolved or it was his plan from the start, when Arthur departed Vancouver that summer for Toronto, he had two ‘colonist’ cars at his disposal (These were sleeper cars used to transport immigrants out west). When the train came to a whistle stop and Arthur wanted to stay overnight, the bands’ two cars would be unhitched and put on a side track, where they would remain overnight. The boys would take turns helping out with chores, such as washing dishes and preparing meals, all under Lillie’s watchful eye. The two biggest sponsors of the band, right from the start, were Woodward’s Stores and Safeway Stores Ltd. Safeway would provide the necessary food in bulk for the band’s trip across Canada: big containers of jam and peanut butter and other necessities.

The boys stopped in Kamloops, Revelstoke, Banff, Moose Jaw, Winnipeg, Fort William, Port Arthur and Sudbury before reaching Toronto. As each whistlestop approached, Arthur would usher his boys out with their instruments to play for their fellow passengers on the boarding platform. As Arthur and his band made their way across the Dominion and back in 1931, towns along the way were impressed by the splendid playing of his boys.

Arthur tried to make the trips as educational as possible for the boys. He or Garfield White would arrange tours to Niagara Falls or to a nickel mine or whatever else happened to be available.

In Banff the boys gave a concert on the terrace of the Banff Springs Hotel overlooking the Bow River. Tug Wilson, one of Arthur’s vaudeville buddies, was playing trumpet in the dance band at the hotel. He came over and gave Arthur and the boys a hearty welcome. In Winnipeg the boys played a big concert at Assiniboine Park for 50,000 people at the twilight community singing event put on by the Winnipeg Tribune. Arthur developed creative ways to prepare for competitions and one of those was to make sure his boys

THE CANADIAN NATIONAL EXHIBITION ~ 15 performed as much as possible before the actual contest. This would ensure that they would be in the best shape possible for the competition. He always tried to arrange places for his boys to play all across Canada.

September 2, Toronto The boys were guests of the Southam Pub-

lishing Co. When the big day arrived and all the competing bands had performed their test pieces, the judges couldn’t believe their eyes when the number of Arthur’s band appeared at the top of all their score cards.With a sweeping victory, the only band from the west carried off the Canadian Daughters’ League Gold Cup. The officials were so upset by this upstart band from the west winning the competition that they refused to give the boys their medals. Instead, they told Arthur that they would be mailed to him in Vancouver. Arthur was somewhat upset by the treatment accorded his boys in Toronto but said, “Well, we got what we came for and that is what really counts. We are National Champions.”

James Oliver of the St. Hilda’s Band of London, England One of the judges was so taken by the boys’ performance that he came up to Arthur and said, “Congratulations, Mr. Delamont. That was an easy win. You completely outclassed those other Ontario bands in your

ABOVE: Lillie Delamont standing by the train on the way to Toronto.

BELOW: Certificate given to the winning members of the brass quartet.

16 ~ Canada’s Junior Band

ABOVE: Boys performing a concert in a baseball diamond in Moose Jaw. Note Model T’s behind being used as a wind- break by the townsfolk.

BELOW Vera in front of CPR train.

category. And that brass quartet, they simply astonished the judges. It was an enviable victory for all your boys.” Arthur had entered several of his boys in solo competitions and four in a brass quartet category. After it was all over the boys gathered around Arthur and disclosed that they had all won in their categories and that the brass quartet had taken first place as well, bringing home 39 gold medals for solo and quartet work.

On Young Canada Day at the Toronto Exhibition

the boys entertained thousands of spectators with their playing in Exhibition Park, where they were allowed the special privilege of playing for an hour.

The Southam Publishing Company took the boys on a few tours while they were in Toronto and they then boarded the train for the trip back to Vancouver.

At Moose Jaw residents flocked to the station to see “the great band of real Indian boys” (as the newspaper headings read) who had won a national title. “What, no Indians?” was the cry. It seems someone had broadcast the assumption that the band was comprised of Indian boys because its name was “Kitsilano.” Arthur was happy to be back in Moose Jaw and received a royal welcome from the townfolk.

In Moose Jaw they were to play a concert for the townsfolk in the local park but the wind was so strong that they decided instead to move to a baseball diamond. As the wind was still coming in on one side, the townfolk all moved their Model T’s up close behind the band to form a wind break, and the concert went forward successfully.

THE CANADIAN NATIONAL EXHIBITION ~ 17

Thursday September, 10: Canada’s Junior Band, Edmonton The boys performed two free concerts in the McDougall

Church Auditorium under the auspices of the Edmonton Journal. Billed as the most outstanding band of juveniles to ever perform at the Toronto Exhibition, the champions of Canada drew many eager listeners. Outside the church loudspeakers broadcast the martial strains of the music for those who were unable to gain admission. The concerts were also broadcast over the radio to many thousands in Edmonton and Vancouver. Before leaving Edmonton, Canada’s Junior Band (as they were now being called), found time to give pleasure to those less fortunate than themselves by entertaining the children of the University hospital with a concert in the Gyro playground. The boys spent the next two days at Jasper Park Lodge as guests of the CNR. The band also caught the attention of local music supervisors. “I hope that Edmonton will soon have a boys’ band. Next to the scout movement, it provides the finest type of training for youth. I have heard many bands but I don’t remember ever having heard one in which tone and timing and general ensemble were so well mastered as in this band.”

(JN Eaglson, Supervisor of Music for Edmonton schools following a visit by the Kitsilano High School Junior Brass and Reed Band in 1931.)

ABOVE: Boys in Moose Jaw waiting for the wind to stop.

BELOW: The boys at Jasper Park Lodge

18 ~ The New Westminster Boys’ & Girls’ Band

ABOVE: The boys at Kamloops Station.

BELOW: Garry (Garfield White) showing Mr. D how to throw a ball.

Monday September 14, Vancouver The figure of bandmaster Arthur W. Delamont could be seen, both hands high above his curly black locks, swaying over the heads of his boys unerringly the new baton just presented to him by the Vancouver School Board. The 31 boys of the Kitsilano High School Band stood erect (in their white shirts and blue capes with scarlet facings) and the lights of the Hotel Vancouver chandeliers were glinting on polished instruments as the boys played for their home folks as honored dinner guests of the City of Vancouver. They filled the Oak Room with the tonal beauties of Vandercook’s “Haute Monde,” the test number with which they captured the junior band championship of Canada. It was an evening of compliments and appreciation, quickening the pulses of mothers and fathers, city officials and invited guests, and the heart-beats of the boys themselves.

Then the boys played “Centennial” – the march with which they opened in Toronto and which led the adjudicators in the tent nearby to exclaim, “There must be some mistake – that is a senior band on the stand now!” Then “O Canada” and with one accord the guests who filled the long room rose to their feet, scarcely able to restrain their ovation. (A report of the boys’ homecoming concert by a local newspaper.)

THE CANADIAN NATIONAL EXHIBITION ~ 19

Background & Anecdotes The 1930’s was a remarkable period in Canada. It was

the period of the Great Depression and a period of political upheaval, with the emergence of a powerful, leftist ideology which stressed cooperation and down-played competition. In British Columbia, the Department of Education advised its districts not to become involved in music festivals which were based upon the principle of competition. It was even announced that no marks were to be given in school choral classes. Despite this fact, there were no less than three music festivals in the lower mainland of Vancouver by 1930: the Pacific Northwest Music Festival held annually in Victoria, the B.C. Music Festival held in Vancouver and the Canadian Pacific Exhibition Band Festival held at Hastings Park in Vancouver. The existence of three music festivals in the area is testimony to the high level of interest in music by the general public of the day.

During the 1920’s Canada’s population was largely British, and French in Quebec. Festivals across Canada deemed it beneficial to work closely with the British Federation which allowed them to bring to Canada outstanding British adjudicators. British music festivals had more history behind them and many of the people brought over from the “Old Country” were seasoned practitioners of the art of adjudicating – which was, all admitted, partly judging and partly entertainment. There was a subtle prejudice favoring British musicians over Canadian. It was felt that Canadians lacked the flair for audience appeal.

There were other youth bands in Vancouver in 1928, but they didn’t travel. The most prominent, as mentioned, was ‘The National Juvenile Band’ led by William Hoskins Sara and Jack Parle. Bill Sara taught woodwinds and Parle taught brass. Sara was a graduate of Kneller Hall in England, where directors were trained for the British regimental bands. They were the band to beat at the local music festivals in the early 1930s.

The New Westminster Boys’ & Girls’ Band was another band. It was led by Mr. Cornfield, who often found himself on the low end of the totem pole when his band was in competition with Arthur’s. The South Vancouver Juvenile Band was yet another. It was led by J.B. Olson and was made up of students from several elementary schools in South Vancouver.

It was Arthur’s intent from the beginning to make a living from his bands. He told Lillie one day that if he charged $.25 cents for each boy

ABOVE: This ad often appeared in the local Kitsilano newspaper in the 1930s.

BELOW: Program for the Canadian National Exhibition, 1931. This event was held from August 28 through September 12, 1931 and was in its 53rd year. There was much to see including a horse show, animals, music by the Exhibition Chorus, exhibits of all kinds, and a grandstand spectacle pageant in two acts entitled “Orientia.”

20 ~ Vancouver Girls’ Band at band practice twice a week and $1.00 each for private lessons, they could probably do quite well. It is not clear if his intention had been from the beginning to start more than one band but that is exactly what he did.

Vera Delamont told me that her mother had said that she would quite often come into their bedroom and find rows of nickels, dimes and quarters stacked neatly on their dresser. They were rehearsal fees from the boys.

Also about 1930 Arthur started the Vancouver Girls’ Band. Be-

ABOVE: Garfield White as Madame Olga Petrovich in the 1980s with his sidekick, Dave Denton.

Garfield performed originally in vaudeville and then became a member of the Canadian Bandoliers during WWII and performed for the troops.

BELOW: 1930s. Garfield White, the band’s publicity manager and link to the CPR.

cause he had been asked on several occasions by the sisters of his boys why he didn’t start a band for girls, he decided he would. They performed concerts regularly around Vancouver, travelled to the Pacific Northwest Music Festival in Victoria and made trips to several destinations around the province over the next few years. The Girls’ band was made up of ten clarinets, nine cornets, two baritones, two tubas, flute and piccolo, five trombones and nine saxophones.

Other bands that Arthur started at this time were school-based: the Queen Mary, Prince of Wales and the Point Grey Junior High School band.

June 1930 Most of Arthur’s boys were graduating from General Gor-

don School so Arthur went over to see Major H.B. King, the principal of Kitsilano High School. Major King told Arthur that he would be delighted to have him move his band over to the high school and call it the Kitsilano High School Band.

A Committee was formed to approach businessmen and resi-

dents of Vancouver for contributions. The Committee members were prominent businessmen and members of Vancouver society who used their considerable connections and influence to further the cause of the band. The organization became very powerful over the years and Arthur came to rely on them heavily when it came to financial and promotional matters.

The first Committee was made up primarily of fathers of his boys.

It was important to create a committee because Arthur had set his aim very high (a national band festival with bands competing from all over the country) and needed all the help he could get. The first president was J. M. Morrison, whose son Mack Morrison played trumpet in Arthur’s band. The first secretary of the Committee was George Barlow. His son, Douglas, played clarinet. The first treasurer was W.S. Stewart. His son Douglas also played trumpet. The publicity manager was Garfield White, who was not only hired for his connections but for his tremendous promotional ability as well.

.

THE CANADIAN NATIONAL EXHIBITION ~ 21

Besides a Committee, a Mother’s Auxiliary was formed and was made up of the wives of the prominent Vancouver businessmen who had boys in the band. Committee meetings were held once a year in the auditorium of General Gordon School. The parents of each boy were encouraged to attend. The band was made up of about 70 members at any given time in the 1930s. Therefore there were usually over 100 parents at these meetings. (Vancouver Province newspaper) Arthur tried to help out his boys as often as he could. Roy Johnston was soon invited to eat dinner with the Delamonts on practice nights.

Roy had to leave school in 1930 and take a job in Spencer’s store at seven dollars per week. It usually wasn’t seven dollars though. When Mr. D heard he was working at Spencer’s, he said, “Instead of going all the way home, why don’t you come and have dinner at our house?” So, he did! (Roy Johnston interview) Arthur continued to play his trumpet professionally around Vancouver during the early days of the band. Frank Hills remembers fondly listening to Arthur playing at the Stanley Theatre. He used to play, “When You and I Were Young Maggie.” The variations were marvelous. His “Carnival of Venice” was dazzling. Roy Johnston played a solo called “I Dreamt I Dwelt in Marble Halls.” The band played a New Year’s Eve concert at the Stanley Theatre. Afterwards, they were allowed to stay in the theatre to see the movie. Frank recalled the lines to one song that went: “You may not be an angel because angels are so few. But until the day that one comes along, I’ll string along with you.” “Those were wonderful days,” he said, “but I don’t think we realized it at the time. We were scared sick of him but he was good for us. The discipline carried on with us for the rest of our lives.” (Franklin Hills 1931- ‘35)

ABOVE: 1930 The Committee and Mother’s Auxilary members on Newcastle Island, near Nanaimo.

BELOW: Wally Oatway standing by the train on the way back from Toronto in 1931.

CHAPTER THREE

CHAMPIONS AT THE CHICAGO WORLD’S FAIR

Band History: On August 10, 1933, the Kits band travels by train to the Chicago World’s Fair

* The World Champions * Anecdotes: Nearest Approach to a Sousa Band * Background: 1931: Band moves back to General Gordon * Arthur was different than other musicians * Opening of the Burrard Street Bridge * Chicagoland Band Festival * The Pacific Northwest Music Festival * Concerts in Victoria * Discipline and work ethic * A second annual Carnival * Band joins VSO in 1812 Overture * Why the Kits Band became champions * Music teaching in vogue * Meta-Narrative: The Power of Real Concentration.

Thursday August 10, 1933. On train number two at 10 p.m. Ar-

thur, Lillie and the boys departed Vancouver and travelled across Canada to Chicago, stopping and playing along the way: Kamloops, Revelstoke, Banff, Swift Current, Moose Jaw and Winnipeg. There were forty-four in the party, including Mr. D and Mrs. Delamont. They had a special sleeper, a hotel on wheels for the entire trip; it was in the charge of Porter William Crawford (Bill) who had looked after the band on its round trip to Toronto the previous year. Mrs. Delamont was in charge of the meals. In Kamloops they gave a concert at Tranquille Sanatorium in the afternoon and in town at night. In Banff the band played at a tea for the Convention of the Institute of Pacific Relations and in the evening they played a concert in the school grounds. Concerts were also given in Swift Current, Moose Jaw and Winnipeg.

Arthur had received a telegram in the Fall of 1932, from Hugh Donaldson, an official of the Century of Progress Exposition in Chicago, asking him and his band to compete at the Chicagoland band festival at the Chicago World’s Fair the following summer (1933). There was no doubt in Mr. Donaldson’s mind that the Kitsilano Boys’ Band would prove to be a decided attraction. This was exactly what Arthur was looking for. He had already won the Provincial and the National Band championship titles, so this fit in perfectly with his plans. And there was no doubt in his mind when it was all over that his boys would be declared, “Champions of the World.”

August 18 They arrived in Chicago ready to compete for the Junior

Band Championship title of the world the following day. Once in Chicago, they went straight to the Lexington Hotel. In the lobby of the hotel, one of the bellboys struck up a conversation with one of the band members: “Did you know that Al Capone used to own this hotel? Well, he did! And on the top floor there is a shooting gallery where dummy cops pop up!”

Some of the boys spent their free time in Chicago visiting the hotels to see the big bands that were playing. There was a booking agent who

ABOVE: Boys playing at a train station trying to earn a dime on way to Chicago.

BELOW: Arthur & Lillie and some of the boys in front of their bus in Chicago.

24 ~ Century Of Progress Exposition booked all the big bands into the hotels. They thought they would do really well, with the World’s Fair on, but the problem was that people were tired after being at the Fair all day. The boys would slip the Maitre d’ a five dollar bill and he would let them sit in the corner with a coffee and listen to the band. They were seldom turned away. Two of the boys who did this a lot were Jack Bensted and Dal Richards.

Some of the big name bands playing in Chicago were Clyde McCoy.......

Sugar Blues, Art Kassel and his “Kassels-in-the-Air,” Johnny Hamp, Cab Calloway and Coon-Sanders. Coon was the drummer and Joe Sanders was the piano player. Ben Birnie was playing at the Paps Blue Ribbon Casino but the boys couldn’t go there. Sally Rand and a young tap-dancing father and son act (the son being Sammy Davis Jr.) were there too.

They are now World Champions! When the big day ar-

ABOVE: Boys in front of the the G.M. Building at the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair BELOW: Boys playing at the General Motors Building at the Fair.

rived, seven contending bands strove to wrest supremacy from the Kitsilano boys, but when the final scores were announced, the boys showed their superiority over the other bands by amassing a total of 225 points out of a possible 240, beating their nearest rivals, the Chicago Boys’ Band, by 24 points. They had won world honors in the D class juvenile brass band section. Newspapers back home read: “Hail to the Champion Boys’ Band of the world! They are now World Champions!” The news of their victorious achievement must have been received by the people of Kitsilano, Vancouver and in fact the whole Dominion with both pleasure and pride.

It was another win for Vancouver and this great and glorious colony of Great Britain! (Andy Gleeson, Kitsilano Times) And so Arthur marched his boys through the provincial, national and world band championships, in a highly contested field, winning each by substantial margins. Nothing challenging happens by chance, and Arthur certainly knew what he was doing, and how to do it!

THE CHICAGO WORLD’S FAIR ~ 25 That night the boys shared the spotlight with the winners of the Class C competition, the St. Mary’s Training School Band of seventy-five players, on the evening festival program at Soldier Field before 100,000 people.

While in Chicago the boys performed several concerts: the Canadian Exhibit, the Court of the Hall of Science, the Floating Theatre (a luncheon for 500 Rotarians, before 1800 employees of the Swift Co.) and the Premier of New Zealand. They wound up their engagements at the General Motors Building. They also found the time to take a special bus tour of the city and to see the Chicago White Sox play the Philadelphia Athletics at Comiskey Baseball Park.

Having conquered Chicago, the boys began preparing for a series of onenight engagements on their return trip to Vancouver: Winnipeg on Monday at Eaton’s Grill Room, Moose Jaw on Tuesday, Swift Current on Wednesday, Calgary on Thursday, Banff on Friday, Revelstoke on Saturday and Kamloops on Sunday.

“The nearest approach to a Sousa Band ever heard.” This quote was often made when people referred to Arthur’s

band and it was used in the band’s programs and advertisements. Some say Arthur did see the Sousa band in person during the 1920s and the similarities between the two bands were striking. On the way back from Chicago the band stopped in Moose Jaw to play a park concert on the banks of the Serpentine River. A gentleman remembered only as RDL who was present at that concert and who had also seen the Sousa band in London in 1901, wrote a letter afterwards to the Moose Jaw Spotlight newspaper: “The Kitsilano Boys’ Band is to give a concert in the Crescent Park tonight.

They have always been favorites in Moose Jaw, but the prestige that they bring with them as winners of the Chicago World’s Fair contest will ensure the attendance of a huge crowd to welcome them and to enjoy the concert.

It is still fully half an hour before the time for starting as I circle the bandstand in a vain search for a vacant seat. I find a patch of coarse grass on the edge of the ravine and sit down contentedly to wait. It has been a glorious August day. The sun has set and the peaceful twilight is deepening, but there is still sufficient light to give a clear reflection of the opposite bank in the still waters of the Serpentine. The tops of the trees by the Public Library, in particular, are beautifully mirrored. Over them the outline of the stately pile of St. Andrew’s church shows sharply against the clear sky, the aspect of the high tower being impressively symbolical.

I find my memory reflecting to another August evening, when, in somewhat similar surroundings, I was awaiting the appearance of a famous band.

It was in the grounds of the Glasgow International Exhibition of 1901 that I first heard the much-heralded “Sousa’s band.”

ABOVE: The boys on the steps of the Court of Science building at the Chicago World’s Fair.

BELOW: John Philip Sousa’s farewell performance at the Glasgow International Exposition (1901) played to an audience of 152,709.

26 ~ The Nearest Approach To A Sousa Band The river Kelvin flowed past the bandstand almost as peacefully as the stiller waters of the Moose Jaw Serpentine. The famous Kelvin-grove immortalized in Scottish song was more spacious than the little clump of artificially planted trees opposite me. On the heights above the wood, the noble array of the university buildings would almost have dwarfed St. Andrew’s Church. But there is a strong similarity in the environment of tonight and that of a generation ago that impressed me as I rise to attention. The band is playing “O Canada,” for the boys have come and the concert is on.

The opening march may not be one of Sousa’s but it is quite in the same style as those famous compositions of his, now known the entire world over. I have the feeling that it could not have been better played

by Sousa’s own band. When Sousa came to Glasgow in 1901, he brought a band of very capable musicians with him. It was not their playing however, I am afraid, that remained in our memories so much as the freak antics of their conductor. He wielded the baton in a most unorthodox manner, and was the joy of the amateur caricaturists for years afterwards. Some twenty years after the Glasgow visit I heard him in Regina. It was not quite the same Sousa. The full black beard had given way to a grey moustache, and all the freakishness had gone out of his conducting. He was still as alert, still as snappy as before, and was assuredly a great band conductor.

But it is difficult to imagine him having any greater control over his men than Arthur Delamont, our former fellow-townsman, has over his boys tonight. They synchronize to every beat of his baton, they respond to every movement of his hand. The program is quite as varied as any of Sousa’s ever was, a few standard pieces, a collection of well loved operatic melodies, some of the popular airs of the day, a sweet and solemn hymn tune in which some wonderful tone effects were produced, and a great collection of Scottish gems as a fitting finish. As the whole tone of the band is heard in Should Auld Acquaintance be Forgot, the environment of 1901 becomes more real than ever. How well I remember the crowd around the bandstand: youth and beauty, laughter and lightheartedness. I look with a new attention at the crowd around me tonight. It seems much the same as the former one. But I have changed! Let us see. I move quietly through the crowd. Every now and then friendly salutations greet my ear. Eyes sparkle and pretty lips are parted in winning smiles. Alas, they are not for me. My son is walking by my side. A generation has gone - a new one has risen.”

While the boys played their one-night engagements back across Canada, the band executive, led by Mr. Barlow, was busily arranging a welcoming home for the boys like Vancouver had never before witnessed. Shortly after 7:00 a.m. on the morning of September 5 the vanguard of the

THE CHICAGO WORLD’S FAIR ~ 27 crowd began to arrive at the CPR Station on Cordova. By 9:30 a.m. three large musical bands had gathered and started to play concert programs for the crowd of well-wishers. In the main rotunda was a band of 80 members of the Musicians’ Union led by local professional band leader, Calvin Winters. On the platform where the boys’ train was to arrive were the South Vancouver Juvenile Band led by J. Olson, The Daily Province Carriers’ Band, South Burnaby and West Vancouver Juvenile bands conducted by A.W. Jordan and the Vancouver Girls’ Band, led by W. Haywood, a member of Calvin Winters’ band. In the square outside the station at the immediate east end was the Vancouver Sun Juvenile Band under R.J. Peebles. (Vancouver Sun/Province) All three large bands played their individual programs at the same time.

Due to their positioning none interfered with the other. By 9:30 a crowd of nearly 10,000 persons jammed the rotunda and railway platforms. The whistle of an approaching locomotive threw the long-waiting crowd into excitement, but it was the wrong train. Finally at 10:20 a.m., one hour and twenty minutes overdue, the train carrying the victorious Kitsilano marchers arrived on No. 4 track while the bands on the platform sounded their tribute with rousing selections. Wild cheering greeted the appearance of smiling faces of the championship instrumentalists as the car occupied by the band came to a stop. Admiring parents fondly embraced their happy but tired sons through opened windows while police struggled to keep the enthusiastic crowds in place. A welcoming committee made up of Mayor Louis D. Taylor, Captain R. Steeves representing the Federation, and officials of the band executive boarded the train. In a moment Arthur appeared and the crowd went into a cheering frenzy. Escorted by the police and the band executives, Arthur, Lillie, and the boys marched along the platform.

“The whole town’s down to meet you, Arthur,” shouted a friend, to which Arthur gave a smile of of satisfaction. As Arthur passed each band, he received the customary salute and congratulatory hand shake from their conductors. When the party reached the station rotunda, it was greeted by the music of Calvin Winters’ band and again received a hearty ovation from the throng which packed into the building. After a brief speech over the radio, introduced by Frank C. Anders, the band was taken outside to a row of automobiles and whisked off quickly to their homes.

At 1:00 p.m. a large reception for about 3,500 was held in the Horse Show Building of the Exhibition. The band members marched to their places on the platform to loud cheers by the spectators. They carried at their head the big silver trophy won at Chicago. After welcomes from the mayor and other city officials, Arthur said of the contest: “I don’t want you to think we ran away with the trophy. He pointed to the silver cup at his feet. There were ten junior bands competing, and in my opinion the

ABOVE: Porter and band boy.

BELOW: Herbert Baxter King attained the rank of Major in 1916 while serving in the army with the Canadian Expeditionary Force. He began teaching in Vancouver in 1904. He was principal of Kitsilano Junior-Senior High School from 1925 to 1934, during which time he was also a part-time lecturer at The University of British Columbia.

FAR LEFT: The Vancouver Girls’ Band.

28 ~ Jim McCullock first, second, and third were very close. When the marks were given out and we were 24 ½ points ahead, it was only a matter of whoopee.”

Background & Anecdotes Arthur decided to move the band back to General Gordon when he and the boys returned from Toronto

ABOVE: Cartoon from the 1930s about the boys off to the Victoria Music Festival where they always won.

BELOW: 1923 The first Hotel Vancouver was located on the corner of Georgia and Granville. It was still there in 1933.

Major King thought that the trophy they had won belonged to the school.

No one was going to tell Arthur what to do with his own trophy. He changed the name once again, this time to the Kitsilano Boys’ Band. He hadn’t been happy with his decision to call it the Kitsilano High School Band anyway because it made it difficult for him to bring in boys who did not go to Kitsilano High School. He had made a decision to start more bands in other schools and to have the best from each school come down and play in his Kitsilano band. Now it would be a community band and draw its members from all over Vancouver. He quickly made arrangements with Captain Steeves to resume rehearsals in the little yellow school house on the school grounds and he continued rehearsing there until the late 1930s when he moved into the school basement.

Jim McCullock was in one of Arthur’s early bands. He told me, “Every mother in Vancouver wanted her son to play in Arthur’s band after their success in Toronto. I graduated from elementary school in June 1931, and in September I enrolled in Grade 7 at Point Grey Junior High School. Soon after that an announcement was sent home to all parents to the effect that a school band was to be formed under the direction of Arthur Delamont. By this time Mr. Delamont had attained a certain degree of local fame through his successes with the Kitsilano Boys’ Band at various music festivals, notably the one at the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto. My mother was all-aflutter with the notion that her little boy could become a “boy soloist” – just like Roy Johnston! My father was rather less enthusiastic, and I think that I felt somewhat indifferent about the whole idea. However, my mother’s iron will prevailed and we accordingly presented ourselves at the school one evening to be interviewed by the great man. Arthur took one critical look at my protruding lower lip and promptly nixed the suggestion that I should learn to play the trumpet and decreed that, I should play the trombone. I think that my mother was quite disappointed but in due course we purchased a second-hand trombone for 75 dollars from Pacific Music on Richards Street (to be sure, Mr. D was there to handle the transaction) and I embarked on what was

THE CHICAGO WORLD’S FAIR ~ 29

to be a long and undistinguished musical career. I was in the band from 1931 to 1936 and later became an engineer.”

Roy Johnston joined the band in 1929. As he told me, “Arthur was different from other musicians of the day. He did

not drink or use profanity and he prospered. Mickey Hunt was another professional trumpet player around Vancouver in those days. Mickey Hunt played at the Hotel Vancouver. There was a tunnel underneath the hotel that led to the Castle Hotel. When the first show was over, the band would all go over to the Castle and sit there until it was time to go back for the second show. Mickey could drink twenty glasses between shows and still play a good show. I took lessons from Mickey Hunt. My dad would meet Mickey once a month at the hotel and he would pay him for my lessons. By the time my dad left Mickey, all the money he had given him had been spent. He never owned a home. He always lived in a rental place. He ended up on welfare, in a city-owned house near fourth and Alma. He lived there until he went into the hospital where his legs were amputated and he died. There were lots of stories about the escapades of Mickey Hunt! That was the way so many were. Roy continued:

Arthur prospered by buying houses. He spent his free time

going around picking up rent cheques from the different houses that he owned. He put it all into annuities. He used to talk to Roy about his finances. “You know Roy, when I’m forty-five, I’ll be able to retire. I’ll

ABOVE: 1931 The Kitsilano High School Band just after their win in Toronto.

BELOW: Arthur’s home on west 7th avenue next to General Gordon school.

It was here that he got the idea for forming his boys’ band.

30 ~ Opening of the Burrard Street Bridge

ABOVE: Another shot of the boys opening the Burrard Street Bridge.

Vancouver Archives, CVA 99-2654, Stuart Thompson BELOW: 1932 Opening of the Burrard Street Bridge. Vancouver Public Library, VPL25217

have a steady income coming in. I’m buying annuities!” So that was another source of income. Most musicians had only one source of income.

That was another difference between Arthur and most other musicians of his day. Arthur continued to prosper buying small apartments up until 1946 and then he developed a stock portfolio. Another thing he did was buy second mortgages. He gave Roy the name of the woman who used to look after mortgages for him. Mrs. MacDonald phoned him up one day and said, “I’ve got a second mortgage I think you’ll be interested in.” Interest is pretty good on those. That’s what he did after he sold off all his real estate. That was the secret of his success. When his job was over, he would go home. (Roy Johnston interview) Calvin Winters had his own professional band and lived on the south side of town. The boys would see him once a week. He would come down in time for the rehearsal. They would never see him the rest of the week. The boys all wondered where he went the rest of the time. Eventually, he went belly up because he drank. Arthur enjoyed a wonderful family life. Roy Johnston told me what dinner was like at his house.

“After dinner, Mrs. Delamont would bring out a pie. She cut it in half.

Mr. D had half. The rest of us, Vera, Gordon, herself and me, split the other half. She had another pie waiting, if we wanted more.”

THE CHICAGO WORLD’S FAIR ~ 31

April 30, 1932 Arthur and his boys again won the coveted United

Traveler Shield at the Pacific Northwest Music Festival in Victoria. This time they beat the National Juvenile Band 89 to 86. Arthur’s brass quartet won the contest again for juniors under 18. A second quartet of his took second place. The junior cornet solo competition was won by Roy Johnston, with a total of 86 points. The year before, in Toronto, Roy had won the Canadian Junior Cornet Championship for the best solo cornet player in the juvenile band competition (Vancouver Sun).

Summer of 1932 Arthur and his boys travelled back to Toronto to defend their title as Canadian champions. However they did not succeed, finishing runners-up to the York Township Boys’ Band (thus losing by only one point: 91 to 90). The year before, the York Township Band had placed second to Arthur’s boys in Toronto. Roy Johnston, however, took second place for the Dominion in the open trumpet class. One of the officials remarked, “This lad won first in the junior class last year which put him automatically into the open class this year.” While in Toronto the boys performed a concert at Parkdale United Church. “All music belongs to the Lord,” said Arthur, explaining the inclusion of secular music in his list of selections to a local newspaper man.

Arthur continued to enter his boys in competitions. As mentioned, Arden Steeves took first prize that year in the junior trumpet competition in Toronto. Gordon Delamont, Don Wright and Norman Pearson all secured places in their classes as well.

July 1, 1932 The Kitsilano Boy’s Band and the Firemen’s Band open the new $3 million Burrard Street Bridge connecting Point Grey with down-

town Vancouver. Hardly was the ribbon cut in front of the devouring eyes of movie cameras, than thousands of pedestrians and hundreds of cars surged across the magnificent white structure in a procession of triumph, led by the Kitsilano Boys’ Band, thereby celebrating another step in Vancouver’s progress.

To say that the whole town got behind Arthur and the boys to help send them to Chicago would be something of an understatement. It cost $2,500 to send the boys to Toronto. To send them to Chicago in 1933 was going to cost $5,000. Every organization in Vancouver wanted to help send the boys off to Chicago to be ambassadors of good will for the city of Vancouver.

When word got around that Arthur’s band was going to Chicago, it attracted the attention of members of other Vancouver bands. In the

BELOW: Michigan born L. D. Taylor worked in a number of occupations before coming to Vancouver in 1896. He had liberal political views, sympathy for the working man and egalitarian attitudes towards women. Among his achievements as mayor were: a mechanized fire department, an 8-hour day for civic workers and contractors, the establishment of parks and playgrounds, juvenile courts, women’s suffrage, the building of the Burrard Bridge and the setting up of the City Archives.

CVA 1477-86, Vancouver Archives, Mayor from 1910-1934.

32 ~ Allard De Ridder spring of 1933, four clarinet players joined up. They all came from the National Juvenile Band. Their names were Harry Bigsby, Jack Bensted, Bernie Temoin and Dallas Richards. Arthur was only too pleased to have them join his band. The National Juvenile band had a very strong woodwind section (clarinets, flutes) and his band was strong in brass, so it was a perfect fit (Dal Richards interview).

Discipline and work ethic Due to Arthur’s strict discipline,

ABOVE: York Bowen (22 February 1884–23 November 1961) was an English composer and pianist. Bowen’s musical career spanned more than fifty years during which time he wrote over 160 works. As well as being a pianist and composer, Bowen was a talented conductor, organist, violist and horn player. Despite achieving considerable success during his lifetime, many of the composer’s works remained unpublished and unperformed until after his death in 1961.

Bowen’s compositional style is widely considered ‘Romantic’ and his works are often characterized by their rich harmonic language. He was one of the most notable English composers of piano music of his time.

his other bands were becoming successful in their own right. He often entered them in local competitions as well. British adjudicator Dr. Staton commented on the Vancouver Girls’ Band, who placed second behind the Kitsilano Boys’ Band in Victoria that year.“ We don’t think we could raise so unique a band in the old country.” -a picture of which he was taking back with him to England (Victoria Times, May 6, 1933).

Spring of 1933 The boys again won the Pacific Northwest Mu-

sic Festival before going to Chicago, as they had done previously in 1932 and 1931. Adjudicator York Bowen paid glowing tribute to the clever juvenile musicians: “When I heard the New Westminster band I sat up,” said Mr. Bowen. “It was really a fine performance. I gave them 88 marks. I thought it was that good. But this second band from Kitsilano is really marvelous. It is amazing that from within such a short distance there can be two boys’ bands doing such magnificent playing.

Mr. Cornfield’s New Westminster boys had good balance, excellent attack, a good choice of tempo and proved themselves excellent players in every department-an accomplished set of young musicians. But these other boys from Kitsilano-wherever that is-by jove what a band! I gladly give them the topmost marks of the whole week-94. They deserve it, for they had splendid basses, accompanied with better balance, had a finer body of tone and their precision was absolutely electric. I don’t see, in fact, that one could possibly expect anything better from a band of young players less than 18 years.” Again they beat Hoskin Sara’s National Juvenile Band (Vancouver Province).

Also in the spring of 1933 Arthur made several trips to Victoria

with his boys. His boys were getting a lot of attention from the musical establishment of the day. At one concert, in Victoria on June 22, 1933, in the audience was practically every bandmaster in the city and at least four of the leading church organists. Several of these expressed their wonder at the quality of the boys’ technique. One man who had organized and conducted many bands said that of all the military bands with which he had been connected in India, he knew of none which could

THE CHICAGO WORLD’S FAIR ~ 33 beat the Kitsilano Boys’ rendition of Suppe’s ‘Light Cavalry March’ or ‘Morning, Noon and Night,’ compositions not usually included in the repertoire of a junior band (Victoria Times).

Tuesday July 4. A second annual Carnival was

among the fund-raising activities undertaken. It was held in the Arena.

The service clubs of Vancouver were given the task of selling 10,000 tickets. Headline attractions were secured from as far away as California. The result was that 3,000 people attended the event and $2,000 was added to the band’s travel fund. Arthur realized the power of the media early and got his boys aired on the radio whenever he could.

Safeway Store’s support of the band continued to be strong. In exchange for sponsoring ten radio broadcasts, the boys often appeared at individual Safeway Stores. Smartly clad in their distinctive uniforms, members of the band greeted customers at all Safeway Stores in Vancouver, North Vancouver and West Vancouver. Two or three boys would appear at each store in connection with the announcement that Safeway Stores would donate a percentage of their total sales on that day towards the band’s travel fund. Evan the Kitsilano Meat Market got into the act (Kitsilano Times, July 6, 1933).

The financial support by the people and businesses of Vancouver was unprecedented in the history of Vancouver. However the band’s greatest assistance came from the Kitsilano Boys’ Band Parents Association (The Committee). This organization helped the boys through its co-operative plans in many difficult situations. They arranged socials, concerts and other functions to obtain the funds for travelling expenses. The musicians and their director were always liberal with gratuitous engagements. Their entertaining concerts were appreciated by patients in hospitals all over Western Canada.

Tchiakovsky’s 1812 Overture with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra under Allard de Ridder was one of the big events of the year when Arthur’s band appeared on stage with Mr. De Ridder conducting. He was the first conductor of international stature to conduct the VSO and was responsible for introducing the music of Mendelssohn to Vancouver audiences, possibly because he was married to a direct descendent of Felix Mendelssohn (Vancouver News-Herald November 6, 1933).

July 6, 1933 (Vancouver Sun) The band played everywhere.

They were always turning up at a garden party, often in high society

BELOW: In 1930, on the invitation of Mrs. B.T. Rogers, De Ridder conducted a concert by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (re-formed for the occasion). This led to further concerts, four a year until 1933 when he moved to Canada as regular conductor of the orchestra. He retained that position until 1941.

Shortly after moving to Vancouver he formed the Allard de Ridder Chamber Music Quartet. In 1934 he organized Stanley Park summer concerts, sponsored by BC Electric, and persuaded W.H. Malkin to finance the construction of the Malkin Bowl. He was a guest lecturer 1936-7 at the University of British Columbia. He retired to Vancouver in 1951 and died in 1966 at age 79.

34 ~ Why the Kits band Became Champions! and classy venues such as ‘Edgewood.’ This was a garden party to help build a campsite for the Girl Guides. The Marionettes, the Kitsilano Boys’ Band, a fortune-teller, the Girl Guides, the Brownies and the Commissioners.....all were at Edgewood. Those presiding at the event were a virtual who’s who of Vancouver High Society: Mrs. Fyfe-Smith, Mrs. Julius Griffith, Mrs. A. D. McRae, Mrs. Jonathan Rogers.... besides high society people, all the service clubs in Vancouver got behind the band’s fundraising efforts.

Why the Kits band Became Champions! After the band’s

ABOVE: The band performing in Sechelt.

BELOW: Roy Johnston was known as the ‘boy wonder.’ By the time he left the band he had 16 medals for solo and quartet competition.

win in Chicago, making them World Champions, the boys were in great demand. Everyone wanted to hear the champs! But how did Arthur do it?

There were good reasons. It was by no fluke that the Kitsilano Boys’ Band won at Chicago in 1933. The adjudicator’s score indicates as much.

There were several ways in which Arthur was able to develop such a fine band. The development of soloists was one. Everyone whoever heard the band play was delighted at the remarkable expression and technique of the more talented musical members of the band. In the early days of the band, Arthur often had to, ‘toot his own horn’ when the going became difficult for the boys and he had to play to restore confidence and rhythm.

Later, that finer guiding spirit of the instrumentalist was entrusted to the boys who could, alone, carry the solo part.

Another way was the development of small groups of players. A case in point is the brass quartets, some of which were heard in separate numbers at various programs that the band presented.

Even more important was the development of the various sections of the band. Whether it was the woodwinds, or the brass instruments it was possible to take them and have them perform a separate concert of their own without any perceptible lack of anything missing. Even in symphony orchestras - the various sections of the ensemble are not always capable of appearing in almost self-contained sections, the audience unconsciously feels the absence of “something” ie., perfect harmony.

A boy’s hatred of music lessons has always been the butt of thousands of jokes. If there is one thing that a red-blooded boy usually does not like it is to have to sit down and do ‘practicing.’ The overcoming of that natural tendency of healthy youth was one of the problems that faced Arthur in developing the quality of the playing of the Kitsilano Boys’ Band.

He did two things that kept the boys interested in the study of music.

The first was to imbue them with his own love of music. It was his practice in the early days to take the score and study it with his boys - to lead them into an appreciation of the motive of its creator, and a sense of just how it must be rendered to bring out its full tone and beauty. The

THE CHICAGO WORLD’S FAIR ~ 35 naturally curious mind of boys readily responds to anything that promises to get to the bottom of things. The second may be said to be his use of change. It was one of the characteristics of his directing that the boys were always having some new project put in front of them. If it wasn’t some new concert, or some new competition it was some new and interesting piece to play. Never did the work of the band go stale and become reduced to ‘practice.’ The boys were always conscious of development and this gave no opportunity for interest to lag.

The evidence that the boys appreciated this method of instruction is that no boys left the band, in the early days, unless forced by circumstances entirely beyond their control. Many of the more advanced boys gave their entire summer holidays so they might enter more deeply into the study of music. As a result, out of this band grew the nucleus of some outstanding Canadian students of music (Kitsilano Times).

Emerson said that, ‘If a man made a better mouse trap than his neighbor, the world would make a beaten track to his door,” which is very true.

But we might qualify Emerson and say, if a man made a better mouse trap than his neighbor, they would all start to imitate his. Inevitably the success of one man in some branch of endeavor fires the imaginations of many more to excel in that same line. This is what Delamont achieved.

After the Kitsilano Boys won the world championship in Chicago, juvenile bands received a great impetus in Vancouver and Vancouver became, ‘juvenile band conscious’(Western Canada Radio News).

Music Teaching In Vogue In Vancouver City Schools

Inspired by the example of the Kitsilano Boys’ Band in its artistic success with the Vancouver Symphony in 1933, an inquiry was made into the system of music teaching in vogue in Vancouver city schools. As a result, it was learned that there were 30,117 children comprising the school population, all of whom had to learn to read music as part of their school work. The Kitsilano Boys’ Band originally came from General Gordon School, and therefore is an example of the quality that may be developed by sound foundations laid in early life. In the investigation it was learned also that there were 20 school bands developing within the school system. Among these, the Kitsilano Girls’ Band formed last year is just as determined as the Boys’ band to mount the hill of success as cleverly as their brothers have done. There are also orchestras and glee clubs striving for success. Interviewed in his office, Music Supervisor F. Waddington said, “A boy who blows a trumpet is never likely to be found blowing a safe. I believe in giving every boy a chance to develop himself. If he does it through music, he has the chance to secure for himself something

ABOVE: An ad often seen in a local newspaper announcing boys would appear at various Safeway Stores raising funds for the band’s trip to Chicago.

BELOW: Calvin Winters at a festival at Brockton Point in the 1930s.

36 ~ J.B. Olson & his Sexsmith School Band that will always prove a delight to his family and his friends; he will acquire an art which will forever be a splendid avocation. Furthermore, it is our aim to turn out every child from our schools, so well versed in fundamentals that he can read music as fluently as he can read the alphabet. Had not this been so with the Kitsilano Boys, the success which they have achieved could not have been theirs today (Vancouver Sun, November 11, 1933).”

Arthur’s boys learned the power of real concentration

ABOVE: J.B. Olson & his Sexsmith School Silver Band.CVA 99-3857, Stuart Thompson BELOW: Teddy Reiser (top boy) played many solos.

through constant daily practice both at home and at band practice. The discipline of musical performance at a high level requires the development of strong powers of concentration. The controlled environment of the rehearsal hall offered his boys the opportunity to develop these powers. Often at rehearsals he would say to his boys, “Sit up, don’t slouch, and keep your back erect and your feet flat on the floor.” This was not meant merely for show at concerts. It was positioning of the body so as to develop maximum powers of concentration. “Breathe deeply and relax the body.”

We can all find strong powers of concentration within ourselves.

When we are decisive and sincerely want to excel in our studies, pass an important exam, or play one of our favorite games the power of concentration becomes available to us. This kind of concentration is raised because of some need or desire. Increasing it in a systematic way brings it under our control and enables us to access it easily without exertion. Good concentration is developed slowly, through daily work, and with special exercises. It has to be approached in a reasonable and practical way.

Arthur would go over a particular section of a piece, drilling it into the boys time after time so they would remember it. They concentrated on that one passage until it was perfect. Doing this over a period of rehearsals sharpened the boys’ concentration skills. Counting the bars as you read the music, learning to read difficult music and to sight read on demand,-- all require great powers of concentration. Unless one has already learned good concentration, sight reading is impossible.

Arthur’s boys were great sight readers because of the nature of his rehearsals. At each practice he would bring out a new set of music. You were not allowed to take it home. You could only play it at rehearsal and you only had one chance to play each piece at each rehearsal. Then it was quickly turned over to the left, keeping it in order, and then on to the next.

THE CHICAGO WORLD’S FAIR ~ 37

When I visited veteran band leader and former Kits member Dal Richards recently at his home in downtown Vancouver, he told me that after the Chicago contest was over, three of the boys had a chat with Arthur. There was Jack Bensted, Harry Bigsby and Dal. One boy asked him jokingly, “So! What is next?” Delamont replied, “Why, England, of course!”

Boys on the 1933 Chicago Tour Clarinets: Jack Allen, Harry Bigsby, Bernard Temoin, John Daniels, Jimmy Findlay, Dallas Richards, Clifford Wood, Jack Fairburn, Douglas Barlow, Jack Bensted, Saxophones: Clifton Bryson, Alan Newbury, Herbert Melton, Trumpets: Roy Johnston, Donald Endicott, Gordon Delamont, Harvie Stewart, Bob Reid, Douglas Stewart, Stuart Ross, Mack Morrison, Ralph Derrick, Frank Brogen, Douglas Harkness, Arden Steeves, Flute: Mickey Crawford, Horns: Arthur Butroid, Douglas MacAdam, Fred Woodcock, Ronald Atkinson, Trombones: Van Dunfee, Pete Watt, Norman Pearson, Bob Davidson, Donovan Cromie, Jack Read, Baritones: Wally Oatway, Cecil Jenkins, Donald Wright, Bassoon: Jack Habkirk, Basses: John Hardy, Walter Mottishaw, Percussion: Douglas Cooper, Gordon McCullough.

LEFT: 1933 South Vancouver Juvenile Band with Joseph B. Olson, Bandmaster, Esther Puffer, Drum Major, Members from L-R: Wilfrid Olson, Jean Fuller, Mona Warhurton, Ethel Olson, Wilard Drake, Gordon Olson, Al Sandgrin, Jack Whent, Ross McKessock, Bryce Drake, Gordon Beckham, Rosalie Arnold, Lynne Gibles, Jim Mattinson, Shirley Fraleigh, Pearl Clarke, Jackqueline Smith, Barbara Smith, Margaret Thomas, George Davidson, Vernie Gordon, Bert Hirschfield, Gordon Moore, Lillian Whent, Gordon Drake, Gilbert Bromley, Gladys Neelands, Bob Arnold, Al Lawrence, Carl Boeur, Wallace McDonald, Tom Ritchie, Lucille Greenbank.

BELOW: Dal on a tour of Russia in 1998.

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAMPIONS AT THE WEST OF ENGLAND BAND FESTIVAL

Band History: On June 25, 1934, the Kits band travels by train to Montreal * They board the

Duchess of Atholl for Liverpool * The West of England Band Festival * Broadcasting House * Bugle * Handel Parker * Bookings are slow * Scotland * Concerts across Canada * The Welcome Home Concert * The band’s trophies * Background: High Society continues its support * Rehearsals continue in the annex * The band is important to all the boys * Anecdotes: Swift Current Prairie Chickens, The Kit Kat Club * Herb Melton * Dal and the Shanklin pier * Discipline and work ethic * Back in Vancouver.

June 25 A great band starts a long journey in search of new honors. A crowd of 3,000 people thronged the

yards and hundreds more on the streets above vociferously demanded music – everything from ‘The British Grenadiers’ to ‘Rule Britannia’ to “Hold That Tiger” was played. Demands for more encores threatened to delay the train. The band played its last number “God Be With You Til We Meet Again” and then the boys tumbled pell-mell into two carriages and departed the CPR station on Cordova Street for their first trip to the Old Country.

Accompanying the boys were Arthur, Lillie, Vera and Garfield White, their publicity manager. Lillie’s sister, Mrs. Stokins, would join them in Moose Jaw. It would take them twelve days to cross Canada. They passed through Kamloops, Revelstoke, Banff, Calgary, Swift Current, Moose Jaw, Regina, Winnipeg, and Montreal, playing a concert at each stop along the way. In Banff the band played in the lower lobby of the Banff Springs Hotel where they stayed. Later a few of them went and heard Earle Hill’s Orchestra playing at the hotel. Tug Wilson was there again playing in the orchestra. In Calgary they played at Eatons and then in the evening they played in Central Park from 8 to 10. The band was certainly putting Vancouver on the map and this trip had to be one of the biggest publicity stunts ever attempted. (Jack Bensted 1933-’34, businessman) When the boys arrived in Swift Current they were challenged to a softball game by the Swift Current Prairie Chicken (Read about it in Background & Anecdotes at the end of this chapter).

That evening the boys’ dance band played for a dance in the local Elks Hall to great praise. Those who played were Gordon McCullough, Van Dunfee, Donald Endicott, Harry Bigsby, Allan Newbury, Herbert Melton, Clifton Bryson, John Hardy and Robert Reid.

Arthur wanted to be sure the boys were in top shape by the time they reached England so they played lots of concerts. In Regina they gave a concert in the Capitol Theatre at 10:30 a.m. and then another in the evening outside the CPR depot from 7:30 – 8:30. They arrived in Winnipeg at 8:30 a.m. and played at Eaton’s from 12-2 and again from 3-4. The next day they

OPPOSITE: The West Vancouver Boys’ Band in the spring of 1934 with Arthur W. Delamont as its new conductor. Their uniforms were the same as his Kitsilano Boys’ Band except the lining inside was yellow instead of red.

BELOW: Central Avenue Swift Current, Saskatchewan, 1930s.

Ben’s Clothing store is on the left.

40 ~ British Open Brass Band Championships

ABOVE: Some of the boys and Mr. D and Vera in Montreal in 1934.

BELOW: July 8, 1934, departing Montreal, ticker-tape and all!

were on the train all day and gave concerts on the train platforms at White River, Chapleau and Sudbury. (Jack Bensted 1933-’34, businessman) At each stop Garfield White was kept busy wiring ahead to the next town of the band’s pending arrival, so as to assure a good turnout for the band’s concert. He also asked the local newspapers to send clippings of the concert back to the commitee in Vancouver. Lillie was there to sew buttons on uniforms and to act as mother to the 46 boys when and if needed. Arthur was kept busy with the music, making sure all 19 programs were in order. The music was always his main concern. There was music for the trip across Canada, music for Scotland, music for Ireland and music for England. He would often be up late writing out parts for the boys. He was very current.

If he bought an arrangement, he was never happy with it. He always made lots of cuts. He had a particular knack of filling out the middle section of the band. He always concentrated on the second and third parts and the baritones. That built up those players to eventually become leads. (Clif Bryson, RCMP band 1930-‘34) The boys kept busy with sectional rehearsals and private practice.

In Montreal, the boys played a radio broadcast, a concert at Eaton’s Department Store, and an evening performance at La Fontaine Park before one of the regular Canadian Grenadier Guards Bands (directed by Lieutenant J.J. Gagnier) took the stand. The boys came in for much praise from that band.

After listening to part of the Grenadiers’ concert the boys were taken by bus to the ‘Duchess of Atholl,’ their home for the next seven days. On board the ‘drunken duchess’ as she was called because of the way she rolled back and forth, the boys played concerts in first class and in third class. The boys’dance band played again and managed to displace the ship’s orchestra in second class for a masquerade dance.

The night before the boys landed in Liverpool, the CPR gave them all a farewell banquet on board ship. What a dinner! Roast turkey, cranberry sauce, grapefruit and all the trimmings. Afterwards Arthur got up and gave a speech thanking the CPR for their hospitality and for bringing the boys a second helping to their tables. One of the waiters, named Meadows, was given a rousing round of applause from one group of boys for bringing them a second helping of dessert.

July 13 After seven days at sea, they sailed up the Mersey and arrived

at the Liverpool dock at 1:15. They were met by many people including Mr. W.A. MacAdam, acting Agent General for British Columbia, who came up from London to greet them and Mr. Cameron Stockwell, (Stocky) of their concert booking agency in England who would more or less be traveling with them, making their arrangements. The press was well represented and

THE WEST OF ENGLAND ~ 41

the boys posed for several minutes for the many photographers assembled.

Hickie, Borman and Grant Transportation Company was in charge of their transportation and saw that they were transferred to two big buses from the dock to the railway station in Liverpool. There they boarded the LMS train for Manchester at 3:15, arriving in Manchester a half hour later. They were booked to play three numbers at the forty-ninth annual July British Open Brass Band Championships on the 14th at Belle Vue Amusement Park. The band was not competing at the festival, but prior to the prize giving at 7 p.m. they were advertised to play.

In Manchester they stayed in a row of rooming houses called the Foley Commercial Hotel. The first day they arrived, they all got together and the landlady said to Mr. D, “What time do you want to get knocked up?” The more she talked the funnier it got. Then she said, “The knocker-up man will be around at eight in the morning.”

West of England Band Festival in Bugle, Cornwall

As soon as a gentleman by the name of F.J.P. Richards heard Arthur and his boys were in England, he snapped them up to compete in his West of England Band Festival in Bugle, Cornwall. He was the secretary of the festival. The festival fit into Arthur’s plans, so he accepted the invitation. The festival

ABOVE: The boys on the S/S Duchess of Atholl in 1934.

BELOW: The mock hanging of Jack Habkirk.

42 ~ Canada’s Cultural Pioneers

ABOVE: Bonelli, Belle Vue’s popular resident musical director, was the conductor of the Grand Circus orchestra. He directed the music delivered at various events within the entertainment centre, including dances at the Elizabeth Ballroom. Bonelli died in 1968 a few days after collapsing during a circus matinée.

BELOW: An advertisement for the boy’s performance at Belle Vue. Billed as the musical sensation of Canada, two special concerts, 3 and 7 pm.

It also mentions that they were world champions in Chicago in 1933.

had first been inaugurated in 1912 to promote the brass section of the band.

Bonelli, musical director at Belle Vue, a noted musician himself, and conductor of anything from a jazz band to a symphony, took charge of the brass section and gave them instruction. While the boys were an amateur organization because of their age and non-union standing, they were for hire to play concerts, carnivals, parks, parades, regattas and theatres. Arthur’s idea was to keep the boys as busy as possible musically and to cover the band’s expenses through paid concert dates as much as possible. Their booking agent in London, L.G. Sharpe, would book the boys across England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland, thanks to the capable leg work of Cameron Stockwell, (Stocky) the agent in charge.

Mr. Delamont and the boys were such a big hit at Belle Vue, and so great was the applause at the completion of the three numbers that they had to respond with another number and then another and another. Eight numbers were played in all and even then the crowd wanted more. The audience was advised to come back and hear the boys again the following day in two concerts before their departure for London. That evening after dinner at their hotel, the boys were back to Belle Vue where as guests of the management they were marched into the centre of a dirt track speedway and presented to the crowd. It was learned afterwards the crowd in attendance exceeded 21,000. The boys met with a great ovation when they were introduced.

July 15 The afternoon concert at Belle Vue was held in a huge ballroom.

Both concerts were two hours long and the evening concert was attended by 2,000 people. The following morning the boys were up early and off to London, 225 miles in three hours and fifteen minutes with no stops. The boys were rather surprised at the dress of the station masters who wore top hats and full morning dress, looking more like bridegrooms than railway officials.

After going to the Mills Hotel in London, the boys were accorded a reception at Grosvenor House by the acting agent-general for British Columbia, Mr. MacAdam and his wife. In a brief address, the High Commissioner for Canada in London, Mr. Howard Ferguson, referred to the boys as “Canada’s cultural pioneers,” whose performance in the Old Country would, he felt, bring to the people here a new vision of the Dominion. He stated that they would learn from the Kitsilano Boys’ Band that Canadians are more than rough and ready backwoodsmen. No doubt those who heard the band will take comfort to themselves in the reflection that the bandmaster, Mr. Delamont, is an Englishman, but the fact remains that the excellent results which have been achieved are undoubtedly due to the Canadian material that had been given to him, he added. He wished the band success.

THE WEST OF ENGLAND ~ 43

Broadcasting House

After the reception at Grosvenor House the boys were off to Broadcasting House where they broadcast all over the British Isles on BBC. While on route to the studio, one of the lifts (elevators) got stuck between floors.

Twenty boys were stuck for twenty minutes before they could open a side door to let them out. They returned afterwards for dinner at their hotel and then had the rest of the evening free to explore London.

July 17 They recorded “Sousa’s Triumphal, “The Retreat of the Van-

ished Army,” and “Orpheus” at the Regal-Zonophone Gramophone Co. At noon they were conveyed to the Tower of London, where they marched to the main gates to be received by Lieut-Col. W.F.G. Farrell, Resident Constable of the Tower. A huge crowd of people then heard the boys play an hour’s program in the moat. Luncheon was served in the Toc H Club House, and then commenced a very interesting afternoon when the boys were given a thorough tour of the Tower of London by one of the chief Beefeaters or Warders. Clif Bryson wrote the following home: “A highlight of the trip was playing in the moat at the Tower of London. We played the Tiger Rag. Next day in the papers, the headlines read, Tiger in the Moat!”

The evening was free for the boys to roam around by themselves, but they were to meet at midnight to go over to the BBC to broadcast a half hour program to the British Empire. The next day, July 18, after breakfast, the boys were conveyed to the Parliament Buildings, where they were met by Sir Samuel Chapman, MP for South Edinburgh, who gave them a detailed tour.

The boys were introduced to many of the members of the House, who were all eager to meet the boys, saying a few words of welcome and good luck.

Two of the boys, Cliff Wood and Norman Pearson, gave short speaches from the Box in the House of Commons and the boys were all allowed to vote to see how the process was done.

After lunch the boys made a moving picture for Pathe Film Company in their studio. The picture was shown all over the British Empire and brought further honor and publicity to Vancouver. It is possible that the picture was shown in Vancouver prior to their return. (Three films of the band in 1934, 1936 and 1939 are available to the public at www.britishpathe.com. Vancouver Boys’ Band is the key phrase.)

July 19 They all boarded a rented touring bus and headed into the coun-

tryside. Their first concert stop was Torquay in the southwest of England.

In Torquay the fleet was in so it acted as a counter-attraction to the boys.

They played a concert in the Pavilion in the afternoon to a very large crowd.

Torquay was a millionaire’s playground so the boys left for Plymouth on the 6:30 train as it was too expensive to stay there overnight.

ABOVE: Arthur meeting the High Commissioner for Canada in London, Mr. Howard Ferguson.

BELOW: 1934 The boys playing in the tower moat at the Tower of London.

44 ~ 17th Annual Bandsmen’s Festival In Plymouth they stayed at the YMCA. The brass section had a practice the next morning. The boys were really enjoying themselves touring England.

July 21. The boys arrive in Bugle, Cornwall for the 17th Annual Bandsmen’s Festival for the West of England held under Royal patronage.

ABOVE: 1934 Lillie with warden at the Tower of London.

BELOW: The boys playing in the moat at the Tower of London.

“When Frank Wright, the noted adjudicator, stepped from the train the setting, glowing under the rays of a glorious sun, was in itself complete compensation for the tedium of his all night journey from Lancashire. It was Bugle’s Gala Day, for the West of England band championships were to be decided during the afternoon. One could feel the enthusiasm and vitality in the atmosphere. Bandsmen in their gaily colored uniforms were everywhere, and one could gather from the snatches of conversation that the one topic was: “WHO WOULD WIN?” (The Cornwall Guardian, July 26, 1934) A local newspaper reporter wrote the following article: The day dawned ominously for the Festival. When all awoke to see rain greyly falling from skies uniformly grey, the hearts of those doomed to go to the Festival were heavy indeed. It seemed, in prospect, as if the revival were to be doomed by the weather. But there was magic in the air. Before mid-morning the grey clouds began to lift. Magnificent, lofty cumulus clouds sailed across the blue and for the whole Festival the sun burned down and scorched all as they sat

THE WEST OF ENGLAND ~ 45 or stood listening to the playing of the bands. They were not doomed after all; fears were fortunately liars and their initial hopes were anything but dupes. For even listening was made hot work! What then must the heat have been like for the competing bandsmen? One of the St. Dennis bandsmen said when he was having a late tea, just before seven, that he had never known playing to be hotter work. How refreshing the trees looked, parched though they were, by contrast with the arid white china clay cones (huge mounds of clay used for English pottery seen nearby).

Arthur’s boys however, did not seem to mind the heat. They went about in two’s and three’s, eating innumerable ices and resting in whatever shade they could find, before and after their playing. After all they were world champions in their class, gaining their world championship at the mammoth brass band contest in Chicago. That they had come to Bugle to compete in the only British contest they had ever entered was due to the perspicacity of Mr. F.J.P. Richards, the zealous honorary secretary of the Festival, the presiding genius of the occasion as one might well describe him, who, when he heard earlier in the year that the Boys were coming to England, snapped them up for his Festival. It was the first time that any overseas band had competed at the West of England Festival and naturally Bugle and the four thousand people who heard them gave the Kitsilano Boys a rousing Cornish welcome.

The boys, whose ages ranged from eleven to nineteen, added greatly to the picturesqueness of the scenes. The sight of some of them under the trees near the marquee made one half fancy that one was at some Continental fete galante. Their tightish fitting black trousers with a broad red stripe, white silk shirts and flowing capes with bright red sides and black backs and black and red Glengarry caps worn at an angle were quite dashing.

Ignorant of school holiday arrangements in Canada, a reporter asked a group of the Boys how their younger fellows in the band managed for education while in England. “Holidays,” one of them said laconically.

“Oh, your school holidays are on now?” I enquired.

“Yes, we begin school holidays at the end of June,” one of them said, a dark smiling lad who sprawled on his back on the shady grass.

“You’ve been all over Canada?”

“Yes, and to the United States.”

“Is it your first visit to England?” I asked. “What do you think of our country?”

At first the spokesman of the group was a little hesitant. Then, as though anxious to be polite, he said, “We like it pretty well. It’s very small. We don’t like your cities,” (why he wouldn’t say), but presumably added, “But we like your country. It’s like a park.” Almost every Canadian, accustomed to the wide open spaces, says that of England.

“Your fields are so small, cut up by hedges,” said this Kitsilano boy.

ABOVE: The educational tour of the Houses of Parliament in London with Sir Samuel Chapman.

BELOW: Arthur by a poster advertising the band at a seaside resort in the south of England.

46 ~ A Souvenir Of Shakespeare

ABOVE: The Newquay Town band today in 2011.

Newquay Band is based in Newquay, Cornwall. The Band has much history, competing with some of the world’s top bands.

BELOW: The first Bugle Band Contest in 1926. In 1912 within the concentrated Mid-Cornwall clay country villages there were in excess of a dozen bands, which gave a tremendous base, and it was estimated that around 6,000 attended that first contest. With no formal grading structure in place it was decided to run the contest in two sections determined by the size of the band.

“Yes, and you must almost have to anchor your cattle down,” said another.

“Anchor?” the reporter exclaimed.

“Why, yes, to keep them from straying because your fields are so small,” he replied.

“And you’re having a good time?” he asked.

“Very good. Everybody is trying to give us a good time.”

The boys liked Plymouth, where they played on Friday evening and one of them mentioned the Hoe and they all laughed. But what the joke was about the Hoe was a secret they didn’t divulge. Perhaps girls, perhaps some merry little stories there, perhaps the name, well, anything!

“Well, cheerio and good luck.” said the reporter. A parting shot, a quiet blasé, laconic “Thank you,” was theirs as the reporter left them.

July 21 Promptly at 1:30, the bands, playing en route, began to arrive

at the home of E.H. Richards, where, in the grounds, the contest was to be held. In showing Mr. Frank Wright into his tent one of the officials was sympathetic that a judge should be confined for such a long stretch on such a hot day. Mr. Wright assured him, however, that the heat was trifling in comparison with that of Central Queensland where, in mid-summer, and with Northern Australia bordering on a draught, he once adjudicated for a stretch of nine hours in a tent without a break. To Mr. Wright, one of the features of the contest was the intense interest with which the huge crowd followed the performances. One could feel by the silence that the audience never relaxed from their raptness until the last cadence was reached, and then what a tumult of applause broke forth!

The class which the Kits band entered was a very distinguished one and always offered high quality bands with lots of competition. They were billed as one of the finest junior bands in the world, with the average age of their members only 17. (Bugle program notes) All eyes and ears were on the alert as the Vancouver boys filed past the crowd seated in the enclosure, to take their places on the stand, dressed with a sort of Glengarry cap, loose cape (navy and red) white shirts and navy trousers. This band was really a military band and everyone was wondering how the brass players would shape up without the help of the reed players and percussion. As the hymn proceeded one felt that their chance was not much discounted for they played with a charming sweetness and mellowness, well -sustained chords of excellent quality that pleased all listeners, all listeners including Mr. Frank Wright, the adjudicator. “A Souvenir of Shakespeare,” was also beautifully played. A lovely solo cornet, a good brass section helped to create a feeling that the Vancouver Boys had pressed very close on the heels of Newquay Town.

THE WEST OF ENGLAND ~ 47 When it was all over (they played ninth in B Class) they had won first place in the hymn division (They played ‘Denton Park’), and second place in the concert selection winning the Hawkes Challenge Shield. They also won a first place for deportment, being the best dressed and most disciplined band out of 20 bands in the contest. They were chosen for this award by Lieutenant J.H. Kirchenside who stated he had no hesitation in presenting this award, although he was sorry to see the prize leave England, as it was emblematic of one of the greatest honors which could be bestowed upon competing bands.

In the Hymn Division they had competed against five other well known English adult bands (Newquay Town, Redruth Town, St. Just Silver, Indian Queens Silver and St. Pinnock). In the Harmony division, they had competed against 11 other well known English adult bands. As there were no youth bands in England at the time and the boys had to compete against 20 senior adult bands in all, the wins were extremely impressive. It was no small achievement once all the facts are known. The boys were a military band, that is, they were made up of both reeds and brass. There were relatively few military bands in England in 1934 so it was necessary for them to enter as a brass band. The reeds were given a holiday. The boys had never played as a brass band per se. They had to learn to play as a brass band within a few weeks. Due to the skillful coaching of Mr. Delamont the boys were able to compete and win two firsts and a second place award from adult bands whose members had been engaged in this type of playing for 10 to 30 years.

The playing lasted six hours in all, from two o’clock until eight o’clock in the evening.

Handel Parker, the composer of the hymn ‘Denton Park’ was in the audience and he heard the boys play. He said

after he heard their performance: “In my opinion any band which can play a hymn tune as this one has done is of the highest caliber.” The boys won a handsome trophy for first place in the hymn division. Mr. Wright said upon presenting the trophy to Mrs. Delamont (the boys and Arthur were in town playing a concert for the town’s people): “Let me hear a band play a hymn tune and I will tell you what kind of a band it is.” She received two cups and one shield. She also received 24 music stands for each of the 24 boys competing in the brass section, 14 pounds and a special award for Arthur, a leather music case. The crowds present went wild over the success of the boys and went downtown and surrounded them as they played in the town square. They gave them a great ovation and send off.

At first, bookings were slow in coming because impresarios were skeptical of a band of youngsters and were concerned that the boys could not draw the crowds. However once a few of them got a chance to hear the boys perform, bookings picked up. Often they would be booked for a

BELOW: Frank Wright, one of the finest cornet players in Australia, is shown in the City of Ballarat Band quartet, Australia, in the mid 1900s. He went on to become a well-known arranger of band music and an adjudicator of band festivals all over the British Empire. He died at age 69 in 1970. No fewer than nine National Championship test pieces between 1952 and 1971 were arrangements by him.

48 ~ De Montfort Hall Gardens Handel Parker (b.1854) was born to mu­sic­al par­ ents who named most of their child­ren af­ter com­pos­ ers. By age sev­en, he was play­ing flute in the Drum and Fife Band in Ox­en­hope (near Keigh­ley), and at 14 be­gan play­ing the par­ish church org­an.

He left school at age 13 to work in a tex­tile mill, and around age 20 be­came a pro­fess­ion­al mu­si­cian. He taught flute, vi­o­lin, and trom­bone, played in and con­duct­ed brass bands in West York­shire, gave or­gan re­cit­als and con­duct­ed choirs. For a while, he was or­gan­ist and choir­mas­ter at the ca­thed­ral in Nas­sau, Ba­ham­as.

BELOW: A view of the crowd at Bugle with the bandstand behind.

day and then it would be extended for a week. Arthur showed the English what could be done in the way of boys’ bands. All the towns had brass bands but virtually none of them had boys’ bands, a fact that caused Arthur to comment that this was due perhaps to the fact that many boys in Britain went to work at 14 and thus when they got working they had little time or interest in band work.

After Bugle, everyone returned to London. At 7:55 a.m., a guard came to the bunks of four of the boys (Jack, Harry, Doug and Dal) to wake them up and to tell them everyone had left. After dressing quickly, the boys went outside and asked a baggage man where the luggage had gone. He said the Russell Hotel, so they grabbed a taxi but discovered the band was not there when they arrived. They hunted up a telephone and phoned Stocky, but no one knew where they had gone. They even phoned Nicky Boardman (who arranged their engagements) but he didn’t know. So they went to the place where the busses were hired and they took the boys around the corner and showed them the hotel. It was the Celtic Hotel, about a block away from where they had been telephoning.

After making a second series of four records of famous marches, (El Capitan, Colonel Bogey, Washington Post and King Cotton) at Regal -Zonophone Gramophone Co. the boys had the rest of the week off and they scattered to all parts of the United Kingdom to visit relatives. Arthur and Gordon went to Hereford and Lillie and Vera went to London. Two of the boys, Harvie Stewart and Jack Allen, went to visit MP Mr. Malcolm MacDonald, the son of the British Prime Minister J. Ramsey MacDonald at Number 10 Downing Street. Harvie’s mother had been a close friend of Ramsey MacDonald’s mother in Lossiemouth.

July 29 to August 4 The boys played a week of engagements, twice daily, in Eastbourne at the Redoubt Music Garden. Arthur continued to write out parts for the boys as needed and to plan their next concert.

August 5 They departed for London where they caught a train to Leicester for a week’s engagement at De Montfort Hall in De Montfort Gardens.

De Montfort Gardens was a very fine spot. They had an open air stage for fine weather, and a beautiful concert hall, or ballroom, for use when the weather was inclement. The boy’s lodgings were nearby and they were able to slip over there in a few minutes. The monday of that week was a general holiday. Arthur was informed that 80,000 of the 330,000 inhabitants of the city had left for seaside resorts. One evening some members of the band attended a local dance and upon returning to the hotel shortly after midnight, found it locked and barred. Almost immediately they heard a stream of fiery profanity issuing from a nearby window and observed the genial

THE WEST OF ENGLAND ~ 49 landlord who seemed to object violently to missing any of his “Forty Winks.”

He condescended finally to open the door but spent at least five minutes telling his guests what he thought of Canadians in general and band boys in particular. The boys decided that in time past he had followed the sea, after hearing the fluency and emphasis of his oratory. Arden Steeves was still out and the boys were concerned for his fate at the hands of their irate host who had locked the door and who was suspected of being in possession of a shotgun. Arden seemed to have had a world of experience in such procedures and realized upon his arrival that entrance by means of the door was out of the question, so he simply crawled through a conveniently located window into one of the boy’s rooms. The professional detachment with which he conducted himself on this occasion earned for Arden the nickname of ‘Second Story.’

During the boys’ stay in Leicester several hospitable citizens took it upon themselves to provide members of the band with room and board. After returning from such a visit, Fred Woodcock and Art Butroid declared emphatically that they hoped they never set eyes on a pig again. It seems they were billeted at the home of the leading pork butcher in Leicester who would begin the day with pork sausage, have roast pork for dinner, sliced ham for tea and pork pie for supper.

August 11 through 18 In Shanklin, on the Isle of Wight, the boys

played two concerts a day on the pier and record crowds greeted the boys everywhere; they had struck a big tourist influx and people were paying a guinea (more than $5.00) to spend the night on a deck chair. The boys referred to their lodgings in Shanklin as “flop-houses.”

Shanklin was so crowded with holiday seekers that it was practically impossible to procure even a bed. The boys slept on mattresses on the floor of St. Paul’s Church Hall thanks to the Vicar of the Church of England and were now ‘batching it’ since they prepared their own meals. Wally Oatway, Harvie Stewart, and John Daniels were the official chefs.

August 13 Fourteen members of the band

went on a one-day excursion to Cherbourg, France, and actually spent two hours in a real foreign land.

One thing that struck the boys in particular was the women street car drivers. They thought the male motorists would be inspired with terror to see a careening tram, controlled by a feisty Frenchwoman.

Luckily the boys had Ben Temoin with them; his parents were French so he knew the language.

ABOVE: Wally Oatway left and Pete Watt in Eastbourne.

BELOW: The three baritones in Eastbourne behind the bandshell, Donald Wright, Cecil Jenkins and Wally Oatway.

50 ~ Tremendous Crowds In Scotland At lunch in Cherbourg, the rest of the fellows got a great kick out of hearing him talk and trying to understand the conversation. He certainly had his hands full. Someone would shout, “Hey Ben, tell them to bring me a glass of water.”

Another would ask, “What’s butter in French?”

“Ben, say I want steak and potatoes, not soup.”

August 14 On Tuesday morning Mr. Delamont was called out of town

ABOVE: Arden Steeves on the left with Gordie Delamont.

BELOW: Part of the huge crowd at De Montfort Hall Gardens.

to Bognor Regis on business and Jack Habkirk, the bassoonist, conducted the band for the afternoon concert. On the whole Jack’s efforts were very successful and it was a novel experience for the band as well.

One must admit that the boys were very versatile. As well as second story men and amateur conductors they could lay claim to nothing less than a champion high diver in the person of Dallas Si Richards, who managed to upstage a professional diver who gave daily exhibitions on the pier in Shanklin (Read about it in the anecdotes section at the end of the chapter).

August 19 through 25 At Bognor the boys played three concerts a

day and were beginning to feel the strain. Up to that time they had played 105 programs.

August 26 The boys left Bognor Regis for London and boarded a train

for Edinburgh, Scotland at 12:40.

On board the train to Scotland Stocky told some of the boys who were hungry to go up to the dining car and have something to eat. When Arthur heard, he lectured Stocky like you wouldn’t believe. They would have charged the band and the band did not have money for lavish meals on board a train. Stocky was not used to the band’s rather stringent eating habits.

Arthur was always concerned with presenting a well-balanced and exciting program at his concerts. All of Arthur’s concerts started with O Canada and ended with God Save the King/Queen. He liked to feature trumpet trios.

On the 1934 trip to England the programs often featured the trumpet trio of Gordon Delamont, Roy Johnston and Bob Reid. The second half of Arthur’s concerts always began with an up-beat number, either a march or a novelty piece in order to regain the attention of the audience. Then he would schedule a heavy piece, a symphony. On the 1934 trip interesting selections the boys played included Prelude in C Minor by Rachmaninoff, Mauresque Caprice by Boccalari, Der Freischutz by Weber, Minuet in A by Bocherini, Estrellita by Ponce and The Hermit of Kildaire by Holmes.

THE WEST OF ENGLAND ~ 51

In Scotland the band’s fortunes turned for the better. Tremendous crowds at Dunfermline, Edinburgh, and Glasgow turned out to greet the performers at every opportunity, and receipts rose accordingly.

In Dunfermline the boys were drawing crowds of 2,000 to 4,000 per concert and they sold 2,000 postcards and had to send down to London for more.

The boys were swamped for autographs wherever they went.

In Edinburgh the band played to large crowds. In their spare time, they visited the castle, museum and other places of interest. Glasgow proved equally enthusiastic. After Glasgow they travelled to Greenock and then aboard the “good old” Duchess of Atholl for home.

August 27 through September 5 The boys were guests of the

Carnegie Trust in Dunfermline where they played two concerts a day at Pittencrieff Park, and were taken on a 4 ½ hour bus tour of the Western Highlands as far as Lochearnhead.

It didn’t matter to Arthur if he were playing to 200 or 10,000 --his concerts were always played with the same enthusiasm and commitment. Arthur’s special brand of showmanship mixed with the quality of the boys’ performance always made his concerts very popular indeed.

September 6 The boys laid a wreath on the war memorial at Edinburgh

Castle and put on an evening concert in Waverley Market. At their concert the next night Sir Samuel Chapman, the Scottish MP who had shown the boys through the Houses of Parliament in London, made several requests.

ABOVE: Jack Allen left, Jack Habkirk far right.

BELOW: 1934 The trumpet section playing “The Lost Chord” at Bognor Regis

52 ~ The Carnegie Trust

ABOVE: The boys playing at Pittencrieff Park, Dunfermline for the Carnegie Trust in 1934.

BELOW: The bus the boys used to tour around Scotland.

In Glasgow a generous offer was made by Mr. Argyl Lindsay, of North Berwick, to pay the admission of 500 people who could not afford to buy a ticket for the Waverley Market concert. The boys found Scotland to be most hospitable. Their first impression of Scotland was one of love and good-will that they shall never forget. No matter where they went, every boy was loud in his praise of the manner in which they were received.

Garfield White, the band’s publicity manager, stayed with five of the boys: Bernard Temoin, Ronald Atkinson, Pat Armstrong, Frank Brogan, and Douglas Stewart. When they arrived at their billet they were met by Mrs. Cullen, the lady of the house. She had three rooms for them, three boys in one, two in another and a room for Garfield. A cozy fire was alight in the grate in each room, and in the big room a table was spread with a sumptuous supper consisting of fish and chips, bread and butter and jam, and cakes and plenty of tea.

The concerts were a tremendous success. In Fred Woodcock’s words: “At the concert yesterday afternoon we had a crowd of about 2,000, and at the evening performance there were more than 3,000 people at the park to hear us. Of course the concerts were free. Too bad we have run out of postcards.

On our last day we attended a tea given by the Carnegie Trust and in the evening we played before a crowd of 10,000. It was the largest crowd to ever attend a Dunfermline band concert.

After the concert we walked around and met two Scottish lassies. We had great fun talking to them and they got quite a kick out of our accent.

The jokes they had heard about Scottish people had no foundation at all. They were the most hospitable people the boys had encountered since they had been in the Old Country. Even at their concerts the applause had come right from the heart. Garfield estimated that on one day alone the band played to over 8,000 people in the afternoon and evening concerts. Sitting listening to the band in the audience, Garfield said he often heard remarks concerning the playing.

Scottish people all like band music and one day he heard two of them talking. One person said to the other “It’s the best band we have had here this season.” The season was almost over and that remark was made after the band had only played two numbers. The band’s concerts in Scotland were

THE WEST OF ENGLAND ~ 53

all sponsored by the Carnegie Dunfermline Trust and they were all free. (In 1936, when the boys returned to Dunfermline, their fee was doubled.)

Thousands attended their concerts during the week; in fact they were told that it was unprecedented. The boys could not go anywhere without being trailed by a group of youngsters demanding their autographs. At the completion of each concert, a swarm of autograph seekers invaded the bandstand and it was not an unusual sight to see one of the boys surrounded by at least a dozen children after signatures. Many people individually entertained the boys in Dunfermline and when they left, they all left a host of friends behind.

The Carnegie Trustees brought them to Dunfermline and paid a splendid salary. On their arrival they were given a civic welcome and a banquet on a small scale, and Dunfermline simply adopted the boys for the time being.

The crowds came from far and near and the applause was long and loud.

Garfield was in the audience when the encore, “Lead, Kindly Light,” was announced by the conductor. He could see the look of amazement on the boys’ faces as they saw that vast audience rise as one man while they played two verses. When the conductor turned and saw everyone standing, he exclaimed in an unsteady voice: “What reverence!” and asked all to sing a verse of it.

The boys played well, remarkably well for their years. They were engaged to come back the following summer for a longer stay. In a short speech, Arthur said that as long as these boys lived they would never allow Scotland or the Scottish people to be sneered at or run down in their presence.

ABOVE: The boys marching at Edinburgh Castle in Scotland.

BELOW: Wally Oatway with two Scottish friends.

54 ~ Home Sweet Home!

September 8 The boys departed Greenock, Scotland on the Duchess of Atholl for the return voyage to Canada at 2:30 p.m., arriving in Quebec City on the 14th. After immigration formalities the boys went ashore and went over to the Empress of Britain which was docked just ahead of them.

“Colossal! Stupendous!” the boys could be heard saying when they saw the ship. On the Duchess of Atholl on the way back from England, the boys’ dance band played again. Bob Reid played lead trumpet with Gordie McCullough and Don Endicott. Gordie played drums and Harry Bigsby played the piano. This had been Clif Bryson’s first introduction to a full-fledged orchestra and he developed a life-long passion for dance orchestras which you will read about later. I don’t think Arthur approved too much. But he loved the boys to practice because he figured at least they were blowing.

Concerts across Canada were booked for:

ABOVE: Jack Reid and Pete Watt with two friends.

BELOW: Wally Oatway and a couple of others standing by their bus in Scotland.

* Toronto (Trinity United Church), Sudbury (where Arthur became ill, and Jack Habkirk had to conduct both an afternoon and an evening concert), * Chapleau * White River * Winnipeg (played twice at the grill room at Eaton’s in the afternoon and then at an annex in the evening) * Moose Jaw (concert and a dance in the Armories) * Swift Current (concert and a dance at the BPOE Hall) * Medicine Hat (capacity crowd at the Empress Theatre) * Banff (concert in a hall); Revelstoke (rehearsed in a YMCA and were billeted out after playing an evening concert) * Vernon (tour of an orchard, a creamery and a dehydrating plant for apples before playing a concert to a big crowd.)

September 27, 1934 They arrived back in Vancouver. As the train glided to a stop at the Canadian Pacific Station, the members of the West Vancouver Boys’ Band played “Home Sweet Home” and the sentiment of that old number was echoed by 7,000 Vancouverites who had gathered at the station to welcome the champion band boys after three months in England.

Heads poked from the train windows as the train approached. Mothers and maiden aunts and little brothers and sisters waved their hands and shouted.

Here and there you could see a mother wiping a tear of happiness from the corner of her eye. “Come on out of it, Arthur,” somebody called. Arthur appeared on the step. He is engulfed. Humanity is packed so tightly that the press photographers despaired of getting a “shot.” Then the boys came from two trains. The solid mass on the platform split into two groups. Everybody was kissing, shaking hands or grinning. The minutes passed as the boys, now with their families, mounted the stairs to the street. Crowds lined the

THE WEST OF ENGLAND ~ 55 platform, the station waiting-room and the streets, cheering continuously.

The welcome home concert in the Orpheum Theatre. As the curtain rose in the big theatre at 9 pm, the boys sat on

the stage facing rows upon rows of clapping, cheering Vancouver citizens.

Every seat and every vantage point was occupied before the concert started, and the boys’ pride and happiness could be seen in their smiles as they faced the gigantic, enthusiastic audience. Mayor Louis D. Taylor said, “You have brought great honor to yourselves and to your city. You have set an example for Vancouver and have created an incentive for other boys’ and girls’ bands.” Arthur was very proud of his boys’ achievement at Bugle and said to the audience at the Orpheum Theatre: “You must remember there are no junior bands in English competitions. So the boys had to compete against 21 other bands composed of grown men. I was tremendously elated when it was announced we had taken first place in the hymn, second place in the selection; first place in deportment and first place in the aggregate. It was a splendid achievement.” (Vancouver Sun, October 1, 1934)

October The band’s trophies were put on display in Henry Birks

& Sons Ltd. store, at Granville and Georgia Street for all the citizens of Vancouver to see. Probably the most important trophies on display were the two cups and shield which the band had won in the West of England Music Festival, at Bugle, Cornwall. And to think that they had never before been outside of Britain! (Vancouver Sun) Garfield White spoke of the splendid reception accorded to the youthful musicians and to Bandmaster Delamont in the old country. “There was considerable doubt felt regarding the ability of any boys’ band prior to the Vancouver organization being heard, said Mr. White. Shoulders were shrugged when a boys’ aggregation of musicians was mentioned and difficulty was encountered in securing engagements. Once the band had performed all that was changed and engagements were showered upon the Canadian organization.”

ABOVE: Lillie at the CPR station BELOW: Arthur with girl at the CPR station.

56 ~ Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture”

Background & Anecdotes Fall 1933 A huge swell of support again engulfed the band in Vancouver in an effort to send them on their first tour of England in 1934. The year leading up to the summer of 1934, the boys were in great demand all over Vancouver and the rest of the province. They made five trips to Victoria in 1933 to play at Clem Davies’ Ministry. In Vancouver they played concerts weekly for many organizations: the Medical Association at the Commodore, radio broadcasts sponsored by Safeway Stores and heard over CJOR, the Rotary Ice Carnival in the Arena. They travelled to Coquitlam to play a concert in the Agricultural Hall under the auspices of the Port Coquitlam City Band.

January 17, 1934, Arthur was appointed director of the West Van-

couver Schools’ Band. “How many would like to play in a band?” He could be heard announcing this to eager school children, all over town, when he came to visit.

ABOVE: The Strand Theatre.

BELOW: The little yellow school annex located in the back of General Gordon School where the boys rehearsed in the early 1930s. It is still there and has been preserved for community use.

High Society continued to extend its patronage

to the boys at a benefit concert held at the Orpheum Theatre on Sunday March 25, 1934, in aid of the band’s European Travel Fund. Among those who made reservations to attend were: Mr. J.K. Davis, Consulate-General for the United States; Mr. K. Ishii, Consul for Japan; Chief of Police John Cameron; Col. and Mrs. E.J. Ryan; Mr. and Mrs. Eric W. Hamber; Col. and Mrs. Victor Spencer; Mr. and Mrs. Robert Cromie; Mr. and Mrs. WC Woodward. The concert was held under the distinguished patronage of Their Excellencies the Governor-General of Canada and the Countess of Bessborough and his honor the Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia and Mrs. Fordham Johnson (Highland Echo, March 22, 1934)

February 4, 1934 The boys appeared again with the VSO in the famous “1812 Overture.” The concert was given in the Strand Theatre.

Allard de Ridder was again the conductor. In the spring of 1934, the boys travelled back to the Pacific Northwest Music Festival and again took first place (Vancouver Sun, January 20, 1934).

Discipline and work ethic The originals were all getting to

be really good, thanks to Arthur Delamont’s strictness. Arthur was very strict. The work ethic was rubbing off on all of them. When Gordy McCullough went to the World’s Fair in 1933 with the band, he said, “They couldn’t believe how good we were!” Gordy went across Canada nine times with the band. He never played again after age twenty. The only

THE WEST OF ENGLAND ~ 57 time his son Dave ever heard him was at the supper table when he would turn over a plate and do a little ditty with two knives.

Sunday evening. March 25, 1934. Arthur brought all his seven

bands together at the Orpheum Theatre for a grand concert in aid of the European Travel Fund of his Kitsilano Boys’ Band. In attendance were the General Gordon Band, the Prince of Wales Band, the Queen Mary Band, the West Vancouver Band, the Point Grey Junior High School Band, the Vancouver Girls’ Band and the Vancouver Kitsilano Boys’ Band.

As the departure date approached, instruments were polished and uniforms purchased. The band acknowledged gratefully a contribution of $20 from Mayor Louis B. Taylor towards the cost of new capes with the familiar scarlet lining, (they cost $4.50 each). As 46 boys would be included in the band party which was going to the Old Country, the capes were a considerable expense (Vancouver Sun, March 26, 1934).

Jim McCullock remembers rehearsals at the General Gordon School annex “In 1934, entry into the Kitsilano Boys’ Band from

one of Arthur’s other bands could be an intimidating experience, designed to build character as well as musical ability. I was in my final school year at Point Grey Junior High. Mr. D suggested that I should come down and attend rehearsals with the Kitsilano Boys’ Band. My mother was in seventh heaven and my father prepared himself to shell out 25 cents, twice weekly, out of his 100 dollar per month salary. I contented myself with a smug sense of superiority at now being part of the Kitsilano Boys’ Band, of Toronto and Chicago fame.

Rehearsals at the General Gordon School annex always started with Mr. D sitting near the entrance with his notebook, carefully checking off each of the boys’ names as they tendered their 25 cent fee. Then came the testosterone–charged warm-ups, as each of them tried to show off their expertise, - arpeggios, trills, grunts, wails, or the latest “neat” fragment from a current popular tune, finally to be interrupted by a testy, “Come on, you fellows, do your practicing at home!”

Rehearsals could be quite intimidating – the pecking order was much in evidence. Some of the older members were kind, or at least tolerant; others were decidedly not. The music seemed discouragingly difficult at first. I was quite awestruck by the first trombones, Van Dunfee and Norm Pearson, who could actually play a solo passage without cracking a note. I had a very kind and tolerant mentor, Jack Read, who, in spite of his seniority in age and experience, seemed quite content to continue playing third trombone year after year. He had a great low register sound and he played the third parts beautifully.

ABOVE: One of the boys with his mother and some other mothers behind welcoming home their boys at the CPR station on Cordova Street.

BELOW: The trophies the boys won at Bugle in the West of England.

58 ~ Swift Current Prairie Chickens We had a killer saxophone section – Clif Bryson, Herb Melton, and Alan Newbury.

Jim remembers the stars and celebrities: “There was

ABOVE: 1934 The band playing for the crowd at the CPR station on Cordova street before embarking on its cross Canada tour and England.

BELOW: Playing on the patio at the Banff Springs Hotel.

Roy Johnston, Don Endicott, Bob Reid (on trumpet); Jack Allen, Harry Bigsby, Bernie Temoin (on clarinet); the funny and unpredictable Mickey Crawford (on flute); the caustic and formidable Stuart Ross (on tuba), who, 30 years later, would become a great friend and trusted business associate of mine.

And there was Gordon McCullough, snare drum, the quintessential man-of-the-world, along with Doug Cooper, bass drum, whose off-beat sense of humor would often lighten up a performance, not always with Mr. D’s approval.

I gradually learned that Rachmaninoff was still alive, Rossini was not, mp means “not very loud” – not “more power,” how to double and triple tongue, how to count two consecutive 43 bar rests, hymns must only be played the Delamont way, Tchaikovsky was a Russian who may or may not be dead, proper stage deportment, trombones typically leave a messy floor in front of them, and how to keep two eyes on the music and one on the conductor at all times.”

Gordon Laird remembers: “The band was very important to all us boys. Just being in the band gave us an identity and something we were proud to be a part of. Within the band there was a hierarchy which worked its way down from the first chair to the third chair. On each chair (or part) there would be two first players, two second players and two thirds. It was the job of each boy to develop his musical skills and work his way up to the first chair on each stand. As each boy became empowered he would move upwards in the hierarchy. The sense of identity us boys developed from being a part of something important, stayed with us a lifetime. When I began coming out to the reunion concerts about 2003 I sat next to Bob Cave. Bob had been the top clarinet back in 1950 and everyone aspired to his status. Those feelings of empowerment and identity all came back to me 50 years after the day.” Gordon Laird is an old boy from the 1950 trip who became a minister.

Swift Current Prairie Chickens versus the Kitsilano Red Shirts In Swift Current the boys were challenged to a soft ball game by the girls of the town. What a battle it was! The Kitsilano Red Shirts versus the Swift Current Prairie Chickens. Although the girls staged a rally and managed to decrease the lead by more than half during the game, as the curtain fell at the last of the ninth inning, the official score stood at

THE WEST OF ENGLAND ~ 59 25-14 in favor of the Redshirts.

Norm Pearson, well-known cricketer and Pete Watt, both of the trombone section of the band, started for the boys. Pearson made a gallant attempt to outdo Babe Ruth as a slugger, and almost succeeded. As a climax to his hitting he knocked a home-run clean over St. Perkins’ barn, and it was a real barn. This feat, according to local opinion, was new in the annals of Swift Current baseball, and the enthusiastic gallery, composed of the majority of the population, was panicked by Pearson’s play.

This is how it all started!

As the train carrying Vancouver’s all-star team arrived at the Prairie City they were greeted by a group of ten or fifteen girls who represented the team chosen from all the local aggregations. As the boys paraded up the main drag on their way to the field, they were surprised to see the town was literally plastered with posters advertising the game.

This surprised Captain McCullough, who, as leader of the Redshirts, had expected the game to be more or less a private engagement, and when he heard from general citizens that the Prairie Chickens had cleaned up on all similar organizations in the vicinity, he became decidedly apprehensive and was heard to mutter: “Gosh, maybe we should have had two practices.”

Pearson of the Redshirts was first to bat and led off with a three bagger. The girls were visibly discouraged as run after run was registered.

Finally the girls came to bat but were completely baffled by Pete Watt’s pitching. He hadn’t exercised for years on a trombone slide for nothing. At the end of the first inning, the score was 11-0 for the boys. The second was much the same. At this critical moment, Pete Watt, who had been winning the game for the boys, deserted them and joined the girls as pitcher. What a man! The girl who had been pitching for the Prairie Chickens volunteered to replace him.

But now the tables were turned. Pete’s superhuman pitching completely baffled the boys ...even the wily Pearson. In the last 6 innings only three runs were recorded for the boys and 13 for the girls.

What a game! (local newspaper)

At the Kit Kat Club, they listened to Joe Loss and his band. Once in London, Jack Bensted and Dal Richards continued to get into high class restaurants whenever they could. Stocky booked a lot of dance bands in those days, all over England, really big time acts. The boys were a big time act! Jack and Dal would slip the head waiter a little something to allow them into into some of the higher priced restaurants in London, so they could listen to the orchestra. They

ABOVE: Art Butroid and Fred Woodcock BELOW: Arthur & Lillie on board.

60 ~ The Kit Kat Club

ABOVE: Wally Oatway and friend in Morecambe.

BELOW: The boys playing at Morecambe, England in the bandstand at the seaside.

did that in Montreal at the Normandy Roof at the Mont Royal Hotel.

They did it at the Kit Kat Club in London. At the Kit Kat Club, they listened to Joe Loss and his Band. (Joe was still going strong in the 1990’s).

He was doing cruises out of Southampton. Jack and Dal were in the Kit Kat Club the evening Joe Loss made his first BBC broadcast. BBC used to have one and a half hour of remote broadcasts every night. They would go to a different place every night: the Dorchester, the Kit Kat Club, the Embassy, the Savoy. Dal remembers telling Stocky about this the next day and he said, “You mean they did not charge you?” I told him, “No! They just sat us at a table and said,” “By the way boys, when the band starts playing make lots of noise!” It was because half the place was empty during mid-week. So then Stocky ask, “Did you get to meet Joe Loss?” And we of course said, “No!” To which Stocky replied, “If I had known you were going there, I would have called ahead and got you an introduction because I book Joe Loss.” So he did handle some pretty big name bands. We also heard Jack Jackson at the Dorchester.” (Dal Richards, band leader)

Herb Melton wrote, “My, Torquay sure is a swell place. I would like to have stayed there for a while. At Plymouth we played on the Hoe, or sea front, right near where Drake was bowling when the Spanish Armada came up the Channel.” Stuart Ross was asked by a reporter what he thought of the English boys and girls, “The girls in England are hard to meet, but when you meet them everything is okay, so you see I’m having a pretty good time in that way.” English boys were thought of highly by the lads and often compared to Canadians for their pep and love of life.

THE WEST OF ENGLAND ~ 61

As a rule the boys’ behavior in the hotels was beyond reproach. They would not guarantee however, that Gordon McCullough didn’t give the natives of Eastbourne the impression that the band was from the vicinity of Nelson, (Doukhobors notorious for its “Sons of Freedom” parading nude) when he was unceremoniously dumped out of a window, without the benefit of exterior covering, onto a small balcony overlooking the parade. Gordon saved the situation by hastily donning a bathing suit which was hanging out to dry. Popular rumor credits Doug Harkness with having a hand or two in the outrage.

Of course in the band’s official capacity as members of a visiting band, they were bound to meet a few of the local belles. Pete (Swift Current) Watt however claimed to hold the all-time record in winning the affections of three different girls in one week. He informed the boys that their names were Hilda, Mona and Jean. As a direct opposite Ben Temoin declared, with the exception of Moose Jaw, he had taken on the characteristics of a hermit for the entire trip. Don’t ask what happened in Moose Jaw. Arthur often let the boys go off for a few days with relatives while on tour.

In Eastbourne the hotel the boys stayed at was a swell place and the meals were good, and on top of that the beach was across the street from the hotel. Stu Ross was told that the beaches in England were all swell but he said, “Gosh, I don’t see it at all. The ones I’ve seen are all stones.

I went up to a relative’s place for a week and had a swell time. For

ABOVE: The Redoubt bandstand at Eastbourne where the band played many times during the 1930s and 1950s.

BELOW: Wally Oatway on the pier.

62 ~ Shanklin the first two days I stayed at their place and played tennis and had some golf in the park nearby and had a swell time. Then I motored 150 miles north and stayed with some people up there with two boys about my own age for the remainder of the week. They had a tennis court and gosh did we have a swell time! We also went out to their swimming hole and had some swims and boy, it was swell fun! Because the band was not making enough money to pay for its hotel bills, we had to sell a lot of postcards. We sold practically all the ten thousand we had brought, so we had to order some more.” While staying with his relatives, Stu was taken to see the Flying Scotsman go through, ”It was going at a good speed,” he said.

ABOVE: Jack Allen left, Roy Johnston and Jack Habkirk. See all the medals that Roy won at various competitions.

BELOW: Shanklin Pier where the boys played in 1934.

In Shanklin, a seaside resort, the band had a week of engagements in a bandstand at the end of the pier. Also on the pier was a high diving platform, rising 70 feet into the air. One afternoon, some of the boys dared Dal, who had done some diving, to dive off the platform. They passed around a hat and collected about one pound, which was a lot of money. Dal climbed up the pole to the platform. When he reached the top, he realized he had to dive into the sea, which made it a little bit further. He made the dive, coming up under the pier, and quickly climbed up a ladder and collected his one pound. He then made a couple of more dives off the platform just for fun. That evening while the boys were playing a concert in the bandstand, a short man with one leg, wearing a football helmet and covered in asbestos, came up on stage and began to rant and rave at Arthur. Arthur stopped the band and the man continued, “You call yourselves professionals? One of your boys ruined my act by diving off the diving platform three or four times. I do it professionally with a helmet,” he said.

Well, if there was anything Arthur would not stand for, it was anyone berating any of his boys! He let the man have it with both barrels and the man quickly hurried off stage. The boys of course had not known that the diving platform was part of someone’s act or they never would have coaxed Dal to go up the pole. They did not do it again. (Dal Richards) Norm Pearson gained several opportunities in Shanklin to show his cricket skills before two professionals bowling against him from the Middlesex County team. They didn’t get his wicket and expressed their pleasure at his fine style. Next stop was Bognor Regis. Ron Atkinson said, “All the kids are counting the days, pretty soon it will be hours. Talking about hours - coming across we lost an hour’s sleep every night and now going back we’ll gain an hour - Gee, that’ll be swell.”

Here are three more comments from the boys: About England: “Boy, the people over here are stubborn. I guess that’s why the English are such good fighters. They are sure tight with their applause sometimes,

THE WEST OF ENGLAND ~ 63 although the band is playing as good as it ever played. We draw record crowds everywhere.”

“You say we won’t think much of Vancouver when we get back. I’ll say we will. I haven’t seen a place I like better yet. They are all very nice and and different, but I like the mountains.”

I think the people who would just love to come back to England and live are crazy. Boy! Believe me, there’s nothing like Vancouver, Canada.

I would call this place just an old historical island. Nothing changes, not even the people, all held by traditions hundreds of years old. It seems so silly.”

In one boarding house there were eight boys. They seemed to strike it very lucky. When they arrived the lady had bread, butter, cold beef, chips, pickled beets, scones and jam cakes and tea for them before going to bed. Boy! What a meal and they were ready for it. They had swell rooms and real soft beds. Who said the Scots were tight and when they went down for breakfast, boy, again Scottish porridge, sausages, bacon, eggs, toast, tea and jam. Boy, did they enjoy their week in Dunfermline!

(Art Butroid, 1928-34)

Discipline and work ethic Arthur did not preach to the boys but he certainly let them know when they had done wrong, especially if it was concerning the boys’ conduct regarding drinking and smoking. In Dunfermline, Arthur decided he was going to go around to all the billets and see how the boys were doing. He walked into one place where Doug Harkness was staying. The room was full of smoke and dirty glasses were all over the place. Doug Harkness got quite a shock when he looked in the direction of the door and Mr. D walked in. Mr. D didn’t say anything. He just stopped and stood there and looked. None of them said anything either. They were all smoking. He looked at each of them individually. Finally he said, “Boys, you have just broken my heart.” Then he turned around and walked out. They never heard anything more about it. He never mentioned it or reprimanded them. Doug Harkness came up a few years ago from California. He had lunch with Roy Johnston, Gordy McCullough, and Hector McKay. Doug lived south of San Francisco and was a psychology professor at Berkeley. They concluded that what D did had greater impact than if he had ranted and raved about it (Roy Johnston).

Back in Vancouver Jim remembers there was a lot happening with Arthur’s other bands. Those boys who did not get to go to Europe with the band were delegated to play with the Vancouver Girls’ Band. The band was fairly active, playing band concerts and

ABOVE: Bob Reid with two Scottish lassies.

BOWKER , RITA M. (nee Bryan) was a member of the girls’ band. Here is her obituary: Passed away on Sept. 1, 2004, aged 88.

Rita was born in Calgary and moved with her family to Vancouver as a small child. As a young girl Rita played the cornet with the Kitsilano Girls’ Band under the baton of Arthur Delamont. She was also a long time member of the Vancouver Sea Rangers and worked for Boeing in Vancouver during the war years. Rita had a desire to know the world and its cultures, and traveled to many countries throughout her life. Her most memorable adventures included a cruise to Alaska on a Russian freighter, a very long flight to Hawaii on a DC-6 and a walk along the Great Wall in China.

64 ~ Vancouver Girls’ Band excursion trips to Belcarra Park and Newcastle Island and at a garden fete at the home of Mr. and Mrs. E. Melton, 2725 West Sixth. Selections chosen for the trip included Hayes’ Southern Melodies, De Lamatier’s “The Dream Ship,” Laurendeau’s “Flying Colors (March),” Mougk’s “On Parade,” and Vivacity (March).” Other numbers were “Spirit of Dreams (Waltz),” “Eastern Star,” “Idle Fancy,” “Forward (March),” ”The Seventh Regiment,” “A Wayside Chapel” and “L’Estrella (Waltz).”

Russ White and Jim McCullock were on trombone, Hector McKay was on French horn and Bob Trerise was on trumpet. Bob and Jim began a friendship and musical association that lasted until Bob’s death in 2005.

Two of the girls in the band were Vera Filer, (she was a pretty fair trombonist), Phoebe Findlay, flutist, also an excellent musician. She was the sister of Jim Findlay, who was on tour with

ABOVE: The boys in concert.

BELOW: Thirteen year old trumpet soloist Teddy Reiser leaves Thursday with band for four month tour of England.

the Kitsilano band. Their father was magistrate James Findlay, a well-respected member of the Vancouver legal profession. Mae Scott, with whom Jim was half smitten, was another. She was the daughter of the head gardener at the McRae estate, Hycroft. And then there was Joan Agnew who was to marry Gordon Delamont.

Arthur’s Vancouver Girls’ Band was progressing steadily and it was hoped that they would be encouraged in their ambition to emulate, if not excel their brothers, neighbors and friends in the Kitsilano Boys’ Band (Jim McCullough).

December 1934 One man in Eng-

land felt compelled to write this letter to the Kitsilano Times “Having been a bit of a musician myself, a professional bandmaster in fact, I cannot speak too highly of the performance by the Vancouver Boys’ Band.

I have endeavored to train full-grown musicians and the result this man gets from his boys is a great credit to him. Having earned my living at the game, I am naturally a little more critical than the average and I could not find a solitary fault with these boys.”

THE WEST OF ENGLAND ~ 65

Boys on the 1934 West of England Tour Clarinets: Arnold Clark, Jack Allen, Harry Bigsby, Bernard Temoin, John Daniels, Jimmy Findlay, Dallas Richards, Clifford Wood, Jack Fairburn, Douglas Barlow, Jack Bensted, Saxophones: Clifton Bryson, Alan Newbury, Herbert Melton, Trumpets: Roy Johnston, Donald Endicott, Gordon Delamont, Harvie Stewart, Bob Reid, Douglas Stewart, Mack Morrison, Ralph Derrick, Frank Brogan, Douglas Harkness, Arden Steeves, Flute: Mickey Crawford, Horns: Arthur Butroid, Douglas Macadam, Fred Woodcock, Ronald Atkinson, Pat Armstrong, Trombones: Van Dunfee, Pete Watt, Norman Pearson, Bob Davidson, Donovan Cromie, Jack Read, Baritones: Wally Oatway, Cecil Jenkins, Donald Wright, Bassoon: Jack Habkirk, Basses: John Hardy, Walter Mottishaw, Stuart Ross, Percussion: Douglas Cooper, Gordon McCullough.

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAMPIONS AT THE NATIONAL BRASS BAND COMPETITION AT THE CRYSTAL PALACE

Band History: On June 15, 1936, the Kits band travels to Britain for its second British tour * They

perform under the Peace Tower * Canon Duncan Campbell Scott * Wolverhampton Floral Fete * What is a concert if not a show * Ted Heath and the Ambrose Band * Dublin - Mansion House * Are we allowed to play rags? * Southport * Scotland * Brixton-Astoria Cinema * The National Brass Band Competition * Background: 1934, A major reshuffling * 1935, Aztec Ballroom, Hotel Georgia * Joined the Free-Masons * 1936, Royal City Junior Band * Sir Ernest Macmillan Club * The Old Warrior * The Crystal Palace * How did Arthur do it? * Discipline and work ethic * SA and vaudeville influences * Three boys in Paris * Meta-Narrative: Major Lesson in Time Management * Delamont fostered many virtues in his boys.

June 15, 1936 Arthur, Lillie, Vera and the boys all departed Vancouver

again in two ‘colonist’ cars on the first leg of their second British tour. They played two concerts in Kamloops (the Tranquille Sanatorium and the Arena) on the 16th; Revelstoke (Arena) on the 17th; and a concert in Calgary on the 18th. On the 19th they played a few numbers in Medicine Hat in the morning, listened to the Max Schmeling/Joe Louis fight on the radio in the afternoon in Swift Current, and stayed to play a concert in the evening. The next day they travelled to Moose Jaw and played a concert in the park. On the 21st they played a concert in Regina in a bandstand that was broadcast.

On the 22nd they played at Assiniboine Park in Winnipeg for a large crowd.

Arthur had them march around the town and play a concert in front of the YMCA in Kenora on the 23rd and then they played at Vicar Park in Port Arthur on the 24th. On the 25th they played at Wesley Church in Sudbury and on the 26th they arrived in Ottawa.

The first band ever to be allowed to perform under the Peace Tower In Ottawa, the boys played at a Kiwanis

Club luncheon in the Chateau Laurier and were given the honour of being the first band ever to be allowed to perform under the Peace Tower (at the main entrance to the Parliament Buildings at noon). A representative of the Citizen newspaper in Ottawa later called on the boys at the train station, where he found them in their special cars, cleaning up after breakfast, wiping the tables, washing and drying dishes. There was a spirit of play through it all as the boys talked and laughed and sang. Lillie said, “My boys are very capable and able to look after themselves. Minor infractions of rules result in extra detail such as washing dishes and so on, but it’s all in good fun.” And the reporter could see it certainly was. They arrived in Montreal at 6:30 pm on the 26th and went straight to Lafontaine Park for an evening concert.

The trip across Canada was exciting, busy, and enlightening – traveling in a crowded Pullman car was noisy, hard on the ego, and smelly. It was

ABOVE: The boys on the train across Canada.

BELOW The Peace Tower in Ottawa.

68 ~ The Lord Mayor Of London

ABOVE: The boys playing on board the Empress of Britain headed for England (1936).

BELOW: Tea with Sir Percy Vincent (Lord Mayor of London) and his daughter.

no place for a sensitive soul or anyone who cherished privacy.

Many of the boys enjoyed swimming – so they swam in the Columbia River, the Bow River, the Natatorium at Moose Jaw and in the swimming pool at the Chateau Laurier. They saw the Canada they had read about: - the Kicking Horse Canyon, the Continental Divide, the Rockies, the Prairies, the nickel smelter at Sudbury, the lonely shores of Lake Superior. They went to the Roxy Theater in Toronto – it was everything they had hoped. Their horizons were broadening rapidly. (Jim McCullock, 1930-36, engineer) Finally they reached Quebec City and their ship was at hand. It was the Empress of Britain. The next morning, “Half past seven, time to get up, breakfast at eight!” the porter bellowed in a strong British accent.

Canon Duncan Campbell Scott, the Great War Poet. Although the boys travelled in third class, they were not above

sneaking up to first class whenever the opportunity presented itself. One day in a hallway in first class, a rather large gentleman grabbed one of the younger boys, who was running along a corridor and said, “I love to see young Canadian lads growing up.” Then the gentleman began reciting poetic verse from the First World War. When he was through he said, “There, what do you think of that, lad?” The boy replied, “Well, it’s as good as any we’ve studied in school, sir.” With that the gentleman let go of his collar and the boy scrambled off, leaving the gentleman doubled over in a fit of laughter.

THE CRYSTAL PALACE ~ 69 A friend of the boy said to him, “Don’t you know who that was? That was Canon Duncan Campbell Scott, the Great War poet. He was reciting his own poetry.” (Hector McKay)

July 2, 1936 THE VANCOUVER BOYS BAND arrived at Southamp-

ton for its second tour of the British Isles and were fully booked from that day until October 3rd - the day of their departure, many engagements being refused because the boys had to return to school. At the commencement of the tour, the band was accorded the high honor of marching through the City of London to the Mansion House (residence of Sir Percy Vincent, Lord mayor of London), where they played at a reception held in their honor. Tea was followed by a short program of music. While in London the boys performed a series of broadcasts to the Empire at BBC studios. They visited a Rolls Royce factory where they saw airplane parts being manufactured and they visited the Royal Crown Darby china factory.

Wolverhampton Floral Fete On this second tour of England

the boys played a three day engagement at the Wolverhampton Floral Fete on July 9, 10 and 11. They performed two concerts a day: from 3:30 to 5:30 and from 7:00 to 9:00. The first program featured Gordon Delamont playing a trumpet solo called Stars in a Velvety Sky and a piccolo solo by Mickey Crawford called La Tourterelle. The evening program again featured Gordon Delamont playing The Carnival of Venice and Russell Escot playing a xylophone solo called Butterflies in the Rain. The next day, the evening concert featured a trumpet solo by Teddy Reiser called One Fleeting Hour. On Saturday’s performance in the afternoon there was another trumpet solo by Harvey Stewart called Lucia and a tuba solo by John Hardy called Pomposo.

That evening Teddy Reiser again played a trumpet solo called Out of the Dusk to You. That so many soloists were featured during this set of concerts is testimony to the high level of musicianship of each boy on the 1936 tour.

“What is a concert if not a show?” During intermissions at Arthur’s concerts there would often be a quartet, an accordion player or similar act to keep the audience engaged. “What is a concert if not a show?”

Arthur always said. When on tour, Arthur would always bring along an accompanying act. Usually it was an accordion player. On the 1936 trip, the accordion player was Adolf Bergklent.

After the opening march, the band usually played an overture. This heavier piece allowed Arthur to show off the technical capabilities of the various sections of his band. In later years his typical overtures were An Italian in Algiers by Rossini, Semiramide, the Magic Flute by Mozart, The New World Symphony by Dvorak. On the 1936 tour, some of the overtures they played

BOVE: Advertisement for the boys’ appearance at the Wolverhampton Floral Fete in 1936. The previous year this engagement was filled by the full band of H.M. Coldstream Guards.

BELOW: Canon Duncan Campbell Scott, The great war poet in 1933.

Among his acquaintances was the prime minister, Sir John A. Macdonald, who agreed to meet with Duncan.

A Sample of the Music They Were Playing

A SAMPLE of MR. Ds HAND WRITTEN MANUSCRIPT

70 ~ Royal Dublin Horse Show were The Flying Dutchman by Wagner, Moonlight on the Nile, Light Calvary, William Tell, Princess of India (see page 69) and Raymond.

For the month of July, the boys performed a series of one night engagements across England which included concerts in Redditch, Derby, Matlock, Loughborough, Gloucester, Cheltenham, Cinderford, Northampton, Coventry, Kettering, Luton and Hereford.

Ted Heath and the Ambrose Band The boys often en-

ABOVE: Sergeant Oatway. Wally Oatway at an army barracks in Northampton. The boys were allowed to try rifle practice.

BELOW: Boys on a street in Dublin. Note the sign on the bus advertising the Mills Bros.

countered celebrities on their tours. The boys were never shy about meeting them. The boys were playing in Northampton. The Ambrose band was playing in the afternoon in a vaudeville theater. They were the hottest band in England. Ted Heath played trombone for the band. Some weeks later, a few of the boys were in the Selmer sales office in London and Ted Heath was there, trying a trombone. Dal Richards went up to him and said, “Mr. Heath, would you play something for us?” Heath repied, “Oh no, I’m not a solo man; I’m just a section man.” So, he kept trying his trombone. He was quite polite but not interested. That was before he had his own band. He became very successful, late starter! (Dal Richards, Big Band Leader ‘33-’36)

July 26 to August 1 For the month of August the boys began a series

of weekly engagements. They played three concerts a day at Folkstone.

August 2 and 3 They played in Leicester before sailing for Dublin.

Arthur seldom showed the effects of any severe stress. The boys could recall only one incident on the entire trip – in Leicester, in the middle of a performance, when Mr. D got upset. He suddenly threw down his baton and stormed off the stage. Fortunately, Gordon Delamont had the presence of mind to pick up the baton and continue conducting through the rest of the program. (Jim McCullock 1930-’36, engineer)

In Dublin the band was received at the Mansion House by the Lord Mayor of Dublin who welcomed the

Band on its first visit to the Irish Free State. They were booked to play at the Royal Dublin Horse Show. The boys went to Ireland and had a chilly sleep on the deck of the ferry during a night-time crossing of the Irish Sea from Holyhead to Dublin. The Irish capital was quite an experience – the old buildings, the bullet marks in the stonework of those buildings, the small boys bumming cigarettes, meeting the Mills Brothers (who were on a concert tour), the pageantry and pomp of the Royal Dublin Horse Show, the thrill of seeing the Irish Sweepstakes Drum. That was a pretty big deal in 1936. (Jim McCullock 1930-’36, engineer)

CRYSTAL PALACE ~ 71

“Are we allowed to play rags here?” With all the different types of music available to Arthur it was not unusual to hear symphonic, pop, jazz, hymns and the like on his various programs. Sometimes though, it was a surprise to his audiences. At the Royal Dublin Horse Show. Arthur turned to the audience and said, “Now we are going to play a rag. Are we allowed to play rags here?” It was a difficult moment for the audience. There was a palpable hesitation, then a dozen or so spirits braver than the rest called “Yes” and “You are.” Amid a general laugh, the boys broke into jazz.

The watching members of the army band looked mildly shocked but their features almost without exception broke into broad grins when a boy or a group of boys would shoot up in true jazz style to do his piece.

August 9 to 15, Southport They played three concerts daily at Southport. “In Southport we get some of England’s most excellent bands and Scotland’s too,” said Clarence Wright of that city in a letter to The Province newspaper. “Every summer in fact we in Southport have a nice, bright shiny new band every week. I presume that some of you in Vancouver and in Kitsilano would like to know just how your boys’ band is stacking up in England. A day or so after the band arrived, I heard a lady on Lord Street, our main shopping thoroughfare, ask a gentleman the cause of all the crowds.”

“The Vancouver Boys’ Band, I think,” he replied. “Oh yes, of course!” said she.

Other comments overheard in the next few days showed that the English audience was pleased and impressed, according to Mr. Wright. Both conductor and the boys come in for much praise.

ABOVE: The Irish Sweepstakes Draw in Dublin, 1936.

BELOW: The boys playing at Mansion House in Dublin for the Lord Mayor.

72 ~ The Lord Mayor Of Southport

ABOVE: 1936, The band with the Lord Mayor of Southport and his daughter.

BELOW: Train station Edinburgh, Stocky on right, Mr. MacAdam next to Arthur, Samuel Chapman in white.

Some of the comments heard by Mr. Wright were: “What a splendid band.”

“They are such nice boys.”

“Wasn’t it lovely.”

“I’m sorry they are going away.”

“I can tell you about a lot of bright-eyed English children,” Mr. Wright concluded, “and what they said about the boys and here it is as I heard it.

“They’ve come from- it’s a long way. Teacher says it’s a British place, and when they play the first music when the people all stand up, we have to take off our caps. No, it isn’t God Save The King.”

August 16 to the 22 They played three concerts a day at Morecambe.

In Morecambe the papers read: One of the most famous boys’ bands in the world is visiting England this summer. It consists of 46 lads from the public schools and colleges of Vancouver, each of whom is paying his own fare to and from this country - a total outlay of over 2,000 pounds.

They arrived on July 3 and between then and the end of October will be touring our cities and resorts. Their program includes participation in the

CRYSTAL PALACE ~ 73 Crystal Palace Festival in September. The band is playing at Morecambe this week and is attracting crowds.

The boys were reminded about the other side of life in the north of England and discovered a whole new world in Scotland. “Then our stay came at the working-class seaside resorts of Southport and Morecambe. I’ll never forget Arthur’s embarrassed silence as our agent, Mr. Stockwell, “Stocky,” gave us a cautionary talk on the dangers of striking up an acquaintance with “a certain type of woman” who probably came from nearby Blackpool, the noted sin center.” (Jim McCullock 1930-’36, engineer)

Scotland followed, with concerts in Edinburgh and Dunfermline, bicycle jaunts to see the Forth Bridge, bus tours to Loch Earn and Sterling Castle, and the Highlands, and much shopping for tartan, tam-o-shanters, neck ties, and mufflers, so many of the boys suddenly discovered Scottish ancestral connections.

August 23 Pittencrieff Park, Crowds Between 6,000 and 7,000 Arthur again returned to Dunfermline, Scotland

and played two concerts daily at Pittencrieff Park, as guests of the Carnegie Trust. In the mornings Arthur had the brass section begin rehearsals for the Crystal Palace competition. When the boys made their final appearance they had one of the greatest receptions of their ten day booking. At about twenty minutes before the start of the program, all the auditorium seats were occupied and thousands of patrons took up positions as near the band as possible. The crowd, perhaps the largest that had ever assembled at a band performance in the park - was estimated at between 6,000 and 7,000.

The boys always caught the attention of the opposite sex and Scotland was no different. In fact Scottish girls were quite amorous. One young lady asked Hector McKay, “Would you like to see the town?” They walked around for awhile and then she decided to show him lovers’ lane. He was only thirteen and scared out of his mind. He didn’t know anything about that stuff and had to beat a hasty retreat! When they were in London, a letter arrived from this same girl. In it she said, “One of my friends told me you are only thirteen. Is that true? I am eighteen!”

September 6, Brixton - Astoria Cinema, London.

The band was booked into three concerts daily at the Brixton - Astoria Cinema. On their first night, the Mayor and Mayoress of Lambeth, as the civic heads of the borough, came to the cinema to welcome the boys backstage.

Grabbing a microphone as the curtain parted, the mayor was greeted with

ABOVE: The Promenade, Southport. Napoleon III lived nearby before moving to Paris to become Emperor. It is said the boulevards of Paris were inspired by Lord Street, Southport.

BELOW: The boys strolling in Morecambe after the concert.

74 ~ Duke Of York’s Headquarters warm applause. He went on to congratulate the management of the theatre for showing initiative in being the first to arrange a public appearance on stage in London of these young ‘ambassadors of empire.’ Arthur looked resplendent in white trousers and blue jacket with a white trim along the lapel (Brixton Free Press, September 11, 1936).

September 26 The National Brass Band Competition at the Crystal Palace was the big attraction

ABOVE: The Mayor of Lambeth back stage at the Astoria Cinema with Arthur and the boys.

BELOW: 1936. Crowds between 6,000 and 7,000 greeted the boys at Pittencrief Park in Dunfermline, Scotland.

of the tour. It was only for brass bands so Arthur gave the brass section of the band extra rehearsals in order to get ready for the competition. Arthur was open to comments from those qualified to give them, which was the case when he asked the organist at the Astoria cinema his thoughts about the boys’ performance one afternoon. On another occasion, the brass section travelled to the Duke of York’s headquarters where they were conducted by a Mr. Windrum, who was associated with the Scots Guards Band. Afterwards, Arthur rearranged the boys seating. They also played a concert for soldiers at the London Barracks. And leading up to the competition at the 31st Annual Crystal Palace Band Festival, they performed before a crowd of more than 70,000 people at Wembley Stadium. Then the 6-day Bicycle Races came to Wembley Sports Arena. On the day of the contest the boys were performing at Wembley. Arthur pulled the 24 boys that he wanted out of Wembley and took them to the contest while the others carried on.

CRYSTAL PALACE ~ 75

ABOVE: 1936 The boys at intermission on the lawn behind the Crystal Palace.

They had just sat down to play 33nd out of 35 bands and ‘tea time’ was declared.

BELOW: 1936 The Crystal Palace as seen in the official 1936 program.

The ‘Junior’ band competition was one of the big features of the annual band day at the Palace, and the shield was one of the sought-after trophies offered. The word ‘Junior’ really meant small bands, the number being limited to 25, including the conductor. Only brass instruments were permitted in this class.

At the Crystal Palace, (in the Canadian Building located near low level station) when the boys were called up on stage to perform, they had just sat down and it was declared that it was ‘tea time.’ They all shuffled out onto the back lawn, behind the stage, for intermission. When they finally started playing, they were almost disqualified because the adjudicators thought they had French horns in the band. French horns were not allowed in brass bands. They did not, of course, it was just the fine playing of the trombone section that sounded so mellow. The boys finally played 33rd out of 35 adult bands. Unfortunately they could not wait around to hear the results because they had to hurry back to Wembley to continue their “paid engagement.”

They had, however, arranged with their agent Stocky to let them know if they had won by wearing his bowler in a certain manner when he crossed the bridge inside Wembley. If his hat was tipped to one side it meant that they had won. As the boys kept their eyes peeled for signs of Stocky, one of the boys spotted him coming towards them. He was sauntering along towards the bridge and sure enough, his bowler hat was tipped to one side.

76 ~ Cassell’s Challenge Silver Shield

ABOVE: Torchy Peden was arguably Canada’s best cyclist. Born in Victoria B.C. in 1906, as a youth “Torchy” got his nickname because of his flaming red hair. Torchy was a natural athlete and competed in hockey, baseball and was a nationally ranked swimmer.

As a young man of twenty Peden concentrated on bicycle road racing and was a member of Canada’s cycling team at the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics.

Peden afterwards won several important races in Europe as an amateur.

In particular he won bicycling championships for the one and five mile distances.

They had won the competition against 34 of England’s finest adult bands.

For their efforts they received the Cassell’s Challenge Silver Shield. When it was announced on the score board that the boys had won, the crowd gave out a royal cheer! One of the cyclists in the event who was from Vancouver was given the honor of coming up and conducting the boys. His name was ‘Torchy Peden.’

“It is a magnificent band, brilliant in tone, technically first-rate, and sensitive in response. It is true that the performance soared no higher than Gems of Tchaikovsky-but it would be churlish to stint praise for really fine work.

Arthur Delamont had been training his lads for six weeks especially for the contest and finally selected the 24 he considered the best grouping.”

(F. Rogan, Parry Jones, adjudicators) The newspapers back home were equally impressed: “The Kitsilano Boys’ band climaxed its triumphant tour of England when it won the Cassell’s Challenge Shield for junior bands at the Crystal Palace.

Competing against 34 other bands, each of them composed of adult musicians, the youthful Vancouver aggregation thus scored the outstanding success of its career.”

It was revealed afterwards that the boys earned 96 out of 100 possible points, which was said to be an almost unheard-of feat. London critics compared them with Sousa’s band and the Guards’ bands.

One of the boys, Jim Findlay, who was nineteen, had just graduated with a bachelor degree in economics from UBC. He was the band’s publicity manager on the tour. The contest was limited to twenty-four players (hence the name, “Junior”) and not because of the age of the contestants. In many of the competing bands ages ranged up to eighty. The very fine woodwind section had to be dropped for the event. How did the band, which was not a brass band, take first place? Jim explained the reason they were victorious. “Mr. Delamont’s own view was that the other bands were accustomed to outdoor playing and found it difficult to play pianissimo and double pianissimo. The contest took place indoors and our band was used to that. Moreover the test piece by Tchaikovsky had only about sixteen measures in double forte and our band scored on the pianissimo work. We were lucky!”

In the course of last night’s program the Kitsilano band had ample opportunity to demonstrate a fine, melodious, resonant pianissimo as well as a big sonorous volume. The blending of the voices of the instruments, the precision and unanimity resulted in an even, organ-like quality of tone, buoyant and flexible. The next day Arthur celebrated by marching the band to the Mansion House for tea with the Lord Mayor. “We did it, first at Crystal Palace,” was the enthusiastic cable Arthur sent to J.W. Stewart, secretarytreasurer of the band. “We expected them to have a prominent position but we hardly expected them to come first,” replied Mr. Stewart.

THE CRYSTAL PALACE ~ 77

September 27 through October 2 After their win at the Crys-

tal Palace, the boys played two concerts a day in Eastbourne. On the last day they had tea with the Lord Mayor. Before leaving Southampton for home on the Empress of Britain on October 3rd, the boys performed for the Mayor and Mayoress of Southampton and a large crowd in the civic centre forecourt, after which they marched to the docks to board the liner. Major W.E. Gladstone Murray, newly appointed general manager of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, was greeted by the boys as he boarded the liner for Canada. As he walked up the gangway the boys played a few airs on the dock. Turning to the boys he said, “As young ambassadors of good will, your work has been very valuable.”

Adequately expressing the appreciation with which the British people received the performances of the talented members of the Kitsilano Boys’ Band and their gifted leader, Mr. A .W. Delamont, is the letter received by

BELOW: The boys posing in front of Victoria’s monument, the mirror image to their photo on the courthouse steps in Vancouver, hence symbolizing the link between the motherland and the colonies.

78 ~ Major WE Gladstone Murray members of the ‘welcome home’ committee from Cameron Stockwell of the LG Sharpe Concert Agency in London dated October 9, 1936, which reads:

Cameron Stockwell Well, a very wonderful tour has come to an end

ABOVE: Playing for the Lord Mayor at Mansion House in London.

BELOW: 1936 To celebrate their win at the Crystal Palace the boys marched down Fleet Street to Mansion House for tea with the Lord Mayor of London.

- and ended in a blaze of glory for the members of the Vancouver Kitsilano Boys’ Band by winning first place at the Crystal Palace Band Festival. The band was playing at the six day bicycle race at the Wembley Sports Pool that day. When I returned about 10:30 pm and had the result announced on the screen the roar of applause that went up from the 12,000 people present was most thrilling.

Leaving the Crystal Palace success out, it is very difficult to say which was the other ‘high spot’ of the tour. At every town and at every concert the boys gave they received wonderful applause. Even when travelling was hard going and the boys were tired, their playing was always of the same high standard, and I might add, a revelation to the majority of listeners that a boys’ band could give such performances.

I think perhaps that one of their triumphs was at the Brixton Astoria Cinema. The week before the boys appeared there, the cinema had celebrated its seventh birthday and had put on a colossal stage show without any hope of it being profitable, it being looked upon as a ‘birthday gift’ to their patrons.

The boys had to follow this terrific attraction and right from the first day they had the audience eating out of their hands. Even hard boiled cinema managers came to listen to the boys’ playing classics, popular tunes, rags

THE CRYSTAL PALACE ~ 79 and even hymns-an unheard of thing! (In a cinema which held over (4,000) and they went away saying it was like a gentle breeze on a hot summer’s day listening to such wonderful playing).

October 9 The boys arrived back in Quebec City on the Empress of

Britain.

October 22 They performed a concert in Nelson to a capacity house.

On the 25th, they stopped in Penticton and played two concerts. Only five hundred to six hundred people were present at their evening performance.

The reception given the lads in their white shirts and scarlet-lined capes at the CPR Station in Vancouver on Saturday October 24 was the noisiest, most hilarious, most genuine and spontaneous welcome Vancouver ever gave anybody. The boys had to fight their way to friends and relatives through thousands of eager, cheering citizens who crowded the platform, packed the station lobby and overflowed onto Cordova Street. It is not certain how many bands were there to greet the heroes of the Crystal Palace band festival, but one thing is known: they all played at once. There was Colonel W.W. Foster and the Police Pipe Band, the Vancouver Firemen’s Band, the Royal City Boys’ Band directed by Harry Moss, the West Vancouver Schools’ Band, the Vancouver Girls’ Band, another band made up of former members of the Kitsilano band and one made up of members of the Musicians Union. “Gosh, what a lot of bands!” exclaimed one frankly bewildered young hero. With banners blazoning “Welcome Home,” six of the bands gathered on the station platforms with the notables and the hundreds of fathers, mothers, friends and well-wishers who had come.

October 26 - Sunday Evening Arthur and the boys presented a

“Welcome Home” concert before a near capacity audience at the Orpheum Theatre. His Honor E.W. Hamber, Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia, offered his heartfelt welcome and felicitations. The program chosen displayed the growth of the band since it had been away, the precision of attack, the blend and balance of the instrumentation, the splendid intonation and the almost perfect chording. There was a finish to the playing that showed they had made great strides in musical understanding. There was so much more intelligence in the work. It was expressive playing, with a fine interpretive sense and knowledge of tonal phrasing.

After that amazing summer of 1936, the last of the first generation of Kitsilano Red Shirts marched off into history and a new generation of boys came along to take their place. Many of the ‘originals,’ went on to become professional musicians. Fourteen of them joined the first RCMP Band in 1938 (see next chapter). Others went to fight in World War II and paid the supreme sacrifice for their country! (see chapter 8)

ABOVE: The maitre’ds on the train ride home.

BELOW: Wally Oatway and Pete Watt on the Empress of Britain

80 ~ First Generation Marched into History!

Background & Anecdotes

Jim McCullock remembers there was a major reshuffling of personnel after the Kitsilano Boys’ Band

ABOVE: The band marching in a parade on Columbia Street in New Westminster BELOW: The boys at Stanley Park in 1935.

Mr. D with black hair.

returned from their 1934 trip to England. Many of the old timers and star players moved on to other activities or went professional– (Roy Johnston, Don Endicott, Van Dunfee, Clif Bryson) – and several boys died over the next year or two, notably trombonist Norm Pearson and saxophonist Alan Newbury.

Gradually the band took on a new face – with imports from Mr. D’s, West Vancouver Boys’ Band: Bill Barker, oboe; Russ Escott, drums; Stan Patterson, clarinet; Walter Parker, French horn; and Bob McCartney, trumpet. There were also new young players who would eventually become the stars and personalities of future years: Alan Johnstone, Teddy Reiser, Harold Atkinson, and Pete Humphrys.

Dal Richards, a very young Marvin Seis and Junior Green made up the saxophone section. Gordon Delamont, Harvey Stewart and Ross Armstrong were the first trumpets, and in the trombones Pete Watt and Don Cromie moved up to first chair, Eb Spencer played second, and Wally Reid and Jim McCullock shared third trombone.

Even some of the “originals” remained – Stuart Ross, who had abandoned the trumpet for the tuba, Wally Oatway, Bud Mottishaw, Cece Jenkins and Bob Trerise. Bob was even an original, having started with the General Gordon School Band at the tender age of eight.

Roy Johnston left the band at Christmas in 1934. When boys reached a certain age they knew it was time to leave the band. The boys were so well trained that they often went on to musical careers. Roy joined the Musicians Union in 1935. That was just after his older brother died. His brother was a violinist, a teacher and all-around athlete. He injured his back and it developed into a tuberculosis of the spine (Roy Johnston).

Arthur’s first trip to the Old Country with his band was so successful that bookings started pouring in from all over England for the following summer. In Scotland, they were offered bookings at double the rate they had just been paid. The trip to Britain in 1934 cost $25,000. It is not known how much of it Arthur recouped on that first trip. The boys would not return to England until 1936, when they performed at the Royal Dublin Horse Show, (this is a booking they received two years

THE CRYSTAL PALACE ~ 81 previous). When Roy went to England, he got time off and was replaced at Spencer’s by Johnny Arnott. When Roy got back from England, they wanted to keep him. So they said to him, “We’re going to find you another job.” He wound up working all over the store. After Christmas, his mother came in to wake him to go to work. He just lay there. She came in three times. He looked at her and said, “I’m not going to go back to that place again.” And he didn’t! His brother died in February 1935. Roy was more help to his mother at home anyway. In April, he joined the Musicians Union. In June, he was on his way to the Orient, playing in the orchestra on the Empress of Canada, where he stayed for two years (Roy Johnston).

Spring 1935. Aztec Ballroom of the Hotel Georgia On Sunday afternoons at 2:30 pm, CKWX broadcasted a

program by the famous Kitsilano Boys’ Band. Arthur was busy planning a second tour of Britain for the following year and already twelve weeks of performances were booked.

The Delamont family was very religious, and maybe it is true that rewards do come to those who believe. Arthur’s mother never really did get over the loss of Leonard, and on the anniversary of that fateful day, May 29, 1935, at ten to two in the morning she passed away from complications with sugar diabetes. Arthur made the trip back to be with her and the rest of the family in Toronto. It is also said that our time here on earth is orchestrated and we cannot choose our time to die... or can we? John Delamont told his family that he did not want to be around long without his beloved Seraphine. Two weeks to the day after she passed away, John died as well. It was reported in the ‘War Cry’ that when John Delamont’s gold pocket watch was found on the dresser by his bed, it had stopped at precisely ten to two! (Vera Delamont)

1935 The band took first place in the Junior Championship and in

the Sight Reading Championship at the Canadian Pacific Exposition Band Festival at Hastings Park. Arthur was not able to enter his boys in this festival every year, but when he did the results were always remarkable.

Also in 1935. At the Orpheum Theatre Arthur held another mass band concert and it included the Grandview Junior Band. It is not known exactly when Arthur started the Grandview Band but it would have been between the fall of 1934 and the spring of 1935. The Grandview Junior Band rehearsed at the Granville High School of Commerce at 1st Avenue and and Commercial Drive. When Arthur went to

ABOVE: Roy Johnston on the Empress of Japan in the house orchestra. He played trombone off and on for this gig.

BELOW: Rare photo of J.B. Olson and his South Vancouver Juvenile Band marching in the CP Exhibition parade on west Hastings Street, 1935.

CVA 99 - 3148

82 ~ Royal City Jumior Band England in 1939, the Grandview band was one of the bands that played them off at the CPR station. Newspaper quote: “As the train pulled out, the companion Grandview Junior band struck up the stirring “On Parade,” and the excited youngsters crowded to the platform of their cars, six and seven deep, to wave cheery good-byes.”

All of Arthur’s bands had the same uniform.

The only difference was the color of the lining on the inside of the capes. The North Vancouver lining was green. The West Vancouver lining was yellow. The Vancouver Girls’ Band’s lining was red, the same color as the Kitsilano boys’ lining.

ABOVE: The band at the Malkin Bowl in Stanley Park, 1935.

BELOW: David Spencer’s Department Store, 1906.

It was demolished in the early 1970s to be replaced by the Harbour Centre development.

Arthur was always recruiting boys to play in one of his bands. Don Radelet and his brother Bill joined the band in 1935 and went on the 1939 trip to New York and England. Bill was the first to get a horn. He got a trumpet. Don was upset so his parents bought him an eight dollar alto horn. Then they both went down to Mr. Delamont’s place to have a private lesson. He scared the devil out of them! Don didn’t have any idea what he was doing. Eventually, Mr. D said to Don, “You should be on trumpet. You’re smarter than your brother.” (Don Radelet 1939, accountant CGA)

Initiated To Join The Free-Masons One would think that seven bands would be enough to keep anyone busy, even Arthur, but in October of 1935, he was initiated into the Free-masons at Zion Lodge #77, 2146 West 41st Avenue in Vancouver. He would remain a Freemason all his life and always saw himself as a Freemason and a musician.

1936 Royal City Junior Band Arthur W. Delamont

was appointed music director of the Royal City Junior Band. He was so successful with his Kitsie Boys that every organization wanted him to direct their band. It had been organized in 1935 by D.P. Day and C.C. Dingle. H.L. Moss was deputized while Mr. Delamont was abroad.

The band won the following competitions and awards all on the same day at the Canadian Pacific Exposition Festival: First place, Grand Championship; first place in Open Sight Reading; First place in the Amateur Championships and winners of the W.C. Shelly Challenge Cup. As the departure date neared, Arthur didn’t let the boys know who was going on the trip until after the local music festival. After a concert in the bandstand at Kits Beach, he announced to all who the chosen few were.

THE CRYSTAL PALACE ~ 83

1936 Sir Ernest MacMillan Fine Arts Club There

was lots going on in music and the arts in Vancouver in 1936. That year the Sir Ernest MacMillan Fine Arts Club was founded by Marjorie Agnew at Templeton Junior High School to foster fine arts activities among the students. Gradually it spread from school to school across Vancouver and gave concerts and scholarships. It always opened the summer music season at Malkin Bowl and would last into the mid-1970s until it faded away due to Marjorie’s failing health. She had been the driving force behind the Club.

To prepare for his up-coming second tour of Great Britain, Arthur assembled a remarkable bunch of boys whose individual musicianship was of the highest standard. He had his sights set on the National Brass Band Festival in London and they would all have to do their part if they were going to win. In the spring of 1936 Arthur showed everyone what his boys could do in the local music festivals.

Hector McKay told me about the old warrior.

The nice thing about the Old Country was that us boys could understand the English but could the English understand us boys? I tried to contact my mother’s two elderly cousins in Cornwall by telephone from London. I was talking to the hotel page boy about travelling to Cornwall. The page boy said, “I’ll look it up for you sir!” He had a bible and said, “Lord love us sir! Four pounds nineteen and six! But you can come phone for half a crown. I’ll get the number for you!”

He’s busy getting the number. Meanwhile, there is this old retired army officer who I was sure must have been from India. A great many of them were into their cups. He was drinking from a small glass, probably whiskey or gin! All of a sudden I hear this voice. He was on the phone with someone who said, “All I can hear is it’s a Mister McKay phoning from London.”

ABOVE: The Royal City Boys’ Band. 1935.

It was organized by D.P. Day and C.C. Dingle. H.L. Moss was deputized when Mr. Delamont was away.

BELOW: 1930s The band performing at the Malkin ‘Memorial’ Bowl in Stanley Park.

84 ~ Sir Ernest MacMillan Fine Arts Club The old warrior could see my frustration, so he raised his voice, “Surely they can’t understand that Canadianese! Let me put that call through for you,” and they didn’t! The page boy sympathized and said, “Ah, it’s always the way sir. It’s always the way. But you tried anyway.” After we were out of ear shot of the elderly gentleman, who by this time had shuffled off to bed, I said, “Gosh, he was pretty drunk, wasn’t he?” The page boy said, “Drunk! Not heem sir. He’s crackers! They’s paying to keep him here!”

Sir Ernest (Alexander Campbell) MacMillan.

Conductor, organist, pianist, composer, educator, writer, administrator, b Mimico (Metropolitan Toronto) 18 Aug 1893, d Toronto 6 May 1973; “One of the major figures in Canada’s musical history, MacMillan influenced virtually all facets of the country’s musical life both by his precocity and brilliance as a performer and by his tireless activities on behalf of education. His service with the many national organizations that benefited from his help often occurred during their founding stages and was marked by shrewdness of vision and adherence to traditional artistic values.

At the same time he achieved international recognition through his performances, publications, and wide travels.”

The Crystal Palace Since its construction in 1851, the Crystal

Palace had been closely associated with the brass band movement. A record number of 208 brass bands would be competing in 1936. The instruments alone used in this mammoth musical event were valued at 250,000 pounds. The uniforms worn by the bandsmen were valued at another 50,000 pounds. Four countries were represented: England, Scotland, Wales and Canada. Forty years earlier John Henry Iles, the founder and director of the National Band Festival resolved to make the wonderful musical achievements of the northern pit men known to the whole world. And from those humble beginnings he widened the scope of the brass band movement to include other working men musicians all over the country. The south of England was represented by 100 bands. For the first time in the history of the contest, its entries outnumbered those of the north. The 1996 British/American movie “Brassed Off” depicted the troubles faced by a colliery brass band following the closure of their pit and their eventual performance at the British Brass Band Festival in London. The total number of players competing was 5,250. Over 60,000 visitors were expected to attend this festival. Famous bands taking part in the contests included Besses o’ th’ Barn, Irwell Springs, Black Dyke, Luton, and the Scottish CWS. Billed as interesting newcomers were “The Vancouver Boys’ Band,” a Canadian band which was touring England in connection with the Vancouver Centenary celebrations. (Program notes)

How did Arthur do it! It has been said that Arthur liked to

nurture individual boys to become soloists if they had the talent and temperament and that he always insisted on sectional rehearsals while on tour, especially in the early stages of the tour across Canada. The one thing that I think is sometimes overlooked when explaining competition results is that by the time the boys arrived on the stage of the Crystal Palace, they had already performed over 200 concerts across England and Scotland. In 1934, at the West of England Music

THE CRYSTAL PALACE ~ 85 Festival, they had been on tour for a month before playing in the contest. No wonder they were successful. And they had gone into the competition already knowing they were world champions.

Discipline and work ethic Over the years, the band always

played at a high professional level. Arthur never accepted mediocrity.

When on tour in England in the 1930s and 1950s, they were booked into concert halls, stage shows, vaudeville, carnivals and parades and received the going rate for a professional ensemble of their kind. It did not matter that they were amateurs. Often they would follow or be followed for a week’s engagement by one of the King’s Guards Bands, either the Grenadier Guards, or the Coldstream Guards or the Scots Guards. On one occasion they were followed by the U.S. Air Force Band. So the quality of their playing was remarkable, pretty good company for a bunch of seventeen year old kids from Vancouver.

Salvation Army and Vaudeville Influences When

not conducting the band, Arthur could be found preparing music for their next concert. Anybody who was ever lucky enough to have heard a typical Arthur Delamont concert in person would remember it a lifetime, not only for the splendid quality of the performance but because Arthur brought to each of his concerts his own special brand of showmanship. Arthur was able to combine the two major influences from his early life, the Salvation Army and vaudeville, into his own unique style. The vaudeville influence in his style could be seen very distinctly in his programming. An Arthur Delamont concert always began with an up-beat march which set the tone for the evening and lifted the audience’s expectations. Often it was a Sousa march. Over the years he developed a vast repertoire of music from which to choose. He always had the appropriate piece for the appropriate occasion. He often repeatedly chose selections to play for their ‘timeless quality.’ Arthur always managed to endear himself to his audience by playing to them, not above them. There was always a familiar tune from the day included in his always varied program. He featured soloists as much as possible in his performances. This allowed him to show off the capabilities of his more experienced players.

Three boys in Paris!

Three boys who were not playing in the Crystal Palace contest had gone to Paris. They had gotten themselves lost in France and were nearly out of money but managed to find the train station and board a train for Dieppe where they were to catch a ferry back to England.

ABOVE: Front cover of the Crystal Palace program with a photo of the Duke of Windsor.

BELOW: Members of the Airmen of Note performing with Tommy Dorsey.

Left to Right: Bruce Snyder on baritone saxophone, Walt Levinsky on clarinet, Tommy Dorsey on trombone, and Greg Phillips on trombone.

86 ~ RMS Empress of Britain Unfortunately, the train was late and they didn’t arrive in Dieppe until after nightfall so they missed the ferry. Without money for a hotel and not knowing a soul, they decided they would go to the local police station and explain their predicament. Luckily Ben Temoin was with them and could speak French. Feeling sorry for them, the chief of police lent them enough money for a room for the night. Back in London the next day, exhausted and starving, the boys ran into Arthur who was still in rapture over the victory. Dallas Richards, the boy who had dived off the diving board in Shanklin, made the mistake of asking him: “Who won the contest?” Delamont, turning white and visibly upset, declared: “What! You didn’t even try to find out who had won the contest? The most important contest we will ever compete in and you were too busy to find out who won? Well, I never!” And he stomped off in disgust.

Arthur hadn’t stopped to think that the boys couldn’t even find the train station, let alone find out who had won a British band festival in France.

But that was Arthur! (Dal Richards)

ABOVE: The band of the Grenadier Guards in 1936.

BELOW: The boys playing in the bandstand at Eastbourne.

The world famous RMS Empress of Britain was the finest ship ever built for Canadian Pacific. She was built in 1930 by the renowned shipbuilders - John Brown & Co. (Clydebank) Ltd. and was the largest ship ever built for Canadian Pacific. She was uniquely designed as a dual role ship for the service from Southampton to Quebec City via Cherbourg and for world cruising. Her world cruises in the 1930s during the winter season soon became legendary circumnavigations of the world, a tradition that has been continued by the legendary RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 today. The Empress of Britain was a most remarkable liner, a combination of tradition and modernity: upright and imposing, yet curiously rakish. (Brochure notes) Major Lesson in Time Management!

On all his trips Arthur’s boys received a major lesson in time management through example. From rehearsals to concerts, to trips, punctuality was a key note in Arthur’s bands. If the concert was to start at eight, then the downbeat came at eight, sharp! The scheduling of concert dates for his 1936 tour of Britain shows the boys on tour for three months and three weeks. During that time they played across Canada. They played on the ship. They played one night engagements across Britain, usually performing three concerts daily. During this time they also rehearsed for the National Brass Band Contest at the Crystal Palace.

Focus your thoughts. Decide what is important and then organize your life to maximize your efforts. This is what Delamont expected of each member of his band. The synergy of the band was extremely

THE CRYSTAL PALACE ~ 87 important and he taught everyone that they needed to be a part of the whole, except when they were expected to step out and perform a solo.

Delamont Fostered Many Virtues in His Boys

Courage, optimism, interpersonal skills, high standards, a work ethic, hope, honesty and perseverance were all virtues he encouraged. The band experience improved their ability to connect with themselves and others through interpersonal skills it also created a daily routine that gave them self discipline and a work ethic and raised their awareness so that they lived more consciously through hope. They were taught to be honest, accept reality and to rid their lives of falsehood and denial and to persevere by building motivation, discipline and modesty. He exposed arrogance.

Being in Delamont’s band taught each boy to be creative, to set and reach goals and to value physical health. His boys became motivated and energized from their experiences in his band. They learned how to make a genuine contribution to humanity. They learned how to put in harmony their thoughts, feelings, actions and skills to create the life they desired, which would set them all on a path of positive growth.

Boys on the 1936 Crystal Palace Tour Clarinets: William Allen, Bernard Temoin, Jimmy Findlay, John Daniels, Jack Fairburn, Reginald Jones, Stan Patterson, Douglas Barlow, Charles Coupar, Jack de Leen, Saxophones: Dallas Richards, Junior Green, Marvin Seis, Trumpets: Gordon Delamont, Harvie Stewart, Ross Armstrong, Robert McCartney Robert Trerise, John M. Morrison, Thomas Martin, Frank Brogan, John Wright, Teddy Reiser, Alan Jonstone, Murray White, Flute: Mickey Crawford, Oboe: Bill Barker, Accordian: Adolf Bergklent, Horns: Walter Parker, Ronald Atkinson, Hector McKay, Harold Atkinson, Trombones: Pete Watt, Donovan Cromie, Edward Spencer, Jim McCulloch, Wallace Reid, Baritones: Wally Oatway, Cecil Jenkins, Donald Wright, Basses: John Hardy, Walter Mottishaw, Stuart Ross, Pete Humphrys, Percussion: George Birnie, Russell Escott

ABOVE: Poster advertising the RMS Empress of Britain BELOW: The Duke of York in 1936.

CHAPTER SIX

GUESTS AT THE OPENING OF THE SAN FRANCISCO GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE

Band History: Summer of 1937, the Kits band travels by bus to San Francisco to play at the

opening ceremonies of the Golden Gate Bridge * Background: Crystal Palace burns to the ground * 1936: 26 first class musical organizations * The Band at the Top of the Town* Gordon Delamont and the Dal Richard’s Orchestra * Joe Brown and the first official RCMP band * Meta-Narrative: Delamont taught his boys to focus on long term goals * The first official RCMP Band.

Arthur received a telegram in September of 1936 from Philip H. Shapiro inviting him to play at the opening ceremonies of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco the following year. They would be the only Canadian band performing. It was an offer which Arthur enthusiastically accepted.

While in San Francisco during the summer of 1937, the boys were the first Canadian organization to be entertained on board a US battleship. They also participated in religious ceremonies on board the USS Virginia and were dinner guests of the crew. Even though Mr. Shapiro had indicated that they would be the only Canadian band performing, the Vancouver Police Pipe Band did attend as well. In a letter to the Vancouver Province Mr. Shapiro said: The band is the finest and most competent boys’ band I have ever had the pleasure of hearing. If there had been a prize for the best band, I am sure that yours would have won. The boys are excellent musicians and their director has cause to be proud of them.

Background & Anecdotes Crystal Palace burns to the Ground!

On November 30, 1936, the Crystal Palace in London, England where the boys had triumphed was destroyed by fire. It was a great loss as the Crystal Palace had been the center of British culture since the mid 1800s. The National Brass Band Championships would continue at another venue in north London until they were moved to Royal Albert Hall, their present location.

1936: 26 First Class Musical Organizations

When Arthur started the General Gordon School Band in 1928 there were only a few juvenile bands in British Columbia. The only one of note was the Vancouver Juvenile Band, started by Dr. Almond Harper in 1926 and later run by William Hoskins Sara and Jack Parle. By 1936 there were at least 26 first class organizations in British Columbia. The majority of them were located in the Vancouver area but there were other fine bands in New Westminster, Victoria, Nanaimo, Kelowna,

ABOVE: The Elgar Choir leaves on tour of Canada.

CVA 11834-1302, Vancouver Archives OPPOSITE: The bands’ trophies in 1937.

BELOW: Dal’s Band at the Hotel Vancouver. With Dal is Beryl Boden.

90 ~ Vancouver Dance Bands of the Thirties Trail, Port Alberni and Agassiz. Approximately 780 boys and girls under 18 now had an early start on a musical education and possibly a professional career. Another organization, the Elgar Junior Choir (conducted

by C.E. Findlater) was well known in Vancouver at this time. They had just completed their first tour of Britain. It was reported that many junior bands and choirs had been started in Canada and Great Britain as a result of the tours of the Kitsilano Boys’ Band and the Elgar Junior Choir.

About 1934 Dr. Harper founded the Vancouver Metropolitan Junior Orchestra of the Maccabees. During an 18 month period it entered seven musical competitions in Victoria and Vancouver and was successful in obtaining first place in every competition it entered. Garfield White was in charge of publicity for both organizations. He arranged travelling and publicity for the Elgar Choir on their tour of Britain in the summer of 1935 and the Kits Band in 1934 and was now in the summer of 1936 busy arranging a tour of Canada for the orchestra.

ABOVE: San Francisco Parade.

BELOW: San Francisco Parade.

“The Band at the Top of the Town”

Arthur was paid a visit about this time by one of his sax players, Dallas Richards. He told Arthur that he had the opportunity to take a professional gig that summer down at the Winter Garden (located on a pier at English Bay) so he would not be able to travel to San Francisco with the band. Arthur was getting used to losing his boys when they reached a certain age. He was just lucky that he always had new players in waiting.

Dal would go on to play with Sandi De Santis’ band and Stan Patton’s band in 1938-39 and in 1940 he would succeed Mart Kenny as leader of his own band which would play for 24 years at the Hotel Vancouver’s Panorama Roof. Dal’s band was known as “The Band at the Top of the Town” and was heard nationally on CBC Radio. The musical rage from about 1935 to 1945 was dance bands and several of Arthur’s boys over the years would find a second home leading and playing in the top dance bands across the country, including his own son Gordon and Dal Richards.

Dal’s band comprised eleven pieces and it featured singers like Beryl Boden (his first wife), Lorraine McAllister (his second wife) and Juliette. Over the years the orchestra included, trumpeters Chuck Barber and Gordon Delamont and saxophonists Stan Paton and Lance Harrison. (Dal Richards)

Gordon Delamont and the Dal Richard’s Orchestra

Gordon Delamont’s first professional job was as a non-union musician in a union band. The Musician’s Union gave him special dispensation,

SAN FRANCISCO ~ 91 since it was a New Year’s Eve. All of the union trumpet players were engaged. The job - a New Year’s dance, was at the Empress Hotel in Victoria, which, at that time anyway, was in the jurisdiction of the Vancouver Union. Shortly after the beginning of the dance, Gordon happened to look up from his music. Dancing almost in front of him were the principal of his high school and his very attractive French teacher.

They saw him at just about the same time, and were obviously startled and non-plussed. He was sure that, since they had taken a ninety mile boat ride from their home ground, they were not expecting to encounter anyone who knew them. For some reason, he had the good sense to avoid greeting them.

As his professional career progressed, and particularly when he became an orchestra leader, he found that discretion about who was dating whom was necessary on many an occasion. Nevertheless, his first encounter with the necessity for this kind of discretion was shocking. One doesn’t think of one’s teachers as having illicit sex lives.

In the mid-thirties Gordon became involved with Dal Richards and his orchestra, playing at the now defunct Palomar Ballroom. Dal had a major role in shaping Gord’s attitude to the music business. Musically, he provided him with the opportunity to learn the basics of lead trumpet playing and also the basics of the crafts of arranging and orchestration.

Gordon was able to write music for his orchestra and to take advantage of the opportunity to hear it played by professional musicians in

ABOVE: Don Fraser (L) and Lance Harrison (R) in Kelowna 1935. Don’s son Dave would play in the Kits Band on its 1962 tour.

BELOW: The boys in San Francisco for the opening of the Golden Gate Bridge.

92 ~ The First Official RCMP Band

ABOVE: The RCMP Band playing in a theatre.

professional circumstances. Dal was the first person to pay him for writing music. But it was his attitude towards the music business that was the most important. While Dal never talked about the glamour of the music business it was implicit in his demeanor, his bearing and his leadership.

Dal was a good leader with the ability to keep everyone happy: the management, the musicians and the public they were playing for. This ability is just as rare now as it was then. Dal Richards was the man who, perhaps unintentionally, directed Gordon into music as a career. However, the man that sparked his interest in writing music and from whom he learned the most about the writing craft was Gordon Edwards. They were in close contact for two years 1938 (Vancouver) and 1939 (Toronto).

“He was a brilliant musician. He could, for example, write a piece of music by taking a walk, smoking a pipe, returning home and then, without benefit of a formal score, with all parts indicated on it, simply sit down and write each part in its appropriate key, individually - and it didn’t matter to him which part he wrote first - trombone, flute, whatever. Although he had heard of other people with this ability, Gordon Edwards was the only person that he ever saw do it.” (Gordon Delamont’s Memoirs, arranger, composer, teacher.)

SAN FRANCISCO ~ 93

Joe Brown and the First Official RCMP Band

In the fall of 1938 a man by the name of Joe Brown paid Arthur a visit. The RCMP had decided to set up its first official concert band and they wanted to recruit several of his Kitsie Boys, past and present. He left Vancouver with no less than fourteen of Arthur’s boys, including Clifton Bryson, the young saxophone player who had astonished Arthur with his knowledge of transposition. Arthur was not very happy to see them go, and didn’t help Mr. Brown with the recruiting of his boys. In his mind they were his boys; he had trained them and he had expected several of them to go on his next trip to England with the band.

Clif Bryson was nineteen in 1938. He was making about one hundred dollars per month when he heard about the RCMP band being formed.

It was the first official RCMP band. They had many over the years. He found out he could get a pension and in those days that was very enticing. The RCMP was the last thing in the world he thought he would ever join. They had a waiting list of ten thousand. You had to apply and pass all the requirements, be five foot eight inches tall and single. You also had to have good eye sight (no glasses) and sign up for eight years. Back then it was tougher to join than it is now. Bandsmen went through the same basic training as everyone else. It was a blow to Mr. D when Joe Brown came out to recruit for the RCMP band. He got eight that were members of the Kits band and six others from his other bands. At first he took it as a personal insult.

He said, “Come out here and steal my boys!” It was always a thorn in his side. Clif was surprised at Arthur’s refusal to help Joe Brown recruit for the RCMP band in 1938. Joe became the bandmaster. He allowed Clif to form the first dance band in the RCMP. Clif led that band for nine years. Then the RCMP decided they wanted to form a senior band in Regina. Clif was sent out on recruiting trips. They got enough people together to form a second band and Clif became the bandmaster again.

(Clif Bryson 1930-’34, Director RCMP Band)

ABOVE: Clif Bryson during his RCMP days, 1938-58.

LEFT: The first official RCMP Band. Joe Brown is seated in the middle in the first row.

94 ~ The First Official RCMP Band

Delamont taught his boys to focus their attention on long term goals. He taught them that by the decisions they made,

ABOVE: Joe Brown (left) marching with his RCMP Band.

their responses to people, events and circumstances, they could affect the future. He would say, “Some people do not have the correct attitude of mind. For them the glass is always half empty. For those who focus long term, the glass is always half full.” Delamont taught all his boys the meaning of integrity. People who achieve success but never have the end in mind never derive any real satisfaction from their success. Delamont always had the end in mind. For this reason Delamont always felt a lot of satisfaction from his successes. After each trip or after each contest he entered the boys in, he reached the end of a journey, a journey upon which he had taken his latest group of charges, an amazing voyage of self discovery and personal development. At the inevitable homecoming concert (after one of his amazing European tours), he would say to the audience, “Well, we brought them all home safe and sound and that is the main thing!” Delamont had a dream, and he set goals that allowed him to make measurable progress toward that dream. In order to achieve a sense of fulfillment in his life, Delamont early on turned to his faith and realized he had to give something back to humanity.

SAN FRANCISCO ~ 95

The First Official RCMP Band

The director of this band, located first in Regina and later in Ottawa, was Staff-Sergt. Joseph T. Brown (formerly of the Governor General’s Foot Guards Band of Ottawa). One of the band’s first performances occurred 25 May 1939 during the visit of George VI and Queen Elizabeth to Canada. The band also appeared in New York at the 1939 World’s Fair. Throughout the war years it played in many concerts and parades across Canada in connection with the Victory Loan program and the war effort; in 1944 it was on duty during the Quebec Conference. In 1949 Sargeant E.J. Lydall, the leader on its Prairie tour the previous year, replaced the retiring Inspector Brown as music director. A second part-time RCMP band was organized in 1949 in Regina under Cpl.C.C. Bryson. Both units continued to be active in their respective areas, and they merged for special occasions. In 1951 the Ottawa band played an important role at performances during the visit of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip. In 1953, Coronation ceremonies in Canada’s capital were co-ordinated by Inspector Lydall, and the massed bands were led by the RCMP Ottawa Band on Parliament Hill in a dazzling display of pomp and pageantry.

PHOTOS: All photos of the first official RCMP band courtesy of the Allen family.

CHAPTER SEVEN

PERFORMERS AT THE NEW YORK WORLD’S FAIR AND ARE IN ENGLAND WHEN WAR IS DECLARED!

B

and History: On June 14, 1939, the Kits band travels by bus to Toronto and catches a train to New York * The 23rd Street YMCA * The Drunken Duchess * The Montana Hotel * Park Place, St. James’s * Bristol Blenheim Bomber * Haile Selassie * Parade Gardens, Bath * Great Yarmouth, Hitler Invades Poland * A great metropolis prepares for war * RMS Empress of Britain * SS Athenia is sunk by a German U-boat * Empress zig-zags back across the Atlantic to avoid U-boats * Prime Minister Mackenzie King * Background: 1938, Vancouver Music Festival * 1939, New York World’s Fair * Seven bands under his leadership * King and Queen of England visit Vancouver * Canadian Pacific Exhibition Band Festival * Gordon Delamont marries Joan Agnew * A whole new roster of boys * June 1939, Winnipeg, A Boy With A Horn * Anecdotes: Tom Brown’s School Days * Concert Programming * A young boy in Krakow.

On June 14. 39 boys and 1 girl left the CPR station on Cordova Street (again in two ‘colonist’ cars), ready to play concerts in Kamloops (on the 15th at the Tranquille Sanatorium), Calgary (on the 16th), Moose Jaw (on the 17th at the bandstand in the park) and Regina (on the 18th in the Armories and at the station). While in Regina a couple of the boys were given a tour of the RCMP Barracks and were told by the officer in charge that they were all very pleased with the new RCMP Band whose nucleus was made up of fourteen of their former bandsmen. Concerts continued: in Brandon on the 19th at the Winter Fair Building before a crowd of 5,100 people; Winnipeg on the 20th at Assiniboine Park before 5,000 people; Kenora on the 21st; Fort William on the 22nd at the Arena; Sudbury on the 23rd at Bell Park; and Toronto on the 24th when the boys marched to city hall to receive an official welcome from the city. After receiving the welcome they marched to the YMCA. Arrangements for the boys’ stay in Toronto were taken care of by Walter Delamont, Arthur’s brother who was the director of the West Toronto Salvation Army band. The boys were supposed to play at ‘Sunnyside,’ an amusement park two or three miles west of downtown Toronto, but the Musicians Union stepped in and refused to let them play. That evening Arthur and the boys played a concert at the Northern Vocational School. In the audience were three ex-Kits boys who were now in the Royal Canadian Air Force: Doug Barlow, John Daniels and McKenzie Morrison. They had come in by car from the airport to see the fellows.

On June 25 at 5:30 am Arthur rushed the boys to get everything off their two coaches and onto a CPR day coach which would take them through Hamilton, Buffalo, Niagara Falls, Rochester, Syracuse, Rome, Albany and finally to New York City where they would spend four exciting days at the New York World’s Fair. Then they would travel to Montreal where they would board the “Duchess of Bedford” bound for Liverpool.

ABOVE: Bill Radelet (left) and Don Mowatt.

OPPOSITE: A Band party at Mrs. Akroyd’s house in 1939.

BELOW: New York World’s Fair, 1939.

98 ~ The Garrick & Argyle Theatres

The 23rd Street YMCA ABOVE: 1939 Arriving in Liverpool on the SS Duchess of Bedford.

BELOW: American art students from New York on the SS Duchess of Bedford with the boys.

Once in New York the boys settled into the 23rd Street YMCA. There were eight YMCA buildings in New York but this one was supposed to be the most comfortable and sociable. The next morning the boys left for the World’s Fair grounds in a chartered bus and drove right up 5th Avenue, past Central Park and east over the Tri-borough Bridge and out to Flushing Meadows where the grounds were located. The first thing the boys noticed at the fair was that all the buildings, buses and even the uniforms of the attendants were streamlined. Everything was constructed to make the grounds quiet. Many people went sightseeing on three wheel bugs (They seat two in front with the operator sitting behind). The boys’ trip to the World’s Fair was sponsored by the Swift Company so each day they played two concerts in front of the Swift Building in their own bandstand, one in the afternoon and one in the evening. Afterwards the whole band went down to the Lagoon of Nations and watched an illuminated fountain display. At 11:30 they all had their first ride on a New York subway. There were two lines that connected the Fair grounds to downtown, an express and a local. The Express cost ten cents and took twelve minutes whereas the local cost five cents but took a half hour. The lines ran under the East River into Manhattan.

The next day some of the boys decided to visit the Empire State Building but when they got there visibility was only 2 miles and it cost $1.40 so they decided to take a sightseeing tour on a double-decker bus. That afternoon they were back at the fair for two more concerts. At one concert they were conducted by Raymond Paige, a leading orchestral conductor of the day whom Arthur asked to conduct two pieces. At 10:45 they all went to “Billy Roses’ Aquacade.” They left the fair at midnight and rode the subway

NEW YORK & ENGLAND ~ 99 back to Times Square. A few decided that they would walk up Broadway past the Cotton Club where Cab Calloway was playing. It was 2:30 by the time they all made it back to the YMCA. They all found out the next morning that two boys who had gone to a different club had met Tommy Dorsey.

Wednesday, June 28. The boys were supposed to play under the

statue of George Washington at the fair but the fair officials forgot to leave the boy’s passes at the gate. Mr. D had the boys all pay for their own tickets but he refused to perform the concert, so they all had the afternoon free. Of all the buildings the boys visited the Czech building was the most revealing.

It had been built before Nazi Germany invaded Czechoslovakia on March 16th, 1939. An inscription read: “The Czechs are working towards freedom for their nation.” That evening they played their last concert at the Swift Building to rousing applause and took a chartered bus back to Manhattan.

Thursday, June 29 the boys were down at the train station early for

the trip to Montreal. The ride would take them up the Hudson River through Troy, Albany and White River, past Lake Champlain and on to Montreal.

In Montreal they gave a concert at Lafontaine Park to a very enthusiastic crowd. Mayor Haude of Montreal came to personally welcome them and wish them all ‘bon voyage.’

On board the ‘drunken duchess,’ the boys had their picture taken in the lounge and played a short concert on the sun deck as the boat was pulled out to sea by two tugs. At Quebec City a pilot boat came out alongside the liner to take the mail off. The liner could not stop because she was carrying the Royal Mail. The following day there was a rehearsal at 10:30 am and Arthur started cracking down on everyone to whip them into shape for England. He still had to get all their programs arranged as well. On Independence Day the boys played a program of American numbers in the tourist (second class) lounge. On board the boys met a contingent of college students from New York on their way to Paris to study art. They all spent the voyage getting to know one another and exchanging addresses.

July 6 Their ship reached Belfast (see photo opposite) with the

American art students and deposited some of its passengers and mail. The next morning the boys found themselves in Greenock, Scotland, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Clyde. And at 10:00 am they left Greenock for Liverpool by train.

ABOVE: The boys and Arthur with Beverley Baxter, MP. BELOW: 1939 The boys in Worthing.

100 ~ ‘Canada Calling’

July 8 The boys arrived in Liverpool and were taken through the Mersey

River Tunnel to boarding houses or theatrical ‘digs’ in Birkenhead on Clifton Road. The band had two houses and in one all the meals were served.

On this trip the boys played a lot of theatre concerts. They were booked into one night engagements at the ‘The Garrick’ in Southport on the 9th, and the Argyle Theatre in Birkenhead from July 10 to 16. Most of the stars of the English stage started at the Garrick, including Charlie Chaplin and Harry Sauder. The boys marched to city hall for a very wonderful high tea with the Mayor, complete with uniformed doormen.

July 12 They visited Port Sunlight, just outside of Birkenhead, a company town owned by Lever Bros.

ABOVE: The band playing at the London Hippodrome in 1939.

BELOW: Vera leading the boys off somewhere.

July 14 They went to the Camillon Laird Shipyards and saw one capital

ship (Prince of Wales, later sunk by Japan) 3 submarines, four destroyers and two light cruisers. On July 17th, the boys departed for London.

In London the boys’ train was met again by Mr. W.A. MacAdam, the

Acting Agent General for B.C. in London who welcomed them back to England. Then they were all off to the Montana Hotel. On the 19th the boys were to play on the Empire Broadcast at 3:45 am, so the rest of their first afternoon in London they had to rehearse. They played twice over the British Broadcasting Company network during their stay in London and were filmed by Pathe Gazette in their London studios on the 18th. ‘Semper Fidelis’ was filmed completely and then each section in turn. They sat for four hours under glaring lights while these film shorts (which were shown all over England) were made. When they had finished playing their broadcast to the Empire at 3:45 a.m. on the 19th, Arthur declared: “It was the best I have ever conducted at that time of the morning!” Later that day the boys were given a tour of the parliament buildings at 1 p.m. by Beverley Baxter, MP, Mr. MacAdam and another Scottish MP.

July 20 the boys travelled down the Thames River and performed at

the Greenwich Naval College. They were then entertained on board HMS President in London. Afterwards the boys dispersed and walked through St. James’s Park, down Pall Mall, past Whitehall, through air raid shelters and trenches in the park, then Trafalgar Square and Westminster Abbey. All the boys were greatly impressed by the air raid precautions they saw.

July 21 Mr. MacAdam hosted the band at a reception in the Overseas

House. Many people in High Society were there and they were given a short concert. Windows went up and heads came out in customarily quiet Park Place, St James’s. A reporter for the ‘Talk of the Day’ wrote the

NEW YORK & ENGLAND ~ 101

following editorial: There was music in the air and not street music either.

It was the Vancouver Boys’ band saying thank you to Mrs. and Mr. W.A. MacAdam, the Agent-General of British Columbia, for giving them tea at the Overseas Club. I had to leave before they finished, and as I walked up St. James’s street I could still hear the band’s good tone. I pictured habitués of club land looking over the tops of their spectacles from their easy chairs, mildly shocked no doubt at first, but certainly not objecting, for the music was excellent.

July 22 the boys played at Harringay Stadium in North London for the

dirt track cycle races.

July 23 they left London and continued playing one nighters in theatres.

First stop, the Rhyl Pavilion, in Rhyl, Wales on the 24th and then the New Hippodrome Theater in Coventry from the 25th through 29th, where the boys were the feature in a program called “Canada Calling.” They played the last twenty minutes twice nightly from 8:08 to 8:33 and from 10:33 to 10:58. Dinner was always at midnight after the late show and then it was off to bed.

After leaving London the boys went to Rhyl, a lovely spot where they played just one concert. From the reception they were sure that they could have played all night, but schedules are schedules, and theirs was a busy one. Next they went on to Coventry, a city rich in history, and the scene of the famous ride of Lady Godiva, although that was before they arrived!

They played two performances nightly at the Hippodrome, a huge building with two balconies and on the morning of their arrival they marched to St. Mary’s Hall for an official reception by the mayor and mayoress. It was very dignified. After greetings were exchanged, the boys gave their names to the man at the door of the great hall, and he solemnly announced each of them in turn - they felt very ritzy!

ABOVE: 1939 The boys marching in Coventry, England.

BELOW: The trumpeters Birkenhead.

102 ~ Haile Selassie

Sunday July 30 the boys travelled to Liverpool to play a week of book-

ABOVE: Boys seated at a reception in Coventry.

BELOW: The boys recording at Pathe Movietone at BBC in London.

ings at the Shakespeare Theatre. The boys were on the same program as Two Ton Tessie O’Shea. The concerts were such a success that a man in the first show offered them the use of two buses for Tuesday afternoon to go wherever they wanted.

The number of young fellows walking about in Army and Air Force uniforms was astounding. Each town had a quota of men and women that had to be reached for national service. Posters were up in conspicuous places saying how many more men and women were needed. The boys saw lots of army trucks moving around. They toured the Blenheim Bomber factory outside of Liverpool. They knew something big was coming. Sandbags were going up around the buildings. Air raid balloons were going up. Everyone knew Chamberlain wasn’t going to be successful when he went to see Hitler.

Germany would soon invade Poland. The boys were just kids, more interested in girls and going to the amusement parks on the pier. (Don Radelet, 1935-’42)

Bristol Blenheim Bomber

On arrival at Liverpool the boys marched to the town hall and were received by the Mayor, and while in Liverpool (one week) they gave two concerts nightly. They seemed to get a magnificent reception everywhere they played. Besides seeing the Cathedral they had the privilege of going over an airplane factory where they built the Bristol Blenheim bombers, one of the world’s fastest. They were sure big, fast and powerful looking when you saw them up close. Not anyone was allowed to go and look over these factories, so the boys felt very much honored by being able to do so. They were told that the normal turnout is fifteen per week, but that in case of war or an emergency, they can speed this figure up to seventy per week. Phew! That’s sure slapping them together fast.

The boys returned to London but just stayed there between trains before they left for Worthing, where they were to play several concerts. The boys declared it a wonderful trip and a fine country. Although they played a lot and practiced hard they still seemed to have time to see all the principal sites. “I’ll be glad however, to get back to Canada. After all, there is no place like home.” (Harold Daykin 1939)

August 5 the boys left Liverpool for a week of engagements at Worthing

in the Pier Pavilion (twice daily at 3:00 p.m. and 8:00 from the 6th through the 12th). Worthing was a beautiful seaside resort on the English south coast with a long promenade, pier and amusement center. The bandstand was a fine piece of work and the audience had a glass wall all around them. Mr. D was going to start paying the boys a shilling a day for every day they

NEW YORK & ENGLAND ~ 103

played three times. Every time they forgot any music or came in late or did anything wrong he fined them a shilling or two.

On the night of August 8 French bombers flew over southern England. The town was ringed with searchlights trying to spot the planes. Every town in the southern part of England had a ring of searchlights around it.

Sunday August 13 the boys left Worthing for Bath via Portsmouth on the train. They had two houses again in Bath: ‘Chequers’ and ‘Citizen House.’ Both were 18th century houses used by actors and actresses of the legitimate stage. While clean, there was a lot of dry rot and one of the boys put his foot through the floor, knocking some plaster off the ceiling in the room below. Arthur and Mr. Stockwell were at first not very pleased until they realized the extent of the dry rot. (Paul Jagger 1939, businessman)

Haile Selassie In Bath, there were about three or four boys in this one room. It was the only room in the place that had a window. They charged the guys to use the window because they were broke. That’s where we saw Haile Selassie, who was in exile at the time. It was in a freight yard. This old fellow was out painting with his easel and his dog. It was Haile Selassie, the Emperor of Ethiopia. The boys stood and watched him painting. (Don Radelet 1939, accountant CGA)

ABOVE: 1939 The boys posing for a photo in Bath.

BELOW: The boys at the Town Hall in Liverpool.

104 ~ Clacton- On- Sea Arthur always bought lots of music while on tour. He would often go to the local music stores and pick up new arrangements for the boys. Then he would spend countless hours making cuts and reinforcing parts to achieve his own particular sound. Always the master showman, heavier selections on the 1939 trip included March and Procession of Bacchus, Hungarian Fantasia, Cavalleria Rusticana by Mascagni, Die Fledermaus by Strauss, Scenes Pittoresques

by Massenet, Selections from Rimsky-Korsokov, Carmen by Bizet, Don Quixote, The Barber of Seville and Coppelia. In all there were nineteen programs on this trip, and all were different. It was impossible to master these charts and not become an accomplished player. This was normal during the 1930s and 1950s tours.

August 13 Parade Gardens, Bath

ABOVE: The Parade Gardens in Bath.

BELOW: Clacton-on- Sea Parade.

In Bath the boys played a series of 20 concerts in the Parade Gardens beginning August 13 and ending August 19. With war looming, the boys performed three concerts each day from 11:30 to 12:30, from 3:30 to 5:30 and from 7:30 to 9:45. Several boys were featured as soloists including Fred Tossell on cornet playing The Executant and Leo Crimini playing the Carnival of Venice on his accordion. Vera Delamont played the xylophone solo Frolic of the Keys. Allan Johnstone on cornet played O Dry Those Tears and the Ida and Dottie cornet duet with Fred Tossell. Ross Sturley played a cornet solo called Gaiety Polka.

Carson Manzer played a cornet solo on Sequoia Polka, Allan Forster a piccolo solo called Canary Polka, Ron Ptolmey a clarinet solo called Serenade, and Ted Daley a cornet solo called Rosary.

“Join the Navy and see the world.” So goes the saying, but almost as good a one in those days was “join the champion Kitsilano Boys’ band and see England.”

August 20 the boys arrived back in London at 2:30 a.m. and spent the

rest of the night on a siding where they slept until 7:30. The next morning they caught the 10:30 train to Clacton-on-Sea. The boys played two concerts a day at the Band Pavilion: 3:00 to 4:30 and 8:00 to 10:00. The pavilion was similar to the one in Worthing but this one faced the sea. The next day, the 21st, the boys marched from the station to welcome the Carnival Queen of Clacton.

Clacton had a wonderful pier and a roller coaster, a large amusement house and a dance hall, all over the water. There were no beaches. The weather was the hottest of the trip. The boys were half way through their trip: nine weeks down and eight weeks to go.

The boys continued to woo the opposite sex whenever the opportunity arose.

One evening the boys played for an audience participation night (the participation lasted 45 minutes) and the entertainment manager asked for ten girls between 17 and 21 to come up on stage. The girls expected a prize but instead

NEW YORK & ENGLAND ~ 105 the boys in the band rushed up to them and made sure they all got a kiss, some more than once. Reg Jones was going great guns! (Paul Jagger 1939, businessman) The boys spent the evenings listening to the wireless and reading Picture Post (A prominent photojournalistic magazine published in the UK). The news of the Russo/German Non-Aggression Pact was the talk of the day.

Their landlady seemed to think it was more serious than last September. The scare of war, the Prime Minister says, ‘is imminent’ and it was starting to keep people away from their concerts.

August 25 Stocky told Arthur he should leave for home if things got worse. Arthur wanted to stay and fulfill their engagements if possible. On the 26th some of the boys went to see “Confessions of a Nazi Spy” (6d) which they thought was very timely, what with all the trouble going on. That evening Arthur and Stocky were eager to hear the news over the radio but couldn’t get back to their houses in time.

Sunday August 27, Great Yarmouth

The boys were up at 7:00 a.m. to catch the train for Great Yarmouth. In Great Yarmouth they had to walk three quarters of a mile with their suitcases to get to their digs on South Nelson Street. The landlady’s husband had been a member of the Sir Ernest Shackelton Expedition that explored Antarctica.

The boys quickly changed and headed straight for the bandstand for a 3:00 concert. The bandstand was adjacent to Wellington Pier. Both concerts that day were very successful. Stocky was starting to talk seriously about the boys going home on September 2nd as the international situation had not improved.

Monday August 28

After their afternoon concert the boys heard unwelcome news. Stocky pulled Arthur aside and told him the British Government wanted the band out of England immediately. “Arrangements have been made for transportation to Liverpool on Friday; you sail for home on Saturday.” Two coaches and a lorry cost 18 pounds each. It was only through the High Commissioner of British Columbia in London that they were able to get the coaches. Arthur said to the boys, “Unless things improve tremendously we are sure of going home.”

Tuesday August 29 Arthur and the boys continued to put on their con-

certs with much success and the international news continued to be discouraging. Countries concerned were recalling their ships or sending them to neutral ports. The British Government issued emergency regulations regarding war time.

ABOVE: The boys’ last concert at Great Yarmouth.

BELOW: Stocky getting everybody on board the buses to London and then on to Southampton.

106 ~ RMS Empress of Britain After dinner Arthur had a talk with some of the boys and told them he wanted to get back to Canada pretty quickly and that he was trying to arrange a series of concerts across Canada for them.

On Wednesday and Thursday the concerts went very well. Great Yarmouth thrived on its tourist trade and fishing. Fishing was not good now because their great market (Germany, Russia, and Lithuania) had disappeared. After the boys played “The King” at the end of their evening concert on Thursday, the crowd gave them three cheers!

Hitler Invades Poland!

ABOVE: The boys on board the Empress looking down at the sandbags and gun emplacements on the dock below.

BELOW: Balloon barrage over southern England.

On Friday morning two coaches and a van came for the boys at 8:30 a.m.

It was no surprise: Hitler had invaded Poland! Everyone was glad they were leaving. Two buses were sent to Great Yarmouth to transport the band to Liverpool where the ‘SS Athenia’ was at anchor awaiting her sailing time.

This arrangement did not please Mr. D, and he weighed the possibility of using the buses to go to Southampton where the RMS Empress of Britain was awaiting her passengers to Quebec City. The Empress was a CPR ship, as was the SS Duchess of Bedford used for their June crossing, so their tickets would be valid on it. Mr. D must have done some quick research and reasoned that being a much larger, newer and faster ship, (42,000 tons vs.

14,000 tons) crossing on the Empress would be safer and there would be more engagements for the band. In addition, the grim memory of his boyhood experience on the RMS Empress of Ireland likely gave him serious pause. His intuition must have made the decision for him. (Carson Manzer, 1939, chartered accountant)

A Great Metropolis Prepares For War

The boys arrived in London at about 2:30 pm. It was not only the boys who were excited-- the news had fired up the whole population. General mobilization had been proclaimed and army vans and guns were on the roads.

The boys in the band were afforded an excellent view of a great metropolis preparing for war. Their buses passed endless streams of vehicles carrying children to places of safety in the country. The sky was dotted with silver sausage balloons and most of the buildings were walled with sand bags.

The boys left London at 3:15. Stocky could not come to Southampton with the boys as he was an Air Raid Precaution Warden. The boys all shook hands with him and gave him three cheers. Appearing quite touched and fighting back tears, he told the boys that he had been quite worried about their safety for the last ten days and that it was only through Mr. MacAdams, who personally took the safety of the boys under his wing, and himself that they were able to secure places on the Empress of Britain.

NEW YORK & ENGLAND ~ 107 In Southampton, the boys experienced their third black-out. They arrived at 9:00 p.m. and went straight to the Empress. Still hungry after eating a light meal of meat sandwiches and coffee on board, Arthur gave them each a shilling and they spent the night in a strange city roaming the dark, rainy streets in search of a restaurant. Needless to say they found one, a fish and chip shop. Anti-aircraft guns were mounted on top of the freight warehouse on the dock and the boys were cautioned not to open any doors on deck because the enemy might see them. Most of the guys thought Arthur was an excellent leader. He was highly respected. He had a one track mind though: the trip! He didn’t show any outward signs of concern. When Stocky came up to him in Great Yarmouth and said to him, “The British Government wants you home,” he just took his advice. His mind was always on the band. All he wanted to do was play music. He was an extremely focused person. He was very Victorian, Salvation-Army trained. There was a ‘singleness of purpose’ there. (Paul Jagger 1935-1939, businessman) The next morning after a hearty breakfast the boys were allowed off the boat until 11:45. Many walked up the main street in search of a newspaper.

The news was that England had given Germany twenty-four hours to take her troops out of Poland and that Polish troops were holding their own.

The RMS Empress of Britain

The boys embarked on the Empress of Britain on September 2nd at 3 p.m., the same day the SS Athenia left port. The Empress crossed the channel and visited Cherbourg at 9 p.m. where it picked up a bunch of Americans who had been touring Europe with their own cars. The harbor of Cherbourg

ABOVE: The boys returning home on the RMS Empress of Britain wearing life jackets.

BELOW: 1939 Marching in the Clacton-on-Sea Carnival Parade.

108 ~ SS Athenia Sunk By German U-boat! was very shallow so the ship had to dock at the end of a long jetty protruding out to deeper water. That jetty was lined with luxury automobiles, as far as the eye could see--Packards, Rolls Royces, Cadillacs, Lincolns, La Salles, Hudsons, etc.--enough to impress the Depression era boys greatly! As many cars as possible were winched on board-- into the hold, lashed down on the tennis courts, and even in the drained swimming pools. Those for which there was no space were simply abandoned. (Carson Manzer, 1939, chartered accountant)

September 3. SS Athenia Sunk by a German U-boat Britain and France declared war on Germany. The Athenia which

ABOVE: Don Radelet on Pete Humphry’s shoulders.

BELOW: The boys on board the ‘Empress of Britain,’ 1939.

left Liverpool at the same time as the Empress departed Southampton was sunk by a German U-boat just out of Liverpool (see photo page 98). When news of the Athenia reached the boys, they were greatly saddened because the contingent of American art students whom they had befriended on the journey over had been on board. When news of the Athenia reached Vancouver the boys’ parents thought the boys had been lost, as it had been widely reported that they had been booked the Athenia for their journey home. The Empress remained in the Cherbourg harbor overnight and under cover of darkness at least a hundred (a guess) Polish peasants swarmed on board and concealed themselves in the forward hold. There were people of all ages, some families-none with luggage, other than what they could carry on their backs. Of course they had no tickets and for a while it looked as if they were to be forcibly put ashore. Also, there was talk of delaying the sailing so that the ship, which was painted a brilliant white, could be camouflaged. However, it was likely that the news of the sinking of the ‘Athenia’ off the north coast of Ireland influenced the Captain’s decision to “make a run for it.” The peasants were allowed to remain on board. (Carson Manzer, chartered accountant)

The Empress zigzags back across the Atlantic to avoid U-boats!

To avoid any chance of encountering the submarine which had torpedoed the ‘Athenia,’ the Captain set off to the southwest, down the Bay of Biscay and off the coast of Spain, wisely reasoning that the submarine likely planned to proceed south, down the west coast of Ireland, to intercept the boys’ ship had it taken the usual direct route to Canada, in about the same area that the ‘Lusitania,’ had been torpedoed in 1915 with the loss of eleven hundred lives.

Once safely at sea, zigzagging constantly, but at the full speed of 26 knots, (as compared with a U boat’s estimated top speed of 10 knots), daily morning boat drills commenced. (Carson Manzer 1939, chartered accountant)

NEW YORK & ENGLAND ~ 109 On board the Empress windows and portholes were painted black, lights were forbidden on deck, and the passengers were compelled to wear lifejackets continually until the ship reached the estuary of the St. Lawrence.

Arthur gave Lillie half of their money to put into her money belt and he kept the other half in his belt in case anything happened and they were separated.

The boys played concerts to calm the passengers.

Back in Vancouver, one of the newspapers had printed that the band had been on board the SS Athenia. The Admiralty had not divulged the whereabouts of the Empress nor when she would land because they did not want any information to get into the hands of any German submarine. It was surmised that the sub that sank the Athenia was going to be lying in wait for the Empress as well. At one point the Empress had been only 200 miles away from where the Athenia was torpedoed.

Once back in Quebec City, the boys were whisked through customs with ease and Bill and Jimmy (their porters) were waiting at the two CPR colonist cars to take them on their final journey back to Vancouver. Arthur gave the boys a talk along religious lines before they got on the train for Montreal. In Montreal they played for a half an hour in the station. The next day on Saturday they left for Ottawa. In Ottawa two of the boys went out to the RCMP Barracks to see their old friends, Walt and Porky. They were sure glad to hear each other’s voices and see their friends smiling faces. They also saw Jack and Bill Allen who were the only other ex-Kits boys that they knew in the RCMP band.

Prime Minister King

The boys played a twenty minute concert on the steps in front of the Houses of Parliament and one of the boys asked Prime Minister King to buy a postcard. After dinner all the boys went down to the Legion carnival where the RCMP was to play from 7 to 9. Mr. D conducted the band in two numbers and it certainly sounded good. The band’s repertoire was good but

SS Athenia, under Captain James Cook, departed Glasgow for Montreal on 1 September 1939, via Liverpool and Belfast, carrying 1,103 passengers, including more than 300 Americans and 315 crew. She left Liverpool at 13:00 on 2 September, and on the evening of 3 September was 60 mi (97 km) south of Rockall (250 miles/400 km northwest of Inishtrahull, Ireland), when she was sighted around 16:30. by the German submarine U-30 commanded by Oberleutnant Fritz-Julius Lemp. Lemp later claimed that the fact that she was a darkened ship steering a zigzag course which seemed to be well off the normal shipping routes made him believe she was either a troopship or a Q-ship or an armed merchant cruiser. U-30 tracked the Athenia for three hours until eventually, at 19:40, when both vessels were between Rockall and Tory Island, Lemp ordered two torpedoes to be fired. The first struck home and exploded, while the second misfired. Athenia began to settle by the stern.

110 ~ William Lyon Mackenzie King some of the boys felt that their RCMP bandmaster needed to interpret the music better (Learn better the composers intentions). On Monday (still in Ottawa), Art Butroid, Jack and Bill Allen, Walt and Porky came over from the barracks to talk to Arthur. Everyone had a great time reminiscing about the old days. That evening the band played at a church service and then performed a short concert. All the ex-Kits boys went along to hear the latest edition of the Kits band. The general opinion was that the concert was good but not up to the 1936 standard. They all thought it was a real treat to hear the old Kits band. The old boys hung around the train station until the band’s time of departure: 2:20 a.m. Finally they all had to say goodbye and the boys told Arthur that they would like him to lead them again. He was very pleased to think they still thought a lot of him.

Tuesday, September 11 the boys played a concert in Chapleau. In

Sudbury they played at a baseball game and then a concert in front of the Post Office. On Thursday they left for Winnipeg to play for Eaton’s but they were under contract still to Safeway so when Mr. Johnstone, President of the Committee, wired Arthur to come straight home, they did!

September 16 the boys arrived back in Vancouver. Bands were play-

ABOVE: The RCMP Band performing in Ottawa.

BELOW: Some of the boys on board the Empress of Britain.

BELOW RIGHT: RCMP Band Concert

ing in the station and the boys never felt so good in all their lives. One young lad was asked by a reporter what he thought of the whole experience and he said, “Today, I am a man!”

NEW YORK & ENGLAND ~ 111

Background & Anecdotes May 1938 Vancouver Music Festival, the adjudicator,

Mr. Jacobsen, found the General Gordon Junior band, winner of the under 15 class, “Highly competent in the aggregate, their tonal qualities could be put to real artistic purpose.” (Vancouver Sun)

1939: New York World’s Fair

After the boys’ win at the Crystal Palace, Arthur looked around for fresh fields to conquer. The New York World’s Fair was coming up in the summer of 1939 and Arthur reasoned if we are already in New York which is half way to England, why not another tour of Britain. This is just what he did!

Ominous tones of war were coming out of the British Isles and many questioned whether Arthur should risk taking the boys over in 1939. However, ‘Stocky’ assured all that he could get the boys home safely if any problems should occur. So, feeling confident in Stocky’s hands, Mr. D proceeded with arrangements for the band’s third tour of England in the summer of 1939.

The usual pre-trip fundraising was carried out. The boys played another series of broadcasts on CJOR every Sunday afternoon starting in January and leading up to the trip. Arthur continued to have the boys appear as guest artists with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. High society people continued to lend their patronage and a new board of directors were elected to the committee. Officers included: R.M. Johnstone, President; F.O. Fish, Vice-President; R.W. Sinclair, Secretary; and Mrs. E. E. Reid, Treasurer.

The board of directors included S.J. Colcomb, E. Pugsley, R.H. Manzer, F.J. Bresley, F.E. Daley, Dr. R.S. Goodwin, R. Marsh and C.R. Crawford.

Being the master of many skills, Arthur knew full well that if his organization was going to have any longevity it had to be constantly regenerating its membership. Arthur was a master at regenerating his band. He was constantly on the lookout around Vancouver for up-and-coming young players whom he could bring into his organization. He liked to start boys around age eight because as he said, “If they come to me much later they are already involved in other activities at school and sports and I cannot do anything with them.”

With seven bands under his leadership, all in differ-

ent neighbourhoods in the 1930s, he continued to use these other bands to nurture and train new boys for his Kitsilano organization. When they had achieved a high level of playing, they too would come down and sit in

ABOVE: Mackenzie King, was the dominant Canadian political leader from the 1920s through the 1940s.

BELOW: Mr. D coaching one of the boys at a community outdoor concert in 1938 in West Vancouver or North Vancouver.

112 ~ The King & Queen of England

ABOVE: 1939, May. The boys on Cornwall Street at Kitsilano Beach playing for the King on his visit to Vancouver.

BELOW: King George the VI and his Queen on their visit to Vancouver in 1939.

with his Kitsie boys.

In 1938, Arthur was appointed conductor of the brass band at the University of British Columbia. Unique in function, this band provided the music at university games and other outside attractions of the university year.

It also presented several concerts. It was an association which he would maintain for over forty years.

May 1939, the King And Queen of England Pay a Visit to Vancouver

Prior to the trip the band played in many venues around Vancouver. In May of 1939, the King and Queen of England paid a visit to Vancouver and 15,000 men, women and children, wildly cheering, waving flags, handkerchiefs and programs, packed Hastings Park. The Kitsilano Boys’ Band struck up “God Save the King” as the Union Jack was unfurled and Their Majesties entered the gates. His Majesty, touched by the colorful surging mass of his subjects, broadened the royal smile into a happy grin. (Vancouver Province)

August 1938, Canadian Pacific Exhibition Band Festival at Hastings Park: another Delamont band is mentioned as winner in

the Open Championship Bands category. This was “Delamont’s Concert Band.” They competed against the B.C. Electric and the Home Gas Band and were made up of ex-Kits band members. Nothing more is said about this band. This writer does not known whether they played together on a regular basis. Also in 1938, Arthur was asked to take over the North Vancouver Schools’ Band. (Vancouver Sun)

NEW YORK AND ENGLAND ~ 113

June, 1939, Gordon Delamont marries Joan Agnew.

Joan had been a member of Arthur’s Vancouver Girls’ Band. Arthur wanted Gordon to come on his next trip to Europe but it wasn’t meant to be. Gordon and Joan were house sitting for Arthur in the summer of 1939 on west 7th while the band was in Europe. Dal Richards remembers going over one day and finding them both upset. Joan smoked and she had burnt a hole in Arthur’s piano bench. The two of them spent the rest of the summer running around trying to replace the bench before Arthur returned home. (Dal Richards 1933-36)

1939 Vera Delamont was sixteen in 1939. She was too old to be the

band’s mascot anymore so Arthur had her learn the xylophone and be the band’s majorette, so that she could come on the trip as well. Both were something she became quite adept at, not to mention her talents as a vocalist. Songs such as “My Heart Belongs to Daddy” appeared on some of the band’s programs. The novelty of having one girl in a band full of boys couldn’t hurt their publicity. Vera told me after Gordon got married he and Joan moved to Toronto. Gordon and his dad were different people, Both were brilliant. Gordon was a wonderful trumpet player but he preferred not to be in the limelight. He married young to get away from his dad. Unfortunately they never got along as father and son. Arthur wanted Gordon to stay in Vancouver and help him with the band but band music was not Gordon’s kind of music. Gordon preferred big band music and jazz. Gordon was also not that well. He had to stop playing the trumpet because of a heart murmur and he had asthma. He stopped playing his trumpet and went into teaching and writing books on music theory. He took a few courses in New York but he really taught himself.

He was a brilliant man but his dad never really recognized his genius until Gordon died. He died in 1981, one year before Arthur. That was really the beginning of the end for Arthur. Arthur never told Vera or Gordon when they were growing up that they had ever done anything well but that was Arthur’s way. I don’t think he ever told any of the boys that they had done anyhing right either. (Vera Delamont, Preece, Jagger)

1939 Vancouver Music Festival Noted British adjudicator, Dr.

Staton, remarked about the playing of the Kitsilano Boys’ Band: “It was outstanding, and it is no exaggeration to say that we have nothing like it in the Old Country, outside of London and Manchester. It has great advertising value.” Dr. Staton was also the vice-president of the Brass Bands Association of Great Britain. First place was awarded to the Kitsilano Boys’ Band in the junior bands less than 19 years class for their

ABOVE: Band boys peering out a train window on a band trip in 1938 somewhere in B.C. BELOW: Gordon in 1938 before getting married and moving to Toronto.

114 ~ The North Vancouver Schools’ Band performance of a Suite from ‘Coppelia’ by Delibes. They also earned a first place in the open senior bands class for a selection from Humperdinck’s ‘Hansel & Gretel.’ (Vancouver Sun)

BOTH PHOTOS: Band practice in the basement of General Gordon School in 1939.

A whole new roster of boys accompanied Arthur and Lillie on their third tour of Great Britain in 1939. Many came from his West Vancouver and North Vancouver bands. Jack Bensted was a great clarinet player. He could play by ear and was a top notch reader. He always played first chair. He was a very likeable, good-natured fellow. He came from the National Juvenile Band. Later he played tenor sax with Paul Jagger and Vera. Paul did a lot of pro work with Jack and Dick Lazenby (Ted Lazenby’s brother): a trio! Jack lived up north in later years and worked for a petroleum company in sales, somewhere around Grand Forks.

Then there was Johnny Hailstone. Johnny use to live about two blocks from Paul in West Vancouver, at twenty-second avenue and Bellevue. His mother was on her second marriage. She married Mr. Hailstone, who was a policeman for the West Vancouver Police Department. Johnny played drums!

Walt Parker was another. Walt didn’t go in 1939. As mentioned, when the RCMP was starting their band and came out to Vancouver and stole several of Arthur’s boys -- about fourteen in all, Walt was one of them.

Others as well were supposed to come with Arthur to England. Arthur wasn’t too happy. “Take my boys!” he said. Both Walt Parker and Porkie Downs joined up. Porkie played in the West Vancouver Band (not in Kits). Then there was Jack and Bill Allen. Jack became the leader of the RCMP band. Bill gave Paul clarinet lessons. When the boys were in England, Paul got a letter from Walt. They had been down to New York with the band, where he met Tommy Dorsey and some of the members of his band. The RCMP band had played at the RCA Music Hall.

Then there was Meade Sinclair. He sat next to Paul in the clarinet section. Nice guy! He joined the Air Force. He died in a training accident during the war. Kenny Bucholl was a trumpet player. Paul said to Billy Barker, who was the oboe player, “I would like to go on the trip but I do not have any money.” He was working at Westmore Furniture Manufacturing. He said, “I know the foreman; I’ll get you a job.” And he did, fourteen cents an hour! The superintendent of the factory was Mr. Bucholl, Ken’s dad. There would be thirty or forty guys lined up to get a job and Paul got the job. Connections, you had to have connections. (Paul Jagger 1939)

NEW YORK & ENGLAND ~ 115

June, 1939 Winnipeg, A Boy With A Horn

The following article appeared in The South-East Corner (a Winnipeg newspaper) It was written by Harris Turner in June, 1939 the day after the boys played in Winnipeg.

I met a lad who plays a horn in a band. Anybody who ever played any kind of horn in any band always aroused my envy, but this young fellow played a slide-trombone, which is the most enviable of all musical weapons, and he played it in the Kitsilano Boys’ Band, which, according to the Century of Progress Exhibition, is the best boys’ band in the world. This boy had a uniform that would make a peacock look like a dirty, grey sock.

Why was I deprived of the privilege of learning to play the slide-trombone? Why didn’t somebody handcuff me to a slide trombone and refuse me food and sleep until I learned to play it? Why don’t they make slide trombone playing a compulsory subject in public schools? Why don’t they give slide-trombones away with subscriptions to the Western Producer instead of handing out carving knives and aprons?

You may not know that the Kitsilano Boys’ Band comes from Vancouver. It comes from Vancouver every year or two to startle the Boys’ Band universe with its magnificent uniform and its still more magnificent musical accomplishments. It played in Kamloops, in Calgary, in Regina, in Winnipeg, in Kenora, in Fort William and in Sudbury. It is playing in Toronto today and in a day or two it is going to play at the World’s Fair in New York, and then it is going to play in Montreal, and from Montreal, on June 30, it is sailing on the Duchess of Bedford for England, and on the other side of the Atlantic it is going to play in London and all the places in Europe that are aware that metal can be used in the manufacture of slide-trombones and cornets as well as in the production of guns and grenades.

This catalogue of towns is not printed as an advertisement but to amplify the grounds for envy. This lad, with his slide-trombone, will get to places where few young lads without trombones can go. Behind the thrusting loop of his polished horn he will strut down avenues and streets cleared for his passage as though the King were coming. He will blow the works of the world’s great composers through his musical instrument in historic halls where chancellors have made great speeches and primadonnas have thrilled vast audiences.

Because of his ability to decipher a few black dots on a piece of paper and know that they mean that the sliding valve on his horn must be in a certain definite position and his mouth puckered in a certain particular way, he can travel the globe with the same abandon as though his grandfather had owned a distillery or his bachelor uncle had discovered a gold mine in Australia.

ABOVE: The League of Nations.

BELOW: Don Radelet and Ross Sturley. Ross Sturley would join the Air Force and be killed in the war about a year later at nineteen years of age.

116 ~ Teo Repel They will probably see the king --- these forty-eight Vancouver high school lads, with no passports except their trombones, their clarinets, their drums, their cornets, their bass-horns, their saxophones, their oboes, their altos, their French horns and their capes of royal blue with the crimson satin lining. You will meet people who will tell you that the radio has killed individual initiative in the musical business, and that the mechanical music of our time has ruined what was once a noble art, and that band music is out of date, and that there is no use learning to play a slidetrombone or a bagpipe. They are mistaken. If you are a good horn-blower you can still see the world over the bell-mouth of a tuneful tube of brass.

There is one ground for complaint about the business. This Kitsilano Boys’ Band may cause considerable pleasure by its music but it has set a million volts of envy skidding through the minds and hearts of countless thousands of Canadian boys.

“Tom Brown’s School Days” ABOVE: New York World’s Fair, 1939.

BELOW: Vera sipping tea in London on the trip.

One of the boys and Harold Daykin rented bicycles for one shilling and sixpence and rode to Rugby, where the famous school is situated. I guess all boys who have read ‘Tom Brown’s School Days,’ will envy them the delight of seeing the scenes that are told about in the book. The school is 150 years old, and the original building, since destroyed, was 400 years old. They climbed up and carved their initials around the old clock, adding to the signatures of so many other former pupils and visitors. (Harold Daykin, 1939)

Concert Programming

The band’s concerts were always presented within a formal structure.

Because of that structure there was room for the unexpected: a vocal quartet, an accordion player, can-can dancers, trios, duets, soloists. One might think the band was one big vaudeville act if it were not for the other influences.

From the Salvation Army Arthur learned concert etiquette, how to present the band and himself. The band’s appearance, as was Arthur’s, was always impeccable. The boys, dressed in crimson-lined capes pulled back over their shoulders, set-off with white shirts and navy blue pants with a red stripe down each leg, with black shoes and socks, were a feast for the eyes whether on stage or on the march. Arthur was usually dressed in either a white or dark blue suit (or combination of) with a military style officer’s hat. His white hair was off-set by his heavily tanned face. His hair turned white prematurely sometime in the mid thirties. Some say it was from worrying about getting the boys home safely. He always appeared very healthy and handsome looking.

NEW YORK & ENGLAND ~ 117 There was also a strong influence from the Salvation Army in Arthur’s programming. At every concert he always played a hymn. He was particularly fond of Deep Harmony, Abide with Me and Denton Park. Arthur always played a hymn tune with great flair. He would start at pianissimo and towards the end crescendo to a triple forte and then return to a pianissimo, leaving the audience spellbound. He also used a technique called ‘staggered breathing.’ Instead of everyone breathing in unison where the breath marks were, each section would stagger its breathing making the hymn sound like no one was breathing at all.

“Where did that idea come from?” cried Bob Calder, an old boy from the 1958 and 1962 trips whom I interviewed. “It came from somewhere inside Arthur.” he added.

A Young Boy In Krakow As the boys made their way to London

on Friday September 1, 1939 a young boy in Krakow, Poland awoke to hear German warplanes buzzing low over the city. All the windows in his aunt’s house where he lived shattered. Along with thousands of others, he fled Krakow on foot carrying only a briefcase and raincoat. The next ten months would prove to be the most harrowing of his life. Years later he would arrive in Vancouver and in 1955 become the Director of Choirs at John Oliver High School where for 25 years he too would become a Vancouver music legend. The young boy’s name was Teo Repel (Biography- Sweet Sound: The Teo Repel Story).

Boys on the 1939 New York/England Tour Clarinets: Reg Jones, Paul Jagger, Malcolm Fish, Fred Gordon, Charles Donelly, Dick Colcomb, Phillip Daykin, Ronald Ptolemy, Paul Phillips, Robert Vernon, Saxophones: Marvin Seis, Jack Ballantyne, Quentin Robertson, Trumpets: Alan Jonstone, Fred Tossell, Kenneth Buckoll, Carson Manzer, Ted Daley, Howard Shirley, Douglas Mowatt, Steve Kennelly, Ray Davies, Fred Lipsett, Ross Sturley, Flute: Allan Forster, Richard Penn, Accordian: Leo Crimeni, Horns: Allan Pugsley, Walter Marsh, Harold Daykin, Billy Radelet, Trombones: Wallace Reid, Bill Breaky, Martin Goodwin, John Carrothers, Jack McDonald, Baritones: Garnet Marsh, John Symons, Donald Radelet, Basses: Pete Humphrys, Tom Woodman, Norman Goodwin, Henry Ainsworth, Percussion: Russell Escott, John Hailstone, Len Taylor, Vera Delamont

ABOVE: Teo Repel (1916-2007), who taught choral music at John Oliver High School in Vancouver, Canada for 25 years (1955-1980). During these years his choirs were among the most prominent in Vancouver and Canada, winning numerous awards.

BELOW: Alan Johnstone on the boat to England on the 1939 trip. Alan became one of our WWII heroes.

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAMPIONS OF THE WAR EFFORT ON THE HOME FRONT

Band History: In the 1940s, the Kits band offered their services freely to the war effort * The

University of BC Varsity band * 1940, the 111th Squadron Air Force Cadet Band * 1941, New Westminster Boys’ and Girls’ Band * Boys in the RCAF * 1940, BC Music Festival * Norm Mullins * 1941, The Lyric Theatre * 1941, Massed band concert * Ray Smith * 1943, Jimmy Pattison joins the band * Noth Vancouver Schools’ Band * Bob Reid * Discipline and work ethic * Kenny Douglas and the old Bonabelle * 1946, Good Citizenship Award * 1947, Hollywood Trip * Art Tusvik joins the band * Richard Brown’s father is in the wholesale food business * 1950, Tour of Britain * Anecdotes: Bill Harvey and the Inkwell, Meta-Narrative: Responsible for the personal development of his boys * Gordon and the three Romanelli brothers * Kenny Douglas and the Mills Brothers * Brian Bolam and the MacMillan Trophy * Making a point!

With the outbreak of war the Kitsilano Boys’ Band offered their services freely to almost every drive related to the war effort. They assisted with the Victory Loan campaign, the War Savings campaign and with recruiting drives. They furnished upwards of fifty expertly trained young musicians to the bands of the fighting services and they religiously kept up their practices.

In fact they served as a training school for musicians of the future. To keep the boys interested in the band Arthur needed an objective of some kind to hold out to them. In the past they had made several trips to the Old Country, and covered themselves with glory and served as good-will ambassadors of their home city of Vancouver. Long-range tours were impossible during the war years so Arthur took the boys on smaller tours around British Columbia, visiting army and air force bases and playing for the troops to bolster their morale. Under the auspices of the Canadian Red Cross the boys visited Salmon Arm, Vernon, Kelowna, Penticton, Grand Forks, Nelson, Trail and Princeton.

The University of British Columbia Varsity Band

provided the rhythm for hundreds of marching student feet during regular drill practice in 1940. The organization under the leadership of Arthur Delamont became a military band in co-operation with the COTC and students in the band received one hour a week military credit in place of basic military lectures. (Colonel G.M. Shrum) At UBC athletic events the varsity band could always be counted on to break out into a loud brassy march to raise spirits. At the front of the band, playing with more vigor and enthusiasm than anyone, could invariably be seen a white-thatched gentleman with a cornet at his lips. Giving generously and unstintingly of his time, energy and talent Mr. Delamont for many years was the driving force behind the UBC band. Many noon-hours through the year he could be seen and heard in the campus band-hut rehearsing and training another Varsity Band. When the Band played at UBC activities, Mr. Delamont was there playing and leading with all his heart!

OPPOSITE: 1941 Playing on the ice at Exhibition Gardens.

BELOW: 1940, Ian Douglas, Grandview Band

120 ~ Several Of His Boys Killed In The War

October, 1940, the 111th Squadron Air Force Cadet Band

Arthur formed the 111th Squadron Air Force Cadet Band, which he toured with extensively. In 1942, the Air Cadet band went to Calgary for the Stampede and stayed in the #3 Service Flying School Training Barracks. The boys ate in the Mess Hall and marched at the head of the parade. Norm Mullins said, “It was the biggest thing that had ever happened to me at the time.”

(Norm Mullins 1939 – 50, Barrister, QC)

1941 New Westminster Boys’ & Girls’ Band ABOVE: The North Vancouver Schools’ band in 1940. Brian Bolam is in the front row wearing the short pants.

BELOW: Fred Turner leading the New Westminster Band in 1941 when it served as the representative band for the armed forces.

Arthur passed the leadership of his New Westminster Boys’ and Girls’ Band over to Fred Turner. During the war years the band served as the representative band of all three of our armed forces. Fred Turner continued to run the band until 1964 and then off and on in later years. It is still in existence today and is known as the New Westminster & District Concert Band.

Boys in the RCAF Some of the boys who had travelled with Arthur to

Chicago and England in the 1930s went back to fly Spitfires and Lancasters above England during the war years and lost their lives. In this group are: Pete Humphrys, Garnet Marsh, Wilfred Watkins, Stanley Patterson, Lawrence Patterson, Ross Sturley, Hugh Steeves (the son of Captain Steeves, the Principal of General Gordon School), Ralph Derrick and Johnny Hailstone.

The war was extremely difficult for Arthur and Lillie because the boys had all become a kind of extended family for both of them. Gordy McCullough (one of the originals) was a bomb aimer during the war but he led a charmed life in many ways, especially during the war. The survival rate for anyone in the RCAF was twenty-four percent and Gordy did thirty-five trips. Many didn’t survive their first trip, let alone thirty-five! His squadron traveled across Canada to Halifax; Gordy had traveled across Canada with the band, then he did it again in the air force. When he arrived in Halifax, the squadron was split into two ships. Gordy’s ship went up to Greenland and over to England. His boat did not get hit by German U-Boats. The other one did!

Like I said, he lived a charmed life. He was pretty shaken up after the war.

After a bit of a rest in Torquay he was called back for another series of missions and then the war ended. He told his son Dave that the mozzie planes (mosquitoes) would come in first and set the flares. The Lancasters came in and marked the targets. The Lancasters flew at eight thousand feet. Then the Lancasters at twenty thousand feet would drop the bombs. His first fifteen trips, he flew in at twenty thousand feet. He was in the front of the plane, telling the pilot, “Left, right, go, steady, steady.” His last fifteen missions, he flew in at eight thousand feet, marking the targets. He was stationed at Skellingthorpe, Lincolnshire. On D-Day, they bombed Caens. They had missions into Germany. (Dave McCullough, son of Gordon McCullough, 1928 -’34,

THE WAR YEARS ~ 121

1940 BC Music Festival

Throughout the 1940’s the Kitsilano Boys’ band continued to carry off first prizes in band competitions in spite of the many changes in personnel which took place after it returned from England in the fall of 1939. Twenty-eight new members played in concerts at the 1940 music festival in Vancouver and still the band emerged the winner in each contest it entered. The boys took first place in the junior section with a score of 95 against the 86 of its nearest rival. In the senior class, playing the test piece ‘Oberon’ by Weber, the band also took highest honors. Mr. Naylor, the adjudicator, said, “The band excelled in technical ability.”

Norm Mullins and Laura Secord School

Arthur continued to recruit boys from all over Vancouver during the war years. Norm Mullins went to Laura Secord School, where there was no music in the neighbourhood or the schools. This would be 1939/40. Arthur Delamont showed up with a man named Stan George, who was the President of the Grandview Band Parents Association. Arthur had just come back from Europe and was recruiting for his Grandview Band. He handed out postcards of the band photographed in front of Buckingham Palace on one side and on the other side was written, “If you want to join the band call Beacon 30078.”

Somehow Norm and his mother communicated with Mr. D and Norm wound up at the Grandview High School of Commerce at First and Commercial. It was a seven o’clock band rehearsal in a hut on the school grounds. All Norm remembers is the flute-playing daughter of the band President, she was so beautiful! Norm was in the band from 1939 to 1950 and later became a barrister, QC.

1941 The Lyric Theatre

Sometimes the boys Arthur recruited were as young as seven years old.

Roy Griffith and Kenny Douglas joined the Grandview band in 1941. They remember playing in the Lyric Theatre, on Granville Street, when they were just seven years old. Kenny’s dad had a bicycle shop. He traded a fellow a used bicycle for a used trumpet. It was a thin bore horn and tough to blow but it developed the lungs. That’s how it all started for Ken. Kenny Douglas was in the band from 1941 to 1953. Later he directed the Shriners’ band for twenty years.

March 1941 Massed Band Concert

Two hundred and fifty youthful musicians comprising the Kitsilano Boys’ band, University of BC, West Vancouver, Grandview, Point Grey Junior High, and General Gordon bands gave an enjoyable and diversified concert under the direction of Arthur W. Delamont in March, 1941, at the

ABOVE: Arthur in his airforce uniform.

BELOW: Gordy McCullough with his squadron.

122 ~ Jimmy Pattison Exhibition Gardens, Delamont had trained them all. Guest conductors were Allard de Ridder and Percy Harvey.

All through the war years, the impact of the war continued to be felt at home. Don Radelet was a very good friend of Pete Humphrys. He received a card from Pete at Christmas, 1943. Pete said, “Hope to see you soon, old boy!” It wasn’t long after that Don found Pete’s picture in the paper. He was one of several fellows who were killed in action in the air force. It really upset Arthur that so many of his boys died in World War II. Don stayed in the band from 1935 until he joined the air force in 1942. After the war he became an accountant.

1942 Stanley V Smith was elected president of the committee, James L. Tenant became vice-president, Harry McMillan, secretary, and Armour L. Hardy, treasurer. In 1943, Hugo Ray became president succeeding Stanley V. Smith.

ABOVE: Kenny Douglas 1940, Grandview Band.

BOTTOM: 1943 West Vancouver Boys’ Band and the Kitsilano Boys’ Band

Ray Smith, President & CEO, MacMillan Bloedel

Another gentleman who was in the band in the 1940’s was Ray Smith, the son of Stanley V. Smith. Ray became the President and then CEO of MacMillan Bloedel, a Canadian forest company headquartered in Vancouver. Being in the band meant hard work, discipline and high standards. Delamont’s standards were sometimes embarrassing. One such incident was at an international competition when the band was awarded marks of 100.

THE WAR YEARS ~ 123 When Delamont received the award he delivered a scathing attack on the judges saying, “Any fool would know that nothing is perfect.” The band shriveled up with embarrassment.” (Ray Smith, mid-1940s) 1943 There were at least 125 of Arthur’s boys in the three armed services.

Some were with the Canadian troops stationed in Britain and others were scattered across Canadian Army and Air Force training camps.

1943 Jimmy Pattison joins the band.

Jimmy Pattison told me in 1988 that Al Colette was the best trumpet player he ever heard during his time in the Kits band. Al and Jimmy use to play in the Vancouver Junior Symphony. It was Al who got Jimmy into the Kitsilano Boys’ Band. This would have been about 1943. Al played first trumpet in the symphony and Jimmy played second. Al told Jimmy one day that he was going to join the Kitslano Boys’ Band and that he should join too, so he did! Al had the most beautiful tone on his trumpet. He could have played professionally and gone right to the top of the charts in the music business but he preferred to be on his farm. That is what he enjoyed doing.

His parents had a farm out in the Fraser Valley where he was raised. Then there was Bruce Ailsbury. They were the two main players Jimmy knew during his time in the band. I asked Jimmy who the three most impressive people were that he had ever met. He said, “Arthur Delamont, Margaret Thatcher and Charles Wick. Charles Wick was Ronald Reagan’s best friend.

For thirty-five years the Reagan’s spent Christmas with the Wick’s in Los Angeles. They lived in Lana Turner’s old house.”

Very Young Virgin-Sounding Trumpet Players

Arthur always liked to bring his youngest boys out on stage to demonstrate their prowess at an early age. Jimmy filled the very special spot Mr. D had for a very young virgin-sounding trumpeter and if he could stand on a chair, all the better. He caught them before they ruined their embouchures on jazz. He had a wonderful pure tone. Gordon Laird told me, “We loved hearing it ourselves.” Gordon Laird was in the band from 1945 through 1950. He later became a minister.

April 4, 1943 the stage of the Lonsdale Theatre in North Vancouver

presented an imposing scene when the North Vancouver Schools’ band, forty strong, presented a special concert sponsored by the North Vancouver Kiwanis Club. It was four years since the band was organized but in the past three months, particularly, the band had been “sharpened up,” by Mr. Delamont’s uncanny way with juvenile musicians.

ABOVE: Ray Smith BELOW: Jimmy Pattison is a Vancouver-based entrepreneur who is the Chairman, President, CEO, and sole owner of the Jim Pattison Group, one of the largest privately held Canadian companies.

He served as Chairman of Expo ‘86, the successful World’s Fair which secured a place for Vancouver on the international stage.

124 ~ North Vancouver Schools’ Band

Mid-1940s Arthur travelled with his other bands as well. During a

concert for the Red Cross in Kelowna he held a question period where he asked members of the audience if they had any questions for him or the boys. One woman piped up: “Has the personnel of the band changed since you first started?” to which he replied, “None of the boys who visited England in 1936 are here today, and only eight are here today who travelled to England with me in 1939.” Another asked, “Where did you get your good looks and suntan?” to which he answered, “From my mother...”

And then he promptly went over and kissed the lady, returning with a broad smile on his face.

North Vancouver Schools’ Band ABOVE: Dal Richard’s Orchestra playing for the Furlough Dance Party on Burrard Street.

BELOW: December 27th, 1947, Kits Band banquet, Hotel Vancouver, Mayor McGeer at bottom.

Jimmy Pattison and Ron Colograsso seated in the center.

A trip to Victoria by the North Vancouver Schools’ Band is remembered by a local resident. “Hyde Park, London, with the Guards band playing on a summer’s afternoon - Arras, France during the Vimy Pilgrimage of ‘36 with the mighty band concerts in the square there. These are the memories that flooded back to us as we sat in Victoria Park last Sunday afternoon enjoying the music of the North Vancouver Schools’ band under the baton of Arthur Delamont.”

Bob Reid could read a book with one eye and his music with the other, he was so good!

Over the years many fine trumpet players came through the band. In later years, Arthur said when asked, “Who was your best trumpet player?” he would say Bob Reid. Around 1944 or ‘45, the Dal Richards’ Orchestra played a show at the Service Center called “Furlough Dance Party.” The Service Centre was located on Burrard Street, between Georgia and Dunsmuir. It was a ballroom on the east side of the street. Bob Reid played trumpet and did arrangements for Dal at four dollars an arrangement. Bob wanted to play a gig with Harry Price on a Wednesday night. Dal said, “I can’t let you off but I will raise your arranging rate to five dollars, if that helps.” He could read a book with one eye and read his music with the other he was so good. Dal also confirmed, “He was probably one of, if not the best trumpet player that Arthur ever had, according to Arthur.”At the Roof, Dal had a different sounding band than he does now. It was called a “Sweet Band.” He had three violins, three saxophones, a trumpet and trombone. Quite often the trumpet and trombone had rests. Bob had a lot of free time to read a book.

March 28, 1946 Arthur again held a massed band concert, this time at the Pender Auditorium. There were again two hundred and fifty young musicians ranging in age from eight to eighteen. This group consisted of

THE WAR YEARS ~ 125

the West Vancouver, North Vancouver, Grandview, Point Grey Junior High School, General Gordon and the Kitsilano Boys’ Band. This is the last mention of the General Gordon School band that I have been able to find.

Discipline and work ethic 1946 Sidney Harrison, the noted Brit-

ish adjudicator, compared the Kitsilano Boys’ Band to the crack Grenadier Guards Band, giving them 92 points out of one hundred: “There are only a few imperfections. I can only talk of their work in enthusiastic terms. They are quite a remarkable body of players, and they make the music exciting. Compared with any adult band, I don’t know who would come off best.”

Summer of 1946 the band made a good-will tour to Seattle, playing in

Bellingham and at Fort Lawson where they performed for the soldiers. They played at a US Naval hospital in Seattle and at Meany Hall on the University of Washington campus.

Kenny Douglas and the Old ‘Bonabelle’

Playing in Arthur’s band required a great deal of dedication. The boys who played with Delamont lived and breathed music. One day, in the 40s, Arthur was sick in bed. He called Kenny Douglas to see if he could deliver some music to the West Vancouver band. Kenny went all the way over to Alma Road from Burnaby, picked up the music then went all the way down to the West Vancouver Ferry, the old ‘Bonabelle’ (The name was a result of a school competition). The music was heavy. He could hardly carry it all. A few days later, he had to do the same thing again for the North Vancouver band. At one time, Kenny rehearsed Monday and Thursday nights with the Kits band. In the daytime he played in his high school orchestra. On Friday nights he played in the Grandview band and on the weekends he played concerts. It was his life!

ABOVE: Peter Robson, Dennis Hubbard, Alex McLeod, Ted Lazenby, Robert Thomson, Don Thomson, Muriel Betts, Alex Robbie, Brian Bolam, Jim Andrews, Tommy Andrews and Ken Sotvedt.

BELOW: Clifford Wood, one of the ‘Originals,’ became an Aide de Camp to a Canadian General in WW2.

126 ~ Hollywood 1947

1946 Good Citizenship Award

ABOVE: Arthur wearing his kilt.

BELOW: 1948 The band marching in the Calgary Stampede.

I found an article in a newspaper from Halfmoon Bay, dated 1946, which reads: VANCOUVER’S GOOD CITIZEN WELL KNOWN ON PENINSULA. Arthur had a summer home at Redroofs and spent many holidays there with his family. Whoever wrote the article had found him by accident in a Boy Scout Hall in North Vancouver teaching a beginners’ band class.

“Congratulations?” “What for?” he said. “You won this year’s Good Citizen Award.” “I’m very pleased and highly honored but I don’t really see why I was chosen.”

He was of course referring to the Good Citizenship Award that the City of Vancouver bestowed upon him for the year 1946. The citation says he was chosen for his musical contribution to the cultural life of the city, for his work in training boys to “music,” group effort and travel and for the fame he had brought Vancouver with tours made and championships won. It goes on to list the bands he was currently directing which included his Kitsilano group, West and North Vancouver, Point Grey, Grandview, Fairview and the University of BC.

1947 Hollywood Trip

The band traveled to Hollywood for fourteen days, as guests of Clem Davies’ Ministry, which had moved to Los Angeles from Victoria. The boys gave concerts in Olympia, Portland, Eugene and San Francisco on the way down and back. They stayed in Hollywood for one week enjoying the sights and sounds and playing nightly concerts at Clem Davies’ Pentecostal Church.

The minister would come out with a flowing crimson robe, every bit as flamboyant as the boys’ uniforms and mesmerize his flock with his deep

THE WAR YEARS ~ 127 voice saying, “This band is also the voice of God. These young and talented musicians have come all the way from Canada to entertain you tonight.”

The boys stayed at the YMCA and spent their free time attending the Gene Krupa Orchestra with Gerry Mulligan and trying to get into shows such as the Victor Borge radio show which featured the Benny Goodman Orchestra.

Roy and Kenny got into one of the radio stations, NBC/ABC, and saw the old Red Ryder western half hour radio show that was popular in those days: Red Ryder, Little Beaver and his horse, Thunder. They watched them live on the stage. They came out of that and the following day they were in a drugstore and Jimmy Durante came through the door. So they talked to him for awhile. Here they are, the two of them, just twelve and thirteen, loose in Los Angeles. While away on tours Arthur gave the boys a lot of freedom.

They were expected to be at concerts and rehearsals ready to play but the rest of the time they were on their own. Kenny remembers staying at the YMCA in Hollywood. The band played in the Los Angeles Police Benefit Show. On that show were the Mills Brothers and others of that stature. Roy and Kenny were two little go-getters. They had a lot of fun getting into all sorts of things.

The 1947 trip to Hollywood was the first trip out of Canada for many of Arthur’s present members. It was a bus trip all the way to Hollywood and a wonderful experience for them all. They had funny little cameras and ball point pens which had just been invented. They all kept diaries which read thirteen cents for this, ten cents for that. Most only had ten dollars for the two week trip, in some cases, maybe only five dollars. Glen Startup and Gordon Laird palled around together. They went to the Palladium and saw Gene Krupa’s band. Arthur and the boys played in the Shriner’s Auditorium. Upon arrival back in Vancouver they were greeted at the Hudson’s Bay parking lot by the Firemens’ band and Mayor G.G. McGeer who said, “You have done good work on behalf of the city and helped with good relations south of the border. If there were forty Kitsilano Boys’ Bands in this city this would be a good city indeed.”

March 29, 1948 1,000 people heard the Kitsilano Boys’ Band in the

Agricultural Hall in Chilliwack. The show was about forty-five percent Delamont, forty-five percent band and 10 percent assisting artists. Through it all the precision and artistry of the band shone like a bright light. That the audience appreciated their fine efforts was evident. The proceeds of the concert went to the Kinsmen Club’s Food for Britain Fund. That summer the band went on a tour for food relief. They took in Penticton, Kelowna, Kamloops, Nelson, Cranbrook, Kimberley, Lethbridge, MacLeod, Banff, Field, Revelstoke and Calgary where they appeared at the Calgary Stampede. Again, for many, these small trips were their first time away from home.

ABOVE: In 1933, Gene Krupa first played with Benny Goodman. He became part of the Benny Goodman trio, the first popular integrated musical group in the United States. In 1934 he joined Benny Goodman’s band, where his featured drum work made him a national celebrity. His tom-tom interludes on their hit “Sing, Sing, Sing” were the first extended drum solos to be recorded commercially.

BELOW: Arthur at the Alexander bandstand in English Bay.

128 ~ Bobby Pratt, The ‘Gabriel from Scotland’

ABOVE: Ralph Derrick, one of Arthur’s trumpet players in his early 1930s bands. Ralph died in the war.

BELOW: Bobby Pratt was a world class lead trumpeter whose high note work with Ted Heath gave the famous brass section much of its distinction. He was also one of Britain’s busiest session-men who worked with many of the world’s top jazz and pop stars in the record and TV Studios. ‘The Gabriel from Scotland.’

Ron Wood’s first over-nighter with the band was to Cumberland, on Vancouver Island for a May Day Celebration. It was his first taste of being on the bus, with all the hazing that went on. He was just a young fella. He was told, “Make sure you sit up in the front of the bus, if you want to be safe.”

Ron went to the Calgary Parade as well, which was the longest parade he ever marched in. It was between five and eight miles long. He positioned himself right behind a horse, one of the Mounties. He thought it would be a good idea, to keep his line straight. He did not think about what horses often do when they walk long distances.

Arthur continued to encourage his boys to enter the local music festivals individually, and when they happened to be smaller in size than most it suited Delamont just fine. Arthur dubbed Brian Bolam “squirt“ early on. It was one of his beckonings. “Squirt, come out here,” he would say. “Squirt, the audience can’t see you. Stand on the chair. Now, this little guy’s going to play the trumpet solo. He might muck it up,” he says, “But you’ve got to give him a chance. He’s just a little guy!”

1948 Committee

During the war years Armour L. Hardy was the president of the Kitsilano Boys’ Band Parents’ Association. In 1948, Arthur J. Wood succeeded Mr. Hardy as president at the committee’s annual meeting in the McGavin Auditorium. Other officers elected were Frank Fisher, vice-president, Richard A. Brown, secretary, M.C. Griffith, treasurer. Directors included Arthur W. Delamont, W.F. Hamilton, J. Douglas, R. Startup, G. Pickett, R. Atkins, R.J. Cave, W. St. Onge, and Mr. Hardy. “No other organization has done so much, at so little cost, to advertise Vancouver as the Kitsilano Boys’ Band,” Hardy stated, explaining why he continued working with the band two years after his own son had graduated from the band.

1949 A campaign was underway to raise money to send the band back to England the following summer. Delamont said to a reporter, ”Our booking agency in England is very enthusiastic about our projected trip in the summer of 1950, which will be the band’s fourth visit to Britain.”

Art Tusvik Joins the Band

Arthur continued to develop some of the best musicians in the land. Art Tusvik started taking lessons with Tug Wilson (Arthur’s vaudeville buddy).

He started with him in 1949 when he was eleven. He had heard about the Kits band and lived at First and Alma, in Kitsilano. He went over to General Gordon School with his brand new trumpet. His father was a fisherman. Because he had a particularly good trip, Art got a really good horn. It had a copper bell and he had traded it in for a Conn ‘Constellation.’ It was the same horn that ‘Bobby Pratt’ was playing (Bobby Pratt was the lead trumpet

THE WAR YEARS ~ 129 player in Ted Heath’s band in England). Art told me Arthur hated him because he had a brand new trumpet. He unloaded on him. He hit him on the back of the head with his trumpet. Good thing the guys stopped Art because he was going to rap him on the head with his trumpet. He backed off. Art had a kind of love, hate relationship with Arthur. He was either really on side with him or really off side but that’s the way he was. He was either hollering at you or he was nice to you. Art Tusvik was in the band from 1949 through 1958 and went on three trips to England with Arthur.

Richard Brown’s father was in the wholesale food business.

Arthur’s committee continued to be made up of local businessmen with connections who could help the band out when needed. Arthur continued to rely on his committee extensively to raise money. Ron Wood’s father drove him to band every Monday and Thursday. He picked up guys like Gordon Laird, Glenn Startup, and Kenny Douglas. He was President of the band association from 1948 until 1955. He was responsible for raising money. He was a Rotarian along with Ian Gregory’s father and Richard Brown’s father.

They raised enough money to send the band to Europe in 1950. Each boy only needed to pay one hundred dollars. All the food the boys needed on the train across Canada was provided by Richard Brown’s father who was in the wholesale food business. He provided the food on three trips: 1950, 1953 and 1955. They had big buckets of butter and jam. Ron Wood remembers Ron Colograsso going along an aisle on the train saying, “Anyone want any more jam?” He had this big Empress jug of jam. The boys would hold out their bread and Ron would slap the jam down on their bread.

1950 Tour of Britain The band had not made any major trips in ten

years and fund-raising efforts had kept up at their usual pace, so the band treasury found itself in a very favorable position leading up to the 1950 tour of Britain. So favorable that it was decided that the tour would last for an incredible five months and only cost each boy $100. As the boys would be missing a fair amount of school both at the beginning of the trip and at the end, those going on to university upon their return needed to arrange to write their final exams before they left. If they did not pass or get the required credits needed for scholarships, they ran the risk of losing out on the next school year. The draw of spending five months on tour in Europe with the famed Kitsilano Boys’ Band won the day and most of the boys worked out their school arrangements successfully.

ABOVE: Johnny Hailstone was killed in action during WWII. BELOW: Pete Humphrys who was on the 1936 and the 1939 trip to Britain with the band was killed in the war.

130 ~ Gordon Delamont and his Orchestra

Background & Anecdotes Bill Harvey and the inkwell! Vancouver billionaire businessman Jimmy Pattison was in the band in the 1940’s. There was also a fellow by the name of Bill Harvey who was playing on Jimmy’s stand. Arthur had his own ways of disciplining his boys. There were a lot of trumpets.

There was the first row (first stand, second stand and third stand). Jimmy was playing third stand. Then there were another three stands behind them in the second row. Jimmy was in the front row with Bill Harvey and Dr. Gripson’s son. Delamont was playing. There was a big pause.

Bill Harvey played a note and Delamont went wild. He made everybody start over again. Bill was always willing to try hard but he did exactly the same thing the second time and Delamont was really burned up.

They had to start over again, a third time. The third time, Bill Harvey did the same thing. Delamont went over and got an inkwell and he poured the ink down the guys back he was so mad. Jimmy Pattison was in the band from 1943 to 1950. He later became a billionaire entrepreneur.

(Story by Jim Pattison, 1943-’50) ABOVE: 1942 Cribb, Bayfield, Cutler and Carruthers.

BELOW: Poster advertising the band at Clem Davies’ Ministry.

Responsible for the Personal Development of his Boys

Arthur took responsibility for the personal development of all his boys.

From the experience of being in D’s band, his boys experienced fundamental changes in their development that lasted a lifetime. He took the raw potential of youth and was able to empower it and give it a sense of identity. He taught each boy to be self-reflective and instilled selfreliance and courage and it is no accident that many boys joined the services and accepted danger. By being reflective they became better sons, friends, employees, partners, entrepreneurs and so on. They often experienced more peace and happiness in their lives.

Arthur taught all his boys that at any given time in their lives they had more music inside of them than they could ever imagine. With the right discipline and the courage to accept competent criticism every one of them could make that music actually sing. Whatever “that music” might be- in their given careers- doctor, teacher, businessman or political office-the music would become richer by listening closely to all the players around them. Never accept mediocrity. Work within the music, set high standards and accept the responsibilities of a disciplined life.

He taught everyone the value of risking investing in the raw potential of other human beings. (Michael Hadley 1950-’53, Professor of German Literature, University of Victoria.) As each boy became more self confident in a healthy way, they began to expect to succeed. As I said,

THE WAR YEARS ~ 131 they were more able to take risks as well as set challenging goals. They were able to keep trying even if they failed at first. They also learned how to control their emotions and fears when the going got tough.

Gordon and the Three Romanelli Brothers

When Joan and Gordon arrived in Toronto in the fall of 1939, Gordon could not get his Union card for six months, so he wound up playing casual gigs with some of the jobbing leaders around town, most prominently, the three Romanelli brothers (Luigi, Don and Leo). His first job for the Romanellis was at the Royal York Hotel. He arrived about 8:45 p.m. since the job was booked for 9 p.m. Don Romanelli immediately chastised him for not arriving early enough and informed him that, because of what he regarded as his tardiness, he was not going to allow him to play first trumpet. Even if he had been guilty of some action requiring punitive measures, he failed to comprehend how moving him to second trumpet was punitive, since it affected neither his working conditions, the length of the working hours or the figure on his pay cheque. About half way through the job, Romanelli called out ‘Bugle Call Rag,’ which happened to start with a slightly jazzy bugle call written on the second trumpet part. At the last second he recalled this and immediately cut off the band, saying: “You are not allowed to play that tonight - please give the introduction to the first trumpet player.”

Although Don Romanelli had been the leader since the beginning of the job, his brothers Luigi and Leo were waiting in the wings. Eventually they could not stand being out of the limelight any longer, and they both walked on the stage, physically elbowing their brother Don into the wings. This process continued for the rest of the evening, almost as if the three conductor routine had been choreographed. Often a Romanelli job would involve only one of the brothers but whenever the engagement was an important society booking, the three of them would be there, invariably going through the same farcical dance routine, complete with batons.

Besides the Romanellis there were other eccentrics, of course. Like J. Stanley St. John for whom Gordon did a lot of work. Stan’s crowning achievement was having 47 different bands playing, each under his name on the same New Year’s Eve. The story has it that he made a personal appearance at each of the 47 jobs, thereby ensuring that the employers in each case not only got a Stanley St. John band, but also got J. Stanley St. John.

As it was still evident that they needed more dollars, it seemed prudent to Gordon to get some day work. He soon found a job selling Goblin vacuum cleaners. This job was not to his liking so he moved from being a failed vacum cleaner salesman to working for the McLean-Hunter

ABOVE: Gordon in 1940.

BELOW: The front of the Lakeview Casino in Grand Bend, Ontario, a resort town on Lake Huron.

132 ~ Vina Smith

ABOVE: Gordon with his daughter Susan from his marriage to his first wife, Joan.

BELOW: Gordon in the early 1940s with his trumpet in hand.

Company as a salesman for McLean’s magazine.

After six months he was able to get a steady job as a trumpet player.

Soon thereafter he was hired by Frank Bogart who had an excellent nine piece band at the Club Top Hat. This also brought with it an opportunity to continue arranging, since Frank agreed to buy two of his arrangements a week. Again he was in the fortunate position of hearing his arrangements played nightly for two or three months and when he made an error in judgment in his writing, he got to hear it over and over again, since he was playing in the band. Consequently, he usually didn’t make that mistake again. The Top Hat Club was only a block or two from a ballroom called the Palais Royale and the Palais Royale had a policy of bringing every American ‘name band’ in for a one-nighter; bands such as Goodman, Ellington, Miller, James, Dorsey, etc. It so happened that the job at the Top Hat finished each night about a half hour before the closing time at the Palais Royale so it became their habit to go over and catch the last few tunes when one of these visiting bands was there.

Gordon left Frank Bogart’s orchestra in 1945 to organize his own.

He managed to secure a steady, six-night a week job for the orchestra in a seedy night club called the Hollywood Hotel on the westernmost fringes of Toronto. From there, by some mysterious twist of fate, he was booked with the orchestra into the Brant Inn, which was at the complete opposite end of the social scale. It was in Burlington, about forty miles from Toronto, and was a prestige booking which any orchestra would have welcomed.

Gordon hired a larger orchestra for the Brant Inn which meant, for one thing, writing a new ‘book’ of arrangements. It was about this time, that Gordon remembered something his father had said to him when he was about eight years old, “String players are not like the rest of us.” He had thought about hiring some string players but found that they would not play for less than union rates. String players viewed themselves as a notch above everyone else.

He also thought he would add a new vocalist. He let it be known that he needed a vocalist, and a number of young ladies arranged to audition for the job. One of these young ladies was Vina Smith. When she walked into the seedy Hollywood Hotel where the auditions were being held, Gordon was smitten. He fell in love with Vina immediately and his marriage to Joan ended! Besides falling in love with Vina he always said the main reason for his failed marriage to Joan was his excessive youth. He had married too young. Fortunately Vina was a good singer. Feeling as he did he very well may have hired her anyway. He quickly found out that she was a better ‘natural’ musician than he.

THE WAR YEARS ~ 133 Following their engagement at the Brant Inn, he booked the band into the Lakeview Casino at Grand Bend, a resort town on Lake Huron. His arranging at the time was being influenced by Stravinsky by way of Boyd Raeburn but the sophisticated patrons who came from London, Stratford and nearby Detroit seemed to appreciate what they were trying to do, so the musicians were happy, the patrons were happy and therefore, Eric McIlroy, the owner was happy too. From Grand Bend they returned to Toronto where they played, for three years, fall, winter and spring seasons, at the Top Hat Club.

Gordon’s marriage to Joan was not a total failure as it produced his first-born daughter who remained particularly special to him over the years. Gordon would go on to have two more children with Vina: Debra and later on Gordo, who would be the first of his children to exhibit musical talent and interest. Gordo would study piano and synthesizer but his first love was trombone. (Gordon Delamont’s memoirs, professional trumpet player, arranger, composer)

Kenny Douglas and the Mills Brothers

Later on in life, Kenny became a Shriner and he was back in Toronto in 1975, celebrating a show for a great shriner/potentate Jack Streight, who was a lawyer. Don Bellamy, the Vancouver alderman, who was also a great choreographer for military tattoos, produced the show. The show included the Glen Miller band and the Mills Brothers. Of course, they were not all the original Mills Bros. Kenny goes around and hunts up the Mills Brothers and asks if any of them were originals. One says, “Yes, I am!” Kenny said, “In 1946, at the LA Police Show there was a youth band from Canada playing on the stage of the El Bekal Shrine Temple.”

(The place where they held the Oscar Awards) “Ya, I remember.” Kenny said, “I was one of those kids!” He turned to the other fellows and said, “You guys won’t believe this” and told them the story. He remembered the band (Kenny Douglas)

Brian Bolam and the MacMillan Trophy

In 1947 or ‘48, the MacMillan Club of Canada had a competition.

One of Brian’s teachers at school entered him when he was 14. He won the junior division of this festival. The next year he got entered again but not in the junior division. He was right in there with up to university level kids but he was 15 and it was 1950, in the spring before the boys went to England. He was going to play Nola. Arthur heard about it and said, “You fathead, you can’t play that! I’ll give you something to play.”

He gives him this tune called ‘Don Quixote.’ He was accompanied by a young lady named Susan Cates. Her family owned Cates Towing in

ABOVE: Hugh Steeves, son of Captain Steeves (principal of General Gordon School) died in the war.

BELOW: Grand Concert at Pender Auditorium in 1946.

134 ~ Teaching the Group

ABOVE: ABOVE: Learning Learning to to blow big brother’s blow big brother’s tuba. tuba. A A young young boy boy gets gets his his first first lesson. lesson.

BELOW: BELOW: Teaching Teaching the young the young ones ones before before band rehearsal band rehearsal in in the the basement basement of of General General Gordon.

Gordon.

North Vancouver and was a very good pianist. Brian went out and didn’t have a music stand. He had memorized it. I guess he played pretty well.

At the end of it, he got applause from the audience and the adjudicators had their heads down. He turned to his accompanist to acknowledge her. Apparently that really impressed the adjudicators because no one else had done that in the contest. He won that contest and the Arthur Delamont big Silver trophy. When he got back to the Kits band, Arthur said to him in a gruff voice, “What happened? It couldn’t have been much of a competition, fathead. You couldn’t have won that, you were playing against players from UBC.” Brian never imagined that he had won so after he had finished playing the piece, he got on the ferry and went home to North Vancouver. At home he got a telephone call about 3:00 pm, “Where did you go?” “What do you mean where did I go?”

“You left the hotel. Why did you do that?” “Because I finished playing and I went home.” “But you won the competition. You should have been there to get presented the award.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t think I could have ever won.”

The end result was Brian had to get presented this trophy by Sir Ernest MacMillan himself, at Malkin Bowl, in Stanley Park, about a month later. That was even better! Arthur was quite disgusted that he won. “You couldn’t have played it that well,” Arthur said.

Brian didn’t realize in those years how well Delamont played until he started to go back and think about how he did simple things. Nothing he played was terribly difficult, although he did play the ‘Carnival of Venice’ in a contest with Kenny Douglas, pretending to play in front of a curtain. It was 1947 or ‘46. It was in a competition, in a theatre, where the band was entertaining but there were some featured entertainers, competing on different levels.

Delamont thought it would be a lark if Kenny stood out in front of the curtain and pretended to play the ‘Carnival of Venice.’ Kenny was a pretty good actor and he would do it. Part way through, he was supposed to put the horn down and people would see he wasn’t playing, but it didn’t happen. The horn didn’t go down and he won the competition.

Brian is not sure why Kenny did not let people know he was not playing but no one was ever told. Delamont played the ‘Carnival of Venice’ very well. Brian Bolam was in the band from 1943 through 1950. He became a firefighter and later a supervisor for the Vancouver Fire Department.

Making a point! Whenever Arthur wanted to make a point, he was

not above making it in front of the group rather than alone with the

THE WAR YEARS ~ 135 individual. One thing he didn’t like was the boys’ switching instruments or playing another boy’s instrument for that matter. When a boy’s lips get used to a certain size of mouthpiece, playing a different size mouthpiece can do harm to what is called the embouchure (positioning of the lips on the rim). Michael Hadley played E flat horn in the band. He wanted to play trumpet. Eventually Mr. D let him play in the trumpet section. Michael remembers once when the band was rehearsing a suite of classical works featuring the best soloists. At one point trumpeter Roy Griffiths was within a couple of bars of picking up his cue to play Schubert’s “Serenade.” Roy played the sweetest and most delicately articulated trumpet Michael had ever heard, superb in classical lyrical passages. And, of course, Schubert’s “Serenade” demands of any performer the acutest and most expressive delicacy of control. Now, just as Roy was raising his trumpet to his lips Mr. D shouted at him to “Get out of it!” - And pointed to Michael to take over. Michael played the solo—but when his top note fell flat, Delamont stopped the band and glowered: “Thank you,” he said. ”Owning a trumpet and playing it well are two different things.”

(Michael Hadley)

Personnel of the Kitsilano Boys’ Band that performed in the Veterans Memorial Centre Sunday December 1, 1946 in the Sunday Concert Series.

Clarinets: George Kyle, Louis Duckett, Edwin Hardy, Bob Cave, Ron Gomez, Ken Allsop, Toddy Boreski, Phillip Cherry, Albert George, Bill Peters, Graydon Lillie, Ian Muir, Gordon Laird, Saxophones: Len Taylor, Ken Lee, Wally Evans, Lorne Churchill, Doug Ross, Doug Reid, Trumpets: Allan Collett, Bruce Ailsbury, Fred Stearman, Ted Flea, Cyril Battistoni, Jim Pattison, Bill Harvie, Laverne Grimson, Ron Gould, Don Dawson, Jack Marchicria, Roy Dawson, Angus Scheidel, Gordon Jones, Arnold Emery, Glenn Startup, Barry Bennett, Eric Foster, Dennis Elton, Ken Gaskell, Oboe: Ian Douglas, Horns: Norman Mullins, Terry Malloy, Bramwell Stride, Tommy Pickett, Alex Rollo, Trombones: Walter Goral, Harry Groundwater, Jack Hamilton, Sid Sykes, Ron Collograsso, Norman Godfrey, Peter Highfield, Owen Morse, Baritones: Dave Armstrong, Glen Buckley, Bob Campbell, Basses: Lloyd Campbell, Ron Candido, Bob Nicholson, Gordon Cooper, Percussion: Don Broadbent, Toni Verrall, Jerry Stevens, Danny Crooks, Beverly Kendall.

ABOVE: A Farewell kiss before one of the tours.

BELOW: Always interested in the young ones.

CHAPTER NINE

CHAMPIONS OF THE OOSTERBEEK INTERNATIONAL MUSIC FESTIVAL

Band History: On May 13, 1950, the Kits band travels across Canada by train on its

way to Quebec City and a tour of the UK * The boys meet Bobby Gimby * A Village Band * In Towne Tonight * Concerts in the parks * England’s Coney Island * The Four Notes * A high level of musicianship * MV Koningin Emma * Occupied Holland * Oosterbeek International Music Festival * Glasgow Fair Week * Harold Fielding attends boys’ concert * Madame Olga Petrovich * Background: 1950, BC Music Festival * Anecdotes: Brian Bolam plays Don Quixote * The Halcyon days of the Kits Band experience * Sousa Comparisons * Arthur Fiedler and Bobby Herriot

May 13, 1950 Arthur and Lillie and the boys again set out in two Pull-

man cars for a tour across Canada which ended in Quebec City. There they boarded the SS Samaria for the crossing to Tilbury, England. Across Canada they played concerts in: Revelstoke (on the 14th at the Avolie Theatre), Calgary (on the 15th at the Western Calgary School Gym), Swift Current (on the 16th where a band greeted the boys at the station). A full house attended their evening concert at the Swift Current Technical School. They played Regina on the 17th and were met by the RCMP Band who took them out to visit their barracks. Their afternoon concert was attended by adults and the RCMP. Concerts continued in Brandon on the 18th in the arena; Kenora on the 19th but it was cancelled because no venue could be found; Port Arthur on the 20th where they played in the arena and Sudbury the same evening where they played before a crowd of 1,300 at the Capitol Theatre. In Toronto on the 21st they played three school concerts and an evening concert at Egelsby Church.

The next morning Gordon Delamont, Arthur’s brother Walter (still bandmaster of the West Toronto Salvation Army Band) and his wife Eve were all down at the station to say goodbye. Gordon and Walter had arranged the concerts for the boys in Toronto.

The train ride across Canada was marvelous. Ron Wood recalls the steam and the smell of Dettol and opening the blinds one morning while going through Kicking Horse Pass in the Rockies. Herds of elk were running along beside the train. They stopped at Banff. A couple of boys were given a bunch of postcards and told to go out and sell them. They sold them for twenty-five cents each then got back on the train. They remembered Swift Current where they went to a hall and got their first indication of being famous. That hall was full! Outside in the rain, people were standing with umbrellas, waiting for their concert. The crowd numbered more than two thousand people. Ron had his first date on the trip in Marathon, a blonde. In Toronto they played a couple of concerts at high schools.

OPPOSITE: 1949 ‘Ah! That’s Just the Right Note’ “HOLD THAT NOTE” croons Arthur Delamont, Kitsilano Boys’ Band director, to Auldene Trueman, 10, of 115 West Twenty-first. Auldene is the first winner in his talent search campaign. The band is staging concerts to raise funds for an English tour. Winner of the talent campaign will possibly accompany the band on tour.

BELOW: The boys departing Vancouver.

138 ~ Bobby Gimby

The Boys Meet Bobby Gimby!

While walking down the street one day in Toronto this fellow stopped four of the boys because he noticed they had the maple leaf on their jersey with the VKBB and said, “I’m Bobby Gimby!” They didn’t know who he was at that time of course, The Happy Gang, CBC - Radio, Centennial Song C-A-N-A-D-A. He said that he had been in the band. Then he took them to a very lavish lunch, all four of them. They called themselves the four musketeers. They were Michael Hadley, Ron Wood, Murray McAndrew and Ron Lockwood. Next, they took a side trip to Port Arthur.

A Village Band

ABOVE: The Gimby family moved to Vancouver and Bobby joined the famous Kitsilano Boys’ Band. Canada’s most famous band leader, Mart Kenney, lays claim to having “discovered” Bobby.

Mart and his Western Gentlemen had been playing a one-nighter in Chilliwack in the Fraser Valley in the late 30s when the young Bobby jumped onto the stage with his trumpet and sat in with the band. Mart recalled his dazzling solo performance of The Flight of the Bumble Bee. National Archives of Canada

On the early trips in the 1950s, Arthur had the boys putting on routines during their concerts across Canada. Arthur had this idea for a ‘Village Band.’ He would announce to the audience at a concert that he had something special for them this evening. He would announce them as coming from the next hick town. In came Ron Colograsso on trombone, Gordon Laird on clarinet, Arnold Emery on trumpet and Barrie Gillmore on drum.

They would ham it up with wrong notes and all. On one occasion Ron accidently let go of his slide and it flew into the audience. The audience loved it so much they left it in the act. They did that at every town they stopped at across Canada. (Gordon Laird, 1950, minister)

May 22 The boys arrived in Montreal at 8 a.m. and were immediately

sent on foot to the huge ultra-modern CN Station At 1:00 p.m. they caught the train for Quebec City and arrived there at 6 p.m. Arthur had them all pile their luggage up about ten feet high in a shed on the dock. Then they all went outside and caught their first glimpse of the ship before boarding.

They didn’t see much of the city as the gang plank was a matter of twenty feet from where the train had stopped. Their ship, the SS Samaria, had a five piece orchestra, library, dance hall, lounges and bars, which the boys all discovered that night while wandering around the ship.

The Delamont’s used to pull in a different boy from the band to make up a fourth player for bridge. The boys used to teach themselves how to play bridge, in case one of them was called upon to play. The boys always played badly because they didn’t have the proper people teaching them how to play.

Cyril Battistoni got a call one day. Mr. D says, “Cyril, we need a fourth player for our bridge game.” There was Mrs. Hamilton. She was a chaperone.

Then there was Lillie and Arthur. Cyril had just started. Mr. D didn’t get too mad at him. He would say, “What did you play that card for?” He was really only cantankerous when it came to the band and the music. That is when he really lost it. (Cy Battistoni 1942-’50, Dental Mechanic)

OOSTERBEEK, HOLLAND ~ 139

May 23 thru 27 The boys were kept busy with four hours of practice and concerts daily, ping pong, movies and listening to the ship’s orchestra.

On Thursday June 1 they arrived in Le Havre, France, having earlier that day spotted their first sight of land at Lands End, England. The harbor at Le Havre was still a mess from the war with sunken ships everywhere. Everything was being reconstructed: buildings, docks. The beaches were all littered with old landing craft and other obstacles from the war.

June 2 At 6 a.m. they arrived in Tilbury on the muddy Thames and were met by Pathe News and some men from the BBC. ‘Stocky’ was there to greet his old friend, Arthur, and to fill him in on the details of the trip which he again had arranged. It took most of the morning for the news crews to film the boys. By noon they were all on their way to the Hotel Russell in downtown London. The boys’ hotel was near Buckingham Palace and the next morning they woke up to a rehearsal of the ‘trooping of the colors.’

(Barrie Gillmore 1950, Accountant, CGA) ‘In Towne Tonight’

The next day the boys had to be at the BBC studios at 5 p.m. where they performed on the ‘In Towne Tonight’ program with Irene Dunne and Miss Australia of 1950. Robert Sherrin, a rather articulate young fellow, was interviewed by someone who asked, “What do you think of the trip so far?”

Robert replied, “Oh, the most exciting part was the train ride across Canada.” I am not sure how that went over with the English families listening to the broadcast but I guess he was being truthful. (Barrie Gillmore 1950, Accountant, CGA) During their first three weeks in Britain the boys travelled to Weymouth, where they played in the Alexander Theatre, Bournemouth, Eastbourne (Winter Gardens), Blackpool (the Palace), Exeter (the Theatre Royal) and Torquay. In Weymouth on June 4 the boys stayed in the naval barracks. They marched from the barracks down to a bandstand and met the mayor and later performed a concert at the Alexander Theatre.

Concerts in the Parks

On tour the band participated in the British tradition of concerts in the parks. Whether at the London Embankment, or in Edinburgh, or the south coast spas like Bournemouth, Eastbourne, Weymouth and Bath they presented any one of the twenty-one different programs they had rehearsed. It was a huge repertoire for the boys to master. They rehearsed daily as well as giving concerts. Of course, all the musical scores from which they played had been written for professionals – not for school band. (Michael Hadley 1950-’53, Professor of German Literature)

ABOVE: Ron Wood with printing press.

BELOW: Boys with Mr. D in England.

140 ~ George Mitchell Choir

June 5 thru 7 the boys were in Bournemouth but they didn’t play

because of a Musician’s Union strike. Arthur always respected his fellow man and would never take work away from anyone. On the 8th after stopping in Southampton about 11 a.m. to switch trains, they were off again for Eastbourne by way of Portsmouth. In Southampton they saw the “Queen Elizabeth” (ship) in the harbor. The port was full of old naval vessels, both big and small. In Portsmouth, they saw a huge military parade and then had to drive 100 miles to Eastbourne because the train was only a day coach and could not accommodate their luggage. In Eastbourne they played at the Winter Gardens, co-starring with the famous George Mitchell Choir. On the 10th they were back in London, on route to Blackpool.

ABOVE: A London bobby’s hat.

BELOW: 1950, The boys on the march in Amersfoort, Holland.

England’s Coney Island Blackpool seemed like one big circus

to the boys. Everything was entertainment; it was England’s Coney Island.

The boys played two 45 minute concerts daily at 7:30 and 9:30. Between concerts one evening the boys and Mr. D all went over to the Winter Garden where they danced in full uniform in a beautiful gigantic ballroom to a lovely band. It was quite a sight to look down from the balcony and see the scarlet capes on the dance floor below. Next they were taken to an opera house which was next door to see a variety show. On Friday they were all invited to the circus which was located at the base of the Blackpool Tower, part

OOSTERBEEK, HOLLAND ~ 141 of the Palace Theatre complex. At one point the circus ring sank out of sight and in a minute there was a huge swimming pool. Girls swam out from under waterfalls at the side and put on a swimming show. It was magnificent!

June 17 The boys put on an afternoon concert at a Royal Air Force base

just outside of Blackpool. A Commander had seen their show in Blackpool and invited them to the base to perform. That night they played their last two concerts at the Palace before loading their entire luggage into a lorry and travelling to Preston where they arrived at 1 a.m. After a night of no sleep they arrived back at the Royal Hotel in London for breakfast at 8 a.m.

At 11 a.m. they were back on the train and on their way to Exeter, arriving at 2 p.m. They performed a concert that evening and the next day, and on the 19th were on their way again, this time to Torquay. The boys kept up the reputation of the old Kits Band and played like professionals. Many thought they were professionals. Evan Mackinnon, who played drums, said, “It really is a treat to hear us play even if I do say so myself. Since we landed in England we have signed hundreds of autographs and have been treated like kings.” (Evan MacKinnon, 1950) In Torquay the boys played for the Carnival, stayed at the YMCA and enjoyed the beautiful city and warm weather until they departed on the 23rd for London. On June 23, they again played on BBC. That evening they were all off to the Hippodrome to see the Follies Bergere from Paris. On the 24th at 9:30 a.m. the boys travelled to Harwick where they caught the Dutch ship, M/V Koningin Emma that took them to the Hook of Holland.

‘The Four Notes’

Arthur took with him to England on this tour a barbershop quartet called ‘The Four Notes.’ These boys from the band were a big hit wherever they performed. On all his trips, whenever they arrived in a new town by bus, Arthur would march the boys down the center of town to announce to one and all that they had arrived. It was the old ‘Town Crier’ routine.

A High Level of Musicianship

Musicianship was always high in the band and it often got them out of tight situations. Michael Hadley remembers a concert during the 1950 tour when Bobby Campbell was playing the euphonium solo, ‘Scenes that are Brightest,’ with variations, from the opera ‘Maritana’ (1845). Playing from memory, he suddenly lost his place and turned to Mr. D with a puzzled look on his face. They all wondered how they would get out of this one. Mr. D abruptly stopped the band and nodded to Bobby who immediately launched into a free-play extemporizing cadenza until their eyes met again. With a broad grin and a nod in reply, Mr. D brought down his baton again,

ABOVE: The Four Notes, L to R, Dave Armstrong, Brian Gurney, Howard Lear, Glen Buckley BELOW: Poster of the boys at the Palace Theatre in Blackpool.

142 ~ M/V Koningin Emma and they carried on. That was musicianship! (Michael Hadley 1950-’53, Professor of German Literature)

ABOVE: The M/V Koningin Emma had a long war history. After Dunkirk the ship was ordered to take French troops evacuated to England from Dunkirk back to Brest to continue the fight. She then took part in the British occupation of Iceland and was part of a raid on the Lofoten Islands in northern Norway. In April 1942 Queen Emma was part of the Dieppe Raid.

She was then attached to the ships of Operation Husky, the invasion of Sicily. On 6 June, 1944 Queen Emma sailed with American troops to Normandy as part of Operation Overlord. At the end of 1944, during the Battle of the Bulge, Queen Emma helped transport the British 6th Airborne Division from England to France as reinforcements. It would be her last European mission. She had crossed the North Sea 43 times, sailing approximately 20,000 miles and had transported 30,000 Allied troops.

When the boys arrived in Britain they were all given ration cards as food was still scarce even five years after the war. The boys often gave their ration cards to their billets so they could buy extra food. It wasn’t until they were on the M/V Koningin Emma, on their way to Holland, and were given all the dairy products they could eat, that they realized how bleak the food situation really was in Britain.

June 24 to July 3 they toured Holland playing concerts in Hillegom, Scheveningen, Zandvoort, Eindhoven, the Isle of Texel, Bergen, Hilversum, Amersfoort, Middelburg, Oosterbeek and the Hook of Holland.

M/V Koningin Emma

On board the M/V Koningin Emma, the boys could see the harbor off Harwick strewn with funnels and masts above the water marking the graves of big ships. They also saw a battery of anti-aircraft guns and a radar station built on huge concrete pylons in the water. On the voyage they had the best lunch they had had since leaving home. They arrived at the Hook at 6:30 p.m. and boarded a small electric train which took them straight to Hillegom. The whole coast was a mass of fortifications and pill boxes built by the Germans.

When the boys arrived in Hillegom they were not in the best of spirits. Mr. D had told them to carry their own luggage and instruments, both on and off the British train to Harwick and then on and off the M/V Koningin Emma and to the train at the Hook. To make matters worse, the band’s gear was stacked in the aisles and between the seats, making for a very uncomfortable trip. Mr. D was concerned that the band’s gear might not be handled properly by those who worked on the boat and train. Looking out their windows in Hillegom, the boys saw a crowd of people at the train station. They assumed some important person must be arriving. Suddenly a swarm of Boy Scouts flew into the cars, seized their entire luggage and sailed out to the streets. On the street an “oom-pah pah” band played welcoming music as the boys disembarked and the towns’ people cheered - they were the VIPs! Preceded by a Dutch band and followed by the Boy Scouts, the boys were marched past applauding crowds and up to the front of the town’s concert hall. Every seat was filled and more people were clustered outside. The boys were expected to put on a concert. Quickly donning their uniforms, the stage seating was arranged and the concert was played.

At intermission, local people plied the boys with soft drinks and kind words. Mrs. Delamont was presented with an enormous bouquet of roses

OOSTERBEEK, HOLLAND ~ 143

and every band member received a miniature pair of wooden shoes and a crochet/trimmed handkerchief with a picture of a windmill. Next came the presentation of a flag, hand-crafted by local women in the town’s colors.

Hillegom had been liberated by Canadian troops during the war but the soldiers had moved on to fight across Holland and into Germany wihout the town being able to show its gratitude. The town had decided to show its appreciation through this gesture of kindness to the Vancouver Boys’ band.

Sunday June 25 next stop was Scheveningen. The countryside was beautiful as they traveled along by train. They could see lots of American cars and hundreds of bicycles. At nearly every bridge there was a monument in remembrance of soldiers killed nearby while fighting the Germans. They saw many battlefields. (Evan MacKinnon, 1950, businessman) In Scheveningen the boys took a short march along a beautiful seafront on the North Sea and played a concert for a small crowd on the patio of an elegant Hotel. After a big lunch in an open air restaurant on the seafront where the waiters wore tails, they departed by train again for Zandvoort, arriving at 5:30 p.m. The boys marched up to their nice Hotel De Schelp. After a good dinner they played a concert at the ‘Dunes.’ It was a sand dune at the edge of the city where men were shot in a battle. They played a two hour concert in an open-air bandstand to a large crowd.

ABOVE: 1950 The boys marching through Bergen, Holland.

BELOW: Bobby Campbell playing baritone in the CFB Naden band in Esquimalt in later years.

144 ~ Billeted With Resistance People

June 26 they left for Eindhoven, passing through Amsterdam on the

way. In Eindhoven they marched behind the Police Band up to the city hall where they met the city officials. That evening after dinner at another elegant hotel where they stayed, they were off to a beautiful park where they played before a large crowd. At every town the boys were billeted out with families.

June 27 In the afternoon the boys arrived on the beautiful little Isle of Texel. While crossing over to Texel the boys saw a submerged submarine as well as mass fortifications, guns and pill boxes. On the small island they travelled past German fortifications and the remains of farms destroyed by the Germans. They were given a fine reception. After dinner they played a concert which practically everyone on the Isle attended. Afterwards they all went to a terrific dance and the boys all wished they could stay longer as everyone was toasting them and showing them kindness.

ABOVE: Bill Good and some of the boys in Holland.

BELOW: The boys at a US War cemetery near Hillegom, Holland.

June 28 they arrived in Bergen and played in an open air park. Af-

ter meeting the mayor they met their billets. A lot of people were wearing wooden shoes and there were dogs and horses pulling carts as well. On the 29th they left Bergen at 8 a.m. for the little city of Hilversum. In Hilversum they recorded a half hour program at a huge modern radio station. About 3 p.m. they left Hilversum for a twenty minute ride to Amersfoort where two bands met them at the station. After the usual reception they marched to a theatre and played a concert and then received their billets. The next morning they rehearsed the test piece for the music festival in Oosterbeek where they would be competing on July 1st. At 2:30 they caught the train for Middelburg where they performed an evening concert.

‘Occupied Holland’

In Middelburg, Ron Wood was billeted with some Resistance people.

They took him into a room and pushed a button and one complete wall slid back to reveal a radio transmitter. It had been connected to London during the war and was the central transmitter for the area. They told him lots of stories. They gave him a complete collection of ‘Occupied Holland’ coins made of plastic. (Ron Wood 1946-’53, banker)

Oosterbeek International Music Festival

In Oosterbeek, Arthur had entered the boys in the International Music Festival. When they arrived in Oosterbeek on July 1st, they quickly changed into their uniforms and marched down to the parade grounds where they immediately went into the “International Marching Competition.” They competed against bands from France, Denmark, Holland, and Great Britain.

OOSTERBEEK, HOLLAND ~ 145 About 5 p.m. that afternoon they went back to the music festival and competed in “De Harmonie class.” The test piece was the Academic Festival Overture. The festival was held in a tent, set up on an airborne landing field, near the city of Arnhem. That evening they played a concert at the festival hall to a large crowd. After the intermission the boys were all presented with a pair of Dutch miniature shoes and after about twenty minutes of speeches in Dutch, thanking them for winning the war and liberating Holland, the boys heard three cheers and ‘Viva Canada’ and were awarded 1st prize in the International Marching Band Championship. For this they received a gold medal. They also received highest honors in the Harmonie Internationale class and received a sterling silver oak cluster.

The Dutch people gave the boys an enthusiastic reception everywhere they travelled throughout Holland.

July 4 Back in London the boys again:

* Played a BBC broadcast. * Travelled to Farnham, Surrey on the 5th of July. * Visited the Mayor at Mansion House on the 6th. * Played at Wembley Stadium at the motor races before 85,000 people. Then it was off to Scotland on the Flying Scotsman from Euston Station.

(Saturday July 8)

‘Glasgow Fair’ Week

In Glasgow they played park concerts in four different parks: Alexander, Linn, Victoria and Barshaw. They stayed until mid July. When Arthur and the boys arrived in Glasgow, the city had forgotten they had hired them. The mayor had gone out of town and all the councilors as well. It was ‘Glasgow Fair’ week, which meant most of the factories were shut down. They forgot to tell Arthur where the boys were supposed to play. Finally somebody scraped up a list of parks but they had no idea where the parks were located.

The boys literally went out on to the streets with their instruments and uniforms and asked people how to get to a particular park. People would tell them to catch this or that street car and ask the conductor where to get off. They did that for a week.

Norm Mullins said, “We could not have survived for any longer.” (Norm Mullins 1940-’50, Barrister, QC)

The Oosterbeek International Band Festival does not appear to have lasted for more than one year. In 1951 The Kerkrade International Music Festival began. Although I have not been able to verify this, I suspect that the Kerkrade Festival became the main festival starting in 1951. It is held every 4 years and Arthur entered his band in the 1958, 1962 and 1966 Kerkrade Music Festivals, winning first place each time. See their website at: www.wmc.nl BELOW: The boys in Leicester Square in London.

146 ~ Princes Street Gardens The boys were having great fun. They could laugh about it later at a reunion, when one boy said to another: “Do you realize that when we played in Glasgow and we thought we were always going to the same park, we actually played at a different park each day?”

Mr. D got very mad one day on account of the poor co-operation of the Corporation (Parks Board). They did little for the band and did not advertise their concerts. On the day of the concert they wouldn’t let them sell postcards so in turn Arthur did not give them his highest level of performance and did not give encores. He stuck strictly to the printed program. He was going to ball out the boss the next day and see if he could shame him into letting them sell postcards. (Evan MacKinnon 1950, businessman) ABOVE: Glen Startup and Gordon Laird with a friend in London.

BELOW: 1950 The boys playing at Mansion House for the Lord Mayor of London.

July 17 through 23 The boys performed concerts in Edinburgh at the Princes Street Gardens below Edinburgh Castle. They also made short trips to Airdrie between Glasgow and Edinburgh and Falkirk in between concerts. On the 24th they departed for Airdrie where they played two concerts a day (at 6 and 8:30) at the Beach Pavilion before heading back to London on July 30th and a week’s engagement at Golders Green Hippodrome, a vaudeville theatre. Thousands of Londoners applauded so vigorously they insisted on--and won--a repeat performance a few days later. On this trip the boys got their first taste of British vaudeville. They took the ‘Flying Scotsman,’ from Glasgow back to London. Boy, it was a fast train!

OOSTERBEEK, HOLLAND ~ 147

Harold Fielding attends boys’ concert.

All over London and in every subway station there were huge billboards announcing the boys, which made them think that they were considered pretty big shots. The boys all had ultra modern dressing rooms and were paged before they went on stage. On August 3 the boys had their picture taken in front of Victoria monument in the same pose the boys of the 1930s had their picture taken. On August 4 their boss, Harold Fielding, was in the audience for one of their shows at Golders Green. When not playing the boys visited Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum, went to the movies and enjoyed the sights of London. Mr. D had been in a good mood as he always was when they played in large theatres because the boys did their best and he could put it over so well. (Evan MacKinnon ’1950, businessman) In August and during the first three weeks of September engagements included Bolton, Camborne and weeklong engagements in Bath (the Parade Gardens), Peterborough (the Embassy Theatre), Manchester (Belle Vue Kings Hall), the Harringay Horse Show and Dublin (Theatre Royal).

August 6 the boys were all down at Euston Station at 10 a.m. and re-

turned to Blackpool for two concerts in the huge opera house. They were on the same show as the famous American singer, Alan Jones. Both shows

ABOVE: 1950 Edinburgh, Civic welcome for young bandsmen.

BELOW: Poster from Wood Green Empire.

148 ~ Moss Empire Vaudeville Chain

ABOVE: Allan Jones, of Welsh ancestry, starred in many film musicals during the 1930s and 1940s.

The best-known of these were Show Boat (1936) and The Firefly (1937) in which he sang the popular “Donkey Serenade.”

ABOVE RIGHT: 1950 The boys in Scotland.

BELOW: The 10:00 Special Scotch Express linking Edinburgh and London in both directions was known as as the Flying Scotsman.

were sold out to 3,500 people. Immediately after their second performance they boarded two luxury buses for a half hour ride to Bolton. Bolton is twelve miles from Manchester. The boys played to capacity crowds of 1,300 two performances nightly in an old vaudeville theatre. They toured a cotton spinning mill on the 8th and the next day a weaving mill. On the 11th they visited a tannery and continued to perform twice nightly to sell out crowds.

Late on August 12th they departed Bolton for Bath.

August 21 The boys headed back to London on route to Peterborough.

In London they had lunch at an exclusive restaurant called the Corner House near Piccadilly Circus where the waiters were in tails and a large orchestra played ‘The Maple Leaf Forever’ in their honor. At 6 p.m. they arrived in Peterborough and played two shows nightly at the Embassy Theatre. The next day they toured the Perkins Diesel Engine Manufacturing Plant. They also toured the Peterborough Cathedral. Arthur kept busy in his spare time trying to arrange for the boys to play while in Paris (through the Salvation Army) and a farewell concert at Albert Hall, neither of which happened.

August 27 After an enjoyable week in Peterborough the boys arrived in Manchester on August 27. In Manchester they stayed in a YMCA service club in the heart of Piccadilly Square. It was a ten minute walk from the twobalcony Hippodrome Theatre where they performed two 20 minute shows.

(This program included Semper Fidelis, Overture of Overtures,

OOSTERBEEK, HOLLAND ~ 149 Be-Bop Session, The Lost Chord and Washington Post) on a very high class variety bill. The shows were jam-packed and included in one program the American ventriloquist Camifold Smith and his dummy, Snodgrass. On the 29th they toured the world’s largest newspaper publishing company, Kemsley Publishing Co.

September 3 The boys departed Manchester. It was their best variety

bill yet, with so many big stars who had proved to be so friendly. Their next stop was Newcastle-on-Tyne with shows at the Palace Theatre. On September 9 they headed back to Manchester for a concert at Kings Hall in Belle Vue Amusement Park. They played for a crowd of 6,500. Afterwards people were saying that they had never heard anything like their band. Arthur and the boys had first played Belle Vue sixteen years earlier. I often wonder what it must have been like for Arthur to return to so many places while on tour years later and still be able to mesmerize the audience.

The next morning (September 11), they were off for London where they were again billeted near Golders Green. After lunch with their billets, they left for the Harringay Arena Horse Show, about an hour away. At Harringay they rehearsed a few numbers for the cantering, trotting and walking of horses and then they went back to London for dinner. That evening a bunch of them went to hear the Ted Heath Orchestra playing at the Empire Theatre in Hackney, a London suburb.

The next morning the boys got up at noon in time to run over to the arena where there was a packed house both afternoon and night. It was a great site to see the cavalcade with all the display horses, champion jockeys and winning horses of the year. To conclude the three day event everybody joined hands and sang Auld Lang Syne and John Peel. The arena was exciting with all the riders in fancy dress and top hats just like on Christmas cards and pictures. The boys were televised several times during the week. Their last piece of music to be played in England was Colonel Bogey.

(Evan MacKinnon, 1950, businessman)

September 16 The boys headed for Holyhead and the ship, the Princess Maud, that would take them to Ireland. A gale warning was posted ashore just as they were leaving and small ships started heading to port. On board people were sick everywhere and because the boat was overcrowded everyone was bumping into one another. The boat rolled like a cork and the women were going into hysterics. Some people even passed out. The boat felt like she was going to turn over. Afterwards the boys were told that it was a very bad voyage on the stormiest sea in the world. The trip by boat over to Dublin was so rough that when the boys arrived and saw the marquee on the Theatre Royal advertising the film Dead on Arrival, they thought it was

ABOVE: Ron Colograsso and Colin Lea standing by a poster in London.

BELOW: The classic 1950 film noir ‘Dead On Arrival’ that was playing at the Theatre Royal in Dublin.

150 ~ Madame Olga Petrovich referring to them.

In Dublin the boys packed them into the Theatre Royal on the last leg of their international tour. The Irish news agency reported, “The 39 member band is amazing theatre-goers here as it plays classics and jazz with equal skill.” The boys played two one hour shows at 3 and 8 p.m. for a packed crowd of 5,000. Their performance was followed by a movie. On the 24th of September the boys left Ireland at 7 p.m. on the ferry and an overnight train to London where they all had the next three days off.

The last week of September found half the boys in Paris. It was not a scheduled engagement. With the last week free, one of them thought it would be a great idea to charter a plane and go to Paris for a few days, so that is what they did. When Arthur heard about it, he quickly bought up two of the tickets for himself and Lillie and went to Paris with the boys.

ABOVE: Theatre Royal poster from Dublin advertising the boys.

BELOW: The Mayor of London talking with one of the boys in the band, Bill Cave, outside Mansion House in London.

September 28 The boys sailed from Tilbury again on the SS Samaria,

ending the band’s five month sojourn in England and Holland. During that time the boys played 250 concerts in 156 days. Half their time in Great Britain the boys played park concerts and the other half they played in vaudeville theatres.

October 8 Back in Quebec City, on the SS Samaria, Arthur told the boys that the band was so well thought of by British audiences that they had been invited back next year to fill a 13 week engagement at the 6,000 seat Palace Theatre in Blackpool.

On the way home the boys: *played on the platform at Trois Rivieres *stopped in Montreal to switch back to their two colonist cars *took a twenty minute stop in Ottawa where they were greeted by one of the original band boys from 1928 *played on the platform at Chapleau at 1:30 *played at White River at 4 p.m. and then again at Schreiber at 8 p.m. *arrived in Winnipeg at 9:30 on October 9, they but didn’t stay because they were running late. *played on the railway platform at 1:30 at Brandon *played.at Broadview at 5 p.m *arrived in Regina at 6:20 in time to play an 8:30 concert in an auditorium.

It was their first since Dublin. *the next day arrived in Saskatoon at 7 a.m. and played a concert at a church that night. *October 12, they played a concert at the University of Saskatchewan to 600 students and then a concert in a park for 4,000 school children. They left Saskatoon at 6 p.m.

OOSTERBEEK, HOLLAND ~ 151 *arrived in Edmonton at 6:50 a.m. Friday, October 13, where they performed a concert in the recreation hall. They left Edmonton at midnight *arrived in Banff at 10 a.m. Garfield White met them in Banff and travelled back to Vancouver with them all. *played in Field just before lunch *and then Revelstoke at 7 p.m.

Sunday October 15 The boys arrived back in Vancouver at 9 a.m.

Waiting to greet them was a band made up of former Kits boys; a CKNW radio announcer and a large crowd. That evening the boys put on a homecoming concert at the Denman Auditorium to a capacity crowd. Alderman Miller, acting mayor, welcomed them home and the Dutch Consul also said a few words. The boys played the Dutch National Anthem while four boys unfurled the Dutch flags they had been presented with in Holland.

Madame Olga Petrovich Garfield White performed his hilarious

Madame Olga Petrovich routine with his side- kick, Dave Denton. Garfield dressed as an opera diva to Denton’s tails and top hat. It was an act they had performed in vaudeville in Vancouver in the 1930s and perfected overseas during the war where they entertained Canadian troops in Italy, Holland, France and Belgium and later in Korea during the Korean War. The boys had all been sorry to say “Good-bye” to “Stocky,” (as he was always affectionately known amongst the boys) in London and his swell wife “Ginger.” He had been the band’s agent in London for all four of its English tours and each band of boys considered him more like their favorite ‘big uncle” rather than the agent for the band. They were also sorry to leave him in poor health.

Background & Anecdotes 1950 BC Music Festival

Arthur and the boys created something of a sensation at the B.C. Music Festival Concert at the Hotel Vancouver in the summer of 1950. The 35 piece unit departed from traditional band music to earn 92 points from adjudicator John Sterling for their handling of an arrangement of Brahms’ ‘Academic Festival Overture’ a work last heard in Vancouver in a full symphony performance. Another 90 points went to the young musicians for their march tune, and Mr. Sterling commented, “I don’t think in England one would often come across a boys’ band of such outstandingly good precision. They are uncommonly good.” The marks lifted the world famous band into the top ranks of festival performers that year.(Vancouver Sun)

ABOVE: Princess Maud was reconditioned after the war and moved to Holyhead. An additional flying bridge was added on the port side to assist docking. She acted as a spare and relief vessel, running Holyhead-Dun Laoghaire extra sailings in summer, then relief on other Irish Sea routes whilst the regular vessels received overhaul. In 1951 she served on the Southampton-St Malo route. Princess Maud was sold to Greek interests in 1965, and renamed Venus.

BELOW: S/S Samaria.

152~ Bath, Parade Garden

“Here there, lads, what are you up to?” As on ear-

ABOVE: Boys on tour in Aberdeen, Scotland.

BELOW: Hackney Empire, Charlie Chaplin, W.C. Fields, Stanley Holloway, Stan Laurel and Marie Lloyd all performed there when the Hackney Empire was a music hall.

OPPOSITE PAGE: Boys on board the SS Samaria.

lier trips, the boys continued their amorous adventures! Cy Battistoni remembers meeting two girls in a small town somewhere in England.

Cy and another boy took them home on the bus but it was getting to be about eleven in the evening. Being teenage boys, they wanted to get their little ‘peck on the cheek.’ They missed their bus! They didn’t know where they were. They didn’t have street lights. No lights in the distance. They came across some stores. As they were walking, this deep voice says to them from behind, “Here there, lads, what are you up to?” It was a bobbie! They had their sweaters on with the ‘maple leaf’ on them. They explained their situation to the bobbie and Cy said, “All my life, I have been pretty lucky.” All of a sudden, ‘dead ahead,’ there comes a bus. No lights! There was a sign on it saying it was not picking up any passengers. The bobbie gets out in front of the bus and puts his hand up and tells the driver, “Drop these lads off down the road a piece.” (Cy Battistoni 1942-’50, Dental Mechanic) Arthur had a sentimental side as well that popped up when least expected. There was a trombonist in the band named Alex McLeod.

When the boys were playing the Palace Theatre in Blackpool, next to it was the Palladium Dance Hall, led by Alan Lerner (later of Lerner and Lowe fame) and then there was the Blackpool Circus. Between each act at the circus, thinly clad ladies would come out with cards to announce the next act. Alex McLeod got to know one of these gals and became smitten. The band came back to Blackpool several times during the tour. Alex’s relationship grew and grew, to the point that he wanted to marry her. He was one of the older boys, eighteen. He got up his courage and went to talk to Arthur and said, “I want to marry her and I want to take her back to Canada. How can I do that? I don’t even have enough money to buy an engagement ring!” To some people’s surprise, not to others, Arthur lent him the money to buy an engagement ring.

She followed the band back to Vancouver. They were married. He became very successful, managing a Safeway store in North Vancouver.

The boys called him Tit-mouse! (Ron Wood 1946-’53, banker)

Brian Bolam plays Don Quixote flawlessly!

After another sleepless night they arrived in Bath at 11 a.m. where they stayed at a nice Salvation Army Hostel. They played two concerts daily in the sunken Parade Garden in the city centre (3 and 7 p.m). In their free time they visited and swam in the Roman Baths daily and explored historic Bath. On the Embankment in Bath, part way

OOSTERBEEK, HOLLAND ~ 153

154 ~ Moss Empire Theatres Moss Empires was a British company formed in Edinburgh from the merger of the theatre companies owned by Sir Edward Moss and Sir Oswald Stoll in 1898.

This created the largest British chain of music halls. The business was successful, controlling 33 music halls, and by 1905 almost every sizeable town in Great Britain had an Empire, or Coliseum theatre, managed by Stoll, and many newly constructed and designed by Frank Matcham.The group grew to over 50 theatres, until Stoll withdrew his to run them as a separate business. After some 30 years the Moss and Stoll companies reunited under Prince Littler. The company ended its promotion of music halls during the 1960s, due to increasing competition from other entertainment media.

through a concert, Delamont started handing out music. The boys didn’t know what he was doing. He gave copies to everybody except to Brian Bolam. He had written an arrangement of an accompaniment to ‘Don Quixote,’ by Marius Petipa. Brian hadn’t seen it or thought about it for three months. Delamont started it off, going like mad. The tempo was about twice what he was used to and Brian screwed it up a bit.

Delamont stopped the band and got on the microphone. “This young man thought he was a good trumpet player. We will give him one more chance at it but he sure mucked it up that time. He won this trophy that I am not so sure he deserved.” According to Bob Cave, Brian looked daggers at him. When he started it again, Bob said, “Brian never looked at the music, he looked right at Delamont, right through him and played it flawlessly!” Delamont put it away and the boys never saw it again.

(Brian Bolam, 1950, firefighter) Arthur was always testing his boys and letting them know who was boss. In later years he always stressed that music was a difficult way to earn a living and tried to encourage his boys to get a good education and just play for fun or for extra money on the side. He knew how hard it was to make a living playing a horn and as the years went by it just got progressively harder.

The Halcyon Days of the Kitsilano Boys’ Band Experience

Michael Hadley regards the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s as the halcyon days of the Kitsilano Boys’ Band experience. “It was in these pre-television years that Britain’s great Moss-Empire theater chain in the UK was big business. With two shows nightly in every British city, the chain booked acts of impressive variety, everything from acrobats and jugglers to comedians, singers and animal trainers (much like the shows in Vancouver’s old Pantages Theatre in the early years when Mr. D played trumpet in the pit orchestra). In all this, the Vancouver Boys’ Band, as the Kits Band was called abroad, received top billing. These were exciting times to be in the professional entertainment business—and if truth be told, several of the ‘boys’ were underage for stage-work. (You had to be over fourteen years of age to legally perform on the British stage.)”

(Michael Hadley 1950-’53, Professor of German Literature)

Comparisons with the Sousa Band (Part 1)

An article appeared in the British Bandsman on July 21, 1934 regarding the boys tour of England. The following is an excerpt: “The band is, on a miniature scale, a replica of Sousa’s band as we remember it on its first visit to London. There is the spice and spectacular effects that

OOSTERBEEK, HOLLAND ~ 155 made that band so famous.”

Delamont may have seen the Sousa Band on one of its Canadian tours and been influenced by him as the similarity between the Sousa Band and Delamont’s bands over the years was striking. Both bands were traveling bands. Sousa made four trips to Europe and one world tour, as well as several US and Canadian tours. Delamont made fifteen European tours as well as several US and Canadian trips. Both their tours covered a lot of territory and they gave many concerts in a short period of time. Each was known for their one night engagements. One of Sousa’s band remarked, “Touring with Sousa is a memory that one holds dear but it was an ordeal not to be desired again.” Some of Delamont’s boys I am sure would have said the same.

Both toured with soloists. Neither allowed drinking and band members were discouraged from belonging to any conflicting organizations. Both were timely in their programming, i.e. the day before the new Sousa Band was to give its first concert, Patrick Garfield Gilmore (the conductor of the famous Gilmore band), died and Sousa quickly arranged his piece “The Voice of the Departed Soul” in honor of Gillmore.

Both men added European symphonic pieces to their band’s repertoire.

Both directors had an erect carriage, poise and neat attire. With Sousa, this came from his Marine Band days and with Delamont, it came from his Salvation Army training. Both married young. Sousa was twenty-four when he married his seventeen year old wife. When her father told Sousa that she couldn’t even cook, he said, “She has enough education for me, and I want her to marry me, not cook for me. I can always hire a maid.”

Both bands seldom played to less than standing room only. Between 1911 and 1914, weekly attendance at Sousa’s concerts was over sixty thousand.

Both played command performances: Sousa for King Edward and Queen Alexandria at Sandringham and Delamont for a young Queen Elizabeth in Vancouver. Both bands played for almost every important exposition and Fair of their day. Sousa played for: 1893 Chicago Fair, 1896 Atlanta, Paris Expo of 1900, Pan Am in Buffalo 1900, Glasgow Expo 1901, St. Louis Expo in 1904 and the Pan Am in San Francisco in 1915, as well as others. Delamont’s band played for: 1931 Toronto Exposition, 1933 Chicago World’s Fair, 1936 Crystal Palace Expo, New York World’s Fair of 1939, 1958 Brussel World’s Fair, Seattle World’ s Fair of 1962 and Expo ‘67 in Montreal.

Bill Good Arthur continued to turn out exceptional players. One

such player on the 1950 trip was a drummer by the name of Bill Good.

Brian Bolam played in school with Bill Good. Brian told me that Bill was also an outstanding piano player and they were together in the North Van

ABOVE: 1892: The first Sousa Band concert was performed September 26 at Stillman Music Hall in Plainfield, New Jersey. Two days earlier, bandleader Patrick Gilmore had died in St. Louis. Nineteen of Gilmore’s former musicians eventually joined Sousa’s band, including Herbert L. Clarke (cornet) and E. A. Lefebre (saxophone).

BELOW: Poster of the Homecoming Concert.

156 ~ Bill Good Schools band and then in Kits. Bill eventually joined the VSO. He was absolutely persecuted by the other percussionists in the orchestra because he didn’t have a degree. Apparently if you didn’t have a degree you were nobody.

Bill Good met his wife to be (Gerry) coming back on the S/S Samaria. It was just after the war and there were lots of girls looking for husbands in England. Girls were often lined up at the stage door, ready to latch on to the boys. The girls outnumbered the boys in England five to one because so many of the fellows were killed during the war, which was fine by the boys of course. (Barrie Gillmore 1946-’52, accountant CGA) Gerry was actually Canadian and lived in Montreal. She was returning from England on the Samaria when she and Bill met. Later she moved to Vancouver and they were married in 1954. After they were married Bill looked into joining the RCMP Band. He was told, “a half an inch too short.” They offered to try to stretch him with medical treatments but he wisely declined. They use to have strange ideas in the old days! (Brian Bolam and Gerry Good) ABOVE: The boys returning on the SS Samaria.

BELOW: Bill Good in 1950.

Arthur Fiedler & Bobby Herriot In later years, in the mid-sixties, Arthur Fiedler visited Vancouver to conduct a pops concert. Arthur stopped the orchestra half way through the rehearsal and said, “You there, the little fellow, the little blond fellow…. What is your name?” Bill’s got these two giant cymbals and he says,“BBBBBill Good sir!” Ah Mr. William Good, I would like you and the rest of the orchestra to know that you are one of the finest cymbal players I have ever heard.”

Boy, did his marks go up amongst the other percussionists. They were jealous as hell of him. He was so good, yet so persecuted. His stomach was a mess. He played so well. He played all the mallet instruments, the xylophone, the marimbas-- everything. Brian played a lot of dance work with him. Herriot hired him every time he could. Bobby Herriot who became the President of the Musicians Union in Toronto, always ran big bands while he played in Vancouver. Somebody asked Bobby Herriot, “Why would you hire a symphony drummer?” Herriot’s reply: “Because he is the best drummer around, that’s why. He is the only guy I know who can keep time and swing a big band. He is so good!”(Brian Bolam, 1950, Firefighter) In Glasgow, two of the boys were locked out of their hotel room. One of the boys, who was of Asian descent, decided he would get up on the shoulders of the other boy and crawl in an open window above the

OOSTERBEEK, HOLLAND ~ 157 doorway where there was a light. On the other side of the doorway a chambermaid was brushing her teeth. As there were no ethnic nationalities in the town at the time, when she turned around and saw the face of the Asian lad it was almost too much for the young lass!

For the whole five months the band was away, Cy Battistoni told me that he never saw Arthur get upset with Lillie or lose his temper when she was around. She had a calming influence on him. Lillie told the boys that he would often be arranging music until three or four in the morning. Then he would sleep until six and get up and start all over again and he did this all his adult life. Two or three hours sleep was all that he needed. He had too many things to do and not enough time to do them all. He recalled that she took medication for seasickness. On all the previous boat trips, she had gotten sea sick but she said to Cy, “This is the first trip that I have been on that I have not gotten seasick.” (Cy Battistoni 1942-’50, Dental Mechanic) In the course of my interviews (over 100) with former band members, I observed that the boys of the thirties regarded Arthur as more their equal and as a friend. The boys of the fifties, while they respected and loved Arthur, often said they wished he had been a little less tough on them. To us boys of the sixties and seventies, he was a grandfather figure.

Boys on the 1950 Osterbeek, Holland Tour Clarinets: Robert Cave, Laurie Groundwater, David Hughes, Richard Hall, Gordon Laird, Ronald Stewart, Douglas Kilburn, Robert Sherrin Saxophones: Brian Gurney, Colin Lea, Douglas Ross Trumpets: Cyril Battistoni, Richard Brown, Douglas Holbrook, Thomas Hawes, Glenn Startup, Bryan Atkins, Brian Bolam, Arnold Emery, Ronald Wood Horns: Norman Mullins, Ziba Fisher, Eric Foster, Michael Hadley Trombones: Ronald Colagrasso, Walter Goral, Jack Hamilton, Owen Morse, Robin Scott Euphoniums: David Armstrong, Glen Buckley, Robert Campbell Basses: Morris McDonald, Thomas Pickett, William Cave Percussion: Bill Good, Evan McKinnon, Barrie Gillmore, Howard Lear

ABOVE: Arthur Fiedler was appointed the eighteenth conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra in 1930.

BELOW: Bobby Herriot and Jimmy Coombes with the Delta District Band in the 1960s. Bobby is on the right with the moustache and bow tie.

CHAPTER TEN

FIRST BILL ON THE BRITISH MOSS/EMPIRE VAUDEVILLE CIRCUIT

Band History: On June 3, 1953, the Kits band sails from Montreal to tour the UK * 12 weeks

of solid music * British vaudeville * Theatre routine * BBC-TV at its best * Followed by one of the Queen’s Guards bands * Boys educated in all aspects of the pro music business * Art Smith and the North Van Schools band * Background: A run-in with city council * Delamont’s boys become bandmasters * Dick McManus * Sandy Cameron * Anecdotes: Murray McAndrew became a chemist at Shell Oil * Theatrical Digs * SMACK * Charlie Parker * Ron Pajala was the accordian player * The Older Woman * Oscar Rabin at the Lyceum * Sousa Comparisons * The Stanley Black Orchestra * French Gitanes and Gauloises * How was the accomodation in Paris? * Jack Parnell, the British Stan Kenton * Meta-Narrative: Arthur approached his life like a daring adventure.

On the 1953 trip the skit the boys performed at each stop across Canada was called ‘A Rag Time Wedding.’ The boys enjoyed the historic connections that Mr. D had made over the years with former band members and played with the RCMP band in Saskatchewan. Arthur decided that Kenny Douglas, Roy Griffith, Mike Hadley and David Hughes would put on the skit. Roy had to dress up as a sailor. Mike dressed up as a bride. Ken used to put on a rubber nose and rubber ears over his own big ears. Ken could make his ears go back and forth. The people just ate it up. It was a shot gun wedding. They did this for three shows a week. Don Atkins decided to spice the act up a little. He went down to a local store and bought a revolver. It was a 45. He bought some blanks. On cue, Don says, “Do you take this bride?” Wham!

Wham! The gun goes off! Arthur almost jumped out of his shoes. The audience cheered so it became a part of the act. It was fantastic! (Kenny Douglas 1953) On board the ship to England in 1953, Ron Wood remembers there were rough seas. Arthur had the boys rehearsing in the back lounge at the back of the ship. It was quite a thing, playing the storm scene in the 1812 Overture.

All of a sudden the seas would come way up behind them and then go way down and you wouldn’t see anything but sky. The old propeller would vibrate and down they would go again. Sea sickness was fairly prevalent. The food was good, fourteen courses, three main entrees, three desserts and so on. Some of the guys tried to eat all fourteen. Most didn’t make it. During the storm the dining room would be half empty but all the boys would be there. Somebody would start saying, “Up and down, up and down.” All of a sudden the dining room was cleared. One time Ron was sick. He ran outside and up to the rail and opened a door in the canvas (it was all canvassed in).

They entered the harbor in England in the middle of the Coronation. They arrived in the middle of the Spithead Revue. All the warships were lined up.

(Ron Wood 1950-53)

ABOVE: Bill Good in his room on board ship.

OPPOSITE: Trumpet section on the steps of City Hall in Vancouver.

BELOW: On the move!

160 ~ Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis

The ‘Kruschev’ and the ‘Balganin’

ABOVE: The boys in their bus somewhere in England.

BELOW: The boys at BBC.

The boys played for the first class passengers and for the third class passengers. Because the Samaria was an older ship, they went the northern route, through the Belle Isle Strait between Newfoundland and Labrador.

There were huge icebergs all around. On the bridge they kept watch because they didn’t want to become another Titanic. The icebergs were just amazing. Less than one third of them were above the water. After that, they ran into a violent Atlantic storm. The boys would be out on the deck trying to run from one door to another without getting soaked by a gigantic wave. Art Tusvik and Ron Pajala were out on deck and Art says, “Why don’t we go from here to the stern?” So, they took off and the next thing Ron hears is a bang coming from the deck. Ron didn’t know what to do. Art had fallen on the deck. He got up quickly and followed Ron back but it was very dangerous. Ron bawled him out for that one. They couldn’t believe that such a big ship could be tossed around so easily. When they arrived in Southampton, they sailed right through the ‘Spithead Revue,’ past two Russian ships. They were playing on deck at the time. It was during the coronation of Queen Elizabeth. Ron wanted to take pictures of the ships but it was awkward.

There was some intrigue surrounding the two Russian ships. Apparently the British caught some frogmen in the water near the two ships. The ships were the ‘Kruschev’ and the ‘Bulganin.’ (Ron Pajala, 1953)

MOSS EMPIRE/VAUDEVILLE TOUR ~ 161

Twelve Solid Weeks of Music

When the boys arrived in London, Stocky was again there to greet them.

He had organized the 1953 trip as well - still wearing his striped morning suit, his bowler hat, and carrying his umbrella – he had all the characteristics of gentleman-managers and executives of the day in London’s ‘city.’

On June 13, in a hushed BBC studio in Old London Towne, conductor Arthur Delamont struck the downbeat on twelve solid weeks of music which reached into every corner of the United Kingdom - straight from the heart of Vancouver. For on that day the trumpets of the Kitsilano Boys’ Band sounded the opening bar of what was to be a three-month, seven day-a-week, two-show-a-day, tour of the United Kingdom. When the band sailed from Montreal on June 3, it marked the fifth crossing of members of this group of teen-age ambassadors of good will and good music. It was another triumphant milestone in the life of 61 year-old Arthur Delamont who dreamed a dream 27 years previous, when, with boundless energy, he transformed it into a living monument to his vision. During a rehearsal for the evening’s BBC performance, the producer, Peter Duncan, said to the star of the show, Irene Dunne, “Cover your ears because the opening fanfare will be very brilliant.” She did, but she took her hands off for a moment, and then quickly put them back. She looked over towards Peter in the control booth, who gave a thumbs-up signal to her. “The effect had been electrifying,” she said to him afterwards. While the boys were rehearsing, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis

ABOVE: At the BBC with Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin.

BELOW: Irene Dunne was an American film actress and singer of the 1930s, 1940s and early 1950s.

Dunne was nominated five times for the Academy Award for Best Actress.

162 ~ Theatrical Digs walked in. They were scheduled to be on the program as well. When the boys had finished, Jerry hammed it up with Dean for a few moments, especially for the boys, who had all gathered around them like bees to honey.

British Vaudeville On this trip, with the exception of a couple of embankment concerts in London, the boys played entirely in vaudeville theatres. This was all fine by the boys, as they only had to show up for two shows nightly at whatever theatre they were playing and the rest of the time they had free to roam each city and to explore English culture. They were again booked into the Empire chain of theatres which stretched from one end of England to the other. They performed two shows nightly at 6:15 and at 8:15, Monday through Saturday. Sunday was always a free day, when they would travel to their next engagement. The boys played in so many theatres that Gerry Deagle told me that he would never forget the smell of the grease paint. Even today when he goes to one of the grand old theatres like the Orpheum, if he takes his seat early he swears he gets a whiff of that mystique and can feel all the performers who’ve played the theatre down through the years. (Gerry Deagle 1951-’55, journalist/editor) ABOVE: Golders Green Theatre today.

BELOW: The boys in Leicester Square.

‘Theater Routine’

When the boys got to London, they went to Pall Mall. All the decorations were up and a carriage went by with the Queen and Prince Philip. The band arrived in England on June 6, Ron Wood’s birthday, so he became legal. The child labor act stipulates that you must be fourteen.

Once in the UK the boys fell into ‘theater routine:’ travel by train or bus and settle into the new city on Sunday; gather Monday mornings at the theatre with the other acts and the theatre director; rehearse, play their

MOSS EMPIRE/VAUDEVILLE TOUR ~ 163

nightly shows and then—once a grueling week was over—move on to another town, thus they criss-crossed the UK for four months. When they arrived on the Sunday night, always in a strange town, in Manchester, for example, the boys would each be given their billet’s address, and they would set off with their bags to find it. Ron Wood and Michael Hadley were always billeted together, and Michael remembers the two of them, barely turned fourteen, setting off with Mr. D’s admonition “Be at rehearsal at 10 a.m. at the Hippodrome on Monday!” And that was it! They were on their own, and headed off into the night. The next morning they would go to the theatre wherever it happened to be—the Hippodrome in London, or the Palace in Blackpool, for example. This routine remained essentially the same throughout the 1953 concert tour. (Michael Hadley 1950-’53, Professor of German Literature.)

June 15 to the 20 The boys played the Sunderland Empire theatre in

Sunderland, and then it was back to London for a few days of park concerts on the London Embankment. The boys saw lots of stars on the theatrical stage in London including Kay Starr, Bob Hope and Abbot and Costello. (Ed Silva-White 1953-‘55)

ABOVE: The boys sightseeing.

BELOW: Ed Silva-White and Ken Sotvedt.

164 ~ Tessie O’ Shea

July 4 The band was asked to stand in for the John Philip Sousa Band at Ealing Studios in a show called the Gay Parade. One of the performers on the bill was a young Petula Clark. Delamont spent a lot of time patterning himself after John Philip Sousa. He saw him live a couple of times. He followed his style of programming, uniforms and his style of how to entertain people. He had a great deal of ability to do that. He had the same sort of character. (Brian Bolam 1943-’50, Supervisor VFD)

ABOVE: While appearing in Blackpool in the 1930s, Tessie O’Shea capitalised on her bulk and girth by adopting “Two Ton Tessie from Tennessee” as her theme song.

BELOW: Ron Pajala on stage in Coventry.

BBC-TV- At Its Best! When Arthur and the boys played the opening for the ‘Gay Parade’ special, they played their signature pieces later in the show. The fanfare was written by the BBC. There were about twelve or fourteen of these score writers sitting at a table below their podium. If a trumpet part didn’t work and the tuba part was written in five sharps Arthur would say, “Throw it down here and they will correct it for you.” Bill Cave said as he shouldered his sousaphone, “No, don’t worry, the basses will play it by ear” and they did of course. The trumpets threw theirs down, the score writers scribbled something on it and sent it back to them, and they continued to practice the opening number. That was BBC TV at its best.

July 6 to 11 The boys played the Portsmouth Empire Theatre. In Ports-

mouth the Canadian Navy’s largest cruiser, HMS Ontario, was in dock. The boys were invited by the admiral to tour the ship.

July 13 to 18 They played the Bristol Hippodrome theatre, the Derby

Hippodrome from July 20 to 25, the Manchester Hippodrome from July 27 to August 1, the Leicester Palace theatre August 3 to 8, and then back to London where they were booked into the London Empire theatre, Wood Green from August 10 to the 15.

August 17 to 22 The boys played the London Empire, Shepherd’s

Bush theatre and then from August 24 to 29 they played the London Empire Hackney theatre.

Then it was off to Bournemouth for a day and then a week’s engagement at the Palace Theatre in Blackpool from August 31 to September 5. Arthur always insisted on top billing in the theatres and the posters of the day always showed the band’s name in the largest print. Being generally top bill they were the last act which involved approximately 40 minutes of solid playing.

September 7 The whole band again chartered a plane and flew to

Paris.

MOSS EMPIRE/VAUDEVILLE TOUR ~ 165

Followed By One of the Queen’s Guard Bands

The boys played for a week in each town. There were lots of billboards with their name on them. Ron Pajala played the accordion on all the stages. At one of the venues, there was a ‘tassel dancer’ named ‘Tessie O’Shea.’ When her act was on, the boys were always there watching. They saw the ‘Ted Heath Band’ in Blackpool. Often they would follow or would be followed by one of the Queen’s Guard Bands; the Grenadier Guards or the Coldstream Guards. (Ron Pajala 1953, high school band director)

The boys were educated in all aspects of the professional music business.

Over the course of three and one half months in the Old Country the boys played 175 stage, theatre and concert performances. While in London, they found time to play before a crowd of 40,000 at Wembley Stadium. In Blackpool the boys drew 3,500 to a concert, while crooner Frank Sinatra sang for only a few hundred spectators at a competing theatre. The boys were educated in all aspects of the professional music business. Kenny Douglas handled copyrights. There were copyrights on music back in those days. He had to estimate the number of people in the audience. After every concert, Kenny kept a tab on which he had to list what they played. He did all the copyrights, two shows a day, six days a week. The seventh day they traveled. Between Arthur and Kenny they would estimate the number of people at each concert. If there was a collection taken, they had to pay just dues. Arthur took care of it.

When the boys arrived in London, they had just missed the coronation of a young Queen Elizabeth but in Southampton they had managed to sail in during the Spithead Revue, past a number of warships and other participating

ABOVE: The boys on stage at the London Palladium BELOW: Poster advertising the boys at the Wood Green Empire Theatre in London.

166 ~ North Vancouver Schools Band vessels. This tour set the band’s record for the greatest number of professional engagements. It is also generally considered to be the second most well balanced of all of Arthur’s bands, second only to his 1936 band which won the top prize at the Crystal Palace.

Stocky and his wife Ginger were both there to see them off when the boys departed London for Southampton. Stocky said to the boys in his usual witty fashion, “Boys, I thank you all from the bottom of my heart and from my wife’s bottom too!”

Art Smith and the North Vancouver Schools’ Band

ABOVE: The boys with a Grenadier guard at Buckingham Palace.

BELOW: Poster advertising the boys at the Theatre Royal.

RIGHT: Ken Sotvedt (L) and Bob Nicholson (R) at home getting their instruments out for the homecoming concert.

When Arthur left Vancouver on the 1953 trip, he left a clarinet player by the name of McGregor in charge of his North Vancouver Schools Band.

That was a disaster because McGregor was from England and all he talked about was crotchets, quavers & semiquavers. Most of the members quit as all he did was work with the clarinets as he knew nothing about brass. The band parents had a meeting and Art Smith, one of the parents (his son Ron played in the band) got up and voiced his opinion. Then another parent got up and said, “If you know so much about it then why don’t you take over the band.” That was all that Art needed. He said that he would until Mr. D got back. When Mr. D got back the band parents said that they wanted Art to continue. Mr. D didn’t get over that for many years yet he hired Art to play 1st trombone in his concert band that played in the parks around Vancouver. Art Smith was well known in musical circles in Vancouver as a gold medalist and 1st trombone in the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and CBC Orchestra.

MOSS EMPIRE/VAUDEVILLE TOUR ~ 167

Background & Anecdotes A Run-In With City Council!

In April 1953 Arthur approached the city council of Vancouver asking for a mere $300 to help out on his tour that summer. He was told that city council had developed a “hold the line” policy on expenditures and turned him down. In the city council chambers Alderman Bert Shouter said, “It’s chicken feed.” “We can’t break down our policy,” argued Alderman R.K. Gervin, “How can we justify this grant when we are cutting down all departments?”After the motion had been defeated 4-3, Mr. Shouter then said, “We should all pay the $300 out of our pockets.”

Mayor Hume rushed over to shake his hand and say, “That’s a mighty fine gesture. I’ll go for that myself.” So Arthur got his grant although officially it had been refused.

Rehearsals continued as usual for the next trip and sometimes the unexpected would happen. One time a guy came to rehearsal. The boys didn’t know where he came from but he wasn’t one of them because he was breathing in all the right places. (Richard Brown 1950) Arthur had his boys’ in each section breath at staggered intervals so it sounded like one uninterrupted wall of sound.

By the 1950’s fundraising was becoming more difficult. There were more organizations in Vancouver, all trying to raise money for one thing or another but thanks to the excellent work of his Committee, Arthur and his boys were able to return to England in the summer of 1953.

Early 1950’s Many band teachers in BC felt there was a need for

a more coordinated approach to teaching band in British Columbia. A small group of educators — consisting of Gar McKinley (Oliver), Mark Rose (Kelowna), Ralph Yarwood (Kimberley), Bill Cumming (Powell River), Fred Turner (New Westminster), Howard Denike (Victoria) and Jack Cuthbert (Vancouver) — organized their first conference in 1952 in New Westminster. (www.erikabbink.com/pdf/Abbink_Erik-2011Saxophone_in_BC.pdf)

Several of Delamont’s boys from the 1950’s went on to become bandmasters in the schools of

Greater Vancouver, using the performance skills they learned in the Kitsilano Boys’ Band. They would often stand up in front of the band with a trumpet, as Delamont did (even though they didn’t even play

ABOVE: Coldstream Guards band in London.

BELOW: 1952 Dal Richards playing for the wedding of Austin Taylor’s daughter, Patricia. She married William Buckley Jr. here in Vancouver.

They played for 1,500 guests in the garden of his mansion on South Granville.

168 ~ Several Boys Became Bandmasters the trumpet) and instruct the band in the same manner as Delamont.

One such boy was Ron Pajala.

One Monday evening Mrs. Pajala took her son Ron down to General Gordon School. Ron took his saxophone and sat down with the band. When Arthur started the band, he usually gave the down beat and boom, the band was off, immediately! Ron could hardly keep up and Arthur kept looking at him. For Ron it was a frightening experience, going from an understanding music teacher to this guy. Tears

ABOVE: George Dingle getting some help with his cape.

RIGHT: Boys playing in the parking lot of Park Royal Shopping Centre.

BELOW: Marching in a parade in New Westminster.

MOSS EMPIRE/VAUDEVILLE TOUR ~ 169 started coming from his eyes. After it was finished, Ron said to his mother, “I’m not going there again!” She said, “Oh yes, you are!” She knew! She knew because she had heard the band playing somewhere.

Once Ron started going, it got better. (Ron Pajala 1952-’53, Band Director, John Oliver High School)

Dick McManus, who went on Arthur’s 1955 trip, was another. He came from a long line of musicians. His grandfather was a musician and played everywhere: the VSO, Leicester Square and old Broadway. His name was ‘Dick Douglas.’ He was a solid pit musician. He could improvise and play the piano. Jack Benny came to town. His accompanist got ill so they asked Dick’s grandfather to accompany him. After the show, Jack asked his grandfather, “Would you come back to Hollywood with me?” Dick’s grandfather said, “No, I like Vancouver!” The next time Benny was in town, he gave his accompanist the night off and hired Dick’s grandfather. Such was the level of his playing. (Dick McManus 1950-’55, high school band director) Dick taught school band for 27 years, from 1959 thru 1986.

From 1969 thru 1986 he was the band director at Burnaby Central High School.

Sandy Cameron played in Arthur’s band twice and went on

the 1958 tour of England and the Continent. He joined Arthur’s North Vancouver Schools’ Band and then his family moved to Port Alice. In Port Alice, Sandy and his father played in a dance band. Sandy was about 13. Cedric Ryan taught Sandy sax and clarinet. Percy Kellaway was a saxophone player that he learned from as well. Both fellows worked in the mill in Port Alice during the daytime. Les Martin was their town band conductor. He was also the secretary-treasurer of the school district (The town did not have a superintendent). He was very supportive in Sandy’s musical development. Then the family moved back to North Vancouver and Sandy rejoined the North Vancouver Schools’ Band. (Sandy Cameron 1955-’62, high school band director) Sandy taught band in Salmon Arm.

Became a Chemist at Shell Oil

Murray McAndrew was a close friend of Ron Wood. He became a top research scientist for Shell Oil in Houston, Texas. He still has a place on South Pender Island. He married his high school sweetheart, Ann Wood. Murray was a brain! When he joined the band he didn’t know how to play pool or anything. He was a shark inside of a month.

Clarinet? He had never played one before. Six months later, he was

ABOVE: Sandy Cameron BELOW: Eric Wood on drums, Ron Wood on trumpet and Murray McAndrew at home.

170 ~ Golders Green

ABOVE: The boys in England. Above, left to right, Bill Good, Jim McVicar, Bob Nicholson, Doug Holbrook, Bill Cave, Alex Mcleod, Ken Sotvedt BELOW: Bill Good standing by giant poster of the band.

a virtuoso (12th Street Rag). He goes to university, never studies and gets scholarships left, right and center. He had a ninety-five percent average.

When he graduated, Shell came to him and said they would build a special lab for him if he joined Shell, so he did! He stayed on, always in the scientific area. To Ron’s knowledge he never got into the business side.

His wife was very smart and a top athlete. Gorgeous! She was a cheerleader at Magee High School. Ron had the dance band at Magee. Dal Richards had the dance band at Magee when he went there earlier. Harry King was their music teacher. He wrote the official Ubyssey song to this day, “Hail Ubyssey!” He put on a lot of Gilbert and Sullivan. (Ron Wood 1946-’53, banker)

‘Theatrical Digs’ On this tour the boys stayed mostly in what were called ‘theatrical digs,’ which were rooming houses that catered only to theatre folk. At Golders Green in London, Ron Wood told me they stayed in pretty nice digs. The room he had was in the front parlor, turned into a bedroom. There was a big double bed and two little cots on either side. It was routine for them to go out and buy a big order of fish and

MOSS EMPIRE/VAUDEVILLE TOUR ~ 171 chips, bring it back and stick it in the bed and use it as a bed warmer. Then they would jump into the bed and eat the fish and chips. He recalled one of the boys jumped on one of the cots and it collapsed.

The gal who ran the place was looking to make some money and went to the Hippodrome and told the management that the boys had destroyed the bed. She wanted to be compensated. They sent someone up. As it turned out, it was a set up. The legs were held on by string. Any weight landing on it would collapse the bed and she was exposed for her larceny. (Ron Wood 1953, banker)

‘SMACK’ There were girls who followed the band from town to

town. They sent the boys letters which Mr. D would hand out. Some of the letters had codes on them like ‘SMACK,’ which meant So Much in Love with You. They were apparently codes from the war days which were used when they sent letters to the troops. Delamont just raised his eyes- he knew what it was all about. (Ed Silva-White 1953’55, high school teacher)

ABOVE: Michael Hadley and Ron Wood with train conductor.

BELOW: The boys in front of one of the posters advertising their performance at the Bristol Hippodrome.

172 ~ The Oscar Rabin Band

Charlie Parker Ed Silva-White remembers going into a music

store in London and after the owner found out who they were, he said, “Do you want to meet someone?” He took them into a back room and there was legendary saxophone player, Charlie Parker, sitting on a chair.

They spent about an hour talking to him and listening to him play. (Ed Silva-White 1953’55, high school teacher)

ABOVE: Some of the boys outside the train on the ride across Canada.

BELOW: Ron Pajala in a train station with the rest of the boys.

Ron Pajala was the Accordion Player Trumpet trios on this trip were performed by Arnold Emery, Doug Holbrook and Roy Griffith. Some of the selections they played were Trifolium, Jim Dandies, Triplets of the Finest, The Three Solitaires and Fantasy For Three. Ron Pajala was the accordion player Arthur brought along on the 1953 trip. Ron also played alto saxophone in the band. Before the trip Arthur had Ron play the accordion at a few concerts with the band around Vancouver. It was a frightening experience for him. He had to get out there while the band was having a rest. Arthur didn’t want a piece that was too long. He knew what he wanted and he didn’t want anything too heavy. Ron played pieces like, ‘The Beer Barrel Polka,’ with the bellow shake, i.e. well known, entertaining tunes. On the concert stages in Europe, in the theatres, it went over big time.

The audience would all clap along. One of Ron’s finales was Lady of Spain, with its bellow shake, which usually brought the house down.

(Ron Pajala 1953, high school band director) Ron went on to direct bands at John Oliver High School from 1962 through the eighties and then at Sir Charles Tupper High School. He retired in 1991 after 32 years.

The Older Woman On all the trips it seemed like Arthur often had to contend with something to do with the opposite sex but he always found a way to deal with what ever problem arose. One of the boys, Lorne Beauchamp, was establishing quite a relationship with this older woman on one of their weekly gigs in England. Some of the boys told Arthur. Arthur was afraid that it might get too serious, so he took matters into his own hands. In the middle of one of their concerts he said, “The public are always saying that they are not boys because they are so tall. They tend to be taller than the English equivalent. For instance, Lorne Beauchamp, would you stand up? Would you believe that Lorne Beauchamp is only sixteen?” The girl friend was in the audience.

That was the end of that relationship! (Ron Wood 1946-’53, banker)

MOSS EMPIRE/VAUDEVILLE TOUR ~ 173

Oscar Rabin at the Lyceum In London the boys played

at Charing Cross, two shows a day. It was an open air amphitheater across the Thames from the British Empire Gardens. After their performance the boys walked from there up to a place called the Lyceum. It was a dance hall. Oscar Rabin, probably England’s best known dance band was playing at the Lyceum. When they got there the Teddy Boys would be there with their girlfriends and they invited the boys to sit with them. They would say, “Ah, here’s the Can-i-dians. The boys are here. You dance with my bird.” They listened to Oscar Rabin playing Night Train, which had just come out. The stage would revolve and a small band would give way to a bigger Rabin band with Oscar playing bass saxophone. What an instrument thought the boys, unbelievable!

While in London they went to the original productions of South Pacific, Seagulls over Sorrento and Paint Your Wagon. Because they were part of the Empire chain and played at different Empire theatres, the Hackney or Shepherds Bush, Darby or Leicester, they knew about all the shows!” (Kenny Douglas 1947-’53, Shriners’ Band director)

Sousa Comparisons (Part 2) The similarities continued

between Sousa’s band and Delamont’s band throughout their programming. Both played overtures, concert selections, waltzes, light opera and both employed rapid fire encores. In Sousa’s case, his encores were always Sousa marches which he had written. Both men were beloved the world over. When their bands played all else stopped. Both made bands credible. Neither band was a band without its respected leader.

Both travelled several million miles by train. When Sousa’s band was on a tour they travelled in three Pullman cars. Delamont’s band always had two Pullman cars. The individual band members in each band were known for their practical jokes. They formed baseball teams to compete in friendly games with local town teams. The boys all loved the trips and plenty of sight reading was done in both organizations.

Both Sousa and Delamont were lifelong Masons. (If you were a military band leader, in those days, the importance of Masonic membership cannot be over emphasized). At any given time, between one third and one half of Sousa’s band were Masons. In later years, many of Delamont’s boys became Masons.

Sousa made an indelible impression abroad towards recognition of America’s progress in the arts (the quality of their playing). Delamont made an indelible impression abroad towards the recognition of Canadian youth as being cultured and not rough and ready backwoodsmen.

Both organizations did more to further American and Canadian prestige than any other organization of their time, musically and otherwise. The

ABOVE: Poster advertising the boys at the Palace Theatre in Blackpool.

BELOW: Palace Tower, Blackpool.

174 ~ Stanley Black Orchestra

ABOVE: Max Bacon was the larger-than-life drummer with the Ambrose Orchestra for many years who also had a unique Jewish-style humour. The boys met him on stage when they were performing in London.

BELOW: April in Paris

newspapers of the day made comments like the following: “This band has done more to create international goodwill than a whole Corp of diplomats.” Sousa’s formula was to produce or cease to exist. The same formula could apply to Arthur Delamont. Both had the stage presence of a great showman.

Neither of their bands were marching bands but rather concert bands that also marched. In terms of dynamics, no symphony orchestra of the day could touch the Sousa band. No youth bands or adult bands of the day could touch the Vancouver Boys’ Band, as they constantly won competitions in England in the 1930s against England’s finest adult bands.

Both bands travelled millions of miles and their accomplishments were nothing short of a miracle when one realizes that neither band operated with one penny of government subsidies. They both played their way into the hearts of the masses by appealing to their tastes and by giving them liberal doses of classics, stimulating March music, humor and variety, variety, variety.

August 17 to 22, ‘Stanley Black Orchestra’

While playing in London, (Chiswick) the boys were again billeted out. When Ron Wood arrived at his billet’s front door, he saw these two gorgeous girls, about six foot three. It turned out, they were dancers for the ‘Follies Bergere’ in Paris and its counterpart, the ‘Windmill,’ in London. Their father, who was the owner of the house, was a drummer for the ‘Stanley Black Orchestra.’ Ron and the others had great adventures there because they were young fellas and the girls were about eighteen or nineteen. They came up with great phrases, such as, “What time do you want us to knock you up in the morning?” Which of course meant, when do you want us to wake you up?

Hillary and Margaret were their names. Hillary took a liking to Muzz (Murray McAndrew). Of course, he thought he had died and gone to heaven. Hillary was quite the fast lady. Some member of the London mob asked if she would go with him to Paris for the weekend. He said he would buy her a Jaguar car. She did and he did! There was a running gag. These girls would go running around the house scantily clad.

Then they would come banging on their door at just the right moment.

(Ron Wood 1946-’53, banker)

September 7, French Gitanes and Gauloises The

whole band again chartered a plane and flew to Paris. They flew into Le Bourget Airport and stamped on the mind of Gerry Deagle was the sight of a beautiful young hostess striding across the tarmac to greet them.

MOSS EMPIRE/VAUDEVILLE TOUR ~ 175 Looking every bit like a fashion model in her tightly fitting blue skirt and white blouse and high heels, she had all the boys drooling. The boys were ushered onto a bus for a short ride to a university in the center of the city. There they split up into small groups and headed off in search of a place to stay. Gerry was with Russ Robinson and Ian Gregory, two trombonists just a year older than him. They walked for miles alongside streets before running into a gorgeous young Parisian. She told them her folks had a small hotel along the way. It was getting dark and she was too beautiful to pass up. The room had a window that opened up onto a wrought iron balcony. From his bed Gerry could see a searchlight playing in the night sky. When he opened his eyes the next morning his heart skipped a beat as he gazed upon the Eiffel Tower framed by a clear

BELOW: Arthur playing a solo at the Hippodrome in Coventry.

176 ~ The British Stan Kenton blue sky. The next five days were among the most wondrous of his life. Amid the ever-present aroma of French Gitanes and Gauloises, they sat to midnight dinner on the Avenue des Champs-Elysee. Strolled the Seine and Montmartre and even (despite their tender ages) took in shows at Les Folies Bergere and Moulin Rouge. (Gerry Deagle 1951’55, journalist)

“How was the accommodation in Paris?”

ABOVE: Jack Parnell, carried the aura of the matinee idol he had once been. Parnell was often mobbed at the stage door after a Ted Heath concert in the 1950s.

BELOW: Kenny Douglas in the Shriner’s Band.

Kenny is holding the black sabre.

Gordy Brown recalls when he was in Paris at the end of the trip he found a hotel at a low rate, only to find out it was a hotel of ill repute.

Here he was, a fifteen year old kid, walking across the street, while all these ladies were gathering in the pub. So he talked to them and found out it was just a business to them. It was quite a revelation to Gord. One of the boys wrote home and told his parents about the hotel. When the band arrived home, Gordy’s dad said to him, “How was the accommodation in Paris?” (Gordy Brown 1953)

Jack Parnell, the British Stan Kenton Arthur’s

tours to the Old Country were educational to the boys in so many ways. To many, it made them want to pursue musical careers but to others it was a deciding factor in not choosing music as a career. In Blackpool the boys played at the Palace Theatre. Jack Parnell, who was the British Stan Kenton, was at the Winter Gardens Ballroom.

The boys had a larger audience than they did and the same was true when Frank Sinatra was at the Winter Gardens and they were back at the Palace. Several of the boys hung out with some of their Winter Gardens band members, including their drummer, Phil Siemens. Most of the week, after their late show, the boys would go backstage at the Winter Gardens and wait until they were finished and then go down the street to an all-night fish and chip joint and gab for what seemed to be hours. For Ron Wood this was a turning point. After hearing and seeing their lifestyle, I decided to become a banker like my uncle.

(Ron Wood 1946-’53, banker)

Arthur Approached His Life like a Daring Adventure

and he taught each of his boys to do the same. In our day-to-day lives, the virtue of courage doesn’t receive much attention. Courage is a quality reserved for soldiers, firefighters, and activists. Security is what matters most today. Perhaps you were taught to avoid being too bold or too brave. It’s too dangerous, don’t take unnecessary risks, don’t draw attention to yourself in public, follow family traditions, don’t talk to strangers, keep an eye out for suspicious people; stay safe. But a side

MOSS EMPIRE/VAUDEVILLE TOUR ~ 177 effect of overemphasizing the importance of personal security in your life is that it can cause you to live reactively. Instead of setting your own goals, making plans to achieve them, and going after them with gusto, you play it safe. Keep working at the stable job, even though it doesn’t fulfill you. Remain in the unsatisfying relationship, even though you feel dead inside compared to the passion you once had. Who are you to think that you can buck the system? Accept your lot in life, and make the best of it. Go with the flow, and don’t rock the boat. Your only hope is that the currents of life will pull you in a favorable direction. You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, “I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along. You must do the thing you think you cannot do.”

- Eleanor Roosevelt

Clarinets: Howie Pottinger, David Hughes, Ron (Zoot) Chandler, Murray McAndrew, Robert Sherrin, Ken Sotvedt, Ron Lockwood, Ken Nichols, Saxophones: Gordie Brown, Ron Pajala, Lorne Beauchamp Accordian: Ron Pajala Trumpets: Arnold Emery, Douglas Holbrook, Roy Griffiths, Ron Wood, Bruce Chadwick, Gray Osborne, Ed Silva-Whit, Art Tusvik, Gerry Deagle, Mellophones: Kenny Douglas, Mike Hadley, Gary Ginther, Ian Gregory Trombones: Robin Scott, Bill Trussell, Owen Morse, Alex McLeod, Russell Robinson, Euphoniums: Bill Davenport, Brian Atkins, Basses: Bill Cave, Bob Nicholson, Lorne Ginther Percussion: Bill Good, Eric Wood, Jim McVicar, Don Atkins

ABOVE: Bill Good (L) and Lorne Beauchamp in their room in London.

BELOW: The boys on the SS Samaria.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAMPIONS OF THE BRITISH PARK CIRCUIT WHEN VAUDEVILLE ENDS

Band History: In 1955 the Kits band leaves on a 4 month tour of the UK * They travel across

Canada by train playing concerts. * Board the RMS Ascania for Liverpool * Background: 1954, Arthur’s bands continue to win music festivals at home * The Arthur Delamont Concert Band * Arnie Chycoski, Donny Clark, Earl Hobson and Dennis Tupman join the band * Band Parents Association * Meta-Narrative: More on the Power Of Concentration* Anecdotes: Art Tusvik plays in D’s pro bands * Bud Kellett * Don Radelet played in most of D’s pro bands * The BCSITA * Wonderful careers in music * Bing Thom gets seasick * Art meets Bobby Pratt * Earl meets Henry McKenzie * The Basil and Ivor Kirchen band * Remembering Bill Trussell

The band’s sixth tour of the Old Country cost $24,000. Only eleven of the boys who went in 1953 returned for the

1955 trip. The boys left Vancouver on May 4 and Arthur set about breaking the newcomers in as they toured across Canada with concerts in Revelstoke, Banff, Calgary, Swift Current, Brandon, Winnipeg, Kenora, Fort William, Marathon, Sudbury, Toronto and finally Montreal.

On the 1955 trip, the skit performed across Canada was called the Firehouse Five. Brian Todd would come out with a big sousaphone case, open it up and take out a tiny piccolo trumpet and start to play. Bing Thom recalls travelling across Canada and stopping at whistle stops, sleeping on the trains, playing in small towns. That was eye-opening. He had never been across Canada before. It was all deliberately set up as a training period for when they reached England. They had honed their skills! When they left Vancouver the band was good but not nearly as good as Arthur wanted. If you play every day, twice a day, sometimes three times a day, you just get better and better and better. Arthur was constantly forcing the boys to sight read pieces they had never seen before. He was testing them, trying to see how far he could push them as musicians. On the train they had sectional practices. They never stopped playing! (Bing Thom, 1955, architect)

May 17 They all departed Quebec City on the RMS Ascania and arrived in Liverpool on May 27th. The first night out from Montreal on the Ascania, Donny Clark and several others hung around listening to the orchestra do their dining and dance set. When they finished, they were to have a bit of a jam session, so Donny went and got his trumpet. His grade eight band teacher in Creston had him listening to and playing jazz right from the first time he put the horn to his lips so it was a given that he wanted to sit in with the boys and jam the blues: ‘Sweet Georgia Brown’ and ‘How High the Moon.’ Out of the blue, Mr. D appeared! Donny’s horn miraculously transferred to Mr. D’s hands and then to Donny’s case on the floor. Within

ABOVE: Revelstoke in 1955.

BELOW: The boys playing in Banff.

180 ~ Howard Davis Park

ABOVE: Boys on board the RMS Ascania. The boy in the life preserver is Bing Thom.

BELOW: The boys on the steps of their lodging in Birmingham.

moments, they were all downstairs in their staterooms and in their bunks. “I don’t remember his words to be too endearing but he made the point that we all had to be in good shape for the band rehearsal the next morning.” (Donny Clark ’1955, professional musician) Upon arrival in Liverpool, the boys were off to Blackpool where they were booked for a week’s engagement at the Palace Theatre. After the boys finished their two nightly concerts, they would go up to the Winter Gardens to hear the Ted Heath Orchestra play. The members of the Ted Heath Orchestra kind of adopted the boys and they had a free invitation to come backstage anytime they wanted.

June 14 through the 19 The boys’ next engagement took them all

the way back down to London, where they boarded a boat for Jersey in the Channel Islands. In Jersey they played in the bandstand at Howard Davis Park. In their spare time, the boys rented bicycles and toured the island and discovered lots of souvenirs left by German soldiers when they were forced to retreat quickly at the end of the war. Hitler’s forces had occupied the island of Jersey during the war. Along the coastline the Germans had constructed many defenses that still remained to be explored. Polish slaves were used

JERSEY ISLANDS TOUR ~ 181 to construct a mammoth underground hospital. The British were still exhuming bodies of slaves who were entombed in the walls that summer as the boys played in the main city of St. Helier.” (Gerry Deagle 1951-’57, journalist)

June 27 through July 1 The boys played: the Theatre Royal in Ports-

mouth, Birmingham Hippodrome from July 5 through 9 and the Swansea Empire Theatre from July 11 through the 15. Then they returned to Blackpool for another week’s engagement from July 18 through the 22.

Mrs. Delamont was very ill on that trip. The chaperones had to look after her. The boys were pretty much on their own. The word was out from the older fellas that when you were performing you had to be there one hundred per cent or watch out. Somewhere on the trip, at some big theatre, the boys were all set up and ready to go behind a curtain. No Delamont! So the curtain opened and the boys started immediately to play. Someone must have given the down beat. Arthur came running out. I am not sure if it was the first or second piece and finally caught up to them. They knew what to do! He was a showman, with his pristine uniform and his shock of white hair. The summer of ‘55 was one of the hottest summers’ in England. The boys spent a lot of time sight reading in parks that summer. (Dick McManus 1955, high school band director) On their second visit to Blackpool the boys continued to go over and listen to the Ted Heath band at the Winter Gardens after they had finished performing. They struck up a friendship with several members of the Ted Heath band, who admired the boys’ instruments and how well they played.

On the pier they also saw Kenny Baker (Europe’s top trumpet star) as well as Morecombe & Wise.

The trumpet trio on this trip was made up of Arnie Chycoski, Art Tusvik and Donny Clark. They performed Fantasy for Three as well as other selections. A young Bing Thom narrated a novelty number called Little Bop Riding Hood. On July 24 they played a one-night-stand at the Pier Pavilion in Llandudno, Wales and then they were off to the Royal Hall in Harrogate from July 25 through 30.

Arthur was as fierce as Toscanini when it came to the

music and as unpredictable. In one of the parks Arthur held a talent contest: win five pounds, that sort of thing. This little girl insulted Arthur somehow about wanting a strict tempo and he took offence at her directions. She kept trying to slow him down and he kept speeding up the tempo. He was just brutal, sparks were flying! (Dick McManus 1950-’55, high school band director)

ABOVE: Four boys on board the SS Patrick on their way to Jersey.

BELOW: A vaudeville theatre program.

182 ~ Georgia Auditorium Next stop was Cheltenham from August 1 through 13, the Parade Gardens, Bath from August 14 through the 20 and then back to Blackpool for a third week from August 22 - 26.

August 28 Another one night stand at Llandudno, Wales followed by a week’s engagement at the Calvary Grounds in Tunbridge Wells from August 30 through September 3 marked the end of their British engagements. From September 4 to the 9 they too, like the boys before them, chartered a plane and flew to Paris.

ABOVE: Four boys in Llandudno, Wales BELOW: Sticker from a London Hotel that the boys would have put on their instrument cases.

BOTTOM: Old Boys welcoming the band home at the CPR Staion in downtown Vancouver.

The boys left England on September 9 aboard the RMS Scythia. On the way home they played concerts in Marathon, (Ontario), Fort William, Winnipeg and Moose Jaw. This tour of the Old Country lasted four months and twenty days and marked the end of British vaudeville. With the advent of television in the mid-1950s, the vaudeville theatres that had been all over Britain at one time, gradually were torn down to make way for expensive real estate developments, turned into cinemas or bought by the BBC and turned into production houses. During the 1950, 1953 and 1955 tours the band was booked with Harold Fielding to play vaudeville theatres but it is not known whether the L.G. Sharpe Agency in London was still the band’s agent. They probably were on the 1950 and 1953 trip as ‘Stocky’ was still in charge of the band’s bookings. It is unknown if ‘Stocky’ was involved in the band’s 1955 tour.

They had been hired by Harold Fielding either directly or through an agency.

By mid July, Fielding wanted to cancel his show because he was losing 500 pounds a day. When this happened, Arthur approached the boys and asked them all, “Do you want to carry on or go home?” They of course all wanted to carry on but they only played park concerts from then on. The summer of ‘55 was one of the hottest in recent memory in Great Britain and this, along with the beginning of television, were the reasons for the decline of British vaudeville that summer. People were not going to the theatre as much and therefore the booking agents were having a hard time making ends meet. The L.G. Sharpe Agency was instrumental in booking the band throughout the 1930s and I assume the early 1950s.

When the boys arrived back in Vancouver on September 24 they were welcomed by a band of old boys and then performed a homecoming concert in the Georgia Auditorium.

JERSEY ISLANDS TOUR ~ 183

Background & Anecdotes 1954 The world-travelled Kitsilano Boys’ Band regained the junior band championship at the B.C. Music Festival at the Georgia Auditorium.

Runner-up to Victoria High School in 1953, the Kitsilano band scored 180 points, eight more than Victoria. Vancouver City Band was third with 168 points. The Kitsilano Boys’ Band would take first place in the British Columbia Music Festival right through to 1961. Arthur’s boys had already taken first place in the B.C. Music Festival every year from 1931 to 1952.

The only year they missed was 1953. Dr. Havelock Nelson, adjudicating the winners of the junior band open class, remarked, “Your Kitsilano Boys’ Band is known all over the British Isles. We expected a great deal and we were not disappointed.”

I often wondered why the band missed taking a first place in Victoria in 1953 after they had won it every year since 1931 and every year after, through 1961. Apparently what happened was when the boys went over to Victoria and played Zampa, the adjudicator did not know the difference between the original version and the one played in a simpler key. The winning band didn’t play the original version, as they did! (Ed Silva-White 1950-’53, high school teacher) 1954 Arthur started the Arthur Delamont Concert Band which continued

for thirty years. It began as a band he put together to play for the Commonwealth Games but after the games it continued on so his boys would have a place to play after they left his Kitsilano Band. Arthur was always very loyal to his boys and tried to hire as many of them as he could over the years. The extra income never hurt and it gave many of them a place to keep on playing. In 1954 he enlisted 30 of his boys for the Delamont Concert Band to play national anthems at the British Empire Games. One summer he rustled up fifteen for a little band that played P&O Liners sailing out of Vancouver: Waltzing Matilda for those bound for Australia. California Here I Come, for those off to San Francisco. Always the finale was an unaccompanied cornet farewell, Mr. D standing with tears in his eyes, playing Auld Lang Syne.

(Roy Johnston 1929-’34, right of way agent BC Hydro) Before the band’s sixth trip to the UK in 1955, several of Arthur’s top players decided that they could not come along. Arthur found himself in the difficult position of having to find replacements for four of his lead instruments. He had heard of a good trumpet player who was playing with Fred Turner’s New Westminster Band named Arnie Chycoski, so he called him up one night: “It’s Arthur Delamont calling from the Kitsilano Boys’

Havelock Nelson (b. Cork 1917, d. 1996, PhD, MusD Dublin), a Quaker and a pacifist, served as a bacteriologist in the RAF in World War II. From 1947 to 1977 he was on the staff of the BBC in Belfast as resident accompanist, conductor and broadcaster. He founded and directed the Studio Opera Group in the 1950s and also conducted the Ulster Singers from 1954. He was a frequent adjudicator at music competitions internationally. His numerous compositions include orchestral and choral works, chamber music and song cycles in addition to incidental music for some 150 radio plays and television films.

He was awarded a number of honorary degrees and an OBE (in 1966) for his distinguished services to music.

184 ~ British Adjudicator Lionel Salter

ABOVE: 1955 (L to R) Earl Hobson, Donny Clark and Dennis Tupman BELOW: Marching in the West Vancouver May Day Parade.

Band. I need a good trumpet player for my tour of England this summer.

Are you interested?” He also called Howard Denike in Victoria. Howard was the conductor of the Victoria High School Band. Arthur told him he needed a couple of lead clarinet players and a good lead trumpet. Howard recommended Earl Hobson and Dennis Tupman as clarinet players, and he recommended Donny Clark for lead trumpet and the rest is history. Arnie said, “I didn’t know what to do.” Arthur must have heard Arnie playing somewhere or another. Donny Clark and Arnie wound up being the added trumpets. Arnie had heard stories about Arthur. Arnie was about sixteen. He went in and sat down on the last chair which was for third trumpets. Arthur saw him down there and said, “What are you doing down there? I want you to play first.”Arnie was really scared of him. They would be rehearsing. Arthur would say,”“Gosh, darn it all, anyway!” He never swore but he goshed and darned all over the place. He took off his gold watch and threw it against the wall. He never gave Arnie any heat at all. Arnie thinks it was because he didn’t come on like he thought he was the best player in the world. Donny Clark played a lot of the solos. (Arnie Chycoski 1955, lead trumpet player.

Boss Brass)

Spring of 1955 Distinguished British adjudicator Lionel Salter in-

dicated before the trip when he handed down marks of 91 for a warm-up march and 88 for ‘Swedish Rhapsody,’ to Arthur Delamont’s world-famous

JERSEY ISLANDS TOUR ~ 185 organization at the BC Music Festival in the Auditorium: “The Kitsilano Boys’ Band is the best in Canada! I wonder if you people realize what a really good band you have here in Vancouver,” Mr. Salter continued, “I have travelled across Canada listening to bands from Nova Scotia westward and I haven’t heard anything that compares to the quality of this playing.” He went on to comment on the ‘fine preparation and polish of the performance.’ Intonation, he said, was impeccable and there was ‘unanimity, both expressively and tonally. Vancouver is very lucky to have someone like him in its midst, someone who obviously is doing such fine work training these bands. Their performances are a tribute to the amount of work he’s put in.” (Vancouver Sun)

The Band’s Parent Association (Committee) was very strong during the 1930s and 1950s.

They usually looked after fund raising and publicity for the band. Often, they would run an announcement in the Province newspaper, whenever Arthur wanted to recruit new members for his bands.

Bing Thom’s mother saw an announcement in the Province newspaper, looking for boys to go to Europe. This seemed like a great opportunity for young boys to travel and see the world. So she asked Bing’s brothers and Bing, if they wanted to go down to the Point Grey Junior Band. They said yes! Bing told me, “He was a scary fellow. He stuck a clarinet in my mouth and said, Blow!” (Bing Thom 1955 - ‘58, architect) Mothers continued to want their boys to play in Arthur’s band. One mother who went to Point Grey High School as a little girl had heard a performance of Arthur’s band and was so impressed she said, “If I ever have a son, I am going to make sure he plays in that band.” She did have a son and in 1950 she moved with her family to West Vancouver. When he was old enough, in 1954, he joined Arthur’s band. His name was Bill Ingledew. Bill’s mother dragged him down to the old post office building where the band practiced. She introduced him to Mr. Delamont and told him the story of seeing him when she was a little girl in high school.

He took one look at Bill’s teeth and said, “He should play drums!” Bill wanted to play trumpet. Arthur said, “You’ll never play the trumpet!” But Bill insisted on playing the trumpet and play the trumpet he did.

(Bill Ingledew 1954 -’62, Ingledew’s Shoes)

ABOVE: Bing Thom with his passport.

BELOW: 2006 Dick McManus, French horn soloist, Earl Hobson conductor

186 ~ The Benefits Of Concentration

Delamont continued to discourage his boys from embarking on a career in music unless he could

see that it might work out for them. If a boy expressed to Delamont that he wanted to become a professional musician, he was extra hard on him.

“You think you could do it? You don’t have any idea what it is like.”

He would say. It was his way of toughening them up. Bing Thom told me he does the same thing with his junior architects because if you are going into any field, every day, you have to achieve the best. If there was any kind of values that Delamont taught, it was that in this world there is only the one percent and if you are not in that one percent, you don’t count. He taught that sense of excellence. That sense of discipline. That sense of perfection.

When you play in a band, you are only as good as the worst player because the worst player is going to spoil ABOVE: The band in England somewhere.

BELOW: The boys on a train platform in England.

the music. Even in the work that Bing does now, constructing buildings, he is only as good as the guy who is going to make the mistake. It is the mistake that everyone sees! It is a completely different way of looking at what quality means. What perfection means. What competitive life means. Delamont certainly built this competitive spirit into all his boys, so that you never know what you can achieve until you try. That is

JERSEY ISLANDS TOUR ~ 187

something which is invaluable for young people to learn. (Bing Thom 1951-’58, architect)

More on the Power of Concentration Delamont’s bands won

every contest they ever entered, with the exception of one or two. The high level of musicianship that the band displayed over the years, starting way back in 1931, through the 1930s and the 1950s, is testimony to the skills the boys learned under Arthur Delamont and the discipline he instilled in them. The power of concentration his boys developed through music was amazing! The counting of rests when not playing sharpened their powers of concentration. Learning to feel the music and being sensitive to the different parts all required skills of concentration. So did the ability to use alternate fingerings.

Timing is always important in reading music. Musicians have to be aware of tempos and changes that occur at any moment. Timing is also important regarding programming. Knowing how long the concert is and being ready to do your part when called upon makes all the players concentrate on the time. You are always aware of how much time you have before you come in and before you exit.

Visualizing is another form of concentration. Musicians often close their eyes and listen to the music or visualize what they are hearing. Learning to memorize requires great concentration. Delamont expected his soloists to all play their pieces from memory. Once you have memorized a piece of music you can close your eyes and visualize it. This proof of the power of concentration developed by the boys was always evident. Years after the boys had been in the band and they returned for homecoming concerts many could still play much of the music from memory. When on tour with the band, at some point the music became second nature, as most

ABOVE: The RMS Ascania BELOW: Arthur going over some music with two of the boys.

188 ~ The Arthur Delamont Concert Band

ABOVE: The three Amigos, Art Tusvik, Donny Clark and Don Charles BELOW: Mr. D in his Shriners’ uniform. marching in a parade.

boys had their parts memorized or a good portion of it.

Breathing exercises are fundamental to developing good musicianship. Learning to breathe properly is important in developing good powers of concentration. It is also important from a visual perspective.

Learning to read through a new piece of music and being able to play the essentials requires close concentration. Being able to play some of the parts afterwards without the music displays good concentration and most of these traits were and are second nature to Delamont-trained musicians.

The Benefits of Concentration to an individual are well known and include control of thoughts, peace of mind, self-confidence, inner strength, will power, better memory and the ability to decide and carry out your decisions. Better functioning in daily life (whether at home or work) the ability to study and comprehend more quickly, the refusal to be carried away with every passing thought, freedom from needless and annoying thoughts (thinking when you want to and about what you want to) inner happiness, help in developing psychic abilities, more powerful and efficient creative visualizations and guided imagination, true meditation, and spiritual enlightenment.

Art Tusvik played in his pro bands, his Parks Board band,

the Cunard Band and at Chinese funerals. One time they played a Chinese funeral in Chinatown at the Armstrong Funeral Parlor. One of the guys, Jack Reynolds, said, “This guy in here wants to talk to you.” Art opened the coffin and here’s a stiff inside. They were great times! (Art Tusvik 1953-’58, professional musician)

Bud Kellett Arthur often hired musicians for his pro band who had

not played in his boys’ band. It usually depended on who was available at the time. One such clarinet player he hired in 1954 was Bud Kellett.

Bud had been a member of William Hoskin Sara’s National Juvenile Band back in the early 1930s when so many of Sara’s boys had left and joined Arthur’s band. I interviewed Bud recently, now in his early nineties and still sharp as a tack. He told me that Bill Sara was devastated when so many of his boys left to join Arthur’s band. It basically spelled the end of his National Juvenile Band. Bud had stayed with Sara out of loyalty to him but nevertheless he eventually got to play with Arthur in 1954. He continued to play in Arthur’s professional band right into the 1980s. Bud was recognized as a fine clarinet player, as was Bill Sara.

Bud was asked in the 1950s to start a band in the Vancouver community of Kerrisdale, which he did. Many fine players passed through Bud’s band and it was well known for its excellent woodwind section.

JERSEY ISLANDS TOUR ~ 189 Arthur even suggested to Bud, he should lend him his clarinet section for an upcoming festival but it never happened. Bud’s band was known as the Kerrisdale Kiwanis Band and it always had a great clarinet section (Bud Kellett interview).

Don Radelet played in most of the pro bands in Vancouver in the 1950s through the 1980s, (Don was one

of Arthur’s boys from the 1939 England tour). Around 1950, after the band came back from England, someone said to Don, “Why don’t you come down to the Air Force Reserve Band?” They had horns that he could borrow. He didn’t have his own baritone. Before long Don was playing in every band. Half the Air Force Band were ex-Kits band members: Don Cromie, Ray Louden, Fraser MacPhearson, Ozzie McCoomb. The better players always ended up in Delamont’s Concert Band. He was very faithful.

Every band Don ever played in contained a half a dozen or so exkits band members: the HMCS Discovery band, the Lions band, the PNE band, the Air Force Reserve, the Delamont Concert band. A lot of Delamont’s boys went on to conduct their own bands: Dal Richards, Ken Sotvedt, Ron Smith from Magee High School. Arthur would never say they did well, he would always say, “I wouldn’t have done it that way.” For years, he would telephone the boys to see what was going on.

Because they played in all the bands, he wanted to be in the know. Right up to the end, he was still calling up. He’d telephone at midnight, just to talk if he couldn’t sleep. They never let him down. Lots of Chinese funerals, dozens and dozens. All Don’s best friends came out of the band: Alan Pugsley, John Symonds. Their wives all knew each other.

Don recalled playing for one Chinese funeral in particular. They had to change in a funeral home. They had open caskets in the room, which was kind of eerie. They played so many that sometimes they would just leave work and go to them. Only problem was, they would often wind up on the evening news because the fellow was famous. You could only go to the dentist so many times (They needed an excuse to tell the boss).

Stu Ross was the MC at one of Arthur’s concerts at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. He said, “We have some guys who have gone to the dentist so many times. Stand up, Don, and show everyone your teeth.” When Arthur started having reunion concerts in the sixties, Don told me Jimmy Pattison would always show up late. The curtain was ready to be drawn.

Jimmy wouldn’t have a bow tie. Don always carried a couple of extras.

Don would pass one along to him. Jimmy was on the committee that organized the reunions. Even at those meetings, he would be in the corner on the telephone. He looked after the advertising. In 1939, Don

ABOVE: Mr. D directing the Lions’ Band around 1955.

BELOW: Playing off the cruise ships

190 ~ The Ted Heath Band got to know one of the American girls on the Duchess of Bedford going over to England. He had gotten a letter from her sister, when he returned home saying, “Norma had drowned on the Athenia!” (Don Radelet 1935-’42, accountant CGA)

1954 The British Columbia Secondary Instrumental Teachers’ Association (BCSITA) was orga-

nized to improve teaching standards as well as give voice to the concerns of school instrumental teachers. The 1954 conference was organized by Fred Turner and seven of British Columbia’s school bands performed at this event. The 1952 conference had been the catalyst for forming the BCSITA. This group would continue to lobby towards getting full academic credit for band in the school system. (http://www. erikabbink.com/pdf/Abbink_Erik-2011-Saxophone_in_BC.pdf)

Wonderful Careers In Music After the 1955 trip to the

ABOVE: Bing Thom and Arnie Chycoski at one of the later band reunions.

BELOW: Poster advertising the boys playing at the Hippodrome in Birmingham.

Old Country these boys all went on to wonderful careers in music. Arnie Chycoski went to Los Angeles and played in the Si Zentner Band.

He then went on to Las Vegas where he played in Louie Bellson’s band. They played in the 1960s. After a stint in Europe he returned to Canada and stayed in Toronto where he played lead trumpet with Rob McConnell’s Boss Brass for 35 years. After the 1955 trip Donny Clark returned to Vancouver and became first call for stage, recordings, symphony and jazz work throughout the 1960s and 1970s. He also earned a music degree and became a composer. Dennis Tupman stayed in Vancouver and became a music educator and eventually the Superintendent of Music for the Vancouver School District. Earl Hobson taught school for many years and then became the Superintendent of Music for the Burnaby School District. He now directs the Royal City Concert Band. Arnie and Donny most recently played in the 80th reunion of the Kitsilano Boys’ band in July 2008, which Earl Hobson conducted.

Kits band alumni could be found throughout the local and national music scene. Earl Hobson’s first music supervisor in Victoria when he was teaching was Harry Bigsby. Harry had been a clarinet player in the Kits band in the 1930s. He helped Earl get out of high school early to go on the 1955 trip. “Harry was called on whenever they needed a clarinet player who played like Benny Goodman.” (Earl Hobson 1955, music supervisor/conductor)

Bing Thom was already seasick before he got onto the gang plank. He was sick all the way down the St Lawrence. It became kind of a joke. They practiced, the boat would

JERSEY ISLANDS TOUR ~ 191

sway. If they were really sick, he didn’t insist on their attending practices.

He didn’t humiliate them. He didn’t make them feel ridiculous. If someone was sick, they were sick. Bing was fourteen on that trip. In England, Arthur asked Bing to speak publicly at concerts. He even sang a little song, “When the Sun Shines In.” That was always a huge hit because Bing was just a little guy. At the end of the show, Bing would get a little more attention for his singing, so that was fun for him. Once and a while a pretty girl would come up to him. That is when he discovered girls. It was really all about learning to stand on your own two feet and be able to present yourself and represent others. That was to Bing the most significant experience that he got from the trips. (Bing Thom 1955, architect)

Bobby Pratt was the lead trumpet player in Ted Heath’s Band. What a sound! That’s what turned Art Tus-

vik on when he heard him playing at the ‘Winter Gardens,’ in Blackpool, in 1955. The Ted Heath band played dances at the Winter Gardens.

One marathon dance they played was six hours long. Bobby’s sound was remarkable. At the end of the six hour dance, he was still playing screamers. He had as big a sound on double G, as he did on middle C, an unbelievable sound. When they recorded they had one mike in each section. They had to put him about five feet behind the rest of the guys.

Jimmy Coombes (trombone) would be sitting in front of him. Jimmy figured that that’s where his hearing problems began. They would say to Bobby, “Take it easy Bobby. You don’t have to work so hard.” Bobby would just laugh and say, “Oh, let’s have some fun!” He died tragically!

ABOVE: The ballroom of the Winter Gardens where the boys saw the Ted Heath orchestra play.

BELOW: Morecombe & Wise were a very popular comic act on the British vaudeville stage.

192 ~ The Basil & Ivor Kirchin Band He left Ted’s band to do session work in London. Went off to do a Frank Jackfield recording and he didn’t turn up for it. The guys said, “Where’s Bobby?” Three days later, he turned up at home, neatly dressed. His wife asked him, “How did it go?” He said, “First take!”

As far as he was concerned, he had been there and done the take. He had ‘wet brain’ from alcoholism. Ultimately, he set up the chairs in his kitchen, in front of his gas stove and gassed himself. It was just a tragedy! (Art Tusvik 1953 to 58 professional musician)

ABOVE: The Kirchin band was co-led and directed by Ivor (father). It originated when Basil took their London-based band up to Edinburgh for a residency at the Fountainbridge Palais, beginning there on September 8th, 1952. The band made several broadcasts from Fountainbridge.

Fountainbridge was followed in November 1953 by an engagement at the Plaza Ballroom in Belfast, Northern Ireland, which lasted until March of the following year. During this period the band recorded a thirteen week commercial radio series with the singer Ruby Murray for Radio Luxembourg. Ron Simmonds: “Basil was a great drummer, one of the best, and I enjoyed playing with the band, mostly on record dates and TV shows. It was a demanding book, especially exciting for trumpets.“

Henry McKenzie was Ted Heath’s top clarinet player at that time. He wanted to trade clarinets

with Earl Hobson because he wanted the Buffet Earl was playing. But he could only offer him a Boosey & Hawkes. It never came about because Earl was afraid of having a problem at customs on the way back. The boys saw Johnny Dankworth as well! A bunch of them hired a plane and went to Paris for five or six days. A lot of the boys grew up on that trip and that was good. (Earl Hobson 1955, music supervisor/conductor)

‘Basil and Ivor Kirchen band’ The boys were presented

with many opportunities at an early age on Arthur’s trips. The ‘Basil and Ivor Kirchen band’ from Scotland was playing in Cheltenham, a real hard swinging Basie-styled band. No trombones though, but five trumpets, five saxophones and five in the rhythm section. Someone said something to somebody and Donny Clark was asked to sit in and play a blues solo on one of the guy’s horns. They asked him afterwards if he wanted to stay in England and tour with them and not go back to Canada. Donny said, “No, I’ve got to go back to Canada. I’m still in school and I have to finish grade ten.”

Donny’s most memorable musical experience happened during their third trip to Blackpool. After the boys’ last show each night, they would race up the street to the Winter Gardens and watch the great Ted Heath band. They would hang around their dressing room and they got to know them all quite well. They were preparing for one of their famous London Palladium Concert recordings. Jimmy Coombs (bass trombone) was in the band and he later moved to Vancouver where he found lots of work. Art Tusvik even married Jimmy’s daughter which just shows you how tight some of the boys were with the Heath orchestra at that time. The next year, the Heath band came to Vancouver on an exchange tour with Duke Ellington. The Musicians Union in England was very strong and kept all foreign professional bands out except to

JERSEY ISLANDS TOUR ~ 193 do an exchange. The Heath band did five concerts in America and the Ellington band five in England. Lew Hilton, Dave Dunnett and Donny came over from Victoria to that great concert at the PNE Forum. The concert also featured the great Carmen McCrae and the HI-LOs. It was fantastic! (Donny Clark 1955, professional musician) On all of Arthur’s trips the boys broke off into twosomes and threesomes. Ian Gregory, Charlie Henry and Donny Clark hung out together a lot as the trip progressed. Donny recalls at the end of the trip going to Paris for five days on Dan Air. It cost each of them twenty-seven dollars return. They hardly got any sleep. They walked everywhere, to the Sacre Coeur, the Eiffel Tower, and heard the ladies jiggling their keys behind their backs. They somehow were not quite ready for the museums and art galleries or les femmes de la nuit! Those interests would peak in later years. They went to the Folies Bergere, standing room only. They had a great live orchestra with lots of tall show girls with plumes and sparkles. Le Mayo was a strip club with naked women riding bicycles. They couldn’t see anything really but they wouldn’t have missed it for the world. They were never afraid of getting mugged.

They felt invincible. Nobody would ever do anything to them, they thought-- they were musicians with grandfathers. Who would want to hurt them? Of course, as they look back now as grown-ups, they realize that they were so naïve. Not many parents today would understand the freedom they had in those large cities and yet they all came home unscathed. Mrs. Wood and Mrs. D were there to keep them tidy. The fact that they were there was enough to remind the boys of home and their mothers. (Donny Clark, 1955, professional musician)

Bill Trussell, one of Arthur’s trombone players, became ill coming home and had to stay in the hospital in Quebec City. He was missed by all the boys at their homecoming concert. Bill and Donny Clark later worked together at the Cave nightclub for fifteen years.

Bill and Donny were the ‘coffee drinkers.’ Most of the others enjoyed something on the ‘cooler’ side. Bill studied architecture and he used to draw puzzles using squares, circles and cones, developing inventive figures of design. The boys used to pun a lot too and often tried to recall some of the one-liners from past comedians. Just a punch line would bring a laugh or two. Bill worked with Donny in the Dr. Bundolo Band for nine years. They also played in the Opera Orchestra many times and the Bobby Hales Orchestra. Bill built a sailboat and Donny helped pour some of the lead into the keel. The boat was so classy; it was used in a movie in which Sandi Dennis did

ABOVE: Three tuba players on tour.

BELOW: The boys in a sidewalk cafe in Paris.

194 ~ RMS Scythia

ABOVE: Boys on board ship on the return home.

BELOW: Concert in the Parade Gardens in Bath.

The crowd at this concert was over 10,000.

a love scene. That was Bill! He passed on a couple of years ago and they all miss him. He always made the reunions. (Donny Clark 1955, professional musician) .

As it was impossible for me to interview every boy still around who was in the band (I did interview over 100). I often relied on those I did interview to tell me a little about others they knew in the band. Brian Todd was only fifteen on the 1955 trip but did he ever have a beautiful tone. He was featured in every concert with a solo on his cornet.

Brian and Donny Clark hooked up again at UBC. Brian is Godfather to Donny’s son David. “Brian is today a true Renaissance Man. He is an artist with everything he touches, be it his wonderful bands which he developed at Kelowna Senior Secondary School in Kelowna, his chef skills, his herb garden, fly fishing, his trumpet playing or his arranging skills.” (Donny Clark 1955, professional musician)

JERSEY ISLANDS TOUR ~ 195

Boys on the 1955 Jersey Islands Tour Clarinets: Craig Campbell, Don Charles, Peter Gillett, Earl Hobson, Peter McConachie, KIm Nichols, Jack Reynolds, Bing Thom, Dennis Tupman, Bill Wood, Saxophones: Gordie Brown, Bart Reemeyer, Gene Thom, Trumpets: Bruce Chadwick, Arnold Chycoski, Don Clark, Gerry Deagle, John Davenport, Don Kirkby, Ed Silva-White, Brian Todd, Art Tusvik, Mellophones: John Auld, Ron Loukes, Dick McManus, John Peterson, Trombones: Ian Gregory, Charlie Henry, Alex McLeod, Russ Robinson, Bill Trussell, Euphoniums: Ted Lazenby, Bill Davenport, Basses: George Dingle, Gary Ginther, Stuart Scott, Percussion: Eric Wood, Terry Grimmett, Dave Turner

ABOVE: RMS Scythia was a Cunard liner. She sailed on her maiden voyage in 1921 and became a troop and supply ship during the Second World War. Scythia was the longest-serving Cunard liner until September 4, 2005, when her record was surpassed

by RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 BELOW: Some of the boys on board ship on the return voyage.

CHAPTER TWELVE

THE BRUSSELS WORLD’S FAIR TOUR

Band History: In 1958, the West Van Boys’ & Girls’ band join forces with the Kits band for a tour

of Europe * They travel across Canada by train playing concerts. * Take the RMS Sylvania to England * Travel to the Kerkrade Music Festival and the Brussels World’s Fair * Background: Arthur’s bands continue to win music festivals at home * Gordon Delamont disbands his orchestra and begins a teaching and writing career * Meta-Narrative: Delamont taught his boys to focus. * Anecdotes: Gordon finds evening gigs for him and some of the boys in London * Delamont’s boys experienced fundamental changes * Don Lusher meets Ted Lazenby * Sousa comparisons * Art Tusvik injures his foot and meets Jimmy Coombes and Bobby Pratt * The BCMEA is founded * Discipline and work ethic * Clif Bryson leaves the RCMP band and takes over Arthur’s West Van Boys’ and Girls’ band. * Arthur gets his horn re-plated. * 1959: The Calgary Stampede * Arthur and his boys play for the Queen in Vancouver.

The West Vancouver Boys’ and Girls’ band was certainly the most successful of all of Arthur’s other bands. This band entered music festivals and went on tours e.g. 1958, when they joined with his Kitsilano band for a tour of Europe. “If you want to go on this trip, you will have to play the bar-i-tone!” D always called it the bar-i-tone. He had too many trumpets and that is how Ken Fowler got started playing the baritone.

(Ken Fowler 1955-’58, lawyer) The West Vancouver Band Parents Association raised the money for the tour and organized the band’s seventh trip to the UK. The band left Vancouver on May18. As they pulled out of the train station somebody yelled, “See you in four and a half months.” It was a pretty sobering reality check. They weren’t kids anymore! (Barry Brown 1956-’62, junior high band director) When the train got outside of Vancouver, Arthur had the boys take the ‘West’ off their sweaters because in England they were known as the Vancouver Boys’ Band. The band was actually made up half of boys from his West Vancouver Boys’ & Girls’ Band and half from his Kitsilano Boys’ Band.

They played concerts in Revelstoke on the 19th, Banff on the 20th, Calgary on the 21st, Swift Current on the 22nd, Brandon on the 23rd, Winnipeg on the 24th, Fort William on the 25th, Marathon on the 26th, Toronto on the 28th and Montreal on Thursday the 29th, before departing on the SS Sylvania for Southampton on May 30.

1958 Lillie was not well, so Gordon and Vina and their two daughters,

Susan and Debra (who was three), came along to help out. Gordon was what was called a ‘be-bopper’ in 1958, given his jazz interests, and this would often be apparent in his lead up to different pieces whenever he conducted a rehearsal. Susan was 14 on the 1958 trip. Gordon had a hard time keeping the guys away from her. She looked a lot older than fourteen. (Art Tusvik 1953’58, professional musician)

ABOVE: Crest of Arthur’s West Van Band.

OPPOSITE: Barry Brown playing the trombone in 1956.

BELOW: Peter Erwin when he joined the band in the early 1950s.

198 ~ David Whitfield

ABOVE: Three tuba players BELOW: Three West Van band members

On the train, Bob Calder, one of the younger boys, spent a couple of hours each day talking to Lillie Delamont. He just kept her company. Bob doesn’t remember what they talked about but he said she was like his grandmother.

Lillie was just a sweet lady who liked to talk. As the boys traveled from station to station across Canada, they would get out and play and sell postcards.

Even if it was one in the morning, Arthur would have them out there. He only had Bob sell postcards once and then he put him back in the band. Bob always wondered why. The cross Canada train trip was very memorable for all the boys. (Bob Calder 1958, ’62, High School Principal) The band still had at its disposal two train cars as was Arthur’s custom.

The reeds rehearsed at one end of one car with the high brass at the other.

The other car was low brass and percussion. Their first big concert was in Calgary. They had section rehearsals all across Canada. Once they started rehearsing, they found out they had some fourteen different concert programs to learn. They played concerts all across Canada.

It wasn’t until they got on the boat (and had a somewhat ‘rocky’ Atlantic crossing) that they really found out how hard they had to work. They rehearsed in the ship’s movie theatre and had to deal with a lot more music.

Those were six very concentrated days on the ship. But when they got to England, they were ready for whatever came along. In England, they played in places where there were maybe one hundred people and then in another

BRUSSELS WORLD’S FAIR TOUR ~ 199

place they would play to ten thousand people. (Major Peter Erwin 1951-’58, Band Director, 15th Field Regiment Band) On board the ship the boys watched movies from the First Class cinema balcony, ate sumptuous meals in the dining room, played horse-racing in the evening, played ping-pong as well as shuffleboard - what an experience!

June 5 to June 7 The boys arrived in Liverpool and headed to London to perform on ‘In Towne Tonight’ with David Whitfield, the Welsh singer and Jack Palance, the actor.

June 8 to 15 they played daily concerts in Tunbridge Wells. On the 16th they traveled back to London to tape a program at BBC, and then left for Jersey.

June 17 through 26 They performed concerts in Howard Davis Park

in Jersey.

On this trip Arthur had a clarinet trio made up of Ken Sotvedt, Sandy Cameron and George Ross. One piece they performed was a clarinet trio called Claristhenics. Mr. D brought Art Tusvik back for the 1958 trip and also

ABOVE: Marching in England BELOW: Program for Jersey

200 ~ Kerkrade Music Festival Rolfe Storie and Bill Pickett. They were the three boys who played the trumpet trios.

June 27 The boys departed Jersey for London, and upon arrival, im-

mediately took the Flying Scotsman train to Glasgow.

June 29 through July 6 They played a series of park concerts in

Glasgow.

July 7 and 8 The boys played in Paisley.

July 9 - 25 It was off to Edinburgh and concerts at Pittencrieff Park in

ABOVE: Ted Heath and his Music was officially formed on D-Day, 1945.

They were the most popular swing band in England during the 1950s.

BELOW: The boys in Scotland

Dunfermline, alternating daily with concerts in Edinburgh.

July 19 They played at Sterling Castle.

July 26 The boys returned to London where they began serious rehears-

als for the Kerkrade International Music Festival in which Arthur had entered the boys.

BRUSSELS WORLD’S FAIR TOUR ~ 201

Whipping the boys into shape for the Kerkrade Music Festival was largely left to Gordon, as Arthur was busy looking after Lillie much of the time.

Gordon coached them in sectional rehearsals, and explained to them the way to perform music in a country where music was a way of life. He would say, “If you go into a meat store and the butcher is reading a Mozart score and listening to the piece on his radio, you do not tell him how the piece should be played.” The boys’ big competition in Kerkrade was a French band made up of professors from the ‘Sorbonne’ in Paris. (Major Peter Erwin 1951-’58, Band Director, 15th Field Regiment Band)

August 1 the band departed Harwick for ‘The Hook,’ Holland.

Arthur had found out that one of the judges at the festival would be Eric Leidzen, so he chose a piece which Eric Leidzen composed. On August 2, 39 boys from Canada crashed and blew through the First Swedish Rhapsody

by Erik Leidzen, the overture to The Magic Flute and Gassey’s Sea Portrait.

The packed concert hall at Kerkrade, Holland had never known anything like it. Aficionados of the brass band from all over Europe, having heard and seen adult players in 27 bands compete with bulging cheeks and flying fingers, now listened with growing amazement as the boys, aged 15 to 18, performed like veterans. Newspapers read: The boys in dark blue pants with a red stripe, white shirts and dark blue capes lined with scarlet, were veterans. They were on a tour of five

ABOVE: The boys marching in Kerkrade, Holland.

BELOW: Erik Leidzen and his wife. Leidzen was a band arranger and composer for the Salvation Army and was among the first generation of American musicians to be able to make a living as a writer/arranger of band music. Leidzen, immaculate in appearance, was artistic and refined.

He seemed to work magic with the harmonizing of simple melodies.

202 ~ Harry Mortimer

ABOVE: Harry Mortimer won the British Brass Band Festival nine times.

BELOW: The boys playing in the Kerkrade Music Festival.

countries that lasted 125 days and cost nearly $40,000, and in which they played to the Scots, Germans, and Dutch. They were to travel 30,000 miles, suffer seasickness and homesickness, struggle with strange languages, and unfamiliar food and sleep in strange places, including the basement of a roller-rink with the rumble of wheels overhead. They were often exhausted, laid low by fierce Atlantic storms and bored by long train trips. Moreover their leader was a testy perfectionist who glowered and seemed to sulk at a wrong note, hurled sarcasm at their young heads, and insisted on practice even when all the novelties of Europe were available for the first time to 39 young adventurers. They loved it!

When the results of the 28 entries in the great Kerkrade International contest for brass bands were announced, the boys from British Columbia had a score of 288 out of 300. The West Vancouver Boys’ Band had beaten the world. While in Kerkrade they played on a radio broadcast and performed a concert for the people of the town. Everyone who heard the boys perform were mystified that they could win both the concert and the marching competitions, something that was just not done.

Michael Hadley, one of Arthur’s old boys from the 1950 and 1953 tours, was living in Brussels in 1958. A telegram arrived for Michael at the Department of Trade and Commerce in Brussels where he was working, on August 1, the same day the boys entered the Kerkrade Music Festival. It read: “Band in Brussels August 7 or 6 and urgently require accommodation party of 47, includes 39 boys, conductor with wife and two lady companions, assistant conductor with wife and two children. Also advise, regarding band playing Brussels, August 6 or 7. Reply care of W. Fielding, 54 Haymarket London, SW1. Regards, Delamont.”

BRUSSELS WORLD’S FAIR TOUR ~ 203 Michael had one week to fulfill Arthur’s request, so he scrambled to arrange their accommodation and two bookings, and met their tour bus on the approaches to Brussels, where he briefed Mr. D on his visit. Neither he nor Mr. D had really doubted, (Well, okay, Michael might have doubted a bit) that what he asked for he would in fact actually get.

August 6 The boys departed Kerkrade for the Brussels World’s Fair.

On August 7 they played a concert in ‘Belgium Town,’ before departing on August 8 for Ostend and the ferry ride over to Dover.

August 9 through 16 They gave concerts in the south of England:

Camborne, Norquay, Bude, Bodmin, Penzance and St. Austell. On the 17th, they were back in London and on the 18th they performed on the Ted Heath Show.

August 19 Harry Mortimer and the Munn and Felton band. The boys recorded at BBC studios and heard one of

England’s finest bands, the Munn and Felton band. Harry Mortimer, their director, accompanied the boys on a tour of the Boosey & Hawkes factory.

He told them how good he thought their band was and that Ted Lazenby was the best trombone player he had ever heard. (Chris Crane, 1958-’62)

Both photos of the boys in Kerkrade.

(See www.wmc.nl.) Click on 1958 photos and see the band.

204 ~ Southend-on-Sea Carnival

ABOVE: The boys at Southend on Sea. BELOW: The Brussels World’s Fair.

The boys were always very inventive when they had to be. Ted Lazenby and Barry Brown went to a concert together in London. They were late, so they rented a bicycle. They were wearing their uniforms and carrying their trombones while riding double on the bike. A London bobbie stopped them at every block and told them to walk the bicycle. (Barry Brown 1958, ’62, junior high school band director) The boys marched with a pipe band and took turns playing with them from London through Leigh-on-Sea and on to Southend-On-Sea.

August 23 - 30 The boys performed in the Southend-on-Sea Carnival

and marched in the Carnival parade. It was chilly in Southend-on-Sea and their landlady would run into their rooms early in the morning and proceed to open wide every window.

August 31 to September 6 They were back in London and off to Cheltenham, where they played a week of concerts.

September 7 The boys arrived in Bournemouth, which seemed to be

full of retired colonels, for three days of concerts.

BRUSSELS WORLD’S FAIR TOUR ~ 205

September 10 They departed on the RMS Saxonia from

Southampton.

September 16 They arrived in Quebec City and played concerts back

across Canada.

September 17 Montreal, then came Sudbury, Fort William, Winnipeg, Moose Jaw, Swift Current, Calgary, Revelstoke and Kamloops.

Back home in Vancouver, the West Vancouver Band Parents Association was unhappy with Arthur taking the ‘West’ off the boy’s sweaters and told him so. Never one to let anyone tell him how to run his bands, after 24 years as its conductor, he parted company with the West Vancouver Band after the summer of 1958. He continued to let the boys whom he taught in his West Vancouver band come down and play in his Kitsilano Band, which they gladly continued to do. When the executive of the West Vancouver band found themselves without a conductor they quickly looked around for a replacement. They found one in the US: Clif Bryson, Arthur’s first saxophone player. Clif you may remember joined the first official RCMP Band in 1938 when Joe Brown came to Vancouver and stole 14 of Arthur’s boys from under his nose. Clif was touring with the RCMP Musical Ride in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Background & Anecdotes 1957 British adjudicator, Mr. Lionel Salter stressed the

fine integration and ensemble work of the North Shore Boys’and Girls’ Band. They played, he said, “with great zest, assurance and most musically.” Also in 1957, the splendid showing of Arthur’s West Vancouver Boys’ and Girls’ Band at three different festivals, by Canadian, British and American adjudicators, had nothing but praise for that organization.

At Chilliwack, in the Upper Fraser Valley Music Festival, the band won both the school and junior band contests, the adjudicator awarding the extremely high marks of 90 and 92 for their brilliant playing. A few days later, the band entered the all-day Western Washington Music Festival at Bellingham. Here, besides competing, they were able to listen to scores of other American bands. Points were not awarded at the festival but the bands were graded. The West Vancouver youngsters won top place for their performance. The three adjudicators were unanimous in their praise: “Excellent mature playing, Vancouver should be very proud.”

William D. Cole. “You produce a very mature sound, you have learned the lesson of good performance and you play that way.” Robert D.

ABOVE: West Vancouver Band What happened to Arthur’s other bands?

The Vancouver Girls’ Band played at the CPR station in 1936 for the homecoming of the boys but nothing is mentioned of them after this point. Arthur’s temperament was a little too volatile for girls and he often left them in tears.

The Point Grey Junior High School Band may have been incorporated into the school system and carried on as the Point Grey High School Band.

206 ~ The Naden Band Anderson. “Fine attention to dynamics and note values, you are well in tune with nice balance; very fine.” H Smith (Vancouver Sun)

In the BC Music Festival Arthur entered his band in the

school class, and was again in competition with two of Washington’s finest school bands. Here the Burlington Band edged the local group by a single point, both organizations receiving very high praise from the British Adjudicator, Dr. Havelock Nelson. The following week the band again entered the B.C. Festival in the junior class (under 19) and won the contest, with a mark of 87. Dr. Nelson commented on the splendid performance: “expressively played, precise and well-tuned chords, tone never gets coarse or uneven.” (Vancouver Sun)

Leading up to the 1958 trip there was lots of competition. Arthur chose players from Victoria, West Vancouver, North Vancouver and his Grandview band for this trip. (Major Peter Erwin 1951-’58, Band Director, 15th Field Regiment Band) ABOVE: The Naden Band BELOW: Woodwards displays band’s trophies

Barry Brown’s two older brothers, Richie and Gordy, were in the band before him. Barry took a year of clarinet at Wards Music when he was about ten years old. He wanted to play the trombone but he had to wait until his arm was long enough for the slide. When he was old enough, he took a few lessons from Mr. D and then he joined the band about 1956. (Barry Brown 1956-’62, junior high school band director) Growing up in Vancouver in the 1950s was a lot different than growing up in Vancouver today. In the 1950’s, there was not the technology of today. One could pick up the telephone and somebody would be talking on it, so you had to wait. There were party-lines! At dinner time, everyone went home for dinner and they all sat together. The girls went to dancing lessons. The boys played sports or music. Then they went out to play until it got dark. They put skates on their running shoes.

Nowadays, kids get up at three in the morning to go to the hockey rink to practice with all the gear. They were different times! There were no fax machines or computers in the 1950s; they had typewriters and something called address-o-graphs. (Major Peter Erwin 1951-’58, Director 15th Field Regiment Band)

After Arthur’s boys left the band they often kept on playing and sometimes they reunited with old friends in other bands later on. Gerry Deagle left the band in 1957 and served in the military for about three years. While based in Ottawa, he was encouraged to

BRUSSELS WORLD’S FAIR TOUR ~ 207 try out for the RCAF Central Command Band. This led to a six night a week job in a show band at The Chaudiere Golf Club in Gatineau, Quebec. The pay was good for a kid of eighteen - $400.00 a month.

Families across North America in those days sat down in front of their TVs every Sunday night to watch The Ed Sullivan show live from New York. It was a variety show, and many of the featured singers and comedians would become Chaudiere headliners. In the year or so he worked in the Harry Posy Orchestra he got to back The Four Lads, the Four Aces, the Platters and a host of other performers. It enabled him to save for a semester at the Berklee School of Music in Boston where he honed his skills.

He eventually made his way back to Vancouver where he finished school and enrolled at UBC. Music helped to pay the bills. He got a job playing in the Doug Kirk Orchestra at the Commodore Ballroom, and he’d get occasional calls from Dave Robbins to work the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. It was on those gigs that he got to play with Arnie Chycoski and Donny Clark again. He was in the trumpet section with them for the Sammy Davis, Jr. show. They also worked Henry Mancini and Andy Williams together. During that time he’d also get occasional gigs at the Cave and Issy’s. (Gerry Deagle 1951-’57, journalist, editor)

Delamont taught his boys to focus. Your focus determines

your reality. To get what you want, you have to focus on it. If you focus on what you do not want such as losing a contest or not playing a part well you probably will lose or not play your part well. However if you focus on winning the contest and playing your part well you probably will win. The art of positive thinking!

You can learn to redirect your focus by consciously redirecting your attention to situations, people or events that correspond to a new belief.

As new boys became immersed in an environment of winning and of exceptional musical achievers they too rose to the occasion, becoming better players.

Every rehearsal brought something new. The boys’ thinking changed and so did their focus, making them more positive and better musicians and people. Being focused is what makes the difference for those who succeed. If you are not focused the influences of the world will simply drag you away from your top priorities.

At the ripe old age of 66, Arthur not only continued to run his band, he often went out before rehearsals, still in his old black 1936 Dodge, to bring in the boys who did not have rides to General Gordon School.

ABOVE: 2004 Major Peter Erwin at his home in Vancouver.

BELOW: Gerry Deagle arriving back in Vancouver after the European tour. Gerry played trumpet, so he must have been helping out one of the sousaphone players.

208 ~ Dr. Maury Deutsch During these years he had several boys who lived in North Vancouver and had no way of getting across the Lion’s Gate Bridge to Vancouver.

Arthur arranged with the boys to meet him on their side of the bridge and he would pick them up. He would come rolling across the bridge around 6:00 p.m., having told the boys to hitchhike in if they had to, which they often did from as far away as Horseshoe Bay. Often he would pick up as many as ten boys in his old Dodge, and the routine was always the same.

He would wind down his window before starting off, clear his throat, and then head off across the bridge to Vancouver. Whenever he reached a hill, he would turn off the engine and coast down to save gas. “Old habits are hard to break.” he would say, referring to the hard times of the Hungry Thirties when gas was so expensive. (Ken Sotvedt 1953,’58, elementary school principal, Director Fireman’s Band)

Gordon Delamont disbanded his orchestra and retired from the orchestra-leading business at the conclusion

ABOVE: 1959 Dal Richards on the field at half time directing the Lions’ Band.

BELOW: An ad Dr. Maury Deutsch used in the newspaper and in pamphlets which Gordon Delamont may have seen.

of their third winter at the Top Hat in 1949. Except for rehearsal bands and experimental groups, he never returned to it again.

Other than trumpet lessons from his father and casual help from Gordon Edwards, Gordon had had virtually no formal training in the matter of writing music. He had, however, always been interested in the principle behind the fact. He found himself becoming more and more interested as to the ‘why’ of this fact and all of the other facts that he had encountered, in arranging for Richards, for Bogart and for his own orchestra. So, believing that the best way to learn any subject was to write a book about it, he decided to do exactly that.

At that time, books which purported to teach anything in twenty lessons were very popular so he decided to adopt that format and write a book called ‘Learn Modern Arranging in Twenty Lessons.’ Around this time he had encountered pamphlets by Dr. Maury Deutsch of New York which used the harmonic overtone series as a point of reference. While he didn’t know very much about the harmonic overtone series, he had begun to suspect that it was a major factor in music generally. So he made plans to go to New York. He studied - two lessons a day for two weeks with Dr. Deutsch.

After a little more time spent with Dr. Deutsch he decided to return to Toronto, determined to try to make a living through the private teaching of arranging and composition. He found a suitable studio, set up an advertising campaign with the help of Mr. Hank Rosati, a friend and the lead saxophone player in his now defunct orchestra. He never taught in any manner other than privately. Although he had over a dozen offers

BRUSSELS WORLD’S FAIR TOUR ~ 209 of teaching posts and professorships from universities and colleges in Canada and the United States throughout the 50s, 60s and 70s he felt that he would not cope well with faculty meetings, courses structured into rigid time frames, nor with political infighting and jockeying for position that seem to be part of institutional education. He did however lecture in colleges and universities and did some adjudicating.

Shortly after he began teaching, one of his students, Russ Messina, came in every week from Buffalo, NY. He had gradually been discarding his ‘Twenty lessons’ book as the chief reference in his teaching but Russ thought he should show it to friends of his who operated Kendor Music Incorporated. After looking the book over Kendor was interested in publishing it, giving him full author’s credits and royalties.

However, by then Gordon was disenchanted with the ‘Twenty Lessons’ format of the book. There wasn’t nearly enough information. He did not want it to appear as a formal book. Instead he approached Art Dedrick, the president of Kendor with a proposition. He suggested that he would write a totally new book on arranging and, when it was completed, he could publish it if he liked it. Dedrick accepted his offer.

Gordon wrote the book - which was probably ten times the size of his ‘Twenty Lessons’ opus, over the next two years, while continuing to make a living teaching and playing trumpet professionally. It was a productive period of his life but ultimately took its toll on his health, which was never robust anyway. Fortunately, Mr. Dedrick liked the book and published it. He said that he hoped the book would still be selling ten years from then.

After the success of his arranging book, it was not too difficult to have Kendor publish further texts that he would write over the years.

These included two large books on harmony, a book on melody, one on modern counterpoint and one on the twelve-tone technique. Gordon based his own teaching process on these books. They are used in the curriculum, or at least as required reading, in the music faculties of a large number of universities and music colleges throughout Canada and the United States and some other countries where North American styles of music are taught.

During the 1950’s most of his professional trumpet playing, aside from some television studio work, was done with an orchestra conducted by Les Foster - a man who was the epitome of what a professional musician should be. For Gordon this removed the aggravation of having to deal with the eccentric, spurious and spuriously eccentric jobbing band leaders who seemed to proliferate in Toronto. Consequently, he was able to devote more time and energy to aspects of music, such as teaching and writing books, that had become of more interest to him.

ABOVE: Charlie Parker, creator of polyphonic improvisation, examines an original score with Maury Deutsch, New York’s leading arranging and composition instructor.

Maury Deutsch (born 1918 in New York City) is a musician who played the trumpet from an early age.

He was one of the most prolific and accomplished arranger-composers of his time, and in New York history. Deutsch was born and raised on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York. Through his musical talents he was accepted to Brooklyn College at an extremely young age, but all those plans were put on hold when the war broke out. He joined the Navy but was never in any combat because of his musical talent. He was stationed in Norfolk, Virginia composing and arranging for the Navy Orchestra.

210 ~ Kendor Music Dr. Maury Deutsch continued: After the war, Deutsch moved back into the thriving NY music scene. Also, he earned an Honorary Doctor of Music degree from the Musical Arts Conservatory of Amarillo, Texas. He lived across from Carnegie Hall, where he would play often. He also became a teacher of arranging and composition at the American Theatre Wing. In addition to his work there, he taught many notable musicians such as Charlie Parker, James P. Johnson, Django Reinhardt, Roy Glover, Gordon Delamont and Jeff Bova.

BELOW: 1958 Gordon Delamont came on the 1958 tour with his family, leaving his home base of Toronto.

The fifties was an exciting time for those who were interested in the development and writing of jazz music. The decade saw the development of jazz composition which was labeled ‘third stream’ music by the American composer Gunther Schuller. It was music which was an amalgam of jazz and ‘classical’ elements, and took divergent avenues. Spearheading jazz composition in Toronto were two men who Gordon was fortunate enough to have as his students, Ron Collier and Norm Symonds. Both of them organized groups to provide vehicles for their music and with which they could experiment.

In the last years of the fifties, Gordon found himself becoming more interested in jazz composing, rather than just dispensing, as a teacher, approval and criticism. Taking a cue from Collier and Symonds, he organized a group of musicians to use as a vehicle to write for. He had excellent success playing concerts, making television appearances, etc. He wrote a large body of music during this time, much of it published, some of it recorded.

(Gordon Delamont’s Memoirs, Prof. arranger, composer, teacher)

London Gordon would often find evening gigs in clubs for himself

and two or three of the boys: Ted Lazenby on trombone, Art Tusvik on trumpet and Peter Erwin on saxophone. Several of the boys renewed their relationship with the famous Ted Heath Orchestra on this trip. Art Tusvik met his future wife, Kay, in London at the Hammersmith Palais (ballroom and entertainment venue in London). Ted Heath’s band was playing. Art happened to see this girl running out on to the floor to dance and he liked what he saw. Kay was the daughter of Jimmy Coombes, Ted Heath’s bass trombone player. Art had introduced himself to Jimmy in 1955 in Blackpool. Art went back to live in England, from 1959 through 1963, and played professionally. He never did play in Ted’s band but he knew a lot of the guys who did. Art did a Christmas show in Brighton with David Whitfield.

It was called ‘David Whitfield on Ice,’ and marked the end of his career.

One of his big records was ‘Cara Mia.’ Ted was a very quiet man and not that easy to talk to. He was just very quiet. When he was conducting his band, if someone was having trouble, he would go and stand right in front of him, like a death ray. You didn’t want him standing in front of you. His band was so good, so precise. (Art Tusvik 1953-’58, professional musician) Once the boys met Ted Heath and his band, they (like their predecessors), had an open invitation to visit them whenever they wanted. Ted Heath was the biggest thing in Europe. The boys were all introduced to him. (Major Peter Erwin 1951-’58, Band Director 15th Field Regiment Band)

BRUSSELS WORLD’S FAIR TOUR ~ 211

Delamont’s boys experienced fundamental changes in

their personal development through his musical discipline. Anyone who lived in Vancouver during the days of Arthur and his band will tell you it was quite something to be chosen to be a member of the Kitsilano Boys’ Band. Every parent wanted their boy to play in the band and travel across the Dominion to England. In 1942, Jim Watt attended UBC and played in the Varsity band under the leadership of Arthur Delamont. In the spring of 1943, Delamont was short three players in his Kitsilano Boys’ Band, so he invited Jim with two other ex-Kitsies in the Varsity band to join them on their spring tour of Vancouver Island. This fulfilled a boyhood dream for Jim. Since the age of 10 he had always wanted to play in the Kitsilano Boys’ Band, and now, this desire of his heart was fulfilled at the age of 19.

Don Lusher Meets Ted Lazenby! One of the great band stories concerns Ted Heath and Don Lusher. Don was the best trombone player in England by far. He was worlds above anyone else, heads and shoulders. Ted Lazenby, on the 1958 trip to England with the Kits band, phoned up Don Lusher and said to him, “Sir, I am in England with a boys’ band from Canada, and I wondered if there was any chance of taking some lessons from you while I am here?” Don says, “I don’t talk to kids and I don’t give lessons to kids!” Well, Ted found out where he lived. He went on the tube and the double-decker, out into the country.

He had to walk about four blocks. He got to this little brick house. He had his horn with him. He had his trench coat on and knocks on the door.

This little pipe-smoking guy comes out, just a short little guy. “What do you want?” Ted says, “I talked to you on the telephone.” Ted has his foot in the door by then and pushes his way inside and says, “I really don’t think there is anyone else in England that can tell me how J.J. Johnson can play this lick. You are the only man who can tell me how to play it!”

Ted kicked his case open, pulled out his trombone and played a few notes.

The guy says, “Where the hell did you come from? Come in, lad!” He had never heard anything like him. Ted was magical. He was so good. He was technically so fast. He played the clarinet polka on his trombone so fast there was smoke coming off the slide. You would shake your head. He was so technically fast. (Brian Bolam 1950, Supervisor, Vancouver Fire Department) In all of Arthur’s bands there existed a heirarchy not always based on musical ability. In 1958 there was Ken Sotvedt, (‘Big Daddy’ the boys used to call him) and his little brother, Jimmy, whom they called ‘Grubby.’ There was Ted Lazenby who was a big guy, very intimidating, but he had a heart of gold and Art Tusvik, who wasn’t one of the enforcers but the little guys

ABOVE: Don Lusher was a British jazz trombonist.

He played lead trombone in the Ted Heath Orchestra until 1962 and later, after Ted Heath passed away in 1969, he led the new Ted Heath Band for many years. He passed away in 2006.

BELOW: Ken Sotvedt in 1958. Ken went on the 1953 and the 1958 tours.

212 ~ Don Lusher were in constant fear of being attacked by these big guys.

There were two tiers in the band, the big kids, who were in a world all their own, and then the little kids. They lived a different life. On the ‘58 trip, all the girls came up after each concert and ask the boys for their autographs and it was always the little guys! They liked the little guys: Jimmy Sotvedt, John Rands, Bill Ingledew. Then on the 1962 trip it infuriated all the little guys from 1958 because all these beautiful girls would now come up to the little guys on that trip, not to them anymore.

(Bill Ingledew 1954-’62, Ingledew’s Shoes)

Sousa Comparisons (Part 3) They wanted to

cater to millions. Why did Delamont, an accomplished trumpet

ABOVE: Left Ken Sotvedt (Big Daddy), and Ted Lazenby.

BELOW: Ken Fowler still playing and rehearsing in 2004.

player, decide to devote his life to bands? He could have stayed in the Salvation Army or in a stage orchestra or Symphony orchestra. The reason is the same as it was for John Philip Sousa: they both wanted to entertain. They wanted to cater to millions, not to a few. Sousa’s influence on the development of bands throughout the world was monumental. Delamont’s influence on the development of youth bands wherever he traveled was monumental. Just as Sousa’s band was the acknowledged model of perfection for adult bands, Delamont’s band was the acknowledged model of perfection for youth bands. Both began and ended their careers as conductors of entertaining music.

Sousa called himself a “Salesman of Americanism, globetrotter and musician.” I am sure Delamont was his Canadian counterpart. Sousa changed the course of the Marine Band and concert bands. Delamont changed the course of youth bands. Here are more comparisons: *Both Sousa and Delamont let their musicians have the liberty of expressing a solo passage in an artistic manner. They did this because they felt it was good for the morale of both the individual musician and the band and because it was good showmanship. *Both Sousa and Delamont wanted to make the best possible public showing. Their uniforms were neatly tailored, form-fitting and colorful.

They expected their bandsmen to be neat and clean as well. *Both men theorized that dull performances were accounted for by a lack of inspiration on the part of the conductor. Seldom was there a dull performance at either a Sousa or Delamont concert. *Both men were obsessed with pleasing the public; their sense of duty to an audience bordered on the fanatical. Both were reliable and faithful to their audience and showed up even in ill health. Nothing was ever misrepresented to the audience from the starting time to the advertized selections. If by chance an auditorium was not completely full, they insisted on giving their best efforts. They believed the faithful

BRUSSELS WORLD’S FAIR TOUR ~ 213 should be rewarded. Their philosophy was, “People come to a concert for music and they are entitled to their money’s worth.”

In London on route to Cheltenham, the boys’ bus got into an accident with a truck. A piece of glass fell down and cut Art Tusvik’s foot down the middle. The quick action of 18 year old Frank Millerd who literally took the shirt off his back and wrapped it around Art’s foot resulted in his foot not needing to be amputated, according to a doctor at a local hospital where Art was taken after the accident.

In Cheltenham the boys again renewed their acquaintance with members of the Ted Heath band who were playing nearby. Gordon and a couple of the boys, Ted Lazenby and Art Tusvik, were asked if they would like to sit in with the Heath band, which they gladly accepted.

Both Gordon and Ted played solos with the orchestra to the delight of several of the boys who were in the audience watching and listening attentively. After Cheltenham, Art Tusvik left the boys because his foot became infected. Art stayed at Jimmy Coombes’ house. His wife Audrey took Art to the hospital every day to change the dressing on his foot. That is when he got to know their daughter Kay. Jimmy had played with the Ted Heath band right from the start. He grew up with Ted on the streets of London. They had to put cardboard in their shoes, they were so broke.

Both of them played in the ‘Ambrose band.’ After Jimmy left the band, he was number one call in London for legit theatre, TV, recordings and movies. He played on the sound track for ‘The Guns of Navarone,’ with Dimitri Tompkins. Guys like Frank Sinatra would ask for him when they came to town. Johnny Mathis was another.

Art went to a few recording sessions and concert dates with Jimmy. It was a great experience, he said. He was a real character. Art kept asking Bobby Pratt, “How do you play like that?” He would say, “I don’t know.

I just do it.” So, one of the guys says, “I thought I was really going to hear how he did it,” Bobby says, “I do it through brute force and bloody ignorance!” Kay and Art were married in 1959 and lived in England until 1963 when they moved back to Vancouver. (Art Tusvik 1953-’58, professional musician) Gordon was a pretty impressive and imposing guy. The boys all knew he was somewhat of a ‘God’ in the music industry. Arthur was pretty proud of him. He was very different from Arthur. Gordon was a real swinger, whereas Arthur was as straight as an arrow. Gordon was sort of a breath of fresh air! Some wonder if Arthur liked what Gordon became.

They were so completely different in the way they dressed and the way they carried themselves. The boys couldn’t get over how different the two of them were. They knew Arthur respected Gordon as a musician.

ABOVE: Art Tusvik BELOW: Jimmy Coombes in the early 1960s in Vancouver seen here with Bill Good from the 1950 tour. Jimmy was one of the original members of the Ted Heath Orchestra. He later moved to Vancouver in the early 1960s where he continued to teach and play trombone.

214 ~ British Columbia Music Educators Association He deferred to him often. At rehearsals, Arthur was quick to criticize.

Gordon never criticized the boys. Arthur however would not criticize Gordon. He respected his judgment. The boys didn’t have the same respect for Gordon as they did for Arthur. Gordon was more one of the guys. You didn’t hang out with Arthur.

Bill Ingledew remembers one time they were waiting for a train at a train station and Art Tusvik made Gordon a bet that he couldn’t hit a high ‘F’ cold. So he pulled out his horn, puts it up and bang, true to form he hits a high ‘F.’ Gordon was much more lighthearted than Arthur. (Bill Ingledew 1954-’62, Ingledew’s Shoes)

1958 marked the founding of the British Columbia Music Educators Association (BCMEA).

ABOVE: Gordon Delamont. His series of books on music theory, published by Kendor Music between 1965 and 1976, are required texts in leading universities and colleges.

BELOW: Gordon, Susan, Vina and the boys in 1958.

The BCMEA was initially intended only for choral and theatre teachers.

Eventually it expanded its membership to include instrumental teachers.

It was at this time that the lobbying for academic credits for instrumental music in public schools paid off and it finally received accreditation.

At the same time instrumental music became a subject offered at UBC towards a degree.

Music programs in the school system were run differently in the days before there was a music school at UBC. Dick McManus who was on the 1955 trip to the Jersey Islands told me he took up a teaching career around 1959 in

BRUSSELS WORLD’S FAIR TOUR ~ 215 Nanaimo. He didn’t intend to teach band. He started out as a classroom teacher. The principal came up to him at the end of the year and said, “I understand you play an instrument?” He says he foolishly said, “Yes.” The principal said, “Well, you’re teaching band next year!” In those days there wasn’t any university program you could go through. You went through the Delamont School of Musical Knowledge. Dick taught band for the most part throughout his whole teaching career. He taught for forty-one years, starting in Nanaimo. Fred Turner used to come over and say to him, “Why don’t you come over to Burnaby?” Fred was the Assistant Superintendent of Music for Burnaby. In those days you could move easily from school district to school district. Dick got a job in Port Alice where he thought he might get out of teaching band. He didn’t really feel qualified but they stuck him with the senior band. He learned by the seat of his pants. He was fortunate to have had Doug Kent as a teacher. He taught him about ‘breath control,’ which helped him a lot with the kids.

Dick said, “It was like it was with Delamont, he didn’t teach technique, he just taught you how to play.” (Dick McManus 1950-’55, high school band director)

Discipline and work ethic: The high level of performance they were all taught in Arthur’s band is one reason why so many of his boys went on to become professional musicians.

Art Tusvik’s first professional gig in Vancouver was playing at the Cave with Fraser MacPhearson for the Mills Brothers. He was really too young but he got called because he could read and that was all because of Arthur Delamont. He knew how to read the cuts and to be spontaneous. Arthur taught them all how to do it. He also taught them endurance, non-stop playing! You had to learn to pace yourself. Brian Bolam worked many circus gigs. You had to be able to read the music quickly. (Art Tusvik 1953-’58, Pro- musician)

Clif Bryson joined the RCMP when he was twenty

and left when he was forty. He figured that at that time (1940), he was mature enough to call Mr. Delamont by his first name but he was not really sure he appreciated it. Clif said, “There were a lot of kids that went through the band that he browbeat. They just couldn’t take it. It had to be perfect or he wouldn’t accept it. He was a hard taskmaster. He would bring in some of his sidekicks from when he played at the Strand Theatre. People like Tug Wilson. He would get them to blow in the ear of the third trumpet player from behind to wake him up. Arthur was still playing at the Strand when he started the band, then the two Allen brothers joined. They both came from the National Juvenile Band.” Clif

Both photos are rare early shots of the RCMP Band formed in 1938 by Joe Brown. When Joe Brown came to Vancouver in 1938 to recruit for the first official RCMP Band, he left with no less than fourteen of Arthur’s boys.

You can read more about that on page 93. These two photos are from the collection of Art Butroid’s family. Art was one of Arthur’s originals and one of the boys who joined the RCMP Band in 1938.

216 ~ First Official RCMP Band was about to retire and go into the Kentucky Fried Chicken business but when he returned to Vancouver, he went over to see the West Van Band executive and signed on part time. For the next few years he took over the PNE band from Dal Richards and also directed the Shriners’ Band. In addition he had a professional band and a band at the Jericho School for the Blind. Clif saw Arthur often. They were always good friends. By 1964 Clif was getting too busy, so he packed up his family and headed to Australia where he developed three bands down under.

(Clif Bryson 1930-34, Band Director RCMP.)

“Arthur, why don’t you get that horn re-plated? As pro-

ABOVE: More photos of the first official RCMP band from another private collection, (1938) BELOW: Ted Lazenby and others at Kerkrade, 1958.

fessional musicians, his boys often found themselves playing beside Arthur in bands around Vancouver. Arthur continued to play his trumpet professionally throughout the years in many bands around town and of course in his own Arthur Delamont Concert Band. Brian Bolam told me the following story when he and Arthur both played in Dal Richard’s Lions band. Brian looked over at Arthur one day. (Arthur was about sixty-eight years old) and said, “Arthur, why don’t you get that horn re-plated? It looks terrible!” He sort of smiled and said, “Gosh, dang, bust it all! I should get my horn re-plated at my age? Why would I do that?” But he took it in and got it done. He got it all re-lacquered and it looked great! Ten years later, he is seventy-eight now and we are in the BC Lions band. He’s marching along and I say to him, “Arthur, you should take that horn in and get it re-lacquered!” He just smiled at me and shook his head in disbelief that I would ever suggest it again.

He had so much acid in his system that the lacquer peeled off quickly.

It looked pretty bad. Most people called him Mr. D out of great respect but in the pro bands, he was Arthur. He was just another trumpet player, a good player, who played in the sections. Usually he would play second or third and did it very well. He never got up in the lead chair. Arnold Emery and Brian took care of that. He was no slacker. He played his part and played it well. Even in the later years, he had the ability to play awfully well. He had a lot of influence on all the boys, always!

They always had enough respect to show up on time for jobs properly dressed and that stayed with them all their lives. When Arthur played at the Hotel Vancouver, he was always there early, properly dressed. The boys were on time. They were always able to help, set up chairs, put things out. They took care of business. All the guys Brian ever played with were exactly the same: Sandy Cameron, Ted Lazenby, Bill Trussell. They were always on time. (Brian Bolam 1943-’50, Supervisor, Vancouver Fire Department)

BRUSSELS WORLD’S FAIR TOUR ~ 217

July 1959 At the Calgary Stampede Band festival, Kitsilano took first place in a seven band competition. They scored 95 1/2 points in the open contest to North Vancouver’s 95. The third place group received 78. In the junior band contest, Kitsilano again led with 94 1/2 points to North Vancouver’s 92 1/2, (other bands dropped out because of the difficulty of the test piece). Art Smith led the North Vancouver group. (Vancouver Sun)

1959 One afternoon while at home Arthur received a telephone call

from the Lieutenant Governor of BC, the Honorable Frank Ross. Arthur was both grateful and delighted to receive the call. He was told by the Lieutenant Governor that the Queen was coming to Vancouver and would he and the boys like to be the band of honor for her and a hundred guests at Beacon Hill Park? He told him that he wanted the Queen to hear the champions and that it would be a rare opportunity for the boys to attend such a function. When he had finished, he realized there was no one on the other end of the line. He learned after that Arthur, upon hearing the news, in all his enthusiasm left the phone and rushed off down to Wards Music to order something special for the occasion, forgetting to give a response to the Lieutenant Governor.

Well, he and his boys made the engagement, and the boys were dashing, proud, and happy as they attended the Queen, playing like troubadours before their sovereign. The Queen was of course delighted by the occasion and remarked in a conversation with Arthur, “From what I have heard today I feel we should be sorry we lost you but it is nice you have done so well. I thought the standard of your boys’ performance was excellent, and I congratulate you.” (Vancouver Sun)

ABOVE: 1959 Calgary Stampede Band Festival BELOW: Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip in Canada in 1959.

218 ~ UBC Varsity (Pep) Band

ABOVE: The North Vancouver Schools Band, c1957.

BELOW: The UBC Pep band BELOW MIDDLE: Rehearsal in the General Gordon School basement on Bayswater Street always looked like it did in this photo. Everyone was in the same place year after year. When I started in the band, I sat where the saxophone player is seated in the foreground, slightly to the left. (Author)

BRUSSELS WORLD’S FAIR TOUR ~ 219

Boys on the 1958 Brussels World’s Fair Tour Clarinets: Ken Sotvedt, Sandy Cameron, George Ross, Bing Thom, David Arnott, Chris Crane, Bob Calder Saxophones: Frank Millerd, Peter Erwin, Pat Aldous Trumpets: Arthur Tusvik, Brian Parkinson, Bill Rolfe, Gordon Storey, Bill Ingledew, Don Sutherland, Bill Pickett, John Rands, Bill Calderwood Flute: Andrew Brodie Mellophones: Ned Easton, Fred Hawes, John Peterson, Lockwood Gibbs Trombones: Ted Lazenby, Bob Fraser, Fred Brown, Barry Brown, Charlie Bowman Baritones: Ken Fowler, Jim Sotvedt, Gail Elder, Jerry Boyle Basses: George Dingle, Gordon Clarke, Rob Williamson Percussion: Dick Todd, Bill Millerd, Rick Whitaker

BELOW: The RMS Saxonia was launched on 17 February 1954

by Lady Churchill. She served with Cunard until 1962 when she was refitted and renamed RMS Carmania. She continued transatlantic crossings and various cruise routes until she was laid up in 1971. In August 1973 she was bought by the Soviet Union-based Black Sea Shipping Company and renamed SS Leonid Sobinov.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAMPIONS OF THE KERKRADE MUSIC FESTIVAL

Band History: In 1962, the 8th tour of the Kitsilano Boys Band to Europe by way of the Caribbean * A bus tour of England and Scotland * They fly to Copenhagen and then to Cologne * A bus trip to Kerkrade, Holland for the International Band Festival * The boys fly to Paris and then back to England for the Southend-on-Sea Carnival and the Royal Dartmouth Regatta * Background: * 1960, Abbotsford International Music Festival * Michael Hadley * 1950s, 1960s and 1970s were a busy time for music education * BCSITA/BCMEA * Sousa Comparisons * Meta-Narrative:

Delamont was always challenging his boys

In the summer of 1962, prior to the band’s next major trip to Europe, they were invited to play for the April 21 opening of the Seattle World’s Fair. At the Fair the boys enjoyed the monorail, the 1400 foot skyride, and the fantastic view from the Eye at the top of the Space Needle. It was questionable as to whether the trip to Europe might be cancelled after Lillie’s passing, but when Arthur rebounded and surprised everyone by marrying Tracy (their housekeeper), the trip was on.

April 27 This time, instead of taking the train across Canada, they de-

parted on the liner S/S Orsova in Vancouver for a trip through the Panama Canal stopping and playing along the way.

April 29 San Francisco Some of the boys managed to see

Red Nichols and his Five Pennies playing somewhere in the city.

May 2 Long Beach May 5 Acapulco Chris Crane remembers seeing open sewers, families sleeping under Coca Cola signs, and one of the poshest hotels he had ever seen, along with a one dollar price for a glass of coca-cola.

May 9 Panama City They experienced one hundred percent humidity, boardwalks, and batwing doors on the saloons.

May 11 Jamaica Chris Crane remembers the steel bands play-

ing on the white-sandy beaches. Barry Brown remembers going by life boat from the ship into Kingston. Bill Calderwood and Barry both bought teak statues. Bill bought a six foot one and when they got to London, he wrapped it up and mailed it home. He eventually got a letter from his parents asking, “What is this pile of sawdust you sent us?” It must have been full of termites. Barry bought a smaller statue and he still has it in his home today. (Barry Brown 1958-’62, junior high school band director)

ABOVE: The SS Orsova which took the boys through the Panama Canal, the Caribbean and on to England in 1962.

OPPOSITE: On board the SS Orsova. Mr. D, Tracy, the Captain, ship’s officers and the band posing for a group photo.

BELOW: Barry Brown in 2004 is still playing his trombone in commnity bands and at reunion concerts.

222 ~ The Champs Elysees

May 12 Haiti Chris Crane told me he went in by longboat to Port Au Prince, but as it had such an evil atmosphere he didn’t bother to land.

He went back to the ship and took another member in tow -- he thought there was a distinct possibility he would not be seen again.

May 15 Bermuda They played at the Governor’s Palace. Bob

Buckley remembers the white roofs on the houses used to catch the rain.

May 21 They arrived in Le Havre May 22 Southampton On board the SS Orsova the boys had

ABOVE: Bob Buckley in 1960 when he joined the Kits Band. Bob went on to become a rock musician, jingle writer and film composer and is still going strong in 2011.

BELOW: 2004 Bill Ingledew still playing his trumpet after all these years.

lots of time for sectional rehearsals in the ship’s cargo hold, where they sat on crates and bundles. It was okay for the trumpets and the trombones, but for instruments like the saxophone and French horn, which are placed at the side, it proved a little awkward. The boys had a little Dixieland band on that trip and used to play in the crew’s quarters. The crew thought the sun rose and set on the boys. Sometimes the crew would take the boys with them on shore leave, cock fights in Jamaica, Haiti and so on... Bob Calder shudders about it today. (Bob Calder 1958, ’62, high school principal) The boys rehearsed a lot on the boat. Bob Buckley remembers stopping in San Francisco for a day. They went to Long Beach, (California) saw the Panama Canal, Kingston, Jamaica and then Bermuda. They played in all those places. They just marched off the boat and started playing. Most of it was not pre-arranged. They were gone for five months. (Bob Buckley 1960’62, rock musician/film composer) On board the ship heading for Southampton, the boys had a head purser who was miserable and didn’t like kids. He kicked them out of the swimming pool so they decided to get even. Some of the boys switched the Men’s and Women’s washroom signs around and exchanged the ships’ flags at the stern with a women’s brassiere and panties. On the last day of the voyage they made the purser walk the plank (in the pool) to a drum roll by a snare drummer in the band. (Barry Brown 1956-’62, junior high school band director) Once in Southampton, the boys headed straight for London, where they managed to hear the Ted Heath Orchestra during a recording session. They stayed in London for twelve days, enjoying the sites and sounds.

June 5 They left for Dieppe by ferry en route to Paris. In Paris, the boys got on a bus and went down the Champs-Ely-

sees. This was 1962, right after the problems in Algeria. It was like a military fortress, people were walking down the streets with machine guns.

CARIBBEAN/KERKRADE TOUR ~ 223 Delamont says, “Stop the bus! Everybody out and get your instruments and capes. We are going to play!” Right in the middle of the Champs - Elysee!

The minute the boys stepped out, there were policemen all over them but they didn’t do anything. So they marched down the Champs - Elysees and played. Then they stopped and sold postcards while people gathered around.

During their stay in Paris, they played regularly in parks and saw a lot of the Parisian way of life. (Bill Ingledew 1962, Ingledew’s Shoes) You really had to accept Arthur’s way of doing things if you were going to get along in the organization. (Rob Arseneau 1962-’67, taxi driver, apartment manager) One day, Ted Milbrandt, Billy Millerd, and Chris Crane left a cafe and proceeded to cross the road, which triggered an unfortunate series of events.

Chris now has the Citroen van that ran him down permanently etched on his body - the dent from its left headlight still in his upper right leg and pain in his crushed left leg where it ran over him. The driver visited Billy Millerd and Chris in the hospital and was quite upset that Chris had managed to put his van out of commission for two weeks. This driver was having a race with another car, was on the wrong side of the road and hit Chris when he stepped off the curb. Chris hit Bill on the way by, breaking Bill’s elbow in three parts and cracking his head. Chris travelled about a block down the road on the front of the van, fell off the front and then got run over. Chris woke up in the ambulance to see Billy covered in blood - the gold crest on his sweater now red - Chris was in the same state and had the glass of a headlight imbedded in his leg. He promptly lost consciousness again. When the rest of the band found out that Chris and Bill had managed to live through these events, the ensuing celebration led to the death of Ricky Patterson. That night Ricky and another boy were playing around in the shower and Ricky hit his head on the shower nozzle. Some time the following day Ricky collapsed and was rushed to a hospital with a concussion. Ricky passed away shortly afterwards. Chris’s continuous pain is a constant reminder to him of Ricky - all the pain it caused and continues to cause various 1962 band members because this incident was never properly resolved. The rest of the trip was a bit of a blur for Chris as he had developed blood poisoning from the Paris hospital and came down with mononucleosis in Cologne where he spent some time in a much cleaner hospital where any bug would be immediately exterminated. (Chris Crane, 1958-’62) Rick’s parents flew to Paris from Vancouver and it was decided that he would be buried in a cemetery in the heart of Paris. Arthur met individually with each boy in his darkened hotel room and in a somber mood asked each boy one at a time if they wanted to carry on with the trip or to go home. The parents association back home felt that the boys should all come home but Arthur wanted to carry on. This made it difficult for some of the boys because they didn’t want to go against their parents yet most wanted to carry

ABOVE: Rob Arseneau with his grandchildren in 2008.

BELOW: Brian Parkinson (Kits band 1958-62) and his wife in Hawaii when he competed in the Yahoo XTERRA Race.

224 ~ Skill, Variety and Showmanship

ABOVE: The boys in Holland.

BELOW: The band marching in Nice, France.

on with the trip. Finally they came to a unanimous decision to carry on.

One of the most moving moments that Bill Ingledew can remember is Rick’s funeral. The cemetery was one hundred and fifty years old. They had never allowed music to be played in the cemetery. It was just not done. The band played! It was a pretty moving experience. They played a hymn and Bill played a solo. (Bill Ingledew 1962, Ingledew’s Shoes) While in Nice, Arthur saw a huge American band playing a concert in a band shell. He decided he wanted to play a concert in the same place. Somehow or another he made it happen. The boys were not booked to play in the band shell and the crowds were not as big, but it was quite a thrill for the boys nonetheless. After Rick’s death, Arthur let the parents know that they weren’t telling him what to do. There was a lot of turmoil because people didn’t know what was going to happen. Some of the boys were called before the French Surete’ and questioned about Rick’s death. How did they know there had been a fight the night before between Rick and Jack Wright? None of the boys would talk. The Canadian ambassador was there. No one knew what was going to happen to Jack Wright. He was in police custody and that is when the band left and went down to Nice. It was pretty much up in the air until they returned Jack to the band and then everything was fine. (Bob Calder 1958, ’62, high school principal)

CARIBBEAN/KERKRADE TOUR ~ 225 Arthur’s new wife Tracy brought her daughter Marni along on the trip.

Marni and Bill Ingledew became very good friends and dated later. That marriage did not work out too well. Whenever Arthur felt down, on the trip, he would come and talk to John Rands and Bill Ingledew about his personal problems. The kids acted as a sounding board for seventy year old Arthur.

He was frustrated because things were not the way they were with his first wife. Bill guessed he talked to him because he was close to Marni. Bill remembers countless evenings with Arthur and John, trying to figure out what to do! (Bill Ingledew 1954-’62, Ingledew’s Shoes)

July 8 through 14 Back in England, the boys departed Sunderland

on July 9 for Dartmouth in the southwest of England. There they stayed in an army barracks, seven miles from town and played concerts every day in Dartmouth, travelling back each night to the army barracks. The boys were given a tour of the Royal Military College and also performed a concert in Paignton.

A gentleman named C.Fitch-Northen wrote a letter to the Beacon newspaper in Kingswear in the summer of 1962.

“At the beginning of the Century, I was stirred by the martial melodies of John Philip Sousa’s orchestra in Boston, Massachusetts. Many years passed and, once more in America for the New York World’s Fair 1939, the Vancouver Boys’ Band, Canada, made an immediate appeal both to myself and to some of the crew of our cruiser, HMS Curacao, in whose company I then found myself.

Great indeed, therefore, was my pleasure in listening to a succeeding generation of this last great band in Dartmouth this week. Over the years they have achieved a fine international reputation for their playing. Now they have returned here under the shadow of sad loss and tribulation.

I am sure that many other residents and visitors by the Dart River would wish to thank these boys and their leader for their beautiful playing and wish them God speed and success for their further ventures.”

July 15 thru 20 The boys arrived back in London and went straight to

the borough of Woolwich. They gave concerts daily and then they departed for Dover and the ferry which would take them to Ostende, Belgium. Arthur had entered the boys again in the Kerkrade Music Festival.

July 22 through 30 They were scheduled to perform a series of concerts in Cologne, Germany, before going to Kerkrade.

ABOVE: The boys in the Kerkrade Festival.

BELOW: Bob Buckley with ‘Body Electric’ in 1986.

Bob is on the right.

226 ~ Kerkrade, Holland

July 15 Michael Hadley received a similar telegram

to the one he had received from Arthur in Brussels on his 1958 tour. Again, Michael jumped into action, with accommodation arranged as required – as well as a major engagement with West German Radio, and the city’s ‘concert in the park’ series. The band enjoyed a fine visit. Mr. D and Michael negotiated the program with the station’s musical director, and once on the air Michael acted as interpreter and commentator. The unique program they played displayed the band’s virtuosity. The on-air patter and the interview with Michael were in German so Michael had to rely on eye-contact to cue Mr. Delamont (who didn’t understand German) in. Michael may once have fantasized as a young horn player that they were working closely together but now they really were. Mr. D and Michael enjoyed a hearty, genuine relationship. Indeed, Michael felt that most strongly when he marched the band past the balcony of the flat in which his wife and baby daughter were living about a block from the Rhine river in downtown Cologne—and saluted. (Michael Hadley 1950-’53, Professor of German Literature) ABOVE: Poster for the Basil Ivor Kirchen Band.

BELOW: Marching at the Kerkrade Festival.

While in Cologne, more bad luck befell the band. Six of the boys came down with mononucleosis and had to be hospitalized. Nothing like this had ever happened on any trips to the UK. Arthur seriously wondered about pulling out of the Kerkrade Band Festival but as the day of the festival

CARIBBEAN/KERKRADE TOUR ~ 227 approached, two of the boys were well enough to return to the band so he decided to go ahead. The other four boys remained in the hospital for six weeks, receiving lots of rest and blood transfusions.

Bob Buckley got sick in Amsterdam. The band went to Cologne, Germany. Bob was one of the boys who wound up in a hospital in Cologne for five weeks, while the rest of the band continued touring. This is what Bob was told by one of the mothers who came to visit him. There were three boys who got sick. The mother of two of the boys came over to be with them.

The senior doctor, who couldn’t speak any English, had apparently been a Nazi fighter pilot during the war. He was a huge blond guy with blue eyes.

The other two boys recovered faster and Bob ended up staying by himself for about three weeks. The other doctor, who was in his twenties and could speak English, was a jazz saxophone player.

As Bob was getting better, the doctor would sneak him out and take him to hear the jazz bands down on the Rhine. Bob remembers going to this one club in particular. The ‘Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland’ big band was playing.

Bob bought their album there and he still has it. He had all the guys sign it.

It is still one of his favorite jazz albums. The doctor knew all the musicians.

That was a real thrill!

While Bob was in the hospital he wrote a piece for band called ‘The Vancouver Suite.’ It was in three movements and the band performed it at their homecoming concert. Dal Richards was the MC. (Bob Buckley 1962, rock musician/film composer)

Two photos of the boys at Kerkrade.

228 ~ Southend On Sea Carnival

August 1 through 9 The boys rehearsed madly in Cologne for the

festival and then departed for the short bus ride to Kerkrade on August 10.

They were billeted out in Gulpin.

August 11 They won a silver medal in the harmonie division with 78 points and the next day they won a gold medal in the marching competition with 98 points.

August 13 A concert followed in Kerkrade and

then more concerts in Valkenburg, Vaals, Gulpen, Valkenberg again and finally Auken.

ABOVE: A record cover from the Kenny Clarke/ Francy Boland Big Band.

BELOW: The boys in the Southend-on-Sea Carnival Parade.

August 24 The boys arrived back in London and went immediately to Southend-on-Sea where they played in the Carnival parade, gave concerts at the Palace Theatre on the pier, and played on the waterfront during a fireworks display from the 25th through 30th.

Once while playing a concert in Southend-on-Sea for hundreds of people, they had to make do with a very small stage. The trombones and baritones had to sit in the front row with the percussion in the back. The clarinets, saxophones and trumpets were on ground level. Charlie Bowman

CARIBBEAN/KERKRADE TOUR ~ 229

and Barry Brown were sharing first trombone and as it was very windy.

Barry agreed to turn the pages and adjust the clothes pegs while Charlie played. Bill Ingledew was playing a trumpet solo standing on the ground level below them. All of a sudden their music blew off the stand and landed on Bill’s head. Bill kept playing! Then the music stand started to sway, and as Charlie went to grab it, he let go of his slide and hit Bill in the back of the head, knocking his hat over his eyes. By this time, the whole band was laughing. Mr. D was furious but Charlie was more concerned about his slide.

Delamont kicked Charlie out of the concert and fined him fifty dollars for swearing. (Barry Brown 1956-’62, junior high school band director)

August 31 They all departed London aboard CP Air and flew home

with a short stop in Greenland. The band’s eighth tour of the Old Country and the continent had lasted four months and was the last trip of this duration. Subsequent trips would only last one and a half to two months due to the cost and to the fact that Arthur was now in his seventies.

A Letter to the Editor: Over the years, people from Great Britain

who had heard the band on tour would often write a letter to the editor of a Vancouver newspaper: “We recently had the Kitsilano Boys’ Band as our leading Carnival band.

Everyone in this town from the mayor on downwards was full of praise for these boys, not only for their musical ability but also their gentle bearing and conduct while off duty. They carried out all engagements cheerfully and willingly accepted extra work to help us reach our target of 3,000 pounds to assist the aged and sick. The boys can be assured a cordial welcome when

ABOVE: The Palace Hotel in Southend on- Sea. BELOW: The boys in Holland.

230 ~ Abbotdford International Music Festival ever they are able to revisit our town and we hope that the people of Vancouver will accept the sincere good wishes of the Southend-on-Sea Carnival Association.”

J.J. Crowley, Southend-on-Sea

ABOVE: The boys in Kerkrade.

BELOW: Chris Crane in Jerusalem, Israel on tour after the band left for home.

The death of Ricky Patterson in Paris on the 1962 trip affected Arthur deeply, as had the death of so many of his boys in World War II. Don Radelet told me when the boy died in France on the 1962 band trip Arthur played a hymn at every concert after that. The hymn was Deep Harmony!

Chris Crane stayed in England after the band returned to Vancouver and set about regaining his health. He spent about three months in and out of St. Thomas’ Hospital, London, to get rid of the Paris infection. Then he worked, studied, and travelled in England, Scotland, Jersey, and the Middle East for a number of years. When he went back to West Vancouver for a visit he dropped in at the North Vancouver Capilano Mall. There was Arthur Delamont selling raffle tickets for a car. “It’s your turn,” he said, “I’m going to coffee!” He then handed Chris the raffle tickets. Chris was astounded that Delamont showed no warmth or surprise upon seeing him suddenly appear after so many years. He was so focused on his band that he did not skip a beat.

Background & Anecdotes At the B.C. Music Festival in 1960, the Kitsilano Boys’ Band again received high praise and was awarded 90 marks for an excellent performance of the Egmont Overture. “It was musical playing in which every mood was captured,” said Dr. Nelson, the adjudicator.

1960 At Abbotsford’s first annual International Music Festival, the boys received the Hemming Memorial Tro-

phy for the band with the most points in any competition. The following year in Abbotsford they again received the Hemming Memorial Trophy for a total of 93 marks. Over the years, Arthur’s bands won so many competitions that there was sometimes a bit of tension concerning his entry. One year Delamont was told he couldn’t compete in a competition because he didn’t have a high school band. He had the ‘creme de la creme’ of all the high schools and that wasn’t fair, they said. He was very upset. Another time, one of Arthur’s boys, Peter Erwin, played a solo in a competition at Abbotsford. He played it and won. They said, “Well, that’s because you went to Europe with the

CARIBBEAN/KERKRADE TOUR ~ 231 Kitsilano Boys’ Band.” As if that wasn’t allowed! People invented strange rules at times. Everything Arthur did turned to gold and others didn’t like it. And he wasn’t shy, he would tell everyone, “We couldn’t play in the competition because we were too good.” (Major Peter Erwin 1951-’58, Band Director 15th Field Regiment Band)

Michael Hadley, who had arranged Arthur’s concerts at the Brussels World’s Fair in 1958, was living in Cologne, Germany in 1961. He was in the Foreign Service and working in Cologne. Arthur was alone in England planning yet another tour. As Michael was temporarily running the Canadian Visa Office in Hamburg at the time, Arthur flew over to consult with him. Michael had booked him a room in his hotel where they discussed his forthcoming overseas concert tour.

Michael has very fond memories of their reminiscing over strong German tea while mulling over the possibilities of future engagements.

Though they made no firm decisions or commitments, one thing was certain: sometime the following year he would bring the band to Germany. (Michael Hadley 1950’53, Professor of German Literature)

ABOVE: The Hemming Memorial Trophy being presented to one of the boys in the band.

BELOW: The trumpet section in 1960.

232 ~ Kerrisdale Kiwanis Band

ABOVE: The Vancouver Rube Band. Don Luff is on the left with the drum.

BELOW: The Vancouver Beefeater Band at the 1977 Royal Tournament celebrating the Silver Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth, who actually greeted Mr. Olson personally at the event. The Beefeaters performed for the entire run of the Tournament, some three weeks.

Arthur was always starting new boys on instruments and the procedure was always the same. Barry Leinbach joined the band in 1961.

There would be about four boys on a riser in Mr. D’s basement. They just sat there and blew noise through the instruments. He treated them all the same, no matter what their musical ability. Years later, Barry was playing a pretty good trumpet and Arthur still had the same discipline. He never lost his patience with him. Barry really marveled at that. By that time, he had amassed quite a musical history, yet he was still interested in these little upstarts, the individual. Then, after school, they would go over to his house, probably about twice a week, for their lesson. Barry would have been in grade six, so he would have been about eleven years old. (Barry Leinbach 1961-’67, IT specialist, B.C. Hydro) Don Luff started in his junior band about 1960. He was nine years old. Don is a third generation drummer. His grandfather, Vic Luff, was probably the most talented drummer of the three of them. He played vaudeville in Winnipeg; in Vancouver he taught drums. He played with the VSO and on the radio. His dad, Doug Luff, also played with the VSO, as did his aunt, a violinist. It was through them that Don got to meet Arthur Delamont. They thought that he should get into the band.

He was a strong disciplinarian with a heart, Don said. He would scream at you one moment and then love you the next. Don thinks that he loved everyone who was in his band. Don played for the football games with Dal from the late 1960s until they moved downtown in 1982. His dad played in the ‘Vancouver Rube Band.’ Don kind of took over from him in that band when his dad retired to Vancouver Island. His dad eventually passed away in 2003. (Don Luff 1960-’69, BC Hydro)

The 1950s, 1960s and 1970s were a busy time for music education in British Columbia,

with choirs and bands competing intensely for highly coveted prizes.

Arthur’s Kitsilano Boys’ Band was still the band to beat but there were other community bands in the Greater Vancouver area soliciting members as well. One of these was the Lions’ Beefeater Band.

The Beefeater Band was formed in 1962 as the official marching band of the BC Lions Football Club. It regularly performed at the team’s halftime ceremonies. It was led by Gordon Olson, the son of Joseph Olson who had led the South Vancouver Juvenile Band in the 1930s. It became the Vancouver Juvenile Band under Gordon Olson in the 1950s and then the Beefeater band. It performed in cities across Europe and North America in later years up until the 1990s. Gordon Olson entered his Beefeater band in a contest against Arthur’s band one year. Each

CARIBBEAN/KERKRADE TOUR ~ 233 band had to play an opening warm-up piece. Usually it was a march.

As soon as Olson started his opening piece, Arthur knew that he would win: Olson had chosen a waltz. Waltzes are extremely hard to play well.

Kitsilano received 94 points and they had 73. (Cy Battistoni 1940-’50, dental mechanic) The Kerrisdale Kiwanis Band started by Bud Kellett was also a strong contender in local music festivals. Mr. Kellett left the band in 1967 and continued to play lead clarinet in the Arthur Delamont Concert band, as he had done since 1954.

Other bands that competed with Arthur at music festivals in the sixties were: Art Smith’s North Vancouver Youth Band, Fred Turner’s New Westminster Boys’ and Girls’ Band and the West Vancouver Boys’ and Girls’ Band led by Clif Bryson. Arthur had directed all three bands and Clif Bryson had been one of Arthur’s originals from 1928.

One day at Arthur’s brother Frank’s home, in New Westminster, Arthur and Lillie paid him a visit. Lillie remained in the car while Arthur went inside. Arthur’s niece Esther wanted to see Aunt Lillie. Arthur tried to persuade her that it would be better to remember her the way she use to be but Esther insisted. When she went down to the car with Arthur, Lillie had two different colored socks on, two different shoes, and her hair was unkempt and disorderly. Arthur was sure she would not know Esther, but when he asked her if she knew who this was, she replied, “It’s Esther,” but she thought Arthur was her brother. Lillie died soon after (1962) of Alzheimer’s disease.

The family was worried about Uncle Arthur being all alone for the first time in his life, but he surprised everyone by marrying their longtime housekeeper, ‘Tracy.’ She was not at all like Lillie and the family thought that this might be good for Uncle Arthur. Maybe now he would take life a little easier, and get involved in other things besides his music, but it was not meant to be. Unlike Lillie she was not prepared to give up everything for the band and Arthur was too set in his ways to ever change. Arthur thought with another trip to the Old Country, in the summer of 1962, she might change her mind. She was all for the trip to Europe but for other reasons than Arthur!

Although Arthur’s methods would not have been condoned today, I think he would have adjusted. He also had an instinct for what each boy could do. He said to a new boy, Bill Millerd, one day, “I put you on percussion because I thought you could be a xylophone soloist.” Bill doesn’t know where he got that from but good teachers are like that. They instinctively know. By the time Bill joined the band Delamont had aquired years of experience as a predictor of talent.

ABOVE: The Kerrisdale Kiwanis Band in the 1960s.

BELOW: Clif Bryson as seen in BOY MEETS BAND an 11 minute National Film Board short from 1961 that can be viewed on-line. See www.westvanyouthband. ca. Look in the band history section for web address.

234 ~ UBC Graduated First Instrumental Music Student He also created a family where there was an extraordinary loyalty, not only from the kids but from the parents. It was partly because of his parent’s organization that Delamont was able to take his boys to Europe on so many extended trips in the 1930s and 1950s when travel to Europe was unheard of for most organizations and then taking the boys to France when none of them spoke French. If he was still doing it today he would probably go to Asia. He would explore new markets. He was an adventurer. He was an explorer too. He explored new music. The boys always had the latest musicals. He was not stodgy in any way. He truly inspired character. He taught responsibility to one’s self and he taught life lessons.

(Bill Millerd, 1958-62, Director Arts Club Theatre)

Two photos of the boys playing in Holland.

1962 The BCSITA amalgamated with the BCMEA and the University of British Columbia Music Department graduated its first student in their instrumental music program. His name was Ted Lazenby, the boy who had persisted in getting trombone lessons from Don Lusher on the 1958 Kits band trip to England and Holland. Ted went back to Europe after graduation, and played trombone in the Berlin Philharmonic under Herbert von Karajan. He returned to Vancouver a few years later and continued playing professionally for many years. Over the years, several of Arthur’s boys received Bachelor of Music degrees from UBC: Sandy Cameron in 1966; Brian Todd; Barry Brown, early 1970s; Donny Clark; Al Lehtonen (Wally); Wayne Pettie and Chris Nelsen in 1979.

Sousa Comparisons (Part 4) Both Sousa and Delamont’s concept of programming combined skill, variety and showmanship. Showmanship was

essential to each of their programs. Their bands were an aggregation of showmen. Sousa declared, “The man who does not exercise showmanship is dead.” Many excellent musicians were never accepted by the Sousa band, neither did they last long in a Delamont band if they could not fit into the mold. This showmanship was needed for solo work as well as for skits. Both conductors felt that showmanship was necessary because of the pace of life in the early twentieth century. Audiences were more restless and needed showmanship to grab their attention.

Both tried to capture the spirit of their audience and felt that variety was typically North American, unlike Europe where national barriers prevailed. People left their concerts feeling they had been entertained, intellectually stimulated, and thrilled by the playing of one of the finest musical organizations they had ever heard. A concert by either band was not a mere concert, but a dramatic performance, a stirring lesson in

CARIBBEAN/KERKRADE TOUR ~ 235 patriotism and a popular musical event all rolled into one.

Those attending a Sousa or Delamont concert really never forgot it.

Each program was originally conceived with something for everyone.

Their most radical departure from traditional programming was their distinctive use of encores. Instead of taking repeated bows, they would commence an encore within five to ten seconds after the completion of a number, before the applause had stopped.

Both tended to practice unorthodox programming by following a serious selection with a lighter, humorous one. Sousa pointed out that a tragic scene in Shakespeare was followed by a comedy scene, or laughter following tears in the romantic drama to silence the critics. In this way, both men brought great music to many who had a limited musical background.

Delamont was always challenging his boys to play bet-

ter than even they thought they could play. All of his boys learned to feel at home on the stage, and Arthur had them up performing something or another in front of an audience within weeks of joining the band. When Bing Thom’s father died around 1956, Bing came down to band practice. Arthur spoke to all the boys and said, “When a loved one passes away it is good to come and be with people who care about you.” He didn’t take him aside and speak to him directly, he spoke in generalities to the group. That is how he taught.

Boys on the 1962 Caribbean/Kerkrade Tour Clarinets: Bob Calder, Ted Milbrandt, Chris Crane, Bob Buckley, Ken Clarke, Mike Barbour, Graham Farsted, David Ptolemy Saxophones: Duane Lunden, Bob Craig, Bruce Peterson Trumpets: Bill Ingledew, Bill Calderwood, John Rands, Jack Wright, Rod Grady, John Sutherland, Lynn Rycroft, Bruce Calder, David Fraser, Bill Rolfe, Rick Patterson Mellophones: Bobbie Barry, John Hawthorne, Earl Jergens, Barry Loucks Trombones: Chas Bowman, Barry Brown, Gary Rolfe, Terrie Cromie, Earl Taber Euphoniums: Jim Sotvedt, Gale Elder Basses: Roger Clarke, Gene Ross, James Hawthorne Percussion: Dave McKenzie, Pete Minshull, Bill Millerd

ABOVE: The boys playing in Belgium.

BELOW: Missing a few members due to mononucleosis and the difficulties encountered in Paris.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

AGAIN CHAMPIONS OF THE KERKRADE MUSIC FESTIVAL

Band History: 1966, the 9th tour of the Kitsilano Boys Band to Europe * The boys fly to London

for a bus tour of England and Scotland * They fly to Copenhagen and then to Cologne * They take a bus to Kerkrade, Holland for the International Band Festival * The boys fly to Paris and then back to England for the Southend-on-Sea Carnival and the Royal Dartmouth Regatta * Background: 1963, lots of bands in Greater Vancouver * 1963, the first reunion concert is organized by Ray Smith * Jimmy Pattison gives Arthur a new car * 1965, 37th annual concert * 1966, band wins the BC Music Festival * Meta-Narrative: Playing solos in Delamont’s band * Sousa comparisons * Anecdotes: Malcolm Brodie * Marek Norman Given the difficulties encountered on the band’s eighth tour of the Old Country in 1962, it would be four years before Arthur took his boys back to England for their ninth tour. On this tour they not only visited England and Scotland but they did a whirlwind tour of the capital cities of Western Europe. The trip cost the band $53,000 and it would only last seven and a half weeks.

Malcolm Brodie (Mayor of Richmond) happened to run into Graeme Monteith, a clarinet player in the Kits Band, a few weeks before the band’s departure for Europe. Graeme told Malcolm the band was going overseas and they still needed a trombone player. Was he interested? They had to arrange things very quickly and Malcolm ended up making the trip. (Malcolm Brodie ’66, Mayor of Richmond, President of Trans Link)

July 19 The boys departed Vancouver International Airport on CP Air bound for Amsterdam. This

would be their first trip to Europe travelling entirely by airplane. Airline travel was fast out-pacing ocean liners as the economical way to travel to Europe in the sixties. Besides, it did not take nearly as long. Somewhere over Scotland, Arthur could be heard playing Reveille on his trumpet. From Amsterdam they headed directly to London on British European Airways, where they stayed in the borough of Woolwich.

One of the boys on that trip was a little over weight but a good player.

He was quickly dubbed Wally by the others because of his slovenly manner.

His guardians at the airport told Mr. D that he was not to go anywhere that alcohol was being served and that he was to be in bed by such and such an hour. All good Christian values, as they saw it. When everyone got off the bus at Woolwich Arsenal, Mr. D said, “Wally, I’m thirsty. Go into that pub over there and get me an orange pop.” That was Mr. D being defiant and mischievous. Don’t let the boy go anywhere near where there is alcohol.

Wally, go into the pub and get me an orange pop. (George Ellenton 1966, Dance Instructor/Musical Theatre Director)

ABOVE: Mr. D playing Reveille over Scotland.

OPPOSITE: Gordon, Arthur & Dal promoting the first reunion concert (1963).

BELOW: The back entrance to Westminister Abbey which I found exciting until I saw the front.

238 ~ Delamont Raised Us All As Musicians

ABOVE: Marching in the Kerkrade International Band Festival Marching Championship.

BELOW: Inside view of the Kerkrade concert hall and the stage area.

I remember lying awake my first night in Europe in a youth hostel in the working class district of Woolwich in London listening to the pirate radio station Caroline. For the first time in my life I was doing something illegal and I loved it... I recall going with my best friend to a dingy working class pub right out of a D.H. Lawrence novel and ordering my first pint of thick black stout. I loved it (not the stout)... I remember taking a picture of every interesting doorway and stone wall, only to walk through the door and find I had just taken a picture of the back entrance to Westminster Abbey.... I remember taking pictures of every statue in London... also every statue in Paris and every statue in Amsterdam, come to think of it. This was the first of three trips that I went on. (Chris Nelsen 1965-’70, high school band director)

July 25 We all moved on to Copenhagen where we

toured the city playing at Tivoli Gardens and performing concerts in the parks. The trumpet trio on this trip included Richard Christie, Rob Arseneau and Doug Tuck. They often performed a piece called Trumpets Wild.

Delamont raised all his boys as musicians. There was a certain professionalism or dedication that Delamont instilled in all of his Kitsie boys, both musically and in conduct and attitude. Bruce Ball started drums with Jack Habkirk and in 1966 Jack suggested Bruce go and see Arthur. Bruce is sure glad he did. (Bruce Ball 1966-’68, geologist)

KERKRADE, HOLLAND ~ 239

July 29 Cologne Preparations began in earnest for the Kerkrade

Music Festival. We marched daily along the banks of the Rhine River and explored Cologne Cathedral, which still showed signs of the fire bombings it had sustained during WWII.

August 3 We finally arrived in Kerkrade (Holland) and were billeted with local townspeople. As the competition day approached, we ended up taking a silver medal in the ‘harmonie’ class and a gold medal in the marching competition, replicating the achievements of the1962 band.

Barry Leinbach remembers Kerkrade, Holland as a long day. He thinks the whole band was kind of numb to what was going on. He recalls waiting to go on stage but doesn’t think we were really nervous, we were just paying close attention to what was being said by Mr. D because nobody wanted to step out of line. We were told to go out and sit down and open our music, which was already out. It was all very professional. When we had all sat down, we heard a little bell go ‘ding.’ The adjudicators sat way in the back of the room. We couldn’t really see them. We played a hymn to warm-up.

It was eerily quiet. The audience applauded. We then played the test piece, the same one we had played at every concert for the last four weeks. It wasn’t toe-tapping music. The audiences always looked rather oddly at us when we played it but it was meant to test the band with tempo changes and key changes. When we had finished, Barry remembers thinking, “It sounded pretty good!” Nobody made a mistake. There was another ‘ding’ and we all got up and left the stage. I think that there were two test pieces. We took our seats. Later, when we were back in the hall, they announced the winners. We came second in the concert. There was some booing because some people, I guess, thought we should have gotten first place. Then, when they announced the winner, there was more booing.

The next day, we went into the marching competition. Barry always wound up standing next to Mr. D. We marched around a track. There were judges walking through the rows, making sure everyone was playing. When we were walking to the bus, we heard that we had come first. We all thought it was ironic because we were not really a marching band. I guess we were the best sounding group that could march. (Barry Leinbach 1966, IT technician BC Hydro)

August 8 Paris We found ourselves back in Amsterdam en route to Paris for four days. We played concerts in the Jardin du Luxembourg and explored the streets and sites of Paree! Barry recalls in Paris we were marching along and Delamont came across a plaza with about one hundred chairs, sitting there, not being used. “This is a good place to play a concert,” says

ABOVE: The Kerkrade concert Hall in Kerkrade, Holland.

BELOW: L to R, Richard Christie, Rob Trousdale, Malcolm Brodie and Rob Arseneau sitting on a statue of a lion somewhere in Paris in 1966.

240 ~ Royal Dartmouth Regatta Delamont. So we took thirty-nine chairs for the band to sit on and got our instruments out. We had played about two numbers when a gentleman came over to Arthur and said, “I’m sorry but you have to pay for those chairs.”

By this time there were a pretty fair number of people sitting listening to the concert. But Delamont, true to his fashion, had no intention of paying for the chairs and promptly ended the concert, packed up and marched away. (Barry Leinbach 1966. IT technician BC Hydro)

ABOVE: Richard Christie in Paris in 1966.

BELOW: A formal concert at the Kursaal Ballroom in Southend-onsea in 1966 which was very well received.

August 12 Southend-on-Sea Back in London we were off to Southend-on-Sea where we spent a week playing for the Carnival and marching in the Carnival parade with the Carnival Queens. We slept on the floor in the Kursaal Ballroom, on mattresses, as those before us had probably done. It was an old fixture in the amusement park on the waterfront.

After Southend-on-Sea, we travelled to Dartmouth where we were booked as the official band of the Royal Dartmouth Regatta. After the rigors of travelling around Europe and the Kerkrade competition, all of us found Dartmouth to be a home away from home. We enjoyed the lush scenery, the history and the wonderful reception given us by the townspeople. After Dartmouth we went by bus to Edinburgh. In Edinburgh we played in Princes Street Gardens below the castle and enjoyed climbing the steep roads surrounding the castle and the Royal Mile in old Edinburgh.

KERKRADE, HOLLAND ~ 241

September 8 We departed London for Amsterdam and arrived in To-

ronto on the same day. How did we do that? Arthur was two beds short for us in Toronto, so he picked myself and Keith Christie to spend the night on his son Gordon’s living room carpet. I remember waking up in the morning and looking up at this tall goateed gentleman towering above me. That was my one and only encounter with the son of our conductor who today is still well known for his books on advanced harmonic theory and for coaching and teaching many musicians who went on to become famous figures on the Canadian music scene. The next morning we left Toronto for Vancouver, where we performed a homecoming concert at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on the night of our arrival.

I was sixteen on that first of three wonderful trips I made with Arthur and the band and I have many fond memories of those days. I remember Carnaby Street, the mods and rockers, fish and chips, Southend-On-Sea, the Kursaal Ballroom and the “Longest Pier in the World,” which, when I returned home, a family friend remarked to her husband: “Hey, John, they’re talking about you.” I remember a jukebox in a community hall where we stayed in Dartmouth that mysteriously played The Beatles’ Yellow Submarine every morning at 6:00 a.m. I remember having a pocketful of marks, kroners, pesetas and shillings and thinking about opening a Swiss bank account but, when I added them all up, I had less than a dollar. I remember the little guy on the sousaphone being loaded down by people throwing coppers into his sousaphone on the parade route and the back two rows of the band marching off on their own when they got bored with the parade. I remember sitting in a pub in Hamburg when the British were playing the Germans in the World Cup soccer finals and rooting for the British. I remember running out of

ABOVE: A reception for the boys in the back garden of the Mayor’s residence in South-end-on-Sea in 1966.

BELOW: Poster for the 1966 Kerkrade International Music festival.

242 ~ Alan Young the pub real fast when the British won. I remember seeing my first ever topless show at the Lido in Paris and thinking how great the band was. I remember marching along the banks of the Rhine in Cologne. The road was below and slightly under the main street, and the people above could not see us, nor discern where the music was emanating from. I remember an Italian band at the Kerkrade Music Festival which came from somewhere high in the mountains of Northern Italy with baritone saxophones and bassoons, out of step and out of time, playing Handel’s Death March or some similarly appropriate tune. (Chris Nelsen, Band Director, 1966-70)

ABOVE: George Ellenton at the homecoming concert.

RIGHT: Marching down Hastings Street upon their return to Vancouver in 1966. Iain Petrie is the trumpet player on Mr. D’s right.

The near-capacity audience at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre was obviously overwhelmed by the skill and artistry we boys showed in our welcomehome concert that ranged from Wagner to the Tijuana Brass. How good were we? Well, if there were any members of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra’s brass section at the concert, they probably went home and nervously polished their instruments and wondered how much they would be able to get from the pawnbroker in a year or two.

In the concert march that opened the program, it was immediately apparent that the 39 boys in the band had been balanced and coordinated to perfection. Their attack had the cleanness and clarity of a pistol shot. In the whole 2 ½ hour program, there wasn’t one ragged entrance or one lazy sforzando. It was a musical program with variety of pace and mood, sensitive nuance and even humor.

Background & Anecdotes 1963 There were a lot of bands in Greater Vancou-

ver. There was a Richmond Junior District Band as well as a Rich-

mond Senior District Band. Jack Habkirk, one of Arthur’s originals, ran the junior band. Al Horrocks, who ran the senior band, moved into Vancouver and Jack moved over to the senior band. Jack was at Palmer Elementary. Bernie Reid, a night school principal, came up with the idea for the district bands. George Ellenton was one of Jack’s students.

He told George to call Arthur about joining his Kits Band. Fred Turner had the Lower Mainland All Star Band and the B.C. All Star Band.

George had just finished playing in his Lower Mainland Band. There was a lot going on musically in those days.

Jack Habkirk was a great bassoon player, tenor saxophone player and and later trumpet player. He began playing trumpet when he started teaching band. He was an all-around good guy. He passed away about 1967. Jack told George a story about the boys practicing their

KERKRADE, HOLLAND ~243 marching on the deck of the ship going over to England in 1934. One of the boys was having problems with his slide and the next thing they heard was, ‘Slide over board! Jack played in Mr. D’s professional band, the Lions’ band, the cruise ships which used Vancouver as a port and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. He was a good musician. He had what all the Delamont guys have, the ability to program. (George Ellenton 1963-’66, dance instructor/musical theatre director)

1963 The first reunion concert of the Kitsilano Boys’ Band came about when Arthur decided to call together all

his boys for the first time. They came from far and wide: a Benedictine Monk from Mission B.C. came to play the bass drum, a chemist with Shell Oil flew in from Texas, a band director came down from Dawson Creek. It was like a college reunion in the Queen Elizabeth Theatre that Wednesday night as some 400 alumni came back to honor the band’s founder and director, Arthur W. Delamont. It was not only the first reunion concert of this famous band but it marked Arthur Delamont’s 71st birthday and the 35th anniversary of the founding of the band.

It wasn’t a kind of college that produced only professional musicians. In fact only a few of the 3,000 alumni who passed through the band between the ages of 8 and 18 went on to a musical career (like Dal Richards, or into show business like Alan Young). Most of the rest settled into ordinary jobs. But the ‘college’ taught them a lot of things: the value of friendship, the ability to get along with other people, the necessity for self-discipline and an appreciation that music makes life richer.

Ray Smith organized the QE concert. Ray was

the son of Stanley V. Smith, an original member and the man who had organized the British Empire Games in Vancouver in 1954. About 500 alumni turned up, with and without instruments. The bands alumni list of ‘Who Blew’ read like a ‘Who’s Who’...... Dal Richards (orchestra leader and Master of Ceremonies), Wally Oatway (WWII bomber pilot with the Tiger Squadron), Herbert Melton, John Fairburn (director of a lumber company), Roy Johnston (a right-of-way agent with B.C. Hydro land division), Donald Endicott (accountant), John Hardy, Gordon Delamont (the conductor’s son and an orchestra leader), Stuart Ross (Reliance Machine Co.), Cliff Wood (insurance company manager), Dr. Charles Donnelly, Ross Armstrong (optometrist), Stanley V. Smith (trust company official), Dorwin Baird (public relations consultant), Bob Randall (director of the Ascot Jockey Club), George Reifel (businessman), and Arthur Butroid (commander in the Royal Canadian

ABOVE: Ron Atkinson was on the 1933,’34 and ‘36 trips to England. He became a band director in northern B.C. BELOW: Pete Watt and Don Endicott warming up for the 1963 homecoming/ reunion concert.

244 ~ District Deputy Grand Master of Lodge #20 Navy). A high point in the evening was when the former members gathered on stage for a massed band concert. They played Light Cavalry Overture by Von Suppe, My Fair Lady by Frederick Lowe, the Merry Wives of Windsor Overture by Nicolai, Poet and Peasant Overture by Von Suppe and Semper Fidelis by Sousa. The President of the Vancouver Tourist Bureau, Frank Baker, gave Arthur a certificate appointing him ambassador-at-large for Greater Vancouver.

Jimmy Pattison gave him a new car. Jimmy was

ABOVE: Stu Ross and his son Gene Ross. Both father and son were members of the Kits Band.

BELOW: Ron Ptolemy and his son Dave Ptolemy. Both father and son were members of the Kits Band.

just starting out in business and it was a sacrifice but he wanted to do something for him, so he gave him a brand new car. He did it for him on behalf of the band but that was the kind of feeling he had for him. But the spark plug of that first reunion concert was Ray Smith, President of MacMillan Bloedel and eventually the chairman. That is when Jimmy first met Ray Smith. There was a Committee meeting at Delamont’s house.

Jimmy was asked to join the Committee for the reunion. Ray Smith was the Chairman of the Committee. Jimmy said he had never seen such organized notes as those that Ray Smith presented. To this day he still uses Ray Smith’s format to keep track of who’s responsible, by what date and so on. He had never seen anything like that before. To this day, in his own company, Jimmy uses the format that Ray Smith had at Delamont’s house! (Jimmy Pattison 1943-’50, businessman)

1964 Arthur took the band to Penticton for the Peach Festival and in 1965 he took them to Calgary for the Stampede and to Edmonton for Klondike days.

Friday November 19, 1965, the 37th Annual Concert was performed at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. The Master of Ceremonies for the evening was Karl Norman. Numbers included Selections from Mancini, Crème de la Crème, Hootenanny and Mary Poppins.

Spring of 1966 Businessman Jim Pattison and a 74 year old

Arthur Delamont showed up at a Vancouver city council meeting even though council did not usually contribute to the band’s overseas travel expenses. Pattison told the council that Arthur was a living legend for having led the band for over 35 years and that funding for this trip would be a meaningful token of appreciation to Mr. Delamont on behalf of all citizens. They only took moments to make a decision and granted the sum of $3,000 for the band’s travel fund, boosting the total to $47,000.

KERKRADE, HOLLAND ~245 The parents’ organization worked hard to raise the remaining funds needed and R.J. Hawthorne was elected for a third term as president of the association. Other officers included Douglas Luff and Morris Wright (vice-presidents), Ivan Rycroft (secretary), Malcolm Craig (treasurer) and Robert Duncan (assistant secretary).

Also in 1966, the Kitsilano Boys’ Band again won first place in two classes at the BC Music Festival. Adjudicator Tudor Jones, director of the Canadian Forces

Band HMCS Naden in Esqumalt, praised the fine intonation of the band, its sonorous, organ-like tone and the wonderful vitality of the players. The West Vancouver Boys’ and Girls’ band conducted by Clif Bryson came in second.

That same year Arthur was made District Deputy Grand Master of Lodge #20 and carried on with his lifelong dedication to the Freemasons.

And he continued to give concerts in the Lower Mainland with his Arthur Delamont Concert Band. They played in parks and around the city of Vancouver whenever a band was needed for a special occasion. There were a couple of similar bands around Vancouver at the time: the Navy Reserve Band and the Firemen’s Band. There was never any problem getting players, as all the members interchanged from time to time. Besides, they were mostly Arthur’s old boys anyway and he knew them all and they knew him. Even those who weren’t his boys knew him well for he had long ago become a legend in Vancouver.

Playing solos in Delamont’s band was a natural progression.

As each of us became more motivated and developed self-confidence, we were expected to move up to the next stand. We began to play solos and risk standing up when our time came. We were all challenged to play more difficult pieces and learned to control our nerves while playing. Over the years all Delamont’s boys knew what inner strength was and they needed a good dose of it to survive on those long trips when they often played three times a day. During the 1930s, in England, the boys courageously entered contests against England’s best adult bands.

His solo players usually won every contest they entered. They learned to be a part of a much greater world than what they had known in Vancouver. When it came time to leave the band every boy left with the greatest of optimism about the future and learned to accept life as it came.

The members of the band became a fraternity, a band of brothers. The boys who played in Delamont’s band and travelled with him developed great relationships with each other. Spending two or three or four or five months on tour together enabled the boys to develop life long bonds.

ABOVE: Band rehearsal in 1965 at General Gordon School. Trevor Smith on sax, Iain Petrie, trumpet.

BELOW: The band on the steps of the Vancouver City Hall in 1966 for a group photo which was used on its postcards for the upcoming band trip.

246 ~ Marek Norman In addition to sensitive ensemble playing the boys developed great interpersonal skills on the tours, both off stage and on. The 1950 group connected so well that they still get together regularly at someone’s house for reunions.

Sousa Comparisons (Part 5) Membership in the Sousa Band estab-

lished a man’s reputation once and for all. No finer recommendation could be found: a

man who played with Sousa seldom experienced difficulty in finding employment elsewhere. The same was true of membership in a Delamont band. Delamont-trained musicians stood out from the rest. Once it was known that you had started your musical career with Arthur Delamont, you were regarded in the highest of esteem. As the years went by, both Sousa and Delamont found it difficult to find talented musicians. In Sousa’s case, as the Arts grew in the cities across America, increasing numbers of musicians were finding steady jobs in the big cities. Sousa was not the only opportunity. In Delamont’s case, the changing times meant there were more opportunities for youth than there were in the 1930s when he first started his band. Youth could travel on their own to Europe in later years or with other organizations. His was no longer the only group making trips to Europe.

Besides being a “regular fellow” able to get along with others, and being a showman, endurance was extremely important. Both Sousa and Delamont disregarded their own welfare for the sake of the audience and they expected those under them to do likewise. Tours with Sousa lasted from six to ten months. Tours with Arthur Delamont lasted from two to five months and both were strenuous by today’s standards. Quite often the bands would play in two towns in a single day. Sousa’s band performed seven days a week. Delamont’s band performed six days per week. It would not be unusual for them to play in a dozen different towns in a week. There were no air conditioned trains.

Meals came irregularly and each night was often spent in a different hotel. Sousa and Delamont bandsmen were hardy and acquired stamina and fortitude. Present day musicians would not tolerate such schedules but then there is no Sousa or Delamont to inspire them!

Malcolm Brodie told me there are people he knew in the band whom he keeps in contact

with to this day. For years, trumpet player Richard Christie was the band director at Lord Byng High School. He has run into trumpeter Lyn Rycroft in the community. And sousaphone player George Ellenton is one guy who really made music a career with his music and dance school in Delta. He sang and danced in ‘My Fair Lady’ at the Gateway Theatre at Christmas a few years ago. Barry (trombone) and Gordy (saxophone) Brown are in the Richmond Legion band. Each of them knows a number of other ex-kits Band members - so the circle grows. 2010, (Malcolm Brodie 1966, Mayor of Richmond, President of Trans Link)

November 3, 1966 Arthur was appointed director of the White Rock Junior City Band. He

replaced Major W.G. Baker.

Fall of 1966 One rainy evening Marek Norman’s ever-supportive, encouraging mother, ushered

him to the dank, cavernous reaches of the General Gordon Elementary School basement - where, for many years, boys like him had arrived in a state of fear, trepidation ... and wonder. After all, Arthur Delamont had (for better or worse), earned a reputation as being a demanding, (albeit charming)

KERKRADE, HOLLAND ~247 taskmaster, having led his Vancouver Kitsilano Boys’ Band to countless awards and world renown.

The Old Man gave him the once over. Not even Svengali’s glare possessed the same degree of magnetism. Then, after a smile and wink in his mom’s direction, he gave him a brief, perfunctory handshake and said: “Don’t tell me you play the clarinet. This band is overrun with licorice sticks!” (Marek Norman 1966-’74 professional Composer/Arranger)

Boys on the 1966 Kerkrade Holland Tour Clarinets: Keith Christie, David Dumbrell, Barry Kiernan, Graeme Monteith, Tony Negrin, Dale Peterson Saxophones: Trevor Smith, Barry Salt, Chris Nelsen Trumpets: Rob Arseneau, Richard Christie, John Evans, Barry Leinbach, Bryon McKinnon, Jim Pattison Jr. Flute: Pat Powell Oboe: Glen Tarling Mellophones: Mike Gregg, Ray Punter, Ken Teager Trombones: George Bouwman, Malcolm Brodie, Dave Scoular, Jim Taggart Euphoniums: John Hawthorne, Allan Lehtonen, Wayne Pettie Basses: George Ellenton, Charlie Forester, Bob Griffiths, Percussion: Don Luff, Gord Robinson, Wayne Tarling, Mark Taylor

TOP: Malcolm Brodie, the Mayor of Richmond, greeting the Queen on her visit for Expo 86.

BELOW: The boys arriving at London’s Heathrow airport and posing for a photo.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

PERFORMERS AT EXPO 67 IN MONTREAL

Band History: In 1967, a 10 day train trip to Expo 67 in Montreal * Background: 1967,

Centennial Concert * Ron Collier leads the Expo Big band * Gordon Delamont and the Ontario Suite

Summer of ‘67 Delamont took us on a ten day trip to Expo ‘67

in Montreal. We traveled by train, stopping at whistle stops just as he had done with his boys in the 1930s and ‘50s. On the Expo grounds in Montreal we were only allowed to play in designated bandstands and Delamont was warned not to go off and play just anywhere he chose. Never one to be told what to do when it came to putting on concerts, one day he mustered us into march formation and headed us off down the middle of the fairgrounds.

When our manager, Dave McKenzie, saw what he was doing, he started after him, knowing full well that the fair officials had meant what they had said about being kicked off the grounds. Times had changed! Delamont finally set us up in concert formation and began playing pop selections for a crowd which had gathered around. Half way through the first selection, with our manager shouting at him, he signaled us to stop playing and ushered us back into marching position and we headed back to where we had come. To say that Delamont did not take well to the changing times would be an understatement.

Background & Anecdotes March 12, 1967 Arthur put on a centennial concert at the Queen

Elizabeth Theatre. The Master of Ceremonies was Dal Richards. Selections included Euryanthe by Von Weber, Selections from Brigadoon, Colorama, Marche Slav by Tschaikovsky and Finlandia by Sibelius.

Ron Collier leads the Expo Big Band at the Plaza of Nations. At Expo we were impressed to hear that one of Arthur’s old boys was leading the Expo Big Band. We were all thrilled to think that one of us had made it to such prominence. When he was in the band from 1943 through 1950 he was known as Ron Colograsso. Ron had headed to Toronto after the 1950 Kits band tour, where he eventually studied with Gordon Delamont. Ron was now a

ABOVE: The Kerrisdale Kiwanis Band playing in a bandshell at Expo 67 in Montreal.

BELOW: Abbotsford Parade and Music Festival 1967.

250 ~ The ‘Ontario Suite’

ABOVE: Ron Collier in his earlier days.

BELOW: Doc Severinson “Heeeeere’s Johnny!”

That lead-in, followed by a big band trumpet blast, was the landmark of late night television for three decades. The ‘Johnny’ was Johnny Carson, the announcer was Ed McMahon and the bandleader was Doc Severinsen.

Beginning in October 1962, The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson ruled the night air for thirty years. On May 22, 1992, it came to an end.

composer/arranger. He wrote for almost every combination of instruments imaginable: solo flute with piano, strings, woodwind groups, brass groups, full orchestra, concert band, big band, studio orchestras. Ron studied first with Gordon Delamont in Toronto from 1951 to 1954. He was the first Canadian musician to get a Canada Council Grant which he used to further his studies in New York City with George Russell from 1961 to 1962. Throughout the 1950’s he played trombone with several Toronto dance bands including Mart Kenny and his Western Gentlemen.

He played free lance with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the National Ballet and COC Orchestras, as well as with CBC Radio and various TV groups.

During the fifties and sixties, he and his group were highly visible, presenting concerts with symphony orchestras in various parts of the country.

His activities led to opportunities for him to write dramatic backgrounds for television and movies. For Collier, jazz composition led him into more commercial fields. He had a ten piece ensemble in the early 1960s and on occasion, (like at Expo 67), he had his own big band.

‘Ontario Suite’ Gordon Delamont had been commissioned by the

Ontario Government to write a twenty minute work for twenty musicians for use in the Ontario pavilion at Expo 67. The piece, which became his favorite, was called ‘Ontario Suite.’ Kendor subsequently published the ‘Ontario Suite’ in a slightly different format than it was originally written. The published form received its premiere at Kleinham’s Music Hall in Buffalo, New York, on a program with the tuba virtuoso Harvey Philips, and the man who Gordon believed to be the greatest technical master of the trumpet the world had ever seen, Carl (‘Doc’) Severinson.

The nature of Gordon’s business - teaching, writing books, etc. seemed to lead naturally into the area of adjudicating and he found himself quite heavily involved in this pursuit - particularly during the sixties and early seventies. He did quite a bit of stage band adjudicating and, primarily because of a couple of his students, Tony Mergel and Russ Messina - a lot of accordion adjudicating in both Canada and the United States.

Gordon wrote: “I’m somewhat ambivalent about the value of music competitions and the ‘grading’ of musical ability. Sometimes, it’s just plain useless. I remember one contest where I was required to judge fifty kids playing ‘Valse Triste’ on the accordion. Had I been asked, after hearing the forty-fifth one, how he or she compared with the fifth one, I wouldn’t have the foggiest notion. The competition should not have been set up this way and I should not have accepted a chore such as that,

EXPO 67, MONTREAL ~251 which required maybe three different sessions, and about six adjudicators. So the value to the musical student of competition depends, to a large degree, on how well they are organized and of course on the efficiency of the judges. Further, I think that it is most important that all contestants’ teachers point out to their students that if they are in a winning band or orchestra or are a winning soloist this does not mean that a career in music should or must naturally follow - and if they are in a losing band or orchestra or are a losing soloist, this in no way means that a career in music is not to be contemplated.

Because of my father’s Kitsilano Boys’ Band, I played in competitions all over the world and I never heard of a young person being psychologically damaged by losing a contest, although I’ll agree that such a thing could be a possibility. The whole idea of competitive festivals began in Britain where in 1900 there were 35,000 brass bands - most associated with industrial firms, mines, mills, etc. and they were part of the public relations of the company with which they were associated. A win by a company band was regarded as good advertising for the company. By 1950, the number of brass bands in England declined to 3500. Interestingly though, the stage band competitions (which may possibly outnumber concert band competitions in North America presently) also started in Britain in the 1930’s, when they were known as ‘dance band’ competitions.” (Gordon Delamont, Arranger, composer, teacher)

ABOVE: Ron Collier conducting a jazz band of Kits alumni at the Showboat in 2004. Bob Buckley on sax.

BELOW: The boys in front of the India pavilion at Expo 67 in Montreal.

252 ~ Duke Ellington In 1967, the Canadian Association of Publishers, Authors and Com-

Dukeat Ellington At Mr. Lousuggestion.

Applebaum’s suggestion the posers1967 (CAPAC) Mr. Lou Applebaum’s decided to approach

ABOVE: Ellington in the 1970s.

BELOW: Ron Collier, Duke Ellington, Norm Symonds and Gordon Delamont

Canadian Association of to Publishers, Authorsand andrecord, Composers (CAPAC) Duke Ellington to ask him come to Toronto as a soloist, some decided to approach Duke Ellington to ask him to come to Toronto and music written by Norm Symonds, Ron Collier and Gordon Delamont. He record, as a soloist, written Norm Symonds, Collier readily agreed to this. some They music decided to useby a medium size jazz Ron orchestra that and Gordon Delamont.

He readily agreed to this.

They decided to use was in operation under the direction of Ron Collier. Both Ron and Norm a medium jazz orchestra the direction of Ron Collier.

Both added a largesize string section to theunder orchestra.

On the day of the rehearsal and Ron and Norm added a large string section to the orchestra.

On the day recording, they felt it might be a good idea to talk to Duke ahead of time, so of they the rehearsal andhim recording, felt itwas might be atogood idea to talk to that could give an ideathey of what going be required of him. ahead Collier of time,and so that they could give him an idea of what wasdowngoSoDuke Symonds, Delamont arranged to visit Ellington in his ing to be required of him.

So Symonds, Collier and Delamont arranged town to visit Ellington in his downtown hotel room on the morning of the day they were to make the recording. After years of adulation they were somewhat excited by the prospect of meeting the legend himself. They knocked on the door and, with the exception of a nylon stocking on his head, he was as naked as a jay-bird. His first words were: “Come into the valley of the giants.” For the rest of the morning, despite appearances by waiters, press people and others, he remained in the unadorned condition that he was in when he had initially opened the door. He ordered breakfast sent in which, as I recall, consisted mainly of a steak and a pitcher of hot water.

Eventually, it became time to go to the recording studio, although they had not found an opportunity to discuss the music with him. He donned some casual but striking clothing. The striking clothing was, of

EXPO 67, MONTREAL ~253 course, the original genesis of the ‘Duke.’ The rehearsal and recording session itself they will never forget. Each one of the three of them had written two pieces - one short one and one more substantial piece of about ten minutes in length. There were solos for Ellington in each. The solos are, in the main, improvised but sometimes were totally or partially notated. The first surprise was their discovery that Duke was not very adept at the business of reading music. In fact at one point he said to them: “This is the first time I’ve had to read music since we played at the Cotton Club in 1928.” They were sure this was true because with his own band, playing his own music, he would really have no reason to write out a piano part, but would simply play whatever he felt was required at any given time. Collier’s major piece, called ‘Aurora Borealis’ is a lovely piece of music. On the basis of air-play it is probably the most popular piece on the album. Gordon’s piece is called ‘Song and Dance’ and was just that. During the early, slower section Gordon had a solo for Duke, most of which was written. He kept getting lost and finally said to Gordon: “Where’s the dominant chord?” He pointed out its position to him, after which there was no further problem.

Norm Symond’s piece ‘Nameless Hour’ is probably the most experimental and most interesting piece on the album. It was the piece that gave Duke the most trouble, insofar as he was never quite sure when to start and when to stop. Finally, at Norm’s request, Gordon sat on the piano bench with Ellington advising him, on the basis of Norm’s written music, when and when not to play (not, however, on what to play!) Had anyone told Gordon, twenty years earlier, that he would one day sit with Duke Ellington, directing him in some musical matter, he would not, of course, have believed it. That part of the day made it a memorable experience for Gordon. Throughout the session - which ran from about lunchtime to well past the dinner hour, Duke constantly drank Coca-Cola, into each bottle of which he would add a package of sugar. Whatever ills had started to plague him by then, hyperglycemia was not among them. The record was initially recorded on the Decca label and called ‘North of the Border.’

Three or four months later, Gordon was awakened quite early on a Sunday morning by the telephone. He picked up the receiver and a voice said “This is Duke.” Still half asleep, he tried to think of someone he knew called ‘Duke’ and asked “Duke who?” The answer was a simple “Ellington, man.” After exchanging greetings he said, “Get some paper and a pencil and write down these titles.” He proceeded to rattle off about a dozen song titles and then said, “I want you to do an arrangement of each of these for my band. We are doing an album for Reader’s Digest and the rehearsal will be a week from Tuesday at a New York address.”

He also said that he would send him a plane ticket. By then Gordon’s brain was beginning to function and he realized that to do all this work, he would have to cancel his students and he decided some years before that teaching was his principle vocation and that he would let nothing seriously interrupt or affect that. This assignment would certainly do that so he turned it down. Duke seemed surprised - Gordon was sure he was not used to having offers turned down. Gordon suggested that perhaps Ron Collier would be interested and available. Ellington agreed and asked Gordon to have Ron phone him. Ron was able to take the assignment. Gordon was left with another sharply etched incident in his memory - being awakened by a phone call from Duke Ellington with a request to write music for him. (Gordon Delamont, professional arranger, composer, teacher.)

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

PERFORMERS IN THE CAPITAL CITIES OF EUROPE

Band History: 1968, the 10th tour of the Kitsilano Boys’ band * The band flies to London for a

bus tour of England and Scotland * They then fly to Copenhagen, Hamburg, Zurich, Geneva, Madrid, Nice, and Paris * Background: Second reunion concert * Getting into the band * Richard Van Slyke and the 15th Field Regiment band * The Centennial Museum opens * Bill Stonier and Northwest Music * Ken Fowler and the UBC Varsity Band * White Rock band travels to Disneyland * 1969, On Tour in Europe Concert

“Why,” Arthur thundered, “did you, you silly ass, take a rest before that 2-4? Why, why, WHY?” The little kid squirmed and clutched his trumpet.

Then another lad played only half a note. “Stop! Stop this mess, you... what the... No wonder your parents send you to me! But even I can’t perform miracles.”

Further into Offenbach, another boy missed the beat, and Arthur exploded again.

“Oh my gosh, gosh! Gosh! Dash!! Why, boy?”

“I was just blowing my nose....”

“Well, next time,” he yelled, “let it run!”

And so the rehearsals continued, and Arthur’s bullying, raving, ranting, and tender loving care which had made the band one of the best of its kind in the world, carried on as well. He never used words unfit for children’s ears, but he always goshed and dashed to beat the band.

He had a marvelous way of going from the ‘terror to the teddy bear.’ He really did, and those of us who were allowed to see that other side, it endeared him to a lot of us, because you knew he wasn’t really a tyrant. (Bob Calder 1954-’62, high school principal) When asked by a reporter one day prior to the big event if his pace was not a little hectic for a 76-year-old he replied, “Making music isn’t a bad way to go, now is it?” He added, “You know, I don’t know any kid who ever played with this band who ever got in trouble. I’d be unhappy if I knew of any. Working with them really is my reward. I like kids, all kids, all people.”

June 25, 1968, Arthur set out with us boys on his tenth tour of Eng-

land. Again we would fly everywhere and be gone for two and a half months.

On this trip, Arthur brought along a cordovox player, (an accordion with an amplifier) ‘Barry Miller,’ as an accompanying act. We all arrived in Amsterdam on June 26 and immediately left for London. In 1968 The Beatles’

ABOVE: The Kits Band at the Kitsilano Showboat in the summer of 1968 before departing for Europe.

OPPOSITE: Summer 1968 The boys performing at a seaside resort in England.

256 ~ The Lost Chord Magical Mystery Tour and Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band accompanied us everywhere we went, and we discovered our own Penny Lanes and Strawberry Fields, which I am sure will stay with us forever.

July 1-4 Official band for the Dartmouth Carnival

ABOVE: Playing in the Dartmouth bandstand.

BELOW: Marching down from the hill to the riverfront and the Dartmouth bandstand.

Everyone loved Dartmouth as we were always well received by the local townspeople. As our predecessors did before, a bunch of us put together a small dance band and played after the concert on the bandstand. We were even asked to go over afterwards to the Boatel (a club on the waterfront) and play for the patrons, which we were only too willing to do. Mr. D was not too happy about it, but I remember thinking at least we were blowing our horns. After the carnival was over, we all got on our touring bus and played our way to Scotland, stopping at towns along the way. In Scotland we performed concerts in several Scottish towns: Aberfeldy, Dunoon, Edinburgh, Anstruther, Glasgow, Ayr, Aberdeen and Dundee.

A trombone trio performed a wonderful trombone trio called Whirligig. It was made up of Gerald Dueck, George Pettie and Dave Jones. The overtures the boys played on this trip included Mozart’s Magic Flute, Semiramide and The Italian in Algiers by Rossini. The heavier selections were always followed by an encore. Usually the encore was a light pop selection,

A EUROPEAN TOUR ~257

well known to the audience. When on tour in England, Arthur would often pick up a few tunes in London that were popular on the hit parade. Because the Beatles were popular in the sixties, he picked up a selection of Beatles songs for the band. Another tune he purchased was called Congratulations.

When performing encores on stage, Arthur would often turn around quickly after the previous piece and give the down beat usually catching one or two younger members of the band off guard. Rapid-fire encores, these were called, and you had better be ready for them or you would certainly hear about it afterwards.

In later years, at the end of each of the band’s concerts Arthur would perform The Lost Chord as a trumpet solo with band accompaniment. Bill Inman remembers Arthur playing at the Princes Gardens in Edinburgh.

With my eyes closed, I remember how Delamont played solo, the first verses of The Lost Chord.... the classic, haunting, Arthur Sullivan hymn that by now we all knew by heart. His tone was seasoned by age but still strong.

In the big bowl of the Princes Garden, he pressed out each even tone with a single sweet voice. Then... in the final chorus, our fifteen odd trumpeters quietly stepped up to the flanks of the stage beside him. In one long note that started as a hush and then cresendoed to a deafening roar through the gardens, vibrating the stage, the music stands and my chest.... we all joined in and I found, somewhat to my surprise, that I finished playing the hymn with tears in my eyes! This emotional finale became a signature piece for the band and even in July 2008 at the 80th reunion concert, The Lost Chord

ABOVE: The boys playing at Princes Street Gardens in Edinburgh below the castle.

BELOW: John Hawthorne signing autographs and Mrs. Pettie, a chaperone, behind.

258 ~ Schumann Circus was performed with thirty or more trumpet players lined up on stage. Arthur used to refer to The Lost Chord affectionately as Arthur Sullivan’s “Missing Clothesline.”

July 29 The Capital Cities Of Europe We all flew out

ABOVE: The boys on the continent giving a stand-up concert in a town square.

BELOW: The boys playing in the park in Zurich, Switzerland.

L to R, Al Petrie, Chris Nelsen, Keith Christie

of Glasgow bound for Copenhagen. Accompanying the band on this tour were Bill Inman’s family: mother, father and two sisters Robyn and Heather. They would often go off on their own and meet the band somewhere later. Robyn was our age and was great company to have along when touring some of Europe’s capital cities. Heather was younger, about 10, and a whiz with a camera. Several of the photos of this tour can be attributed to her keen eye and excellent taste, as I am in most of them.

In Copenhagen, we played the Schumann Circus and visited Tivoli Gardens. One day in Copenhagen Arthur and about 10 of us boys decided to go for a stroll on the streets near where we were staying. It was not long before we realized that we were lost. One of the boys spotted the Danish Consulate and went inside to ask for directions. On both the 1966 and 1968 trips there was one boy who was always called upon whenever the band needed to speak to any foreign official. He was quite a learned young chap and took his school work very seriously. While most of the boys were still trying to figure out what country they were in and what the currency was, this young fellow was busy telling those who were interested all about the country’s political system or economic system. It was not long before the young lad came out of the consulate and pointed the boys in the right direction. Little did we realize that this young fellow would go on to become a Rhodes Scholar in 1970 and 25 years later become Canada’s Ambassador to Cuba in 1997 and then Canada’s Ambassador to Mexico in 2000. His name was Keith Christie, my best friend in those days, and the one who brought me down to join the band.

After three days in Copenhagen we were off to Hamburg, Cologne, Zurich, Geneva, Madrid, Paris and then back to London on August 22. Quite often in one town or another Arthur would be met by the Mayor or an important city official. “If he didn’t think they were as important as they thought they were he would often extend his hand but miss their hand when they were about to shake.” (Art Tusvik 1953-’58 professional musician)

Summer of ‘68 Students riot at the Sorbonne. When

we arrived at our youth hostel on the Boulevard St. Michel we could see gendarmes and paddy wagons everywhere. Later (Dave McKenzie) our manager and Bruce Ball were out wandering around looking at the artists creating chalk drawings on the sidewalks. Finally they went into a restaurant. It was late at night. The couple in front of them were speaking English, they were

A EUROPEAN TOUR ~ 259 Americans. It turned out that the guy was the leader of the student riots.

Bruce, like most of us, was just a naive teenager; he really didn’t know much about it. The Americans paid for their dinner. On another day, Dave and Bruce were sitting in a restaurant looking out this big front window. In one direction came the students and from the other direction came the Gendarmes, wearing riot gear. It was the best show in town.

Arthur never put any of us boys down. He never criticized us individually. He just persuaded us. It was like we were the first band he had ever had.

The personal touch. He taught us how to play music. He taught us how to sight read. He taught us how to be a part of a group. He taught us how to be with other people and get along. Arthur was the key that made it all happen.

(Bruce Ball ’66-’68, geologist)

BELOW: The band marching out of the Jardin du Luxembourg in Paris after playing a concert and heading back to the youth hostel where they stayed on the Boulevard St. Michel. Malcolm Bunkowski is holding the flag.

260 ~ Second Reunion Concert I remember a concert in Zurich, Switzerland, where I had a solo. I didn’t feel like standing up so I coerced the little fellow next to me (Al Petrie) into standing up and pretending to play (it didn’t take much coercing). When we got to the high point in the music, where I held a note just before the end of the solo, the little fellow took his saxophone out of his mouth and with a long draw of his sleeve, wiped his mouth, making it obvious to all watching he was not playing, or if he was, he was doing it in some mysterious manner.

I looked over to Arthur to see if I was going to lose my position of seniority on the “clothesline,” only to find him snickering to himself, his head buried deep in his music so that the audience could not see.

It was the summer of free love, flower power and hippies and everyone was in Europe; in fact, you were more likely to

ABOVE: Barry Miller on stage playing his cordovox.

BELOW: The Kits Dance Band playing at the Boatel in Dartmouth. Wayne Briscoe imitating Tiny Tim.

meet your next-door neighbor under the Eiffel Tower than you were a European. The youth hostels were filled, the parks were filled and the airports filled with backpackers wearing jeans, sneakers, and a flag of their country of origin. No one knew where they were going, where they had come from, or why they were there, but they were all having the best time of their lives.

Europe was a very controversial place in the summer of ‘68. The Russians were invading the Czechs and everyone was afraid they were not going to stop there.

As I said earlier when we arrived at our youth hostel on the Boulevard St. Michel it was surrounded by gendarmes and police wagons. When we got off the plane in Madrid the airport was filled with armed guards carrying machine guns. (Chris Nelsen, Band Director, 1965-1970)

Official band of the Royal Dartmouth Regatta. In London I saw my first grand musical, Fiddler on the Roof, but the only seat I could get was behind a pillar. I saw Hair in Plymouth and came out of the theatre unable to hum a single tune. I remember seeing the movie Darling in London, starring Julie Christie, which ended with a flower lady selling flowers on a street in London and out on the street after the show I saw the same flower lady selling flowers. After a few days of sightseeing on our own in London we were back on a bus and headed for Dartmouth to fulfill our final engagement.

In Dartmouth, I led a dance band made up of some of the guys and played evenings at the Boatel. The addition of Barry Miller, the cordovox player on the tour, made our dance band sound even better. One of the boys, Wayne Briscoe, dressed up as Tiny Tim, ukulele and all, and entertained the crowd in front of the band. We once again all had a wonderful time in Dartmouth playing three concerts a day and getting to know the local girls.

A EUROPEAN TOUR ~ 261

Background & Anecdotes January, 1968, the second reunion concert of the Kitsilano Boys’ Band took place. Arthur had decided he

would hold reunion concerts every five years although in later years, as he got older, they became more frequent. 1,500 people turned up at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre to honour the city’s own music man. For Arthur it was a happy occasion. “My cup runneth over, especially tonight,” he said. The occasion marked the 40th anniversary of the band and Arthur’s 76th birthday.

They all came to honour the man who had conceived and painstakingly nurtured the band into one of the great youth bands of the world. It was a night filled with nostalgic notes, humorous interludes and of course

sparkling music, played by both current members and ‘old boys.’ Delamont conceded: “It was a pretty fair performance.” Coming from a man who rates perfection as the only permissible goal, this amounted to an accolade.

During the last half of the evening about 100 former bandsmen joined current band members and proved by their fine playing that Delamont’s lessons lasted a lifetime.

Among the former bandsmen were Toronto jazz musician and composer Ron Collier and Delamont’s son, Gordon, now Canada’s leading authority on advanced harmonic technique. Arthur’s brother, Walter (former leader of the West Toronto Salvation Army Band), also flew in for the evening. Of the performance Walter said, “I thought the performance was quite good.”

Turning to his brother he added; “If you weren’t satisfied with it, I was.”

TOP: Roy Johnston, Dave Parsons and Pete Watt warming up for the reunion concert at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre.

ABOVE: At the 2nd reunion concert at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on January 25, 1968, Arthur is presented with a cake for his 76th birthday.

262 ~ 15th Field Regiment Band At one point Delamont discarded his baton and picked up his trumpet to play a solo. Dal Richards, who was the MC for the evening, told the audience: “Mr. Delamont still practices a little each day on it.” Quipped Delamont: “You won’t be able to tell it from my playing.” But the old maestro showed he could still blow a pretty mean trumpet. Tributes to the band leader flowed freely during the two hour performance and he was presented with a gold baton by current members of the band. Ed Parsons, treasurer of the band’s parent association, thanked Delamont for his untiring efforts over the years. “It never ceases to amaze me how Mr. Delamont has sustained his enthusiasm for his band. He is still the heart and soul of the band.”

1968 Bill Inman recalls the process he and so many others went through in order to get into the band and shares ABOVE: Arthur at the 40th Anniversary concert of the band on January 25th, 1968 in the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, his 76th birthday.

BELOW: Bill Inman on tour in Paris on the 1968 trip to Europe.

some of his memories of his time in the band. “What instrument do you want to play, sonny?” Mr. D demands of me. Like apparently too many other candidates, (besotted by Herb Alpert and other ‘pop’ stars of the day) I suggest the trumpet…“Here, try mine,” he challenges and shoves the horn in my direction: (the tentative tones that come out are not of a caliber, I suspect, to impress him….) “Trumpet players are a dime a dozen” he rattled. ”Here, try this Eb alto horn,… try this tuba…” as he grabs a succession of instruments from the band members around him and I try to fumble. “Can’t play that one, sonny…. go home and play the fool instead!” .... and so on, even to a point where he asks me to bang the big bass drum and he tells me that my note is “flat”... (to smirks of amusement from the other drummers, who must have watched this routine before).

On the first of my own two European tours, only fourteen years old, I was able to play in front of crowds in several cities. I got to step out and introduce a number, saying my first public words to a packed house at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Vancouver. I shared a music stand at a reunion concert with Jim Pattison, (albeit I didn’t know who he was at the time - except that Mr. D used to proudly display the alternating red, then yellow, new cars that he got from Jimmy ….the alternating colors were so people would know, without being told, that he got a brand new car every two years!)

Later, I would tour another dozen cites in Europe, march and play literally hundreds of parades: showered with rose petals after winning the Parade of Roses in Nice, stalling traffic on the streets of Paris and London, marching through the gates of Tivoli in Copenhagen. I got so I marched in time to school without realizing it.

In one sponsored fund raiser, we marched and belted out tunes continuously, for twenty-five miles. In England, our sousaphone players had

A EUROPEAN TOUR ~ 263 to stop every few blocks and empty the big horns because enthusiastic parade fans had filled them, throwing in the large heavy English pennies of the day.

When we visited a town, it often involved greetings and audiences with mayors and city fathers. Here at home we played openings and events, hosted by celebrities, up to and including the Prince of Wales (Pretty heady stuff for a bunch of teenagers).”

Richard van Slyke went on the ‘68 tour. He later became

the conductor of the 15th Field Regiment Band in Vancouver. Richard remembers all the work we did to prepare for the trip musically and raise money: getting out there, marching through the Kitsilano neighborhoods. “I always wanted to play in the band rather than be running up and down the stairs selling pens and stuff to people in the neighborhood.

But boy, talk about preparing us for some of the work we would be doing in Europe! When I look back at what we experienced, I think it was the best six hundred dollars I ever spent in my life. I got so much from that experience. I was a changed person. I had always been a hard worker, very focused and goal-orientated, but now it was like I was on steroids.

It really had a powerful influence on me musically and otherwise.”

Fall of 1968 The Vancouver Centennial Museum opened in Vancouver and the band played for the open-

ing on the south shore of False Creek. The museum was a generous gift by the late H.R. MacMillan to the City of Vancouver and included a planetarium with a domed roof.

Ken Fowler played in Arthur’s UBC Varsity Band. Ken graduated from UBC in 1970 and played in the band for about seven years, the last two of which he co-ran with Arthur. Mr. D left it for Ken to organize and work with the athletic and booster clubs.

Ken became friends with Kim Campbell, who ran the booster club.

Ken remembers doing a lot of half time shows, football games, soccer and rugby. They always had a hard time gathering people to play. They never knew how many would show up. His wife-to-be Maryann often hit the bass drum until someone came along who really knew what they were doing. (Ken Fowler 1955-’58, lawyer)

March 26, 1969, the “On Tour in Europe” Concert was given, his 41st anniversary concert. (Dal Richards

was again the master of ceremonies and selections included Ballet Parisien with the Magee HS Cheerleaders, Oliver, Coppelia and Zampa.)

BELOW: Richard van Slyke conducting the 15th Field Regiment Band.

BELOW: The boys playing for the opening of the Vancouver Centennial Museum in the Fall of 1968.

264 ~ White Rock Band

1968 Bill Stonier & Northwest Music Bobby Herriot and Ian McDougall

(two professional musicians in town) started Northwest Music. There were so many bands around Vancouver in the sixties that there was room for another music store besides Ward Music on Hastings and Modern Music on Seymour. Bill Stonier got involved in 1969 because they didn’t really know how to run a company (They were musicians). They had a drummer doing their books. They didn’t pay their sales tax. Whenever they sold an instrument, they would have a party and spend the money instead of paying for the instrument. When Bill came on board at Northwest, they were buying their instruments through a dealer instead of buying them direct from Selmer or LeBlanc or whoever. Bill changed all that and they became the agents for LeBlanc and for Gemeinhardt.

They were the first company to sell a thousand Gemeinhardts in one year. They changed the whole concept of renting instruments and were the first ones to begin ‘rent to purchase.’ Gradually Bill bought the others out and it is just him to this day (December 2012).

Arnold Emery (Kits band, 1950) brought Bill Stonier down to the Kits Band in 1951. Arthur was glad to have him, but at a concert at the Georgia Auditorium in 1952, Bill went home at intermission and Arthur never talked to him again. Bill played professionally around Vancouver over the years.

He was in the RCAF Reserve Band for a number of years and played bass clarinet. Jack Reynolds often asked him to sub for him in Arthur’s professional band when he had to be in court. Delamont would be booked to play a cruise ship departure; Bill would turn up and Arthur would say, “What are you doing here?”

Bill played well enough that Arthur didn’t dislike his playing, it was just unpleasant when he was rude to Bill socially. Bill played many, many times, putting up with D’s attitude. Then the last thing that Arthur did was a gig at the PNE and he hired Bill. He was dead four days later. The guys who learned how to play with Arthur would put up with his behavior. Bill didn’t really want to. Mind you, Bill paid for it for the rest of his life. Anytime their paths crossed, D wasn’t very hospitable. When Bill joined the Air Force Reserve Band, Arnie Emery was there as well. Arnie played with Dal at the Panorama Roof for quite a few years while he was at university. He wanted to be a musician, not a doctor. His father was the push. He was the unofficial Mayor of Kitsilano and owned a drugstore.

(Bill Stonier 1951, Northwest Music) ABOVE: Bill Stonier with alto saxophone seated next to Don Radelet with the baritone at a BC Lions game. They were both part of the Lion’s Pro band in the 1960s.

A EUROPEAN TOUR ~ 265

1969 White Rock Band travels to Disneyland 1969 White Rock Band travels to Disneyland for the Easter Parade. In In 1967 1967 and and1968 1968Arthur Arthurhad hadalready alreadytaken his White Rock Rock band to the to Sea ParadeParade in Vancouver and theand Peach taken his White band theFestival Sea Festival in Vancouver the Festival ParadeParade in Penticton.

Now he could be found at hisathome in White Peach Festival in Penticton.

Now he could be found his home in Rock, Rock, preparing the music for a trip California.

But first had White preparing the music for atotrip to California.

But he first heanother had concert concert to perform at the Queen Theatre.Theatre. another to perform at theElizabeth Queen Elizabeth

March the “OnHolland Tour in Europe” ConBoys on26, the 1969, 1968 Kerkrade Tour

cert was given, his 41st anniversary concert. (Dal Richards was again the

master of ceremonies and selections included Ballet Parisien withLoewen, the MaClarinets: Keith Christie, Dean Wilson, Don Meredith, Wendy gee High School Cheerleaders, Oliver, Coppelia and Zampa.)

Barry Miller, Jody Neville Saxophones: Chris Nelsen, Al Petrie, Malcolm Bunkowski, Deryk Smith Trumpets: Wayne UBC Pettie, Varsity Oain Petrie, Larry Ken Fowler played in Arthur’s Band.

Borsa, Chris Ketchum, KentinHansen, Mike Bunkowski, Richard Van Slyke Ken graduated from UBC 1970 and played in the band for about seven years, the last two of which, he co-ran with Arthur.

D left it for Ken to Cordovox: Barry Miller Mellophones: Bert Gibbons: Don Griffiths,orgaBill nize and work with the athletic and booster clubs.

Ken became friends with Inman Trombones: George Pettie, Dave Jones, Garry Wilson, Gerald DuKim Campbell, who ran the booster club. Ken remembers doing a lot of half ick, Jim Taggart Euphonium: John Hawthorne, Allan Lehtonen Basses: time shows, football games, soccer and rugby. They always had a hard time Deryk Petrie, Dennis Grey, Dannever Brown Percussion: Bruce Ball, Don gathering people to play.

They knew how many would show up.Luff, His Wayne Briscoe, Daveoften Calder wife-to-be Maryann hit the bass drum until someone came along who really knew what they were doing. (Ken Fowler 1955-’58, lawyer)

ABOVE: Bruce Miller in the latest Carnaby Street fashion.

BELOW: The White Rock Junior City band seen here about 1969.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

AGAIN PERFORMERS IN THE CAPITAL CITIES OF EUROPE

B

and History: In 1970, the 11th tour of the Kitsilano Boys’ band * The band flies to London for a bus tour of England and Scotland * They fly to Amsterdam, Hamburg, Zurich, Nice, Barcelona and Paris * Background: A thread of classical pieces * Sousa comparisons * Meta-Narrative: Boys always worked hard in Delamont’s Band * How the Ted Heath Band started.

June 25, 1970 The boys left on their eleventh tour of England and the continent. In the late 1960s and early

1970s the band’s trips to England became more frequent (every two years, beginning in 1966). The trip would last two and a half months and see the boys flying again to many western European capitals. This time the boys flew Air Canada to London, boarded a tour bus and immediately left for Dartmouth, where they again were booked as the official band for the Dartmouth Carnival week.

All of Arthur’s programs included a novelty number followed by either a descriptive piece, a tone poem or a fantasy. In later years he often played a piece called A Hunting Scene. This piece called for a trumpet player to be positioned somewhere off stage and to act as an echo for the call to the hunt which was played on stage. On this tour of England the young lad playing the echo (Chris Ketchum) climbed a tree and got stuck. He had to remain there for the duration of the concert. Two novelty numbers which the band played quite regularly through these years were Childhood Days and In a Persian Market.

On both the 1968 and 1970 trips Arthur brought one girl along (as he had done on his 1939 trip). Her name was Wendy Loewen and she played the clarinet in his White Rock band. As he needed another clarinet player and she wanted to come along, he decided to allow her to play. Besides, always the showman, it was great PR to have one girl among 39 boys! The trumpet trio on this trip was made up of Iain Petrie, Larry Borsa and Chris Ketchum.

The trombone trio on this trip was made up of Tom Walker, Gary Wilson and George Pettie.

July 11 We all arrived back in London after playing several English

towns between Dartmouth and London (Hereford, Burnham-on-Sea, Yeovil) and boarded a plane for Amsterdam to start our tour of European capitals.

After three days in Amsterdam, it was on to Hamburg, Zurich, Nice, Barcelona, Paris and eventually back to London on August 6.

OPPOSITE: The band playing in front of the boat quay in Dartmouth one of their ‘junk music’ concerts. The boys would play a selection of pop tunes which Mr. D referred to as ‘junk music.’

BELOW: Wendy Loewen, the one girl on the 1968 trip, is seen here with a chick on her clarinet, symbolizing “39 boys and one chick.”

268 ~ Battle Of The Flowers Parade

Nice, France. Arthur entered us in the Battle of the Flowers Parade, a five mile long parade along the Promenade des Anglais paralleling the seaside. When the parade was over we were awarded first prize for best band. Neither Arthur nor any of us had been informed that there was a contest, but it would not have mattered because we probably still would have won.

ABOVE: Arthur in the 1960s and 1970s.

BELOW: Mr. D in his white uniform talking to the crowd at a concert in the bandstand at Dartmouth, England.

“The French Riviera—Hallelujah!—scenery, water, sunshine, Princess Caroline and... Motor scooters! Our second day in Nice we all headed down to the motor scooter rental shop—50 of us. They only had about 20 scooters so we had to double up and the man at the desk got so frustrated that he threw all the keys and registration papers into a big pile and we all had to grapple for a key which we tried to match up to one of the scooters. Finally, we were off, like Peter Fonda in the movie Easy Rider, cruising down the Cote d’Azur towards Monte Carlo, two by two, throttles grasped firmly in our hands, at 20 mph, putt, putt, putt. Nothing could stop us. We were born to be wild, or at least so we thought until we reached Monte Carlo when a gendarme pulled us all over to the side. When he tried to match up our registration papers with our scooters, none of them matched, as we had all grabbed the nearest papers, not thinking we needed to have the paper that matched the scooter we took. After two hours of trying to explain that we were naive tourists on our first trip to Europe, he let us go and we putted back to Nice, feeling more like Peter Rabbit than Peter Fonda.”

(Chris Nelsen) Upon arrival in London we all boarded a tour bus and headed north to Edinburgh. For the next two weeks we toured Scotland playing in a different Scottish town each day.

August 21 Back in Dartmouth we were again the official band for the

Regatta week.

September 7 We left London for Vancouver.

Background & Anecdotes There was a thread of classical pieces that were very successful such as ‘Overture of Overtures’ and

‘Creme de la Creme.’ Some of the music Arthur played in the 1930s he played again throughout the sixties and seventies. It gave the organization a strong sense of continuity. In the current school system, where band personnel are changing every year, you may have the objectives that Arthur Delamont had but you don’t have the continuity, musicians

EUROPEAN CAPITAL TOUR ~269 who are there for several years. He did that extraordinarily well!

(Earl Hobson, teacher, music supervisor, conductor)

Showmanship The way Arthur handled himself during a con-

cert performance was another aspect of his showmanship. If there was a master of ceremonies for the evening, Arthur would manage to get a word in here and there, a quip or a humorous line now and then. The best concerts though were the ones where he was completely in charge.

After each number he would talk a little to the audience. Sometimes he would relate some of the history of the band, the triumphs and the tragedies: the win at the Crystal Palace against 34 adult bands, the win at the West of England band festival in 1934 against 24 adult bands, being chased back across the Atlantic by a German U-boat in 1939 or being a survivor of the Empress of Ireland disaster in 1914. With every word he uttered he endeared himself to his audience and to his boys. If the concert was out on a street corner somewhere and the audience was close by, he might bring a small child up to conduct on the podium or dance with a lady seated nearby.

ABOVE: Band record made in Vancouver after the boys returned from Europe. September 1970.

BELOW: The boys rented motor scooters in Nice and rode them to Monte Carlo and back. This photo includes all the boys and Mr. D and Wendy on scooters in front of a statue in Nice.

270 ~ Jimmy Coombes

Sousa Comparisons (Part 6) Arthur had two uniforms,

ABOVE: Al Lehtonen (Wally) went on three trips to Europe with the band in the sixties and seventies.

BELOW: Don Lusher spent nine years as lead trombone with Ted Heath, including several coast to coast tours of America where he took advantage of studying with Dick Nash and the late Will Bradley. He also met Tommy Dorsey and the members of his band at the Statler Hotel in New York.

a blue one which he wore through the weekdays and a white one for Sundays. Sousa also wore a white uniform for Sundays (and sometimes Saturdays) and special occasions and a navy blue uniform during the week. The similarities didn’t stop there. Both rehearsed up to twelve days for tour programs. Both believed in the “oneness of sound” concept and expected a suitable blend of each section with no individual players predominating.

At each concert both bands featured soloists. In the Sousa Band, Herbert L. Clarke was one of the most famous soloists on cornet. In Delamont’s early bands his own son Gordon was a featured soloist on trumpet and Clif Bryson another on alto saxophone. Arthur liked to bring young boys along on his trips and have them stand up in front of the audience to show their abilities at such a young age. Arthur did this on all his trips. His reason for programming soloists was that it contributed to each musician’s confidence and poise. It also revealed the depth of the band’s talent. Solos added variety and showmanship to the program. Soloists on all instruments were featured. Both Delamont and Sousa encouraged the development of great soloists.

The Sousa Band was the most successful band in musical history.

The Vancouver Boys’ Band was the most successful youth band in musical history.

The boys always worked hard in Arthur’s band. There was another goal to reach, another concert to be played. The thought of those wonderful trips to England loomed like a carrot in the distance. The boys kept busy working towards a common goal, whether they were at home or away on tour. In England their three concerts a day did not seem like work, they just seemed to divide the day up better. There was lots of time for seeing the sites and never did it seem like work, at least not in the negative sense.

As the boys shared positive experiences and became more aware of the greater world around them they became more hopeful of their own future once they left the band. The success they experienced in the band was something they wanted to replicate in their later lives. They realized that they needed to keep the same work ethic and they certainly knew the importance of fostering good relationships.

As new boys came into the band they were often mentored by one of the older boys. There was always a good player that the younger boys wanted to emulate. Wally (Al Lehtonen) was such a fellow. He was a major influence on several of the boys. I don’t think there was a better player in the band during my days there. It was always a tremendous

EUROPEAN CAPITAL TOUR ~ 271 benefit to have someone to play up to, for style and technique. Wally was a great example to the younger boys in showing them how to project and how they should sound when playing in public.

(Greg Bonnell 1968-’79, engineer) While criss-crossing England from one end to the other (and I can say this of all three trips this writer made with the band), I remember fondly listening to the Ted Heath Orchestra and Kenny Ball on BBC on our bus’s sound system. None of us in the sixties had any idea that boys on previous trips had met and hung out with Ted Heath, Don Lusher, Bobby Pratt, let alone that one of them (Art Tusvik) married the daughter of Ted Heath’s great bass trombone player, Jimmy Coombes.

“I remember when we met the Ted Heath Band in 1958. I was enraptured! We just stood there and watched. There was Henry Mackenzie and Don Lusher! Seeing all those guys live was really amazing!”

(Sandy Cameron 1955-’62, high school band director) I interviewed Kay Coombes, (the girl Art Tusvik saw running out onto the dance floor at the Hammersmith Palais in London in 1958 and married). It was wonderful to hear her stories about her father, Jimmy Coombes, Ted Heath, the boys and how they all met.

How the Ted Heath band started! Jimmy Coombes met Ted

Heath when they were both playing in Geraldo’s band. Geraldo’s was THE big band during the war. They both played in Geraldo’s and

ABOVE: Raised in 1915, the Welsh Guards is the youngest of the Foot Guards, but as Prince William will one day be its colonel-in-chief, it is the Welsh Guards’ 40-strong band who had the privilege of playing at the royal wedding.

BELOW: Ted Heath Orchestra, 1930

272 ~ John, George And Paul

ABOVE: Deryk Petrie, one of three sousaphone players on the 1970 tour.

The other two were Bryce Patton and Norman Black.

BELOW: Some of the girls in Dartmouth with Mrs. Tucker. L to R, Jane Baker, Maria Baker and Kay Tucker.

the Ambrose band. Jimmy also sang in the band during the war. There was a vocal group called “Four Boys and A Girl.” Jimmy was one of the boys. When the war ended, Jimmy was still in the army. Ted said, “I am going to form a band like Glenn Miller.” He was very impressed with the Glenn Miller sound. Then he said to Jimmy, “I want you to come with me.”

Jimmy was the original member. Then Les Gilbert came along on alto sax. His musicians all came out of the army. Jack Parnell was the original drummer and Paul Carpenter their original singer. He was a Canadian. Jack used to sing as well.

The Kits band was playing at the Palace Theatre in Blackpool in 1955.

Art and some of the others went to hear the Heath band at the Winter Gardens. Afterwards, Art went up and introduced himself to Jimmy.

Jimmy was pretty impressed with the level of playing of the Kits band.

Art and Kay were married in London in 1960. Kay of course was very popular in school because the Bobby Brittens and the Dickie Valentines of the band were like the Beatles of the day and she knew them all.

Jimmy had a lot of close calls during the war. One time he was chugging along to the train station, his case in one hand and his mute in the other and a bomb came down about a block away. He just went flat. It wrecked his trombone and his mute. He was okay! He was on his way to a Guards’ concert at Hyde Park, which he did every Sunday afternoon.

“We do not stop the band concerts,” they said. The bandstand area in Hyde Park, it was just packed. People knew the band would be there and they looked forward to the concerts. At the same time he was playing in the parks with the Welsh Guards he was working in ‘Churchill’s Club’ at night; out of the Guards uniform and into the tuxedo. One night there was a big event at Buckingham Palace because the King and Queen had remained in London during the war. Jimmy thought, “I am going to miss my gig at the club.” He really needed the money because he didn’t make much in the army. Jimmy had to stay and play with the Guards at a fancy ball at Buckingham Palace. That night, the club that he worked in was wiped out by a German bomb. All the musicians he worked with were killed. Jimmy was so lucky!

In 1959, Kay used to go up and watch the band rehearse and then they would all go down to the pub. Jimmy says to Kay, “Love, you should stay and listen to this young group. They are opening for us. They are called the Quarrymen. They have rather long hair but they are very interesting.”

Kay said,“Okay, Dad!” She didn’t really want to. She wanted to go to the pub. Afterwards, Kay went and had a little chat with these guys.

Their names were John, George and Paul. Really nice kids! Anyway,

EUROPEAN CAPITAL TOUR ~273 she didn’t give it another thought. She came to Canada and all of a sudden she is watching television and these three guys come on stage. There were actually four now. The fourth one’s name was ‘Ringo’ and they had changed their name to the Beatles! (Kay Coombes)

Boys on the 1970 European Tour Clarinets: Marek Norman, Bruce Milne, Wendy Loewen, Dean Wilson, Rob Walker, Doug Makela, Keith MacLachlan Saxophones: Graham Smith, Gordon Stewart, Chris Nelsen, Rick Newcombe, Al Petrie, Mark Eklund, Chris Kutney Trumpets: Iain Petrie, Larry Borsa, Gary Watkinson, Ken Yeats, Mike Bunkowski, Gary Nickolai, Brian Taylor, Kent hansen, Dave McTaggart, Mark Lane Mellophones: Bill Inman, David Jones Trombones: George Pettie, Tom Walker, Bill Johnson, George Sutherland, Jeff Sears, Garry Wilson Euphoniums: Alan Lehtonen, Greg Bonnell Basses: Deryk Petrie, Norman Black, Bryce Patton Percussion: Wayne Briscoe, Bruce Miller, Ken Bonnell, Bill Gumbleton.

ABOVE: The band playing in the Bulmer’s Cider factory in England.

BELOW: Getting ready to march through Dartmouth.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

PERFORMERS IN NORWAY AND SWEDEN

Band History: In 1972, the 12th tour of the Kitsilano Boys’ band * The band flies to London for

a bus tour England and Scotland * They take a ferry to Malmo, Norway, then a bus to Goteborg, Sweden * Background: 1971, Arthur suffers a heart attack * Discipline and work ethic * Sousa comparisons * Arthur’s clean living lifestyle * 1972, the third reunion concert of the Kitsilano Boys’ Band * 1970’s, school music programs are widespread * Ron Collier accepts post at Humber College * Arthur travels to Disneyland * 1970’s, Gordon has ex-students arranging and composing across the continent.

June 26, 1972 Twelfth tour of England and Scandinavia. Now 80, Arthur and his boys flew to London. When

they arrived in London they were put up at Salvation Army headquarters.

They performed a couple of concerts on the Thames Embankment. It took a little while for the band to come up to his standards, as they no longer had the luxury of spending two weeks on a cross Canada train in order to get into shape. It was rough! They were missing parts. It took the boys a while to learn to play together. The music was difficult. They had to build up their endurance. Nine of the thirty eight boys Mr. Delamont hadn’t even seen before. The interesting thing to the boys was the fact that he was eighty years old. He could have been somewhere else enjoying himself instead of struggling trying to whip another band into shape. It made the boys respect him even more. (Ian MacLean 1972, mechanical engineer)

Next stop, Basingstoke Here they played two concerts at a

hospital, one in the afternoon and one in the evening.

June 30 They all left for Salisbury where they played a concert that evening. The next day they headed for Weymouth where they played an afternoon concert. The same routine followed: Sidmouth on July 2, Teignmouth on July 3 and finally Dartmouth.

July 4 through 8: Official band for the Dartmouth Carnival week. While in Dartmouth they took a

riverboat trip up to Totnes like those before them and enjoyed the sights of this wonderful English riverside town. One of Ian MacLean’s strongest memories is marching in a parade in Dartmouth. They were in Dartmouth for five days. There was a vehicle in front of the boys exhuming heavy exhaust fumes. They were all getting sick and here Arthur is, eighty years young, marching along saying, “Come on you chumps, fatheads, silly asses. Let’s go!” (Ian MacLean 1972, mechanical engineer)

ABOVE: The boys on the bus during the 1972 tour.

BELOW: The band waiting to depart by bus somewhere in England.

276 ~ Come On You Chumps!

ABOVE: The boys marching along the Butterwalk in Dartmouth on their way to the bandstand for a concert.

BELOW: Al Petrie finding another use for the bell of his saxophone.

July 9 The boys left for Burnham-on-Sea. After lunch at Torquay they

arrived in Burnham on Sea at three and played an afternoon concert and then an evening one. The next day they played a concert at King Albert School and then went out to a nearby vacation spot. They returned to Burnham-onSea for another concert that evening.

July 11 They were up early and off to Bristol for a concert in front of

a cathedral. When they arrived there was some confusion and the concert was cancelled, so they played at a hospital instead. On July 12 they were off to Hereford, Mr. D’s home town. More dates followed: Chester July 14th, Creston (15th), Cleater Moor (16th), Carlisle (18th) where they were filmed for a TV program which they saw later. Hawick and Edinburgh, on the 19th.

Until July 28 the boys stayed in Edinburgh,

travelling out to play a concert in a different town each day: Carlisle, Perth, Dunfermline, Dunbar ( where some of the boys caught the measles), Dunkeld, Aberfeldy, (where it started to rain and Mr. D got very upset because the music got wet), Kenmore, Glasgow, Falkirk, Musselburgh and Anstruther, (where they played on a boat as it cruised around the harbor).

The ENERGY behind this Delamont!

July 30 Concerts in Harwich, Billington, Redcar and Northampton. In Northampton Mr. D took ill so one of the

boys, Al Petrie, conducted the band. They marched to the concert and then to another place for an impromptu concert, Al leading the boys all the way.

On August 3 they boarded a ferry for Norway. They arrived in Norway on

A SCANDINAVIAN TOUR ~277 the 4th of August and boarded a bus which took them to Stockholm, where they played several concerts on a stage in the town square. In their free time the boys went to see a Royal Guards concert and a concert by Paul McCartney and his band, ‘Wings.’ On August 8 the boys arrived in Malmo, Sweden (after a ten hour drive) where they played a concert on the 9th. They took a ferry over to Copenhagen for a day where they played a couple of impromptu concerts before returning to Malmo, where they played at a soccer game during half time. Mr. D came up with the idea of the band running from one end of the stadium to the other and playing a few numbers. Then they would run over to the side and play a few numbers. The crowd loved it. They didn’t want the game to start; they just wanted the boys to keep playing. They did that at a number of football games both in Sweden and in England.You have to remember that Mr. D was on the go all the time on the later trips and he was now eighty years old. He was pretty remarkable.

(Greg Bonnell 1968-’79, engineer)

August 11 Goteborg, Sweden They all arrived in Goteborg

and then travelled on to Stamstad. On the 13th they were back in Oslo, and played a concert until dark. Next stop, on August 14th, was Larvik where they played on a bandstand and then marched to a hall where they played a concert with another band. On the 15th they arrived in Kristianstad where they played twice and stayed at a youth hostel. On the 16th they played three concerts before taking a choppy overnight voyage on the ferry back to Harwick.

The boys had great fun on the ferry to Norway. It was an eighteen or twenty hour trip and they had to sit up all the way; no births. One of the sailors said to one of the boys, “You can use my bunk if you want to.” He thought that that was pretty nice of him. The only problem was that he soon

ABOVE: Brad Goodwin on snare drum in Norway.

BELOW: The boys playing in Malmo, Sweden and Arthur getting a young girl to conduct.

278 ~ Oslo, Norway found the sailor in the bunk with him. It was a little lesson on motives and using caution. Some of the boys got quite sick on the ferry ride. When they arrived in Norway, they then had to drive for eighteen hours to Stockholm.

There were no stops along the way. Then they went to Gotenburg, Sweden.

They managed to fit in a day trip to Copenhagen. That was pretty eye-opening, what with their open society and all. You have to remember, the boys were just kids from Victoria and Vancouver. (Ian MacLean 1972, mechanical engineer)

August 17 The boys stayed overnight in Dorking and on the 18th they left for London. August 19 they spent sightseeing in London and on August 20 they departed Luton airport for Vancouver. The trip had lasted just six days less than two months.

Background & Anecdotes 1971 Arthur suffered a heart attack. At 79, every-

ABOVE: The band playing at Dorking Hospital.

BELOW: Arthur in Sweden, bringing a little girl out of the audience to conduct.

one thought that the years and the pace had finally caught up to him but again he surprised everyone by rebounding back, putting together another trip to Britain for the following year. When Mr. D had his heart attack in 1971, Roy Johnston heard it on the radio. He phoned around to find out what hospital he was in. It was St. Paul’s, right across from where Roy was working. Roy went over and saw him. Roy had helped Arthur out with running his professional band over the years. They played school concerts and Roy was also Chairman of the trust funds.

He met Mrs. Borsa, one of the band mothers, who was sitting by Mr. D’s bed holding his hand. When he had his heart attack, D phoned Mrs. Borsa. If he had called an ambulance he would have gotten to the hospital quicker, but I guess he didn’t think he was too bad. Before Roy left Mr. D, he said, “You have a boat to play out this week and a school concert coming up. What are you going to do about it?” He replied “I don’t know. Come back tomorrow and I will tell you.” So Roy went back the next day. Mrs. Borsa was there. Roy said, “Have you decided what you are going to do about the boat and school concerts?” Mr. D answered, “Yeah, you’re going to do it!” Roy said, “That’s fine, I can handle it but the school concert I will need more time to prepare.” Mr. D replied, “Do what you want. Have them put it off if you want.” Roy had them put it off until June.

Not long after that Ken Sotvedt brought a group of boys down and they played, “Can’t Help Falling in Love with You” outside on the lawn.

That seemed to perk him up, so he got out of the hospital and went and stayed with Mrs. Borsa. Roy went over to Mrs. Borsa’s house. Arthur

A SCANDINAVIAN TOUR ~279 answered the door in his dressing gown. They went into the kitchen and he had all the music out for the boat concerts. Roy said, “I am more interested in seeing the music for the school concerts.” Mr. D replied, “Don’t tell Mrs Borsa but I’m going to do that one.” Roy said, “Okay, if you think you are up to it.” The school concert came along and when Roy got there Arthur was sitting on the stage in a high swivel chair that he had taken from the library. The music was all out, the seats set up. Roy couldn’t believe it! Roy hired all the guys but he didn’t tell them Mr. D was going to conduct. Ozzie McCoomb came in. He played bassoon in the symphony. He never played in Kits but he played in Mr. D’s professional band. When he saw Mr. D, he said, “What the hell are you doing here, Arthur?” Mr. D said, “Oz, when I go, this is where I want to be.”

Roy let everyone know what he had said. For the next few concerts, they all expected him to drop dead at a concert. But nothing happened. That’s how they thought he would go. They were always happy when he got through a concert and nothing happened.

(Roy Johnston 1929-’34, BC Hydro right of way agent)

Discipline and work ethic. Perhaps it was Arthur’s clean living lifestyle over the years that enabled him to carry on

like one of the boys in later years. His sense of duty to keep the boys on the straight and narrow was always present. Arthur’s daughter Vera said, “Dad was completely honest and never drank alcohol nor smoked cigarettes.” Jimmy Pattison said, “What impressed me most about the man was his total honesty.” When on tour he caught the boys one day putting Canadian dimes in a British slot machine as a substitute for a shilling.

He said, “Boys, that was downright dishonest. We will have none of that!” When a boy did something he was not supposed to do there were consequences. He taught the boys to be honest and accept reality. If they made a mistake, he expected them to live up to it. Each boy was expected to make a place in the band for himself through motivation and discipline. If they could create a home for themselves in the band, then they could create a home for themselves outside of the band in the future.

Sousa Comparisons (Part 7) Publicity stunts

and bold press releases were a trade mark of both the

Sousa Band and Delamont’s band. A twelve foot long xylophone, created for the Sousa Band, was the largest ever built and it accommodated eight players. Apart from the Vancouver Police Pipe Band Delamont’s band was the only Canadian band invited in 1937 to the opening of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. They were also the first Canadian band to be invited on board a US battleship, the USS Virginia, and were

ABOVE & BELOW: Iconic shots of Arthur at a rehearsal for a later year homecoming concert.

280 ~ Third Reumion Concert

ABOVE: Meredith Wilson was a member of the Sousa Band and later wrote The Music Man and The Unsinkable Molly Brown.

BELOW: Arthur sitting at the table in his house in White Rock working on some music. His house looked out over the ocean and the picturesque setting reminded him of England.

dinner guests of the crew If in later years the list of former members of Sousa’s Band read like a veritable “Who’s Who in American Music,” former members of the Vancouver Boys’ Band read like a veritable “Who’s Who in Canadian Music.”

Members of Sousa’s Band went on to play in orchestras and bands across the world. Many became educators and others became doctors, dentists and noteworthy businessmen. Probably the most celebrated show business personality was Meredith Wilson who played the flute in Sousa’s band from 1921 to 1923. His Broadway musical The Music Man is rich in band lore and is one of the most popular Broadway productions of all time. He also wrote ‘The Unsinkable Molly Brown.’ Arthur Pryor was Sousa’s great trombonist. Another was Frank Holton. Holton established an instrument manufacturing company which is still in existence today.

Members of the Vancouver Boys’ Band went on to positions in bands and orchestras across Canada as well. Many of them became teachers, doctors, lawyers and civil servants. Gordon Delamont wrote music for bands and quartets and is well known for his books on harmonic technique. His books are still used in schools and military bands across the US and Canada. Arnie Chycoski went on to become lead trumpet with Rob McConnell’s Boss Brass in Toronto for 35 years, a top session player from Toronto to Boston and a member of the Spitfire Band.

A SCANDINAVIAN TOUR ~281

January 25, 1972 The third reunion concert of the Kitsilano Boys’ Band was held in the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. It would mark Arthur’s 80th birthday and the 44th year of the founding of the band. The members gathered there represented the past four and a half decades. They had come to salute their veteran conductor. Looking as spry as ever, Arthur conducted the augmented band, which taxed the seating capacity of the big stage. Although the volume of sound sometimes bruised the eardrums, it was a sight to see the veterans, some with long hair, and others with no hair at all, playing their hearts out for the old maestro.

1970’s School music programs were wide-spread. High school bands were traveling to Europe. Their trips were not as long as the Kits Band trips but there were school bands traveling to Russia, Japan, Disneyland and so on. The attitudes of people had changed. Delamont could tell his boys that they were fat heads and it would roll off but nowadays if you said such a thing you would have band parents and students complaining to the school board. It had to be hard for him to adjust to these new ways. (Earl Hobson 1955, music supervisor, Burnaby, conductor)

ABOVE: Arthur’s 80th birthday cake in 1972.

Mrs. Inman is standing on stage with him presenting the cake. Mae Jones was also there.

BELOW: The third reunion concert of the Kitsilano Boys’ Band held on January 25th, 1972 in the Queen Elzabeth Theatre. It was Arthur’s birthday.

282 ~ Humber College

1972 Ron Collier accepted the ‘composer in

Barry Brown was one of Arthur’s boys who made music a career. Barry began teaching in 1973 in Langley as a junior high school music teacher.

He had been on Arthur’s 1958 and 1962 tours and played trombone. After five years, he moved on to teaching the elementary school band program, sharing the program with Stu Carpenter (Dal Richards’ lead trumpet player.) They started kids out in grade six with them not even knowing how to hold an instrument. By January they were playing a concert together. “It was amazing to see!” said Barry. After ten years of teaching elementary school band, Barry went back into the classroom as an elementary teacher (plus music). He retired in 2003 after having taught for thirty years in the Langley School District (Barry Brown 1956-’62) junior high band director)

Many of the boys who played in the Kits band over the years residence’ at Humber College which on ledthe to a also played inpost other bands at school or in dance bands permanent position there. withfollowed Humber weekend.teaching The better players readHis thecollaboration music well and College continued into the 1990s.

While at Humber he directed the Delamont’s conducting but at a deeper level they were learning college’s stage bandcreative to victory at Music Fest Canada in 1975, 1982 to tap something within themselves.

The expecttion, enand 1986 and made the record albums First Take and Humber at Expo thusiasm and motivation they found playing in the band fostered 86their withcreative the Humber Band. spiritCollege in otherBig areas besides music. They set goals Back in 1967 Ron had fretted about the assignment write and achieved them on other levels.

Whether playing at to home or some arrangements for Duke He worried about outlook trying toand duplicate travelling, being in D’sEllington band developed a healthy a thestrong Ellington sound.

Finally, he wisely decided to write the music body. Being on the go all day every day for months on as he himself heard it and discovered, at the rehearsal in New York, that it end had its rewards. came out in an style Thethrough Ellington sound was ManyEllington of his boys putanyway. themselves university do-due to theing way the men they played the music, not just from the music itself. something loved, playingand music.

They played in bands A yeartown, later in Ron conducted anwent orchestra around or Detroit in Arthur’s band. Many on towith startEllington their as guest a performance of ‘Aurora Rontocomposed ownsoloist band. in Through it all they learned Borealis.’ to give back the au- two charts for the record and recalls that trombonist Lawrence Brown, one dience. Performing at a high level before appreciative crowds ofwas his inspirations on that instrument, looked at the part and announced, “I’m not ganna play that! I don’t have the chops!” The solo got reassigned to alto saxophonist Johnny Hodges, and the record got made.

Ellington again called on Ron when he was putting together a concert at a Benedictine Monastery in Oregon. Ron arranged the music and conducted the orchestra himself. Later, Ron did the orchestrations for Ellington’s ballet suite ‘The River.’ Ron was occasionally frustrated by Duke’s working methods. Ellington would give him single melody lines with chords. When he asked what he wanted. Duke said, “You know what to do!” If you listen to the Detroit Symphony’s recording of River Suite on Chandos CD 9154 you could see Duke was right! Ron became almost Duke’s alter ego, taking over the duties that Billy Strayhorn had performed for Ellington over many years.

Ron wrote prolifically for big band while at Humber College. Part of this was necessity. Material had to be written to fit the smaller ensembles at the beginning of a program. He also wrote as a creative outlet and produced such works as ‘The Humber Suite’ and ‘Four Kisses.’

Ron’s connections with Duke led to Ellington’s visit to the college in 1973. It was quite an auspicious first guest for their music program. After Ellington’s death in 1974, the college named the scholarship award for ‘best arranger’ in Duke’s honor. Duke died about a week later.

Ron told his old friend Cy Battistoni, (from his Kits band days) on his death bed, “I got a call from the hospital about one or two in the morning. It was Duke. He was dying. He said, ‘Ron, I’ve got this musical thought. Write it down.’” Duke died about a week later. Towards

A SCANDINAVIAN TOUR ~283 the end of his life he and Ron had become very close spiritually.

1960’s Arthur used to go down to Disneyland at Christmas time to hear the bands. One day he made

an appointment to see the music director about bringing a band down to play. He appeared very interested. Finally he said to Arthur, “What did you say your name was?” ‘Delamont,’” he replied. “You’re not related to Gordon Delamont, the composer/arranger are you?” he said. He’s my son,” Arthur replied. From that moment on Arthur could have asked for the world and he would have given it to him. Arthur was so proud to think that his son was so well known for his music texts on arranging and theory in US schools and military bands. (Roy Johnston KBB, 1929-’34)

1970’s Gordon had ex-students arranging and composing in every area of musical activity in To-

ronto and in the upper echelons of motion pictures and television - writing in New York, Los Angeles, Nashville, London and Sydney. Gordon was modest and always claimed that the music writers who achieved a high degree of success would have done so with or without his tuition.

He conceded that he speeded up their rise to fame a little, and perhaps gave them a little surer hand.

Gordon said, “It is a dangerous game for a teacher to take credit for his successful students, because then morally he is required to take the blame for the unsuccessful ones.” No teacher, including Gordon, was willing to do that.

Boys on the 1972 Scandinavian Tour Clarinets: Keith MacLachlan, Lionel Martin, Mark Shepherd, Howard Bashaw, Sidney Schneider Saxophones: Al Petrie, Graham Kita, John Evans, Brian MacDonald, Ron Winters, Greg King Trumpets: Ian Gordon, Richard Barley, Graham Smith, Ed Nordholm, Greg Hall, Mark Lane, Deryk Finlayson, Ian MacLean, Terry Gregson, Gary Watkinson, Herb Radke, Mark Stofer, Bill Walters Mellophones: Greg Bonnell, Jamie Robertson Trombones: Deryk Muir, Stuart Rogers, Graham Thompson, Bob Shaw, Phillip Cummings, Les Ray Euphomiums: Richard Hewitt, Dave Jones Basses: George Gidora, Ian MacLean, Ted Bashaw Percussion: Bill Gumbleton, Kerry Lewis, Brad Goodwin

ABOVE: Disneyland BELOW: The boys in Norway resting on an old fire truck in a town square.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

PERFORMERS IN ENGLAND, RUSSIA AND ESTONIA

Band History: In 1974, the band flies to London for one last bus tour of England and Scotland

* They fly to Moscow and then to Tallinn, Estonia * They take a train to Leningrad * Anecdotes: Concertmaster to Felix Mendelsohn * Sousa comparisons # 8* Arthur had a vision * Arthur was an inspirational figure * Discipline and work ethic.

June 19, 1974 The last tour of the worldfamous Kitsilano Boys’ Band, aka Vancouver Boys Band, to

the Old Country, included the USSR. They again departed Vancouver on Air Canada on a tour billed “From London to Leningrad.” Accompanying Arthur on this trip was Mae Jones and his daughter, Mrs. Vera Preece, who had come up from Fullerton, California to help out her dad. Before they departed, the boys gave a farewell concert at John Oliver High School, after which Arthur hinted at some of the difficulties he had encountered trying to put the tour together. “I have had to make a lot of changes during the year and a half that I have been organizing this tour. When boys get a chance to work for $48 a day in a construction camp, they kind of lose interest in music.”

Stocky was no longer there to greet them when the

boys arrived in London, as he had been in the 1930s and early 50s. There were no reporters or photographers to document their arrival for the newspapers and no BBC interested in a short for their newsreels (which had long since gone out of fashion). I am sure Arthur remembered what it had been like but he never talked about the old days; he was too busy living in the present. It was discovered that one of the boys left his snare drum at home so they bought him another one. In the old days the boy would have been bawled out and sent home but not now. He needed everyone he had to fill the seats in the band and for marching formation. Boys had lots of things to do to fill their time and playing in a band trip to Europe was not as inviting as it had been in the old days.

June 20, Dorking In London the boys boarded a tour bus and set off for Dartmouth, where they had again been booked as the official band for the Dartmouth Carnival week. Their first stop was in Dorking where they stayed the night in a youth hostel. The next day they played a concert at a local school. On Saturday, June 22, in Leatherhead they marched in the second youth carnival procession which raised 500 pounds for the Leatherhead

OPPOSITE: Band practice in 1974. Don Radelet can be seen in the back on the left playing euphonium. This is a rehearsal for a reunion concert.

BELOW: Brad Goodwin on the left and another boy on the 1974 trip to Russia.

286 ~ Dartmouth Carnival and District Old People’s Welfare Association. On June 23 they played a concert in a park and sold records of the band’s 1970 homecoming concert.

It was a bit like previous generations of boys selling postcards. They also played at a hospital in Dorking.

June 24 They stayed in an army camp in Reading. On June 25 they

practiced there, marching on the grounds of the army base, played a short concert for the army boys and then boarded a bus for Newbury. In Newbury they played a concert on a stage (that was too small) and then drove back to Reading. On June 27 they played a concert again in Reading for school children aged five to ten. On June 28 they left for Basingstoke where they played at an elementary school. The boys were billeted out in Basingstoke.

June 30: they left for Southsea where they played a couple of impromptu concerts and in the evening returned to their billets in Basingstoke.

July 1 They arrived in Yeovil where they gave a lunch-

ABOVE: Mae Jones in the Olde Blacksmith Shoppe as the bride.

PHOTOS: The boys having their photo taken in front of a civic building in Russia.

time impromptu concert in St Johns Churchyard and in the Middle Street shopping precinct. “It was just to thank the people of Yeovil for assisting us,” said band manager Mel Goodwin. On their way to a concert at Preston school, the boys had arrived in Yeovil a few days early with no where to stay, so the local Rotary Club found them beds at the nearby Royal Naval Air Station at Yeovilton.

July 2 They all arrived safe and sound in Dartmouth. They were again billeted out in Dartmouth as they had

been in 1972. While in Dartmouth they marched around town, played impromptu concerts, attended the carnival and gave evening concerts in the park. As many of their fellow band boys had done before in their leisure time, they climbed the hill behind the town to see the magnificent view, walked out to Dartmouth castle, were chased by a sheepdog, had tea and Devonshire cream, and enjoyed themselves immensely.

July 7 After five days of concerts and great fun they left for Torquay

and then Seaton. In Seaton they played a concert in a recreation hall.

July 9 They headed for Sidmouth where Arthur continued the town

crier tradition of earlier bands. He stopped at a church and played an impromptu concert to let people know they had arrived and would be performing later.

July 10 They were off to Bristol. In Bristol they tried to practice in a

scout hall but when someone complained they went to an army camp. On

LONDON TO LENINGRAD TOUR ~287 the morning of July 11 some of the boys made breakfast just as others had done on previous trips and that evening they performed a concert. On July 12 they travelled to Hereford and on the 13th played a concert there. On July 14 they drove to Malvern and performed a short concert before returning to Hereford. On July 15 they were off to Shrewsbury and then to Chester. On July16 it was Preston where they played for some school kids and then were billeted out.

July 17 The boys headed to Blackpool After playing

an impromptu concert they headed to Morecambe and then on to Carlisle for a stay in Carlisle Castle. Gone were the days of the Palace Theatre concerts, the trek down to the Winter Gardens to see the Ted Heath Orchestra and first billing on posters plastered all over town. These boys would have known nothing about the Ted Heath Band or that band boys before them had met members of Ted Heath’s Band. Vaudeville was long gone and the big theatres were mostly closed or torn down or had been turned into cinemas.

The boys knew nothing of all this, but Arthur knew!

July 18 through 26 the boys spent in Carlisle and

travelled out to different towns each day. In Carlisle they played at Kevin Hall and around town in impromptu concerts. On July 21 they travelled to Gretna Green and gave a concert. They all had their picture taken in ‘The Old Blacksmith’s Shop’ and Arthur and one of the chaperones, Mae Jones, were ceremoniously married. On July 22 they went to Keswick where they played an impromptu concert and then drove to Windermere. On the 23rd, Penrith; the 24th: Brempten, Silloth and Abby Town, and on the 25th, Windermere and Ambleside.

July 26 after a stop in Moffat for an impromptu concert it was off to

Edinburgh and a concert at Princes Street Gardens. The boys marched to their concert below the castle like so many of Arthur’s bands had done in the past. The next day, July 27, it was off to Prestwick. July 28 they headed out to Dundee; the 29th, Glasgow; the 30th, Musselburgh; and the 31st, Ayr. On August 1: back to Glasgow; August 2: Killmarnock; and on August 3 they travelled to Cumnock for a concert in the town square. August 4 it was Dunbar and on August 5 Hawick.

August 6 They left Scotland for Newcastle. Next stop

Middlesburgh where they stayed in a hotel. August 7 they were in Stockton and August 8 Cambridge. On August 10 the boys were off to Southend-onSea where they marched in a six mile long parade and later stayed in a military barracks at Shoeburyness. While in the barracks there was a bomb

ABOVE: Mr. D in The Olde Blacksmith Shoppe as the groom. Vera is standing.

BELOW: Arthur at the Dartmouth bandstand in 1974.

288 ~ The Russia/Canada Hockey Finals scare and they had to evacuate. Nothing was found. For the next week the boys went out to a different town each day and played impromptu concerts by the seaside: Romford, Basildon, Chelmsford. On August 17 they marched in a three mile parade in Southend-on-Sea for the opening of the illuminations, (The Golden Mile seafront illuminations along the seaside.) They then marched for another mile behind Ken Wood who had just walked from Land’s End to Southend-on-Sea. On August 18 they all drove to Heathrow Airport in London for their flight to Moscow.

Moscow, Leningrad and Tallinn Arrangements for con-

ABOVE: St. Basil’s Cathedral in Red Square.

BELOW: The boys in Russia playing in front of a civic building. Note the boys are all wearing Russian winter hats.

Mr. D has his hat on backwards.

certs were made through the Canadian Embassy. After a three hour flight aboard a Russian airliner they arrived in Moscow. On their first day in Moscow they boarded a bus and headed for a Russian school. When they got there they received a fantastic welcome. They had to walk in twos around a building. Suddenly they heard music and applause. Hundreds of school children were clapping in time and cheered them as they went by. They were given flowers and buns in friendship. The school children then held a performance for the boys where they danced and sang and did acrobatics. After a meal the boys performed a concert. All the time the school children came with all sorts of pins to trade for Canadian pins. Soon it was off to another school and then back to their hotel for dinner after an amazing day. Everybody they met wanted to trade something. That night the boys discovered Russian beds were not that comfortable: a large pillow, a hard mattress and one blanket.

A Kremlin tour followed on the next day, and they saw beautiful art, armor, clothing, horse-drawn coaches and weapons. In another part of the Kremlin they saw beautiful buildings with gold domes. They were allowed to take pictures outside but not inside. For lunch back at the hotel they all had borsch, a very spicy soup. After lunch they were off for a tour of the city and saw churches, Moscow State University, the arena where the Canada-Russia hockey series was played and St. Basils Cathedral in Red Square. The next day they travelled by a most uncomfortable bus to the Exhibition of Economic Achievements. It was a five hundred acre site with beautiful buildings which housed space inventions, satellites and other scientific exhibits. Later they visited the Moscow subway and a duty free shopping centre called the GUM department store. The boys all bought Russian fur hats which they later put on whenever they played Midnight in Moscow. The boys all agreed that Russia was a beautiful country that needed to be seen firsthand.

Two Soviet students were put on the boys’ bus to accompany them. One was pretty but she was a devout communist. She was with them for a reason.

The other girl was much nicer. They stayed with the boys and were there to help out whenever they needed them. The boys were not supposed to go

LONDON TO LENINGRAD TOUR ~289 out at night but a couple of boys did go out. They established their landmarks so they could find their way back. That is the first thing that you learn to do in a new town. They looked up at the top of their hotel and they saw that it was called the ‘Hotel Pectopah.’ It had a bright red neon sign. So, off they went to have a look around. After a while they got tired, so they looked around for their bright red neon ‘Hotel Pectopah’ sign. There it was over there; ‘Pectopah.’ Then another fellow said, “No, no, no! There it is over there:” another ‘Pectopah;’ and over there was a green one. Unfortunately the boys had not realized that ‘Pectopah’ meant restaurant in Russian. They spent the rest of the night struggling to find the correct sign. Once they did, they had to figure out how to get back inside because the hotel was all locked up.

They had been advised that western goods in Moscow had great value.

Russians wanted watches and especially western blue jeans. John Evans remembers getting up in the middle of the night and going to the bathroom.

He was standing at the urinal and this guy comes up behind him and starts tugging on his pants. A bit disconcerting! What he wanted was to buy his blue jeans. He had somehow broken into their tourist hotel and wanted to buy whatever they had. Gum was also cherished. They traded gum for Russian pins. Some of the guys had hundreds of Russian pins. John’s great coup was a badge off a Soviet officer’s hat. (John Evans, 1972-74, civil engineer)

ABOVE: A typical pectopah sign.

BELOW LEFT: The GUM Department Store.

Boys on the 1974 Russia/Estonia Tour Clarinets: Keith MacLachlan, Howard Bashaw, Richard Braybrook, Kevin Hall, Graham Kita, Mart Peltier Saxophones: Al Petrie, John Evans, Dennet Kuan, Glenn Smith, Kirk Nagy, Garth Ross, Dan Gidora, Glenn David Trumpets: Ian Gordon, Graham Smith, Ed Nordholm, Greg Hall, Terry Gregson, Keith Petrie, Martin Finlay, Dave Irwin, Brian Parkinson, David Toop Mellophones: Geoff Hall, Trombones: Greg Bonnell, Richard Brent, Garry Redlin, John Wood, Paul Cathie Euphomiums: Bill Maloney, Brent Schellenberg Basses: George Gidora, Doug Rodney, George Fisher Jr., Percussion: Brad Clarke, Stephen Braybrooke, Stewart Young, Brad Goodwin

290 ~ Concertmaster to Felix Mendelssohn

August 22 Tallinn, Estonia The boys traveled to Tallinn, Es-

ABOVE: The Winter Palace in Leningrad.

BELOW: The Port of Dartmouth Royal Regatta.

tonia from Moscow on a very noisy Russian airplane. In Tallinn they were assigned another tour guide named ‘Lela’ who was very popular with the boys. They stayed at a very beautiful hotel, the Hotel Vero. The Russia/ Canada hockey finals were being played while the boys were in Tallinn and the boys found a unique way to communicate with the locals. John Evans and Graham Smith went out one night. They found a bar tucked away in a basement somewhere. They had to go down a multitude of stairs to get there.

They ordered this Russian beer. It was the kind of beer that you had to strain through your teeth. The Canada/Russia hockey series was on at the time.

They sat at this table with some Russian fellows. The conversation went like this. The Russians would say, “Mahovolich, Esposito.” The boys would say, “Perlinov, Mikilov.” That was it. It was cool. Our boys had their pins on so the Russians knew that they were Canadians. They knew the names of the Canadian players. The boys knew the names of the Russian players. That’s how they communicated. (John Evans 1972-’74, Vancouver city engineer) While in Tallinn the boys visited a musical instrument museum, toured the town, saw an old castle and played a concert in a square. The crowd at the concert was the largest that had gathered for a concert on their tour. During the concert they all put their Russian bear hats on and played Midnight in Moscow.

August 24 They boarded a train for Leningrad

along with an assortment of farm animals. The six hour train ride was not very comfortable because their luggage and instruments all had to go in the same car as the boys. They were told to bring a bag lunch as there was no food service on board. They arrived in Leningrad about eleven in the evening, tired and road-weary and boarded a bus to their hotel.

The next day they toured the Winter Palace where they saw a royal coach used by the czars, many beautiful paintings by Leonardo Da Vinci and Rembrandt and a room made entirely out of gold. In the afternoon they saw Peter and Paul’s Castle before performing a concert. At the concert they received a standing ovation and everyone clapped in time to the music. The next morning they boarded a Finnair flight to Helsinki and stopped there for four hours before flying back to Heathrow. The boys all agreed that it had been the experience of a lifetime and they were all glad to have had the opportunity to see such an amazing country.

Arthur tried to rehearse the boys in one of their hotel rooms in Moscow and was immediately telephoned and told to stop. When he didn’t, it wasn’t long before a loud knocking was heard on the door. The boys reasoned afterwards that maybe the room was bugged and that somebody got an earful, but that was Arthur just doing what Arthur had always done.

LONDON TO LENINGRAD TOUR ~291

Back in London they were on the road again with Alec their faith-

ful bus driver driving them to Bristol. In Bristol they stayed in a scout hall.

August 27 they played a soccer game and on August 28 they headed for Dartmouth again as the official band for the Royal Dartmouth Regatta.

In Dartmouth they reunited with their billets and then marched down to the bandstand for the official opening of the Regatta. They played a concert then marched back. August 29, after their concert, some of the boys played for a dance at a dance hall. On September 1 they left Dartmouth for Dorking. Before they left several of the boys received letters from some of the girls in the town. One girl even told one of the boys that she liked him better than Donny Osmond. Mr. D just shook his head. He had heard it all so many times before. In Dorking they stayed in a hall and played their usual impromptu concerts. On September 2, after saying goodbye to Alec their bus driver at Heathrow Airport, they boarded an Air Canada jet for home.

Background & Anecdotes Concertmaster to Felix Mendelssohn Another influence

on Arthur’s programming which came from his Salvation Army days was his taste for playing light classical composers. The repertoire of a Salvation Army band contains a lot of classical composers: Elgar, von Suppe, Dvorak, Rossini. Arthur’s repertoire contained a heavy dose of the classics. He obviously held classical composers such as Beethoven and Mozart in high esteem. On this last trip to Europe in 1974 Arthur brought along an older boy who also helped out with managerial duties: Glenn David. Glenn confided to Arthur, “One of my ancestors was the concert master to Felix Mendelssohn. His name was Ferdinand David.” Arthur reveled in the fact that an ancestor of Felix Mendelssohn’s concert master was playing in his band as they travelled the back roads of England during that last wonderful summer of ‘74.

Sousa Comparisons (Part 8) The similarities are

striking. Arthur was only beginning his career with his boys’ band when Sousa died in 1932. D had made only one trip to the Toronto Exposition (1931). Most of the books on Sousa were not written until much later, after Delamont had already set his own course with his band. How can we explain the multitude of similarities between the two bands? A lot can probably be attributed to the times in which they were living. Train travel was the only mode of transportation in those years. For

ABOVE: Alec, the boys’ bus driver.

BELOW: Jimmy Pattison, 2006.

292 ~ An Inspirational Figure Delamont to have known so much about the Sousa Band in the early 1930s one would think he would have had to have travelled with the Sousa Band on one of their many tours. The Sousa band did make regular Canadian tours. On a more spiritual level one might wonder if he was meant to carry on the Sousa tradition. Maybe Delamont was influenced by the musical similarities regarding programming (e.g. variety, patriotism and showmanship) and the other similarities just fell into place as the years went by. Sousa had his band for forty years and Delamont had his for nearly fifty years. Whatever the reasons for the similarities, no other organization since has been able to match either’s successes.

ABOVE: Jimmy Pattison BELOW: 1934 Kits Band cartoon of the boys heading off to conquer new fields i.e.

ENGLAND.

Arthur had a vision the day he decided to gather together a bunch of rag tag neighborhood kids in Kitsilano and form a band. He envisioned boys between the ages of eight and eighteen performing equal to or better than adults. Gradually that vision grew with each new success. Soon he could see his boys winning contests and traveling across the great Dominion to England. He could not have accomplished what he did had he not been a visionary, a visionary with the power to set goals and organize activities which would achieve those goals. Everything he did was acceptable to the minds of the youth who passed through his bands. Put simply, visionaries imagine what does not yet exist and make it happen. Each personality type has a different idea of what it means to be successful. Self-knowledge is one common goal that will help everyone achieve personal success. So many people are hung up on somebody else’s idea of what it means to be successful and they are unaware of what is truly important to them. Once Arthur discovered what was truly important for him - working and developing the minds and hearts of the youth of Vancouver - he never wavered.

Jimmy Pattison told me, “What impressed me most was his integrity, his passion, his discipline and his life-long commitment to the boys.

He didn’t pull punches, He didn’t care if you were rich or poor or from what family you came, he treated everyone the same.”

Spirituality has to do with mankind’s ultimate nature and purpose.

Arthur was definitely a spiritual person. He had energy that knew no physical bounds. Even at the age of eighty he still took his boys to England and the continent and displayed an energy and enthusiasm for his work that surpassed his boys.’ On the 1974 trip to Europe, his last with his band, he could be heard muttering as he marched along with his boys down country roads and through villages, “Hurry up, don’t drag, keep up the pace.”

The boys were in awe of the energy and passion of this eighty year old and embarrassed into keeping up the pace. They must have

MOTIVATION ~293 thought, “If this eighty-year-old can do it so can we!” His vision and passion and energy on that last trip manifested itself also in the form of where he chose to take the band. For the first time in its fifty year history he took the boys to Russia and Estonia. One would think the tendency would be to play it safe at that age, but not Arthur! His commitment was life-long and it was not bound by age or other physical restraints; an energy beyond physical bounds. Dictionaries define motivation as a need or desire that causes a person to act. This is critically important when we set about accomplishing a goal. Without motivation no goal can be accomplished. Without positive constructive action towards the attainment of a goal, it remains a desire and a dream. Motivation is also something that inspires us.

Arthur was an inspirational figure who inspired generations. His accomplishments with his band during the 1930s depres-

sion was the stuff of legends. The way he marched his boys through the provincial, the national and the world band competitions to take first place in Chicago in 1933 was nothing less than miraculous. After his win in Chicago his band rose to the top in musical circles and stayed there for many decades to come. Offers for his boys to play all over the world were received by Garfield White, the band’s public relations manager. They even considered a tour down to South Africa around 1935 but decided not to go so far.

In Vancouver the inspiration of Arthur and his band motivated generations of Vancouver’s youth to play under the baton of this great man. It allowed him to set up his other bands throughout Greater Vancouver and have the pick of the crop of Vancouver’s young musicians for decades. It wasn’t just D’s musical accomplishments which inspired people, it was also the epic events of his life. Stories of his escape and survival from the sinking of the Empress of Ireland in 1914 and later of him and his boys being chased back across the Atlantic in 1939 by a German U-boat, all served to enhance and inspire. His showmanship at concerts, the way he spoke to and nurtured his audience along over the course of an evening’s performance was another aspect of his inspirational appeal. Most often we are motivated by one thing. But with Arthur you were motivated by his ambition, his amazing story and his great achievements. Anthony Robbins once said that “Giant goals produce giant motivation.” But what was the reason for Arthur’s motivation? Why did he pursue his goals?

According to Tony Robbins, (whom I am indebted to for his insights) he needed to have strong enough reasons as to why he absolutely had to attain his goals. If your reasons are strong enough, motivation is

ABOVE: Funeral in Toronto for those who died in 1914 on the Empress of Ireland.

BELOW: The Empress of Britain being escorted for fear of U-Boat attacks.

294 ~ Tony Robbins!

ABOVE: The boys marching in Kerkrade, Holland in 1958.They won double gold medals in the marching and the harmony classes.

BELOW: Tony Robbins is an American self-help author and success coach.

Robbins’ books include “Unlimited Power: The New Science of Personal Achievement” and “Awaken The Giant Within.”

automatic and you will keep taking action to achieve your goals. If you want to define motivation for yourself in such a way as to unleash an unstoppable force of momentum towards attaining your dreams, then you need to develop passion. Passion is a combination of loves and hates. It is finding reasons why you would love to attain your goal and reasons why you would hate not reaching it. Passion is reasons infused with emotion and emotion is the strongest force in determining your destiny. If you feel passionate about something then motivation is automatic. The good news is that passion is not something you are born with or something that you get “some day.” It is something you develop and your reasons keep building on top of each other and they become stronger along the way. That is the best way that I can define Arthur’s rise to the top in his field (Tony Robbins’ explanations help us to understand the Delamont phenomenon).

As his band developed and began winning competitions his passion grew. With each new win and with each new success he became more motivated and more energized. People would say, “Everything he touched seemed to turn to gold” and it may have seemed that way to those looking in from the outside. But to Arthur the passion within him was growing. With each new success he kept looking for greater fields to conquer.

After Chicago in 1933, he set his sights on taking his boys to England.

When he got there he discovered there were no youth bands. Instead he had to compete against adult bands, the best that England had to offer.

What a challenge! What a conquest! As Tony Robbins said, “Giant goals produce giant motivation.” The legend grew and along with it Arthur’s passion, motivation and ability to motivate. “If you plan on being anything less than you are capable of being, you will probably be unhappy all the days of your life.” - Abraham Maslow

Discipline and work ethic The organization that Arthur

developed was a motivational machine. Every time the boys entered a contest, they were motivated to do as well as their predecessors.

Everyone who was lucky enough to have played in a Kerkrade Music Festival can recall the motivation to do as well as the band had done in the previous Kerkrade Music Festival. Pleasing the old man was a big part of it. There was the motivation of reprisal from others in the band; the older boys had their own ways to keep the younger boys in line, and everyone feared being singled out by Arthur, either on stage or off.

There was the motivation of not wanting to let the rest of the boys in the band down and to play your part well. Then there was the motivation of wanting to please your parents.

MOTIVATION ~ 295 Every boy knew exactly what was expected of him and this produced results. Arthur used long and short term goals to motivate his boys. There was always a concert to be played when at home, or a local music festival, and then came one of those amazing trips to England/Europe. Arthur kept his boys so busy on those trips that they had to keep focused. With three concerts a day, often in a new town each day, the trip just flew.

Arthur’s trips really were like the title of a popular 1960s movie, “If This Is Tuesday It Must Be Belgium.” While Arthur was often a tyrant and a man to be feared, when it was least expected he would show his other side and break into the most engaging smile, all the more engaging because it was unexpected. He did what he needed to do to get the results but underneath it all lay a heart of gold. People tend to be always motivated when they have a deadline. Arthur used this technique in the form of concert deadlines.

“Years later when I was a grown-up I began to realize more and more what that discipline had meant. It was huge! Just huge! That carried through my professional music career when I taught teams and a lot of things. The demand for excellence meant if you were going to do something, do it to your fullest. Otherwise don’t do it. Go do something else.” (Bob Calder 1954-’62. high school principal) Each boy played so many concerts during his time in the band that he was more at home on stage than off. There was no time to lose any motivation because there was another concert to be played. The camaraderie that developed in Arthur’s band was a huge motivational factor.

Everyone pulled together for the good of the whole. Arthur’s use of solo performances and quartet performances at music festivals especially in the early decades was a huge motivational factor as it allowed each boy to be recognized. Roy Johnston, Arthur’s original trumpet soloist and ‘boy wonder,’ won seventeen medals for solo and quartet work during his time in the band and the boys could often be seen in photos wearing their medals. Arthur was able to keep people in his organization by giving them what they needed to keep happy. Arthur always gave each of his boys a lot of trust and respect. On the trips he would often come across boys doing things he didn’t approve of but he let them know of his disapproval and left them alone to think about what they had done. At a professional gig in Vancouver in later years some of the old boys were outside having a smoke and Arthur came out at intermission. One of the boys quickly hid his cigarette so Arthur could not see it. When Arthur left another boy said, “You’re fifty years old, what’s the matter?” To which the boy replied, “Old habits die hard.” He had played in Arthur’s band as a youth and still reacted to the lessons that he had learned in the band.

ABOVE: Bob Calder is the boy on the right standing in front of Gordon Delamont on the 1958 band trip.

BELOW: Jack Allen & Roy Johnston with their medals.

CHAPTER TWENTY

PERFORMERS AT SEVERAL REUNION CONCERTS

Band History: In 1976, the 48th reunion concert of the Kitsilano Boys’ band * In 1977, the 49th reunion concert * In 1978, the Golden anniversary Show * An exciting legacy * Arthur was a sentimental guy * In 1979, the 51st reunion concert * Summer of 79 - Old Boys Tour * In 1980, the Order of Canada Concert * Anecdotes: A fraternity of the highest order.

January 15, 1976, The 48th reunion of Arthur’s famed

Kitsilano Boys’ Band. It was again held in the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, with Stu Ross as the master of ceremonies. Selections included: A Musical Switch, Excerpts from Wagner and Great Italian Movies, Coppelia, In a Persian Market, Carnival of Melody and Creme de la Creme. One of Arthur’s old boys, Marek Norman, who was now a singer/composer living in Toronto and a ten year veteran of the band, came out to play the clarinet and perform three of his own numbers on the piano. Amid the preconcert backstage confusion, Delamont had but few words to say to the 125 current and former band members, “Do the best you can.” The band members, some of whom had traveled from as far away as New York, Toronto and California for the occasion, made up in enthusiasm what they may have lacked in polish.

Delamont conducted the band with arm-flailing vigor for two and a half hours. After performing two trumpet solos with incredibly good tone, he strode across the stage and leaned into the microphone: “Not good... but not bad for an old man.”

January 23, 1977 The 49th reunion of the Kitsilano Boys’ band was held at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre.

Marek Norman again traveled out from Toronto to perform as a special guest. The audience loved it all and gave Arthur a reception which must have rejoiced his heart, deservedly so, too. When a man is 86 and still the leader of the band he might be forgiven for displaying a certain amount of smugness. Arthur Delamont was not smug, he was grateful. Oh, how he was grateful!

Sitting in his Kitsilano apartment, firmly in the grasp of good health and busily preparing sheet music for the 50th anniversary concert of the band which he had made world-famous, he said to a reporter, “You know, every night my daughter comes home and she says, “How are you feeling?” And I say, “How am I supposed to feel? I feel fine.

OPPOSITE: A shot up close of the boys playing in the 1978 reunion concert at the Queen Elizabeth theatre. Note: the great Arnie Chycoski, centre trumpet.

BELOW: Arthur in rehearsal for the 1976 reunion concert.

298 ~ Golden Anniversary Show I always have done. I’m very grateful for my health. Of course, I know that people go suddenly at my age, but here I am, 86 years old and don’t even know what a headache is even after listening to all the junk I listen to. He pauses, “You haven’t got the flu, have you?” he adds wickedly, “I haven’t had the flu. I haven’t got time for it.”

February 5, 1978, the Golden Anniversary Show, honoring the 50th year of the Kitsilano Boys’ Band was held

ABOVE: Boys rehearsing for one of the reunion concerts at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre.

BELOW: 33 1/3 RPM recording of the band’s 50th Golden Anniversary Concert.

at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. It also marked Arthur’s 86th birthday. A whole hour before starting there were already more than 50 people lined up and waiting for the Queen Elizabeth Theatre doors to open. The Golden Anniversary Show was not put together along traditional lines. It included acts and skits by some of the old boys, including Garfield White as Madame Olga Petrovich and several compositions by star alumni such as Dal Richards, Marek Norman, Don Clark, Bill Trussell and Bob Buckley. But the highlight of the evening was the second half when Arthur came on stage and conducted the alumni band.

1970s and early 1980s: Arthur could always be seen attending band concerts around town. Major

Peter Erwin (one of Arthur’s boys on the 1958 trip to Europe) became the director of the 15th Field Regiment Band. Peter told me Arthur would come and sit in the back of the audience and try to be just a part of the crowd. He used to like to hide behind trees. “I’m sure he came to every public concert our Army band played. I remember once I gave the baton to Richard van Slyke at the English Bay bandstand and went out behind the audience and came up behind him. I said, “Mr. Delamont! It’s nice to see you!” He says, “You should be on the bandstand.” It shocked the hell out of him.”

Late 1970’s. It’s an exciting legacy. The music com-

munity in Vancouver and across Canada was infiltrated with Kits alumni, said one enthusiastic champion. “There are professional players and teachers at all levels and they lead all kinds of bands.”

Arthur was a very sentimental guy. He’d be on the

telephone to Don Radelet crying about his marriage and how lonely he was. His eyes bothered him towards the end. His contact lens’ would go away up inside his eyes and he couldn’t see. He had a concert in the morning. George Fischer (he was a druggist up on Dunbar Street) and his wife sort of looked after him at that time. He liked to be babied. He had to have his apple sauce and tea after the concert was over. There was a sentimental

MORE REUNION CONCERTS ~ 299 side to the guy, almost childlike in some respects. He would push chairs around and he would say,“Don! Go out and set those chairs up!” He knew Don knew where they went and how many they needed. He had hired the guys. He’d call Don and say, “Don! I need six trumpets tomorrow.” Don didn’t know where he was going to get six trumpets. Often the guys would have concerts on that same day but Don usually came up with the trumpet players somehow. If Don sent him the wrong guy then he would give him hell. “I didn’t want him!” he would say. Not only that, Don would go all over the place picking up uniforms for the guys who didn’t have them. He wrote something to Don once about being a ‘real friend’ to him, all these years. Don was one of the ones he relied on over all those years. Don said, “If I can take any credit for it, I sure earned it. On those hot days, lugging six or seven blue uniforms down to the dock and then if I was a minute late, “Don! Where have you been?” I never got paid anything extra. He knew who he could talk to that way.” (Don Radelet 1935-’42, accountant CGA)

January 24, 1979. The 51st Reunion Concert of

Arthur’s band was held this time at the John Oliver School Auditorium.

There were no guest artists and Arthur only conducted half the program.

The other half was conducted by various ‘old boys.’ Stu Ross conducted Thundercrest March, Dal Richards conducted A Tribute to Benny Goodman. Ken Sotvedt conducted The Mikado. Ron Smith conducted The Wiz. Ron Pajala conducted Dry Bones and Peter Erwin conducted The Huntsmen.

Summer of ‘79 Old Boys Tour Although Arthur did not

make another tour of the Old Country with his beloved Kitsilano Boys’ Band after 1974, he did return one more time to England with a bunch of his old boys in 1979. They were billed as the Arthur Delamont Concert Band and toured for one month: two weeks in England and two weeks in Scotland. Most of the cost for this trip was covered

by Arthur himself. Some of the boys brought along their wives and they all had a grand time reliving past glories and showing their wives where they had traveled with the band when they were youngsters. The trip started off a little rocky when Arthur began ranting and raving and treating the fellas as though they were still youngsters in his band but when some of the boys spoke to him about this he realized his mistake and the trip carried on without further incident.

ABOVE: 1979 Arthur at 87 playing in the Cloverdale parade, leading the Arthur Delamont Concert Band.

BELOW: 1976. Arthur strutting along heedless of his years, at 85 years young.

300 ~ Arthur Delamont Concert Band

BAND KEEPS DATE - 40 YEARS LATE read the newspaper headlines back in Vancouver. Of course they were referring to the band’s hasty departure from England in 1939 and the concert they were supposed to play in Great Yarmouth but could not do because of the war.

Twenty-eight old boys accompanied Arthur on this last and final tour. They played 20 venues in 24 days across England and ended up in Dartmouth, once again as the official band for the Royal Dartmouth Regatta. There were only three boys on the tour who had been with Arthur in England in 1939. At their concert in Great Yarmouth, Arthur said, “We left in a bit of a hurry in 1939 but we came back.” In Glasgow the boys stayed in a beautiful old school. They played some jobs they were hired to do and when it was all over everyone agreed it had been a splendid experience.

ABOVE: 1979 trip.

BELOW: The Order of Canada concert at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre.

Also in 1979, Arthur receives the Order of Canada. It seems somewhat ironic that Arthur’s career with his band began in 1928 playing for the homecoming of Percy Williams and both he and Percy Williams would receive the Order of Canada in 1979, some 51 years later. But so it was! Percy Williams, Arthur Delamont, Gordon Pinsent, (the actor) Barbara Frumm, (broadcaster) and Oscar Smith (Woo Woo the clown) all became members of the Order of Canada and were

MORE REUNION CONCERTS ~ 301 presented the orders formally by Governor General Ed Schreyer in Ottawa in the spring of 1980.

March 16, 1980, the Order of Canada Concert

When Arthur heard the news, Arthur did what Arthur did best. He saw an opportunity to put on another concert. So on March 16 the Order of Canada Concert could be heard in the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in downtown Vancouver. The remarkable Arthur Delamont, all 88 years of him, was hard at work again conducting his Kitsilano Boys’ Band alumni.

No less than five of Arthur’s boys received the Order of Canada. Dal Richards received the order for a lifetime of entertaining people with his dance band music. Jimmy Pattison received the Order of Canada for his work with Expo ’86. Ron Collier received his for his contribution to jazz bands. Bing Thom received his for his contribution to architecture and Bill Millerd received his for his contribution to community theatre in Vancouver.

Background & Anecdotes The Kits Band is a fraternity of the highest order. The fact is, you can run into

alumni and you already know several things about them. They are disciplined! They are creative! They understand the idea of working hard to achieve high standards. They were all exposed to success at an early age. Jimmy Pattison for instance, does not have to see how an alumnis does his job. If an ex-Kits member applied for a position at one of his communications companies Pattison would know right away what that person brings to the table: character, discipline, approach and so on. Jimmy is a good example. You have probably heard about him cutting his lowest-producing sales people. Well, Delamont didn’t keep guys around who couldn’t perform either.

(Dave Calder, 1963-68, TV Producer)

ABOVE:On the bus on the 1979 trip to the old country.

BELOW: On the bus on the 1979 trip. George Fisher is the man with the tie in the front.

CHAPTER TWENTY/ONE

DO NOT GO GENTLY INTO THAT GOOD NIGHT

Band History: In 1981, Gordon Delamont dies * Arthur Delamont Park opens * In 1982, Arthur

Delamont dies * A musical farewell * Anecdotes: Marek Norman * Background: 200 Championship Awards

1981 Gordon died in Toronto. Arthur took his death very

hard. Gordon had a bad heart. He had a band in Hamilton, Ontario but had had to quit trumpet playing. That is when he started composing and teaching. Mr. Delamont was disappointed that Gordon didn’t stay in Vancouver and take over his band, but the music Gordon liked fit in more with people’s way of thinking after the war (50s jazz, be-bop). There were a lot of tension chords. The music he wrote was an extension of how he felt. Mr. Delamont was so keen on nice harmonies. Gordon was just the opposite.

(Paul Jagger 1935-’39, businessman) On the occasion Paul Jagger went back East to see Gordon. He was in the hospital. His son Gordo, who played trombone, was there. Gordon and Arthur never got along. Arthur wanted Gordon to be like him and he wasn’t!

It was not a good relationship. Gordon passed away shortly after Paul’s visit.

Ron Collier coordinated Gordon’s memorial service at the Toronto Unitarian Church. The Gabrieli Brass, a brass quintet played. Arthur was there. John Capon, the leader of the quintet, did an arrangement of the The Lost Chord, one of Mr. D’s favorite cornet solos, hoping he would play. But he declined, saying he was too upset.

Gordon had three wonderful children: Susan from his

first marriage (with Joan Agnew), Gordo and Debra from his second marriage with Vina. Sandy Cameron remembers Susan: “We were all in love with Gordon’s daughter Susan on the 1958 trip. Gordon’s wife, Vina, was very beautiful as well. Gordon was a very proper gentleman.” (Sandy Cameron 1955-’62, high school band director) Gordon had a very successful musical career and he was highly respected in the music business.

Vera had five children, three girls and two boys. Her oldest

boy, Rick, lived in Victoria for quite awhile and worked for Petro Canada.

The other four live in California. They are Christine, Jocelyn, Sally and John.

All married. Rick has four children, Jocelyn has two. At Rick’s wedding, unknown to all, there was some alcohol in the punch. Arthur, of course,

OPPOSITE: Shades of Mark Twain. Samuel Clemens once said, “Reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.”

The newspapers in Vancouver made a mistake and printed the “late Arthur Delamont” in a story on the North Van Youth Band.

BELOW: Susan Delamont seen here (left) and Vina (right) on the 1958 band trip with some of the boys.

304 ~ Robert J Ferris never drank. After several glasses of punch, he was starting to feel pretty good. Arthur didn’t know or he would have been livid. When they got him home that night (he was staying with them for the wedding), they put him to bed and of course he went right to sleep. The next morning he came down and said, “Funny, I do not remember coming home last night!” They said that they were all pretty tired and that they had all gone straight to bed. He never found out. He would have been very upset. No, Arthur did not drink.

He did not swear. And he was completely honest! Growing up for Vera must have been pretty hard, competing sometimes against forty-nine boys who kept changing every three to five years, but she managed.

(Vera Delamont, Preece ,Jagger)

1981 Arthur Delamont Park As if the Order of Canada wasn’t

ABOVE: Mr. D sitting on bench at Delamont Park with a bunch of his boys in the background getting ready to play a short concert.

BELOW: Plaque in Delamont Park dedicating the park to Mr. D.

enough, the Parks Board for the City of Vancouver declared that a new park being created at 7th and Arbutus in Kitsilano was going to be named Arthur Delamont Park. “One of Kitsilano’s Best Known Best Loved Citizens,” the newspaper headlines read, and a photo of Arthur sitting on a park bench with a few of his old boys seemed to sum it all up.

Arthur loved his park! He would go down from his apartment, a few blocks away, every afternoon, and sit for a while in the fresh air, watch the children play on the swings and bask in the thought that the park had been named after him. “What an honor!” he would think. It didn’t matter that there were no signs indicating Delamont Park. He was told they would come after the civic strike was over. And that was good enough for him, having always supported the little guy throughout his life. Vera remembered a few years later he said that the park meant more to him than all the awards he had received combined. After all, he had spent his life performing concerts in parks. I guess it was only natural that he should feel most at home in his own neighbourhood park—and he certainly did!

“Do not go gentle into that good night. Old age should burn and rage at end of day. Rage, rage against the dying of the light.” Dylan Thomas

Saturday, September 11, 1982 Arthur had often said

that when he went, he wanted to go in front of his beloved audience, and so it would be. He was addressing a meeting of a new Masonic leader at the Meridian Lodge in Vancouver. When he finished, he left the podium and started down the aisle, but collapsed into the arms of one of his fellow Masons. When Vera heard the news she went into his apartment to sort things out. She found that all his bills had been paid the day before and the music all laid out for his own funeral. It seems he knew his time had come and he had put all his business in order.

DO NOT GO GENTLY ~ 305

Arthur had not gone graciously into that good night. There had always been a bit of anger, especially in the later years, which gave him an edge. That summer he had wanted to play some concerts at the PNE in Vancouver and had approached the PNE Board, saying, “Who has earned the Order of Canada? Who has done more for music in this city? Who more deserves to play some concerts at the fair this summer?” He apparently got verbal approval, but when it came to sorting out the budget, they realized they could not afford to pay him. The problem was: who was going to tell Arthur! Someone finally did and he demanded to see the entire Board. He told the fellow if they didn’t pay him he would play outside the gates and sue later. He got his way and played a series of concerts for which he was paid.

Dedicated his life to Music and the Youth of Vancouver Robert J. Ferris, POD GM, Grand Historian for the Ma-

sons, said of Arthur’s passing: “Arthur was always a musician but by his own admission he was first and foremost a Free Mason. He dedicated his life to music and the craft and gave so much to the youth of Vancouver and to his brothers in Free Masonry. That he should exit from his life during the hour of twelve noon, when the sun was at the median at the time of having completed with perfection the address to the newly installed worshipful master of the lodge was only appropriate.”

A musical farewell Arthur was given a musical farewell at

Kitsilano United Church by an estimated crowd of over 400 people. Prior to the service his alumni band played his favorite tunes on the lawn in front of the church. The eulogy was given by Roy Johnston from the original 1929 band.

“I am sure Mr. Delamont came into this world to keep every one of his hundreds of boys and girls on as straight a line as possible.

I’m thoroughly convinced that the idea to start this band was programmed into his brain by the Supreme Architect of the Universe. How else could a man born in Hereford, England, finally end up at the General Gordon school principal’s office one day and present a plan that would change the lives of countless hundreds of boys and girls in Vancouver?“ (Roy Johnston, 1929-34, BC Hydro Right of Way Forman) The service included the sort of flourishes that Arthur had employed during his long career. Roy gave the eulogy (Arthur’s old baton and cornet were on the coffin). When the band started playing The Lost Chord, Vancouver firefighter Brian Bolam (1943-‘50) picked up Arthur’s cornet and

ABOVE: Trumpets playing the Lost Chord at Mr. D’s funeral.

BELOW: Band out on the lawn outside the church after Mr. D’s funeral.

306 ~ Guided Many Of Our Finest Composers! accompanied them. A dozen trumpet players emerged from the congregation to join in. The service concluded with “Can’t Help Falling in Love with You.” When Vera had entered Arthur’s apartment after his passing, she also discovered the bass drum beater set apart from the bass drum, something no drummer would ever do. So the rhythm of the drum beat that had kept Arthur going all those years had finally stopped for want of a drummer.

Background & Anecdotes

ABOVE: Gordon and Arthur in 1980 when Gordon came out for the Order of Canada concert to honor his dad.

BELOW: Marek Norman, composer/arranger.

“We had all heard many stories about Gordon Delamont - the brilliant, highly-respected musician/arranger who, throughout the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, carved out a wonderful career in Toronto. Gord was instrumental in guiding many of this country’s finest composers and arrangers: Ron Collier, Rob McConnell, Don Thompson, Moe Koffman, Hagood Hardy, Paul Hoffert, Brian Barlow and Ed Henderson,” - Marek Norman.

In 1977, at the age of 25, having spent a number of years experimenting with composition (choral/orchestral works, musical theatre and pop song writing), Marek had reached a plateau of creativity... repeating himself, falling prey to formulaic structuring - basically, stagnating.

Determined to remedy this trend, he decided to venture further afield, leaving his beloved Vancouver for Toronto. It was only days after his arrival in Ontario that a particular opportunity presented itself - (one which would help steer his career course from that point hence): to be accepted as a private student of Gordon Delamont. It was not an easy exercise. Hopeful applicants were first required to ‘pass muster’ by presenting themselves, (along with a good many examples of their work), at the quiet, suburban home/studio, of Canada’s leading authority on advanced harmonic technique and arranging. Marek expected to be intimidated by him as he had been by his father years earlier. Strangely enough, both encounters took place in a basement. This coincidence proved strangely comforting and helped alleviate his crippling anxiety, since he was pretty much convinced that GD, was about to laugh him out of his home. But to his surprise, he was whisked into a cigar-scented workroom/ den with the welcoming words: “Good afternoon, please call me Gord.” Thus began Marek’s weekly study with this quiet, pensive, somewhat enigmatic gentleman. The ensuing three years of work would prove the most challenging, creatively stimulating period of his life to date. He owes so much to Gord’s keen insight, guidance and friendship.

(Marek Norman, 1966-76, professional arranger, composer)

DO NOT GO GENTLY ~ 307

200 Championship Awards Over the course of 50 years

the Kitsilano Boys’ Band (aka Vancouver Boys’ Band) and the other bands Arthur founded and/or directed: (the West Vancouver Boys’ and Girls’ Band, the General Gordon School Band, the North Vancouver School’s Band, the Vancouver Girls’ Band, the Grandview Band and the Point Grey Junior Band) won over 200 championship awards, made fourteen tours of the Old Country and attended five world fairs, making the band the most travelled, the most successful and the most famous boys band in the world.

Arthur W. Delamont 1892 - 1982

308 ~ Leonard Bernstein In the Spring of 1983 (the year after Arthur passed away), I had just finished my first of three years as director of a rather good high school band in Manitoba. Thinking I might like to be a professional conductor one day, I looked around for a summer conducting school to attend. Remembering one of the lessons I had learned in the Kits Band (learn from the best), I looked for what I felt was the most prestigous school I could find. I remembered from my university days Tanglewood which was the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the University of Michigan which was known for its conducting school but one school caught my eye above the rest or maybe it was the name of the principal conductor and founder of the school that caught my attention, Leonard Bernstein.

The school was called the L.A. Philharmonic Institute and it was held on the Northridge campus of UCLA in Los Angeles. It was a relatively new school in comparison to the others and the conducting fellows were all picked for the summer session but I was able to sign up as an auditor for the summer which is exactly what I did!

Once on campus and settled in, I learned that there would be an institute orchestra in attendence for the duration, made up of some of the finest young musicians from across the USA. For the next eight weeks my days were spent listening to the conducting fellows rehearse the institute orchestra (guided

by Michael Tilson Thomas who was the second in charge behind Mr. Bernstein), studying scores and attending evening concerts at the Hollywood Bowl. There was also a roster of guest conductors including Herbert Blomstedt (San Francisco Symphony Orchestra), Erich Leinsdorf (Assistant to Toscanini at one time) and Daniel Lewis (conductor). Photo: Me in the back with the striped shirt, Lenny with white shirt, Michael Tilson Thomas in middle.

DO NOT GO GENTLY ~ 309 It was a week or so before ‘Lenny” (as everyone called him) would arrive and when he did it was quite an occasion. Dressed in cowboy boots, blue jeans and blue jean shirt and cowboy hat he was always the center of attention. One time I remember him sitting on his chair in front of the orchestra talking to all the conducting fellows just like one of the boys but when it came time for the downbeat and he swung his chair around and faced the orchestra he was Leonard Bernstein of New York Philharmonic fame, Candide and Westside Story. It was marvelous! The musical knowledge that he had was so extensive and everyone was in awe of him, yet when he was not conducting he was just one of the boys.

The climax of the summer was when the conducting fellows would each have a chance to conduct the L.A. Philharmonic Orchestra in concert at the Hollywood Bowl. I learned that Mr. Bernstein wanted the Institute to become to the L.A. Philharmonic what Tanglewood was to the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

With people like Ernest Fleischman behind him (Fleischman margarine) it certainly appeared possible.

I got to know a few of the conducting fellows that summer including Richard Hoenich (the only other Canadian) who was the assistant conductor of the Symphonie de Montreal under Charles Dutoit. Paavo Jarvi’s father was Neeme Jarvi who was a world class conductor. Yakov Kreizberg (Russian) seemed to have the most potential and he was very likeable, I learned later that he was the younger brother of Semyon Bychkov who was also a world class conductor.

As I was older than the rest, I was asked if I wanted to drive the conducting fellows back and forth to the Hollywood Bowl each night in the institute van (I was also the only one with a class four license) and I agreed. Besides driving them to the Hollywood Bowl I remember we all went to a party one afternoon in Malibu at Jerome Lawrence’s house (he wrote Auntie Mame) and on another occasion the fellows all went to a party at Danny Kaye’s house high in the Hollywood hills (I was not invited).

During one rehearsal of the institute orchestra, one of the fellows did not seem to know his score very well, so Lenny asked the gallery if anyone knew the score. I remember thinking, “This is my chance!”

After all, Bernstein came to prominence when he stepped in and conducted the New York Philharmonic in the ‘50s when an ailing Koussevitzky was a no-show. Why couldn’t I do the same? The only problem was I did not know that particular score. It was a ‘lesson learned the hard way,’ always be prepared because you never know when an opportunity may come your way.

Besides being introduced to a lot of wonderful orchestral scores that summer and hearing them performed by two marvelous orchestras, I found an obscure bookstore with out of print books on Toscanini, Shostakovich and an Italian conductor who has become one of my favorites Guido Cantelli.

The conducting fellows all made a bet that summer that they would all in a few years be conducting Class A American orchestras. I checked recently to see whether any of them made it. I thought that Richard Hoenich would, for sure, given that he already was assistant to Charles Dutoit but I could not find him anywhere. Paavo Jarvi became the conductor of the Cinncinati Orchestra (he was the boy who did not know his score). Yakov Kreizberg became the most successful of them all, leading orchestras across Europe and America. Unfortunately he passed away in 2011 at the age of 52 after a long illness in Monaco. He is buried in Vienna.

As for myself, over the years I became more and more involved in the book business as a writer.

I didn’t become a symphony conductor, but it has been satisfying to write books that preserve an important part of Canada’s musical history.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

THE REUNION CONCERTS CONTINUE AND THE LEGACY LIVES ON

Band History: 1998, the 70th anniversary reunion concert of the Kitsilano Boys’ band * 2003,

the 75th reunion concert * 2004, the Ken Sotvedt Memorial Concert * 2007, the 79th anniversary reunion concert * In 2008, the 80th anniversary concert * Background: 1985, the books * Arthur was careful with his money * Dal Richards had become a legend * Bing Thom * Discipline and work ethic * Richard van Slyke * Music in the public schools * Donny Clark * Arnie Chycoski * Bob Buckley * 2012, band programs of Greater Vancouver * 2012, youth band programs in England * The development of youth through music * 2011, 100th birthday of General Gordon School.

1998, Barrie Gillmore decided to organize another reunion concert. It was 16 years after Arthur died

and Barrie, an ‘old boy’ from the 1950 band trip, thought that there were still lots of alumni around who could play and decided to try to organize a get- together. He called some of his old friends who had been in the band with him: Norm Mullins, Gordon Laird, Brian Bolam, Evan MacKinnon and Glen Startup and told them about his idea. It wasn’t long before everyone was coming on board. Then Barrie called Bea Leinbach who ran the Kitsilano Showboat and asked her if she wanted the Kits Band Alumni band to perform at the Showboat that summer. Her reply was, “How about July 27?”

With a concert date booked, they needed to find a conductor, so they asked Ken Sotvedt, an alumnus from the 1953 and 1958 trips if he would conduct. Ken was now the director of the Vancouver Firefighters’ band. Ken was only too happy to oblige. Next on the list to call was Arthur’s daughter, Vera. Vera was also enthusiastic about another reunion concert and offered her support.

The fellows had their first meeting in Barrie’s office in downtown Vancouver on April 29, 1998. It was decided that several notable old boys needed to be approached and asked to be a part of the event. The first was Dal Richards who thought it was a great idea and agreed to conduct a number and to promote the concert on his weekly radio talk show. Kenny Douglas, from the 1953 trip, was approached and asked if he would be the Master of Ceremonies for the evening. He too was excited about the idea. Bing Thom was called as well. He had been heavily involved with Expo ‘86. Bing agreed to place a few calls in order to get a mention in the events columns of the local newspapers and to pique the interest of the Toronto Globe and Mail’s Michael Valpy. Ron Collier was contacted at Humber College in Toronto where he still ran the Humber College jazz program. Ron was asked to bring along a couple of arrangements so that he could conduct a group of the more

ABOVE: Barrie Gillmore (left) with Ken Sotvedt at a reception after one of the early reunion concerts.

BELOW: 1998 Captain Bea on stage with the boys at the Kits Showboat.

312 ~ Still Lots Of Alumni Around professional alumni in a separate jazz band. Ron sent the music early so the guys would have a chance to rehearse the music before he arrived.

Rehearsal halls were booked and old boys were called. Dal Richards interviewed Jimmy Pattison on his radio talk show. The music for the reunion concert needed to be carefully chosen because many of the fellows who were expected to participate had not played in a few years. The band would need to rely on those members who were still active players and the pro members who were certain to attend. The challenge though was to present an interesting and musical performance given those guidelines. After all, they needed to live up to the past performances of their illustrious organization.

ABOVE: Donny Clark playing a solo at the 1998 Kitsilano Boys’ Band reunion concert at the Kitsilano Showboat.

BELOW: Roy Johnston playing a solo at the Kits Boys’ Band 1998 reunion concert.

July 19 The first rehearsal. At that rehearsal there were

53 alumni. At the second rehearsal on July 26 their numbers had swelled to 83. During a break in the second rehearsal, a small group got together to practice the arrangements that Ron Collier had sent. The small group they formed that day featured one of the most impressive trumpet sections ever assembled for a reunion concert. It included the great Arnie Chycoski, (lead player for 35 years with Rob McConnell’s Boss Brass in Toronto), Donny Clark, session musician, composer and first call on trumpet in Vancouver for over twenty years, and Wayne Pettie, professional musician and school band director.

The 70th anniversary of the founding of the Kitsilano Boys’ Band coincided with the reunion concert. It

seemed an appropriate way to celebrate the anniversary of the world’s most famous boys’ band. Boys came from all over the Lower Mainland for the reunion. Sometimes one thing can lead to another.

Double cup par-dub-a, you say! Ron Wood was sitting on the ferry from Nanaimo to Vancouver and these two guys sat down. One of them said, “You know, I just got a double cup par-dub-a!” (That’s the name of a mouth piece). Ron leaned over and said, “Double cup par-dub-a, you say! That’s not a brassiere is it?” It turned out to be Norm Godfrey and Ian Douglas, old boys from the fifties. Then Ron went to get something to eat and this guy with a big white beard sat down and said, “You’re going to the Kitsilano Boys’ Band Reunion, aren’t you?” Ron said, “How do you know?” Anyway, it turned out to be Bill Cave. After the reunion was over and they were all home again, Norm called Ron up one Monday night and said, “Get your horn and come down to band practice.” Norm was the President of the Nanaimo Concert Band. That was the end of boating for Ron!

THE LATER REUNION CONCERTS ~ 313

He sold the boat he had just bought and joined three bands and then three more. Eventually he found himself playing twenty-four concerts a year. (Ron Wood 1946-’53, banker)

The day of the concert dawned bright and hot. There were clear blue skies and the temperature hit 28 degrees Celsius as 83 ex-members of the world’s most famous boys’ band gathered on center stage at the Kitsilano Showboat on Vancouver’s west side. As the concert progressed, solos were performed by: * Arnie Chycoski At the Gremlin Ball. * Jimmy Pattison in the hymn tune, Deep Harmony. * Brian Todd played a trumpet solo in A Tribute to Richard Rogers * Bill Trussell played a trombone solo called Scenes That Are Brightest. * Roy Johnston played the solo in one of the band’s signature pieces, The Lost Chord. * Jack Bensted played a clarinet solo in As Time Goes By. * Donny Clark played a trumpet solo in Big Band Showcase. * Brian Bolam played a post horn solo in The Huntsmen. * Wayne Pettie trumpet soloed in the hymn tune Denton Park. Denton Park had been the test piece at the 1934 West of England band festival in Bugle, England, where Arthur and the boys had taken first place beating out 20 adult bands to win the trophy.

ABOVE: 1998 Kitsilano Boys’ Band reunion concert at the Kitsilano Showboat.

BELOW: Wayne Pettie on the far right in ‘The Six of Us. Ron Smith on tuba and Greg Hurst, band director at Churchill High School in Vancouver, on trumpet.

314 ~ Kitsilano Boy’s Band Alumni Executive

The 70th reunion concert of the Kitsilano Boys’ Band drew the largest audience in the history of the Kitsilano Showboat. It also was the first of several more ABOVE: 2003 Reunion concert. Jimmy Pattison on trumpet in the middle.

BELOW: Frank Hills, an original member.

reunion concerts to be held over the following ten year period. All the concerts were organized by the Kitsilano Boys’ Band Alumni Executive.

July 21, 2003 The 75th Reunion Concert of the Kitsilano Boys’ Band was held at the Kitsilano Showboat. This

time about 50 alumni members played their hearts out in a varied program of band favorites ranging from Sousa’s Triumphal March to Selections from My Fair Lady. Ken Sotvedt conducted the band and Kenny Douglas was again the Master of Ceremonies for the evening. Soloists included: * Brian Bolam playing the post horn in The Huntsmen. * Jimmy Pattison played the solo in Deep Harmony. * Dal Richards conducted a Tribute to Benny Goodman featuring a clarinet solo by Bob Buckley. Bob was a noted composer/arranger and band alumnus from the 1962 Kits band trip. * Jennie Emery (the daughter of one of the alumni members, Arnold Emery), sang two selections. Hoagy Carmichael’s Star Dust and As Time Goes By. * Bill Trussell played a trombone solo. * Wayne Pettie again played a trumpet solo in (Denton Park), to end the evening’s performance.

THE LATER REUNION CONCERTS ~ 315

2003 The original members of this famous band were well into their eighties. Frank Hills (who joined the band in 1931), Jim McCullock and Dal Richards (who joined in 1933) were the only boys from the thirties still attending these reunion concerts.

The others had all passed away or were not well enough to attend. Most of the boys at the later concerts (from 1998 onward) were from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s era bands.

July 28, 2003, Ken Sotvedt passed away suddenly

at age 66, only one week after he had conducted the 75th alumni concert.

Barrie Gillmore said that he knew Ken Sotvedt a little. He had just come into the Kits band as Barrie was leaving. Then, when Ken was the conductor of the ‘Firefighters’ Band,’ Ken ask Barrie to join the band. It was now only a couple of years later and Ken was dead. Barrie recalled Ken as a wonderful conductor for that band. He knew how to handle it. He brought a lot of Delamont’s attributes and mannerisms to his conducting and did a great job. He also did a great job conducting Barrie’s reunion concerts. All were sad that Ken passed on, especially just two weeks after conducting the 2003 gig. (Barrie Gillmore 1946-’52, accountant CGA)

ABOVE: 2004 reunion concert. Brian Bolam BELOW: 2004 Ken Sotvedt Memorial Concert at the Kitsilano Showboat.

Dal Richards reading the lyrics “Thanks For The Memories.” Dale Peterson on saxophone.

316 ~ Ken Sotvedt Memorial Concert

June 28, 2004 ‘Ken Sotvedt Memorial Concert’

ABOVE: Rehearsal for the 2007 reunion concert at the Gizeh Shriners Hall in Burnaby.

BELOW: Rehearsal for 2007 reunion concert.

On this occasion the Kits band alumni joined with the Firefighters’ Band at the Kitsilano Show boat. There were at least eighty players representing both organizations. Many of the Firefighter Band’s members were Kits band alumni and so was Ken Sotvedt. Thousands were in attendance on that beautiful evening.

Doug Macaulay was the conductor for the evening. He was the new conductor of the Firefighters’ Band. Six trumpeters were featured playing Bugler’s Holiday: Stan Bourne Sr., Mike Smith, Ron Jordan, Brian Bolam, Stan Bourne Jr. and Bruce Rushton. The Hotline Vocal Quartet performed featuring Steve Webb, Ron Jordan, Joe Foster and Dan McLelland. Andy Greenwood sang O Sole Mio and Ron Jordan played a trumpet solo on Georgia on My Mind. Brian Bolam also played a solo on Danny Boy. The Firefighter Bands’ President, Lance Ewan, presented Karen Sotvedt, Ken’s wife, with a bouquet of flowers and Dal Richards topped off the evening with a specially written version of ‘Thanks for the Memories.’

Thanks for the memories Of every concert played Of marching on parade The stories swapped and laughter shared And tunes that we misplayed How lucky we were. and so forth....

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2004 There were not many original members of the band left. Luckily by then I had managed to interview a

few: Bernie Temoin, Clif Bryson and Roy Johnston but there were so many others that I wished I had had the opportunity to sit down with and hear their stories of their days in the band. Imagine the stories that Gordon Delamont could have told or Stu Ross, Ray Smith, Arnold Emery or Gordy McCullough. The year 2004 saw the passing on of several originals: Clif Bryson, Gordy McCullough and Roy Johnston.

June, 2007 The 79th Anniversary Reunion Concert of the Kitsilano Boys’ Band’s first rehearsal

took place in the basement of the Shriners Hall in Burnaby. About 60 old boys participated, all between the ages of 50 and 90. Jimmy Pattison was there and so was CTV NEWS who filmed a three and a half minute clip which later wound up on YOU-TUBE for the world to see. Imagine if YOU—TUBE had been around during Arthur’s day!

July 9, 2007 It was standing room only at the Kits Showboat as the

boys belted out selection after selection to rousing applause. The boys could still carry a tune, no doubt about that. But as the sun set on the 79th Anniversary, some said that this reunion might be one of the last. Don’t tell the boys, though, that it’s time to hang up their instruments just yet. One of them could be heard as he disappeared around the concession stand, “It will go on until there are only ten of us left and we will be playing a little concert down at the Kits Showboat.”

ABOVE: 2007 Kits Band Reunion Concert.

BELOW: 2007 Reunion Concert at the Kitsilano Showboat

318 ~ 80th Anniversary Concert

ABOVE: Rehearsing for the 2008 reunion concert at the Gizeh Shriners Hall in Burnaby.

BELOW: Ben Laird and Oliver Percival Smith in uniforms patterned on Bill Good’s uniform by Marilyn Laird, wife of Gordon Laird.

2008- 80th Anniversary The following year marked a milestone in the band’s history. It would be the 80th anniversary of the founding of the band. It also marked a milestone in the lives of some of the alumni members: Dal Richards would be 90 years young, Jimmy Pattison would turn 80, Arnie Chycoski would be 70 and Donny Clark would turn 70. Although the executive had not planned on holding another reunion so soon, they decided to send out a questionnaire to see if there was any interest. The response was overwhelmingly in favor.

The 80th Reunion of the Kitsilano Boys’ Band, it

was decided, should be something special, so the executive began to plan for a three day event. On the evening of Saturday July 5, there would be a dinner reception at the Gizeh Shriners Hall after the afternoon rehearsal.

On Sunday there would be a memorial band concert at West Point Grey United Church at 4595 W. 8th Avenue for alumni, family and friends. That would be followed on Monday night by a special concert at the Kitsilano Showboat celebrating the memory of Arthur Delamont and the 80th anniversary of the Kitsilano Boys’ Band. Earl Hobson, now the conductor of the Royal City Concert Band, had conducted the 79th reunion concert so he was asked again to do the honours.

June 22, July 5 and Sunday July 6, 2008 Rehearsals were held at the Gizeh Shriners’ Hall in Burnaby. As the dates drew nearer the response from the alumni regarding the three day event passed expectations. It appeared that over 100 old boys would be

THE LATER REUNION CONCERTS ~ 319 attending the dinner reception, some coming from as far away as California and Nova Scotia. It was beginning to feel like the reunions of the 1960s when old boys came from far and wide. The enthusiasm was contagious.

The dinner reception was a tremendous success. Thanks to the more than able organizational skills of Kenny Douglas everyone enjoyed a splendid evening. There were several tables of memorabilia brought along by some of the boys, including an original uniform that had belonged to Bill Good, (1950 band trip). The wife of one of the executive (Gordon Laird), Marilyn Laird, fashioned the uniforms patterned on the original and had her two grandchildren wear the uniforms to the Showboat concert. At the reception there was a play-by-ear group as well, made up of some of the alumni.

The Memorial Concert at Point Grey United Church was a big hit and a big success as the acoustics allowed the band to be heard at its best and the final concert at the Showboat drew a large crowd. When it was all over everyone agreed that it had been a weekend to remember.

ABOVE: Carnoustie and District Youth Brass Band 2010.

BELOW: July 6, 2008 Memorial Concert at West Point Grey United Church.

320 ~ Dal Richards

Background & Anecdotes 1985 The Books. I was teaching band at Bishops College School,

ABOVE: The Cadet Corp Band at Bishops College School in 1986.

BELOW: The West Van band playing for a garden party in the 1950s.

a private school in Quebec. One evening I was invited to dinner by a gentleman who ran the college bookstore, Colonel Jim Strickland. During the course of the evening he brought out a couple of scrapbooks that had belonged to his father. His father had been the chief purser on one of the great CPR oceanliners of the turn of the century. When I saw the name of the liner on the scrapbook the memories of my days in Arthur’s band flooded back to me. The ship was the SS Empress of Ireland. We had all grown up hearing Arthur’s story of how he had survived the sinking of the Empress of Ireland in the St. Lawrence in 1914. As I thumbed through the pages of the scrapbooks lying before me, I could see the staterooms of the Empress in all their glory. The photos were similar to the ones we often see of her more famous sister ship, the Titanic. I found myself wanting to know more about Arthur’s life leading up to 1914 and beyond.

The following year found me in Montreal where I began writing Arthur’s story one winter evening in an old farm house in Laval as the snow fell on the trees outside. To my surprise, I wrote the whole draft of what I could recall of those days in only a few hours. That rough draft became my first book on the band, “By Jove, What a Band.” A few years later I moved back to Vancouver with my rough draft in hand and set about interviewing the original members of the band. As they were getting on in age, I wanted to hear as many of their stories as possible. I met first with Vera Delamont and then with Dal Richards, Roy Johnston and Clif Bryson, old timers from the band’s early days.

Arthur was very careful with his money, Vera said. He

charged the boys for lessons. Lillie liked to tell the story of walking into their bedroom and finding stacks of quarters, nickels and dimes on their dresser, all in neat rows. He believed in being paid for the band’s services. Whenever the opportunity presented itself, he charged a fee for playing. He also bartered a lot. In exchange for a tank full of gas he would offer to bring the band down and play in front of their service station to draw customers. That was in the 1930’s when times were hard! Arthur loved people and he loved helping people, she said. Whenever he was on tour in England he hired out the band to seaside resorts, carnivals and regattas to cover expenses. He was very good at finding capable people to travel with the band as managers. They would scout ahead and find inexpensive accommodation, maybe a Salvation Army Hall,

THE LATER REUNION CONCERTS ~ 321 (where they would put up cots) or a church or community center. Hotels were seldom needed. Chris Stockwell was Arthur’s first manager in England and then in the 1960s it was Dave McKenzie, an ex-Kits band member.

By the mid-1930s, Arthur started buying small apartments. He had to find a way of making money. At twenty-five cents a lesson, there wasn’t any money in the band business. Vera would be about twelve. There was no pension. He certainly had a head for business. He got out of the grocery business around 1926 or 1927. Then he went into the band business. He knew that vaudeville was running out. That is when he got into real estate.

He made money on apartments but he found it very frustrating. He hated the idea of losing money. He got out of it later. He was still in it in 1946 when Vera got married. He was always buying bigger and bigger apartments. The last one she remembers him buying was a twenty room apartment on Granville Street. He was quite close with his business affairs, very English and very close with his money.

He used to buy horns and rent them out to the boys but he didn’t make any money. Their house up on thirteenth, (he bought the lot for $140). The house cost $3500 to build. Then he sold it. That was just after the 1939 trip. After Vera got married she never knew what went on. She knew he had a stock portfolio. When she lived in White Rock with him, she went to look at some houses and he said, “Now don’t say a word. Don’t even let them know you like it. Wait until later and we’ll talk.” He knew what he was doing. She remembered him sitting there buying this apartment on second avenue. It started off at $69,000. He got it for $39,500. Just amazing, she said. They needed money desperately and he knew it! That’s the way he did business. When he wanted to be charming, he could turn it on.

There was a pixie in him. Vera’s mother never said much about money. It was a typical English marriage where the husband is the boss and money earner and the wife looked after the house and children.

1987 Dal Richards had become a legend in his own right. Even today in 2012, Dal is still going strong at age 93,

the last of the local swing band leaders in Vancouver. Around 1988, I met with Dal a few times to hear stories from his early days in the band. He always unselfishly gave of his time to tell me about his buddies in the band and what they had made of their lives. Dal wrote his own autobiography in 2009 called One More Time, The Dal Richards Story. It is a heartfelt story of his life with many references to musicians and people he met along the way in the swing band business in Vancouver through the 1940s, 1950s, 1960s and up to today.

ABOVE: Arthur at home in his living room. 1958 BELOW: Dave McKenzie, the band’s manager, in Dartmouth in 1968.

322 ~ There Is Only Number One Is This World!

ABOVE: Ray Smith in Dal’s Band in the early 1940s (with trumpet in middle).

BELOW: Dal at the Hotel Vancouver with Beryl Boden, his first wife.

Dal told me a lot about what happened to the others who were in the band at the time he joined in 1933: Harry Bigsby ended up as the Superintendent of Music for the Victoria School Board, Bernie Temoin went to Toronto and played bass clarinet in the Toronto Symphony Orchestra for 25 years. Jim Findlay became the Superintendent of schools in Burnaby. He played a little afterwards. Jack Allen and Clif Bryson joined the RCMP in Regina when they were forming a band. Herb Melton went to work for an auto parts firm in downtown Vancouver.

Jack Bensted played with Dal in a dance band here in Vancouver and so did Van Dunfee and Pete Watt. Van then went to San Francisco to work for a railway company. Pete Watt became a manufacturer’s representative for a women’s clothing company. Gordie Delamont was immensely successful. He got in with the Romanelli family. There were three of them; Luigi, Don and Leo and they virtually controlled the music scene in Toronto. Eventually he got his own band at the Silver Slipper in Toronto. It was one of the first clubs to have liquor. Then he started to do more arranging and teaching. He was highly respected. Any arranger of note in Toronto would speak highly of Gordie Delamont. He had several pupils who became famous: Rob McConnell, Ron Collier, and Moe Koffman, to name but a few.

Dal said he got to know Ray Smith through his father, Stan Smith.

Stan was Chairman of the Empire Games. He was a good friend of Roll Holland who was the Parks Board Chairman for many years. He was instrumental in getting the Parks Board to contact Dal, when they were trying to arrange Sunday concerts at the Malkin Bowl in the summertime. Dal played those for several years. Ray was in the band back then.

These concerts at the Malkin Bowl were called “Concerts in Rhythm.”

That would be the late 1940s, early 1950s. Dal shared them with Harry Price and John Emerson, who each were given a couple. Ray used to go to New York to see the musicians in the clubs on 52nd street. He sat in with trumpet players ‘Wingy Manome’ and Roy Eldridge.” And then he quit the trumpet all together!

Here’s what happened. There were three trumpet players sitting in the Georgia beer parlor downtown; Stu Barnett, Jack Townsend and Ray Smith. They were all out of work. Townsend said, “Richards is looking for a trumpet player. I think I will go see him.” Stu said, “Sandy de Santis at the Palomar is looking for a trumpet player. I’ll go and see him.”

And Ray said, “I’ve got a chance to work in a box factory. I think I’ll go and pursue that.”And that was the end of Ray’s playing career.

Don Endicott played at the Palomar. He went professional and played with Ole Olsen and Ray Smith at the Commodore. That was before Ray came to Dal at the Roof of the Hotel Vancouver. Roy Johnston

THE LATER REUNION CONCERTS ~ 323 played in the Lions’ band for years, starting around 1954. He played for many years. Ross Armstrong played in the Haskell band in Vancouver before he became an optometrist. Bob Randall was part of the Randall family who owned the Hastings Park Raceway. Norie Pearson was a great cricket player. Phil Baldwin became a radio announcer and so did Dorwin Baird. He was with CJOR. George Reifel, Dal thinks, started the vodka division of Alberta Distillers. Hector McKay was a copy writer at CJOR for a number of years. The studio was in the basement of the Grosvenor Hotel on Howe Street. Ardie Steeves played jazz. Jack Habkirk became a teacher. Don Wright became a banker. Don Cromie worked for a glass manufacturing company. Gordie McCullough used to turn up at the Roof.

He always had a different woman on his arm. He did quite well financially. He was a hot shot drummer for a while. Stu Ross played in the Lions’ band. Jack Hamilton was Dal’s contractor for the Lions’ band. He tried to hire ex-Kits band members if they were still playing. He played trombone. He went into the insurance business and was on the board of the Union.

Discipline and work ethic. 1988. Bing Thom became a famous architect and was another one of Arthur’s old boys whom I interviewed. Bing told me that Delamont’s discipline was so effective that even now, at his age, maybe three or four times a year, he will have a nightmare. Either he forgot his cape or his instrument or his socks are not matching and he will wake up in a cold sweat.

D was his father figure. His real father was in Hong Kong. He didn’t have a dominant male in his life except for Delamont, who influenced him a lot with his values and his beliefs. Mr. D was larger than life! One of the messages he taught Bing was, don’t go halfway. If you can’t do it to the best of your ability, don’t do it. That’s the lesson he learned from him and he has carried it with him all his life. Bing remembers distinctly what D said to them in Victoria, “There is only number one in this world.

Nobody talks about number two. You either win or you lose. Never tell anyone you came in second.” That’s the philosophy Bing uses in his office. Either you win it or you lose it! But don’t tell people you came in second. There is no sympathy for the also ran and that’s the way he was.

That, Bing remembers really clearly!

I ask all the boys I interviewed who were the three biggest influences on their lives. Bing told me the three biggest influences on his life were Arthur Delamont, Arthur Erickson and the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.

Delamont taught him about character. Erickson taught him about architecture. The Maharishi taught him about inner truths.

ABOVE: Dal and Mr. D at Empire Stadium before a half time show for the BC Lion’s football team.

BELOW: Bing Thom is today a famous architect with many major buildings to his credit.

324 ~ Richards van Slyke

Richard van Slyke built the 15th Field Regiment Band into the best military band in Canada. He became

ABOVE: Richard conducting a formal dress concert with the 15th Field Regiment.

BELOW: 15th Field Regiment Band with Richard van Slyke conducting.

its director after Major Peter Erwin retired. Richard won the prestigious Order of Military Merit (which is the equivalent of the ‘Order of Canada) for his prolific work in developing the band over the years.

Richard was a member of the 1968 Kits Band.

When Richard went on to direct the band of the 15th Field Artillery Regiment in Vancouver, he applied a great number of things he had learned from Arthur Delamont: programming, running a tight show, being able to back announce (after the piece is finished), using the encores, always leave them wanting more, make them laugh, make them cry. He learned an awful lot about programming from Arthur, as did all ABOVE: Fredremembered Turner, of us. Richard always how smart Arthur was: how he had of the us conductDirector ourselves on New stageWest(arms-crossed, proper seating etiquette). minster & District Concert He definitely applied these in his career. Arthur’s shows were tight, well Band, 1941 into the 1990s. rehearsed, with no down time. Richard found out what worked. He even BELOW: Arnie use to bring up little kidsChycoski in front of the band, just like Arthur did, to playing the Si he Zentner conduct. So manyinthings learned from Arthur on that trip to Europe Band in L.A.so in many the early with him and playing concerts. As a result, the 15th Field band 1960s. under Richard has remained a top level band and has been rated as the best in Canada. To a great degree, it is because of what he learned in the Kitsilano Boys’ band with Arthur Delamont. (Richard van Slyke 1968, director, 15th Field Regiment Band)

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2007 Dal Richards I sat down again with Dal Richards in 2007 to

learn more about his later life. In our earlier meetings I always wanted to hear about the early days, the 1930’s, but I came to realize that Dal had accomplished a lot in his later years as well. When the Big Band music business slowed down in the late 1960’s, Dal returned to school and received a diploma of technology in hospitality management from BCIT. A career in the hotel business followed. Then, as big band swing music regained popularity in the 1980’s, the Dal Richards Orchestra and Dal became very busy. They play corporate events and conventions, community concerts and special occasions, like weddings and anniversaries. Dal takes a fourteen piece band to the PNE each year and performs daily. He will be doing that again this year (2012).

Arthur kept going right to the end. His was a lifetime of achievement, of doing. For Dal it is the same. A lifetime of learning, that is what keeps him going. Dal told me if he was not always learning something new, he was sure he would not still be here today. I asked him if learning, achieving, commitment, life-long goals, might have come from Arthur. He said, “I guess that could be. His friends called him Mr. D. My friends call me Dr Swing!” (Dal Richards 1933-’36, Big band leader)

2007 Some thoughts on the state of music in the public schools today. We have looked at the heyday of

the Kitsilano Boys’ Band in the thirties and fifties in Vancouver and we had a close look at the band scene in the sixties. I asked Bill Stonier of Northwest Music how he felt about school band programs today.

“The quality of teaching in the schools now is not as high as it used to be in the sixties. A lot of the old band directors who played in the military bands are dying off. They lived and breathed music. The new teachers are coming in straight out of university and do not have the practical experience their predeccesors did but they certainly have the technical training. There are a lot of good programs all over town and the parents are very supportive. North Vancouver had a big program and the school board stepped in and cancelled it. The parents got together and said, “If you are not going to do it, we will do it!” Now they pay for a teacher to teach. Now they have pretty good programs in North Vancouver. West Vancouver is doing pretty good as well with the West Van band and Doug Macaulay.”

I also asked Bill how the music store business is doing. Long and McQuade bought out Ward Music. They have opened a beautiful new store over on Terminal Avenue. The problem we have found is that a lot of stores do not keep knowledgeable staff. Northwest has had people

ABOVE: Dal Richards in 2011, still going strong at 95 years with his Dal Richards Orchestra.

(Photo: Chris Cameron) BELOW: 1998 party at Dal’s Place. Paul Jagger (left), Don Endicott in wheel chair, Hector McKay with black jacket, Dal in middle, Vera (middle, standing) and Frank Hills in brown sweater.

326 ~ Donny Clark here for twenty-five years. Cameron Willis in our band department, he knows how to cull the best from the several hundred pieces that come out each year. We run a workshop every summer. It runs for a week and is attended by 100 band teachers from all over BC. We read about sixty charts a day. (Bill Stonier 1951, Northwest Music)

ABOVE: Fred Turner, Director of the New Westminster & District Concert Band, 1941 into the 1990s.

BELOW: Arnie Chycoski playing in the Si Zentner Band in LA in the early 1960s.

After the 2007 Reunion. Ron Wood. I took a trip over to Nanaimo and spent a delightful afternoon with Ron Wood and his wife. Ron told me lots of stories of his band days, including one about one of his heroes. “Donny Clark is my hero! He plays the way I would want to play if I had gone professional. Both Donny and Arnie Chycoski were the leads on the 1955 trip. Donny played dixieland with Lance Harrison.

Then he went on to play with Tommy Banks in Edmonton. He played with a group called The Northern Connection. He plays in a band in Sun Valley now. He is one of the most successful musicians around.”

I managed to catch up to Donny Clark one afternoon in Vancouver at the White Spot at Cambie and Broadway. I asked him about his friends in the band and his wonderful career.

Donny Clark. “Arnie Chycoski and I were the lead players but

Arnie really carried me and the rest of the trumpet section because he was so powerful and so good. Everyone in the band respected his leadership and his great playing really kept the trumpet section a truly happening experience. On one number he’d end on a double “G.” Arnie used to hang

THE LATER REUNION CONCERTS ~ 327 out with Alex McLeod. Both were nineteen and we younger guys were a bit fearful of their odd sneers. They never seemed to smile. While Arnie was growing up in New Westminster, Fred Turner (grandfather of Brad Turner) took Arnie under his wing, helped him keep out of trouble and guided him in his early years. In the early days Arnie and Ray Sikora were buddies.

I played with Arnie in the early sixties, before he left for Los Angeles to study at Westlake College of Music. He made great connections and developed a fantastic reputation. He went on the road and recorded with the Si Zentner Band. Arnie became famous for his “kiss.” At the ending note of “Up a Lazy River” he made the end of the note sound like a kiss. He came back to Vancouver for a few months but there was not much work for him so he headed for Toronto. The rest is wonderful history! He became lead trumpet with the Boss Brass. Nowadays he is considered one of the world’s greatest lead trumpet players for all his great work over the span of 1960-1995. He now lives on Vancouver Island and still practices, even with his new teeth. He certainly has inspired many young players. I have never missed a “Kits” reunion and Arnie tries to make as many as he can. I have always had very positive feelings about the organization. It’s like coming home.

Dennis Tupman and I are very good friends and compatriots for music advocacy. He played first clarinet chair on the 1955 trip and his solos were always beautifully executed. If you have ever listened to Dennis speak about music, love, being a person (the kinds of things we tend to put aside for another time), you would realize just how passionately this man expresses his ideas. I’ve watched Dennis speak to a bleacher full of grade seven and eight students without a microphone, describing the music performed in Washington DC commemorating the 9/11 tragedy.

You normally don’t see tears en masse like that. I’m glad he didn’t become a professional minister! He travels, does clinics and conveys his message all over Canada and the US. If you could find a Musicians’ Union Directory from the 1960’s through the late 1980’s all the guys I played with would be there. I joined a band called the ‘New Orleans Connection’ in 1986. The personnel changed but Tom Banks was our most outstanding pianist. I know it sounds like ‘name-dropping’ but this guy is a senator now in Ottawa, yet another Canadian icon. We toured Canada and all over Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Hungary. The group had some outstanding musicians: Torbin Oxbol (a very exciting and wonderful bass), Jerry Fuller (percussion), Jack Fulton (trombone) and the teacher George Haden (clarinet). We even had three complete symphony programs to work from. We did four concerts with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra

ABOVE: Louis Armstrong was renowned for his charismatic stage presence and voice almost as much as for his trumpetplaying. Armstrong’s influence extends well beyond jazz music, and by the end of his career in the 1960s, he was widely regarded as a profound influence on popular music in general.

BELOW: Thomas Benjamin “Tommy” Banks, OC, AOE (born December 17, 1936) is a Canadian pianist, conductor, arranger, composer, television personality and senator.

He hosted the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) television show, The Tommy Banks Show, from 1968 until 1983.

328 ~ One Of The Worlds Greatest

ABOVE: Arnie Chycoski, 1936-2008“one of the top three lead trumpet-players on the planet.”

(Rob McConnell) BELOW: Louis Bellson was an Italian-American jazz drummer. He was a composer, arranger, bandleader, and jazz educator, and is credited with pioneering the use of two bass drums.

Bellson was an internationally-acclaimed artist who performed in most of the major capitals in the world. Below at the Palomar Supper Club, 1952.

and it was a treat to stand out in front of that great orchestra and play solos. In Europe we played everything from concert halls to little jazz clubs and even some restaurants.

I was in the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, when ‘Stravinsky’ came and conducted. I got to meet and spend an evening with Louis Armstrong.’We went to his concert at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre.

Lance Harrison and I had just finished playing for the opening of the new Four Seasons Hotel on Georgia Street and Lance said, “Let’s go down and see Louie!”

Impresario Hugh Pickett gave Lance and me his last two tickets. We went backstage at intermission to Louis’ dressing room. Lance and he were old buddies, so afterwards we went to his hotel with Bob Smith, the jazz radio announcer. Bob did an interview and then we all went around the corner to the ‘Cave’ for the last show. When the guys in the Cave band saw us their grins really beamed. I never got a picture or an autograph but I sure have a good memory of that evening. But Arthur Delamont was our leader and his traits of gruffness and confidence, (with a twinkle in his eye) influenced us all for the rest of our lives. To attempt to articulate this today makes me feel very humble but he got us all to work together and trust each other. When he grabbed my horn out of my hands and tossed it in my case that time on the boat, I learned a good lesson. Even then, it was a positive gesture. He wanted me up playing in the morning and not out cavorting with the crew. So, it was all positive!” (Donny Clark, 1955, professional musician, composer) I had managed to complete my first book on the Kits band, (By Jove What a Band) for the 79th Reunion and at one of the rehearsals I gave each of the guys a free copy. Now, with the 80th reunion coming up, I decided I would try to finish a photo album and the first of three books in a collection of stories on the boys called ‘The Red Cape Boys.’ I had only a few chapters to complete on the boys’ stories, so I set to work in earnest. But I still wanted to meet with Arnie Chycoski and hear his thoughts on his life and Mr. D so I made arrangements to visit him at his home just north of Nanaimo (on Vancouver Island).

The Arnie Chycoski Story “When I came back from the 1955

trip, I was asked to play at the Cave Supper Club with Paul Souder and Dave Robbins. They were professionals. It was a good thing for me. I played for several years. I never had any money problems. I always had money. It turned out to be a steadier job for me than it was for most.

After playing around Vancouver for several years, I went down to Los Angeles for seven years. I was twenty and that was in 1960. In Los

THE LATER REUNION CONCERTS ~ 329 Angeles I did a lot of studio work and got in with a band led by Si Zentner. One of his tunes was ‘Up a Lazy River.’ The Johnny Mann Singers were there as well.

Then I went to Las Vegas for six months and got married in The Little Chapel of Flowers. That was in 1964. I played with Louis Bellson in Las Vegas. He was a beautiful man. He was married to Pearl Bailey. She was very bossy. She would get mad at the band and he would turn around to the band and say, “It’s all right, guys!”

Lionel Hampton’s band was playing in Vegas at that time. I went to hear him. The bass player and the drummer didn’t like each other. On the bandstand they had a fight. He fired them all. I played a television show in Montreal with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. Dizzy Gillespie was one of the guests. I never got to meet Sinatra but I played with Les Brown.

Sinatra was very humble in the early days.

In Vegas we played at the Flamingo Hotel which was owned by the mob. Lots of hotels in Vegas were owned by the mob in those days. You didn’t insult anyone down there. I remember Louis Prima and his wife, Keely Smith.

Jack Teagarden’s brother Charlie used to play trumpet after hours until six in the morning. That’s where all the musicians went.

Then we came back to Vancouver. I played for a couple of years in Vancouver and then went off to Europe. We had two kids. I didn’t get much work over there, though. Then we came home and stopped in Toronto where my wife had a friend. In Toronto, in the late 1960s, there was loads of work. I auditioned for one guy. His name was Benny Louis.

There was only me and Benny and his wife upstairs cooking. She kept yelling, “Benny, ask him to play Stardust!”

He gave me thirty jobs within a month and a half. He was working all the time. His orchestra played bar mitzvahs, dances-- all Jewish functions. I did a lot of freelancing and CBC work on television and a lot of recording. I started playing at the Royal York Hotel. That was when the Royal York was bringing in Tony Bennett, Ella Fitzgerald and a lot of other big names. It was a house band and it lasted for a couple of years.

The Boss Brass started as a commercial band playing pop tunes. Then Rob McConnell said, “Let’s start playing other kinds of music.” So we did! He was a jazz arranger. Guys like ‘Rick Wilkins’ worked for us. But you had to keep in good with the contractors. If they didn’t like you, you wouldn’t work. Consequently, I never threw my weight around. I was always working. I worked more than the average guy. No one ever got upset with me. With the Boss Brass, the brass section played everything: movies, jingles. It became an entity unto itself. I was with them for at least thirty-five years.

ABOVE: Join the Spitfire Band for a nostalgic menu of big band hits from the 1930s and 1940s. This 18-member orchestra was formed from among Canada’s top studio players to meet a growing demand for the music and arrangements of legendary bandleaders Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey and Harry James.

BELOW: Guido Basso, (trumpeter, flugelhornist, harmonica-player, arranger, composer, conductor) recognized as a prodigy while studying at Montreal’s Conservatoire de musique du Quebec.

330 ~ The Root Bear Theme The Spitfire Band played in the same time frame as the Boss Brass.

They played pop music. It was primarily a recording band but we did play concerts. I played with both bands up until about five years ago. Two people who really impressed me were Maynard Ferguson and Dizzie Gillespie. One time I went to a club Maynard was playing at in New York. He started with Maria with the biggest sound you ever heard. He just wiped out everybody. He was such a strong player. I also played with a guy named Guido Basso who is just a fantastic trumpet player. And another great trumpet player, Erich Traugott. Both were in the Boss Brass.

We used to pass the Glenn Miller Orchestra on the road and also Woody Herman. I did some session work with ‘Blood Sweat and Tears’ and with ‘Lighthouse.’ They were hard. Very loud! You couldn’t hear yourself.

It wiped you right out. It’s been a great life!” (Arnie Chycoski, Kits Band, 1955) ABOVE: Bob Buckley, 2007 BELOW: Bob’s band, ‘SPRING’ in 1969.

Bob Buckley was my last interview with boys who had gone on to become local music legends

I’ve done projects for Disney and MGM. I really am excited though, in their own right. In the mid ‘60s after the 1962 Kits Band trip and a few about writing for the movies. There I have the opportunity to write some TV shows, Bob organized a rock band he called ‘Spring.’ The 1970s were pretty innovative music because it is attached to visuals. his ‘jingle’ period. And in the 1980s he wrote film scores, which he Playing in the Kits Band was all about listening. Today, most musicians are too into what they are doing and don’t listen to the whole sound enough. This is one of the things Arthur instilled in us, listening to the sound of the whole band, not just ourselves. That’s incredibly valuable.

The other thing is being a team player and the pursuit of perfection. He was a tyrant but in a good way. The things I learned in that band have stayed with me all my life. I can say I wouldn’t have had the career I have had if I hadn’t been in his band. The people who went on and became accountants and doctors and bricklayers also learned a lot in the band. His lessons applied to other disciplines besides music.

I would say that the three people who influenced my life the most were Arthur Delamont, my father and a fellow by the name of Hubert Kline Hedley. When I was fourteen, we had an apartment on Granville Street. I was in the dining room writing by our piano. This man moved in upstairs. One day he came down and knocked on our door and introduced himself. He was a wonderful composer from California where he did his work in the 1940s and 1950s. He was a very melodic composer, wonderful man. He became my friend and my mentor and he gave me his orchestral scores to look at. He shared with me what pieces I should be listening to, to improve.

THE LATER REUNION CONCERTS ~ 331 continues to do to this day.

“I remember in 1971 John Lennon had the number one record, with ‘Imagine.’ We had the number two record, with ‘A Country Boy Named Willy’ and Paul McCartney had the number three record, with ‘Maybe I’m Amazed.’ We were sandwiched between the Beatles, who were my heroes at the time. It was pretty nice!

We opened and played with The Who, The Doors, Led Zepplin (on their very first tour before they became famous) and Janis Joplin. So we played with a lot of big names, as an opening act. I put together another band later which eventually became known as ‘Straightlines.’ Between Spring and Straightline, I was writing hundreds and hundreds of radio and television commercials. The Root Bear commercial was one of them. The inspiration for that was actually the Pink Panther Theme. We couldn’t use the saxophone, so we used a tuba. There was lots of stuff for MacDonald’s, Coke, Pepsi and lots of jingles for airlines.

Then in 1986 I decided I needed a change and submitted a score for the first totally computer-generated animated TV series of all time. I was the only one who submitted an orchestral, Star Wars, John Williams type, big robust score. It was a show called ‘ReBoot.’ I must have done around fifty of those shows. It became the number one animated cartoon show on television, all over the world. That would be 1994. I’ve done projects for Disney and MGM. I really am excited though, about writing for the movies. There I have the opportunity to write some pretty innovative music because it is attached to visuals.

Playing in the Kits Band was all about listening. Today, most musicians are too into what they are doing and don’t listen to the whole sound enough.

This is one of the things Arthur instilled in us, listening to the sound of the whole band, not just ourselves. That’s incredibly valuable. The other thing is being a team player and the pursuit of perfection. He was a tyrant but in a good way. The things I learned in that band have stayed with me all my life. I can say I wouldn’t have had the career I have had if I hadn’t been in his band. The people who went on and became accountants and doctors and bricklayers also learned a lot in the band. His lessons applied to other disciplines besides music.

I would say that the three people who influenced my life the most were Arthur Delamont, my father and a fellow by the name of Hubert Kline Hedley. When I was fourteen, we had an apartment on Granville Street. I was in the dining room writing by our piano. This man moved in upstairs.

One day he came down and knocked on our door and introduced himself.

He was a wonderful composer from California where he did his work in the 1940s and 1950s. He was a very melodic composer, wonderful man. He became my friend and my mentor and he gave me his orchestral scores

ABOVE: ReBoot is a Canadian CGI-animated action-adventure cartoon series that originally aired from 1994 to 2001. It was the first half-hour, completely computeranimated TV series.

BELOW: Earl Hobson conducting the Royal City Concert Band.

332 ~ The Development Of Youth to look at. He shared with me what pieces I should be listening to, in order to improve.

2012 Today there are 92 high schools which have band programs in Greater Vancouver. There are

ABOVE: Camborne Town Band Music Society actively promotes youth music and runs a very successful youth section which incorporates the Training Band, the Adult Training Band, the Junior Contest Band, the Youth Band and the ‘B’ Band.

Alan Pope is the director of all their bands. Seen here at the 85th West of England bandsmen’s Festival, Bugle.

BOTTOM: Eric Tsang, John Oliver High School Band

around 100 elementary schools that offer band for their grade 6 and 7 students. Either they have their own program for their students or the students travel to another school to be taught.

When Arthur started the General Gordon School band in 1928 there were only three or four juvenile bands in Vancouver and no band programs in the schools. By 1936 there were 26 juvenile bands in British Columbia schools, most in Vancouver. Seven were run by Arthur Delamont. It looks like Major H.B. King of Kitsilano High School got his wish when he said in 1931, “I hope that the example of your boys’ success in Toronto will spawn the development of other youth bands and further the cause of music education in the public schools of Vancouver.” Vancouver and British Columbia certainly did become juvenile band conscious in the 1930s and 1950s.

The rest of Canada and England were also spurred on by Arthur and his boys’ fine example as they criss-crossed the Dominion and England. Alberta now has band programs in most of its public schools, Saskatchewan has approximately 17,000 students enrolled in band programs and Manitoba in 2007 had 275 schools that offered band.

July 21, 1934 England. York Bowen the eminent com-

poser, stated in the British Bandsman that there is no organization like it in England. The article went on to say it is a stigma on our nation and at the same time to our competitive organizations, so it should be the purpose of our Musical Institutes and Festival Committees, Municipal and Social Welfare bodies, Educational Authorities, Band Associations and committees to aim at removing this stigma as soon as effectively possible.”Today the United Kingdom has quite a few good school/youth brass bands, and even more mixed/concert/wind bands. There is an annual National Youth Brass Band Championship which takes place in April. The Championship has grown and in 2011 attracted over 40 bands from all parts of Great Britain.

This equates to about 2,000 young players, whose ages span from 6 years to 19 years. A similar set of championships for concert bands takes place in June/July. It would be exaggerating to say that this is all because of Arthur Delamont but he certainly did make them sit up and take notice of the value of investing in the raw potential of youth. You be the judge!

THE LATER REUNION CONCERTS ~ 333 The meta-narrative of this story (What’s it really all about?) is the ‘development of youth’ and how one man singlehandedly influenced the lives of countless hundreds of Vancouver boys and girls through his music from 1928 to 1974.

Throughout this book I have mentioned how Delamont developed and influenced the minds, bodies and souls of countless boys and girls who passed through his bands: * The Power of Concentration (page 36) * Major lessons in time management (page 86) * Fostered many virtues in his boys (page 87) * Taught his boys to focus on long term goals (page 94) * Approached his life like a daring adventure (page 130) * More on the power of concentration (page 176) * The benefits of concentration (page 187) * Taught all his boys to focus their attention (page 188) * His boys experienced fundamental changes in his band (page 207) * He was always challenging his boys (page 211) * Playing solos in Delamont’s band (page 235) * Boys worked hard in his band (page 245) * Delamont’s discipline and work ethic (pages 32, 56, 63, 85, 125, 215, 279, 294, 321).

Arthur taught his boys and girls that they all had enough potential inside them, at any given time in their lives, to move mountains, and many of them did, as you have read. He taught them that if they followed certain ‘life lessons’ their lives would be richer and more fulfilling than even they could ever imagine. He made each one of his boys and girls realize the value of the individual. He set each of them off on a course of self-discovery to realize their own potential. He reached all levels of society, rich and poor. He judged kids only on musicality, commitment and good behavior. If they applied these same principles in their chosen field in later life, the success they experienced in their youth, playing in his band, would continue with them all the days of their lives.

This visionary with a lifelong passion for “excellence in music” and the development of youth, led by example and in doing so endeared himself to everyone who knew him or who was lucky enough to attend an Arthur W. Delamont concert. The beautiful harmonies in the music he loved so dearly, I believe he saw as a metaphor for the harmony that he wanted each of his boys to achieve in their own lives.

Today, in 2012, to the best of this writer’s knowledge there is no band comparable to that of the Kitsilano Boys’ Band in Canada or elsewhere. This may well be because the band was as much a product of the times as it was the genius of Arthur W. Delamont. The same could be said of Sousa, his band was a product of the times and his genius.

ABOVE: Some members of the Senior Jazz Band from Frank Hurt Secondary School in Surrey, BC. BELOW: Members of the St. Dennis Youth Band took 2nd place in the West of England Music Festival in 2010. Some members were as young as seven.

334 ~ 100th Anniversary of General Gordon School

June 17, 2011 The 100th Birthday of General Gordon School. The boys did get back together again. It wasn’t a

ABOVE: The General Gordon 100th Birthday Concert in the school gymnasium.

BELOW: L to R, George Bouwman, Wayne Tarling, George Ellenton, Don Luff, Rob Arseneau, Barry Leinbach and Wayne Pettie. The youngsters of the band, all from the 1966 Kits band tour of Europe.

large group but enough to fill the school auditorium. Principal Margaret Davidson asked the alumni band to play for the occasion. So it was a return to where it had all started. They had come full circle.

When Gordon Delamont died in 1981, it had been sixteen years since Art Dedrick, president of Kendor Music, said, “I hope your text books will still be selling in ten years.” Gordon’s royalty cheques when he died were stronger than ever.

His son Gordo entered Humber College in 1980. He has since left the music business. Vina, who had been a pillar of strength, supporting Gordon through the writing of six text books, a great deal of music, and through many other nerve wracking experiences, as of 2012 lives with her daughter Debra outside of Toronto. Gordon’s eldest daughter, Susan, also lives in Toronto with her husband.

Paul Jagger, Vera’s second husband, passed away in Vancouver in the spring of 2012. Vera passed away on July 19, 2013 at the age of 90, just before this book was published. Vera’s children live up and down the coast from Vancouver to Los Angeles. There are many other Delamont’s around, as they have all had children. Their names often pop up when you least expect!

THE MISSING DELAMONT MANUSCRIPTS ~ 335

The Missing Delamont Manuscripts The music library that Arthur Delamont accu-

mulated over his lifetime is thought by this writer to have been the second largest privately held band library in North America (second only to the Sousa library). Mr. D was always buying music. He was very current and always bought the latest pop tunes of the day as well as the timeless overtures and classical music which he loved so much. Whenever a new Broadway musical was written he bought the arrangement. ‘Sousa to Boogie Woogie’ was how the band presented itself at home and on tour.

Every boy I interviewed mentioned the exposure they had had to this vast music library. The variety and amount of music that he exposed his boys to was one of the reasons the band enjoyed such a long history. It always kept the boys enthralled and looking forward to the next rehearsal. On the thirties and fifties tours of Canada and Great Britain, the boys usually had around twenty different folders of music to learn. There would be a separate folder for the trip across Canada, one for the boat ride and several for different parts of England and Scotland. If they were travelling over to Holland for a festival then there would be a separate folder of music for Holland with Dutch themes. i.e. Tulips From Amsterdam. The music was carried in a large trunk for their overseas journeys.

By 1962, Arthur no longer played much of his extensive library. Some of the pieces were dated and no longer popular with his audiences. Some arrangements were too difficult for his present sixties era boys. Some had been purchased for a special occasion and were no longer needed. At this time, Arthur picked out the pieces he felt he could use (about 4,000) and gave the rest of his library (mostly pieces from the 1930s, 40s and 50s) to Ken Sotvedt, who had been on his 1953 and 1958 band tours.

Ken was a junior high school principal then and the conductor of the Vancouver Firefighter’s Band.

The Vancouver Firefighters’ Band had been in existence in Vancouver since 1926, longer than Arthur’s band. It enjoyed a fine reputation amongst local musicians and many of Arthur’s boys now played in the band. As it was a part of the City of Vancouver it enjoyed a secure financial future.

The balance of his library he kept for the next twenty years until his death in 1982. He added about another 1,000 arrangements to it during that period. It was during this time that he started writing out his own manuscripts from the original military band scores that he had collected over the years. He always made lots of cuts and those of us boys who remember playing the original transcriptions before he turned them into manuscripts were always thankful when a sparkling new manuscript appeared on our stand. Often on tour, Arthur could be found in his hotel room, writing out a new manuscript for the latest arrangement he had just purchased. I remember in 1968 he bought Funny Girl and Hello Dolly at a music store in London. He wanted the band to perform the pieces at the homecoming concert when we arrived back in Vancouver. For a few nights before we were to depart London, he re-wrote all the parts in his own manuscript and presented them to us at Heathrow Airport, a few hours before departure. We ended up having a rehearsal in a not-so-used wing of Heathrow Airport where we were all given our copies of our sparkling new manuscript (they always worked).

Over the next twenty years all the major pieces the band played were on his hand written manuscript. He re-wrote everything to accommodate his present group of boys. If a new boy joined the band, he re-wrote the manuscripts to match his abilities. I recall a significant event when I switched from alto saxophone to tenor in 1965. My first rehearsal on the tenor I played from the old original transcriptions full of cuts and hand written notation. He never said a word to me but I guess he was eager to know if it was worth his time to write out a new manuscript for me. I soon found out. At the next rehearsal my stand was full of sparkling new manuscripts. I am not sure if I realized the

336 ~ The Missing Music Library significance of this at the time but I certainly do now. He was showing his trust in me that he felt that it was worth taking his time to write out new manuscripts for me. I didn’t let him down. I stayed in that seat for five years and I thoroughly enjoyed playing every new manuscript he put in front of me.

He knew I would play them and I did with gusto!

The manuscripts became old friends to all us boys. We all knew them almost off by heart and as I said I do not recall there ever being a problem with any of them. He knew exactly what he was writing. He was a master arranger. Alot of us boys I am sure, developed a sense of entitlement towards the music. I remember my last trip to Europe with the band in 1970. He brought along a second tenor player which I resented. He had always only taken one tenor. Times were changing though and he needed the extra body for marching. This sense of entitlement was so great that in 1983 after Arthur had passed away and I too had become a band director, I purchased the library from his daughter Vera.

“It is taking up too much room in my apartment,” she said. I paid her a token $1 for each of the 5,000 arrangements (no one would have been able to pay what they were actually worth).

I lived in Manitoba at the time. The music arrived at my parents’ house on east 45th avenue during the summer when I was home on holidays. It was an amazing library. I remember looking through a few of the 30 or so boxes. All the pieces I had played in my youth were there. All the hand written manuscripts that he so painstakingly spent hours writing.

The library represented my youth and the youth of every boy who played in the band.

I taught band back east for a few more years, never really using the library much. The schools I taught at had extensive libraries so I never saw the need to take any of it back with me. The band library remained in my parent’s basement until I moved back to Vancouver in 1989.

I did not teach again upon my return to Vancouver. The library sat in my parents’ basement until 2001, now in blue plastic Superstore containers. That summer I received a call from Paul Jagger, Vera’s husband, asking me if I wanted to sell the library to Ken Sotvedt. He wanted to buy it. I asked Vera what she thought and she said, “It might be a good idea if you are not going to use it.” I agreed with her. I sold the library to Ken in August for the same price I bought it from Vera for, $1 for each of the 5,000 arrangements. It was not Ken personally buying the library but the Vancouver Firefighters’ Society Band (They had formed a society within the organization). I sold them the library because I felt it would be safe in Ken’s hands and be used extensively by the band.

Unfortunately we cannot predict the future. In 2004, Ken Sotvedt died of a heart attack while sleeping. It was after Ken’s death that problems started to surface within the Firefighter’s Band. By 2006, the band had split into two separate groups due to personality conflicts centering around an internal investigation into fraud charges regarding one of its members. By 2010, both sides had lawyers and were laying claim to the band library and an assortment of musical instruments. They needed someone to come in and do an audit of the library and instruments and I was asked to perform the task. I was asked because I had no affiliation with either side and because I was familiar with the library. I assume I was vetted by both sides and assigned the job. I took the job on for two reasons, one was to resolve the situation so both sides could move on. The other was to see what the condition was of the Delamont library that I had sold Ken. My mandate was to make a list of all the music in the library and of all the instruments and other items.

During the course of making a list of everything I soon realized that there were only between 500 to 700 of the arrangements I had sold Ken in the library; 4,500 arrangements were missing! It was

THE MISSING DELAMONT MANUSCRIPTS ~ 337 easy to tell because I knew which pieces to look for and also because Vera had stamped her name on all the parts she had given me: Vera Delamont Jagger. I found lots of arrangements stamped Ken Sotvedt which I assumed were from his private collection. The biggest surprise that I found was that none of Arthur’s wonderful manuscripts were in the library. When I recived the library from Vera, the manuscripts were all inside their respective folders lying on top of the original parts. Each folder would have been about three inches thick. Quite often I would find two or three sets of manuscripts in a folder depending on how many times he had rewritten them for his different groups of boys. There had been a lot of manuscripts in the library. Now there were virtually none. The folders were all there with the original parts inside but none of the folders had any manuscripts. There should have been at least fifty different manuscripts and probably several more.

When Ken Sotvedt died his will stipulated that all the music at his house in his private collection go to the Music Department at UBC. It stipulated that another member of the Firefighter’s band, Brian Bolam, should take it out to UBC, so it would be sure of getting there. As a graduate of the UBC Music Department I was able to gain access to the library through Marty Berinbaum whom I knew from my days at UBC. I had hoped that maybe Arthur’s manuscripts had been in the music that Brian delivered to UBC but unfortunately they were not. I spent a couple of afternoons going through the library which at that time was in filing cabinets in a music room in the basement of the school (it has since been packed away and put in storage). It too is a wonderful library! All the original military transcriptions from which Arthur wrote his manuscripts for his overtures and classical pieces were there (Semiramide, The Magic Flute, Creme de la Creme, Overture of Overtures and all the rest).

They were so wonderful to see. Another part of the history of this amazing organization.

Many rumors have persisted regarding the whereabouts of the missing manuscripts. I was told individually by several members of the Firefighter’s band that shortly after Ken’s death, alot of music was layed out on the floor of the hall where they rehearsed and it was gone through to determine whether it was playable or not. It was stated that many had parts missing, others were deemed too old and dated to play anymore and others were hand written and too hard to read for this group. I was told that alot of it was thrown in a big bin and discarded. Is it possible that this might have been the fate of this amazing library? Another rumor has it that the music was culled as I have all ready stated, but whether it was actually thrown out is questionable. It was hauled away but where it went is unsure.

Some say it went out to UBC. Others say it might have been kept by those doing the discarding.

The 500 or so arrangements I found in the library when I was taking inventory went to the society band, as did all the instruments.The society band is now known as the Metro Vancouver Firefighter’s Band. The band actually uses only about 100 of the arrangements and has loaned the rest of the library (2013) to the BC Band Association so other bands around BC can share in the Delamont legacy.

At the time this manuscript went to press none of the missing Delamont manuscripts have shown up. It is this writer’s feeling that they will eventually surface and that is a good thing because there loss would be irretrievable. It is my hope that they will be discovered and placed somewhere that will preserve them for future generations. It should be a place that is carrying on the Delamont legacy. It would be the best place for them. I feel if someone did take the library they did it in order to assure its safety. If the Delamont manuscripts were not destroyed they need to find a permanent secure home and that means in an institution not in someone’s basement or closet.

338 ~ The Missing Music Library Below is a list of the missing manuscripts that I can remember playing.

Creme de la Creme, Overture of Overtures, Semiramide, The Magic Flute, Euryanthe, The Flying Dutchman, Merry Wives of Windsor, 1812 Overture, Reminiscences of Tschiakovsky, Die Fledermaus, Tannhauser, Marche Slav, Italian in Algiers, Coppelia, In A Persian Market, Wagner, Finlandia, New World Symphony, Gioconda, Scottish Rhapsody, Songs of Scotland, Stephen Foster, Whirligig, Concert Digest, Childhood Days, Musical Switch, Great Italian Movies, Gypsy Baron, Gold and Silver, Carnival of Melody, Colorama, Hunting Scene, Kiss Me Kate, Carousel, Oklahoma, South Pacific, The King and I, Porgy and Bess, Showboat, The Music Man, Funny Girl, Sound of Music, Fiddler on the Roof, Hello Dolly, Brigadoon, Finian’s Rainbow, Camelot, My Fair Lady, Mary Poppins, CanCan, Hans Christian Andersen, Oliver.

Books by Warfleet Press

By Jove What A Band The story of Arthur Delamont touches many people. It is about the famous and the not so famous.

The young and the old. It is about four generations of boys who became men. It is about four generations of men who never forgot how to be boys…. It is the story about the band which never grew old. A band that won over 200 trophies and awards during an unprecedented 50 year history. A band that made 15 European tours and attended 5 world fairs. A band that dined with royalty but never lost the common touch.

$19.95 www.warfleetpress.com ISBN 978-0-9812574-4-0

BOOKS BY WARFLEET PRESS ~ 339

Woodwinds, Brass & Glory When Arthur Delamont died in 1982 at the age of 90, there was no successor to carry on his beloved Kitsilano Boys Band. As well, the story of the band was soon to be lost to all, as no one had ever recorded all the successes and triumphs the band had achieved during its fifty year history.

Amongst the difficulties in piecing together the story, many of the original boys in the band had passed on, their stories lost to history.

Christopher Best investigates the story through those still living and through scrapbooks and archival photos accumulated from Montreal to Vancouver. As the story unfolds, it looks like a documented history of the band is possible.

$59.95 www.warfleetpress.com ISBN 978-0-9812574-5-7

The Red Cape Boys Read about the life journeys of twenty-seven prominent and successful Canadians, who went on to have wonderful lives and very successful careers but never forgot the man who inspired them all!

Gordon McCullough, Clif Bryson, Roy Johnston, Gordon Delamont, Dal Richards, Jim McCullock, Don Radelet, Jimmy Pattison, Ray Smith, Ron Collier, Kenny Douglas, Brian Bolam, Donny Clarke, Bing Thom, Arnie Chycoski, Bob Calder, Bill Millerd, Bill Ingeldew, Bob Buckley, Richard van Slyke, Bill Inman, Malcolm Brodie, Marek Norman, Dave Calder, Tom Walker…

$29.95 www.warfleetpress.com ISBN 978-0-9812574-9-5

340 ~ Books by Warfleet Press

Denton Park Reminisce with the 1950s boys from the Vancouver Boys’ Band, as they talk about their days in the band and Arthur Delamont’s influence on their lives and on generations of Vancouver’s youth. The lessons they learned while in the band were far more than musical. They had to do with management skills, deportment, discipline, team work, standing on your own two feet, representing others, performance skills, programming and showmanship. They learned what it meant to live a competitive lifestyle and to strive to be in the top one percent.“Do the best you can each day and don’t settle for second best,” he would say! “Nobody remembers the also ran!

You either win or you lose!”

$19.95 www.warfleetpress.com ISBN 978-0-9868793-1-9

The Lost Chord The Lost Chord, is the third book in the Legacy series on Arthur Delamont. This book contains thirty chapters on thirty old boys from the sixties and seventies bands. Their anecdotes and stories from their days in the band are heart felt and offer more perspectives into the dynamic visionary who founded the band and led it for fifty years, Arthur Delamont.

The band ended in 1974 when Arthur Delamont was in his eighties. During this period the band made six more trips to the old country, and to two world fairs in 1962 and in 1967. The trips were two months in length and the band worked and played its way across England and the continent.

$19.95 www.warfleetpress.com

BOOKS BY WARFLEET PRESS ~ 341

The Kitsilano Showboat The Kitsilano Showboat just keeps rolling along!

Now in its 75th year, this book, compiled for the 75th anniversary of the Showboat, looks at: * The origins of the Showboat in 1935 * The lady who single-handedly was responsible for the success of the Kitsilano Showboat over the years, Bea Leinbach or Captain Bea as she is known to all. * The many performers who over the years went on to star status and to become celebrities * Supporters of the Showboat over the years, the executive and volunteers without whose help Showboat would never have been possible * The 100s of dance and musical theatre groups who provided the acts over the years * The 1000s of entertainers who became better citizens and lived happier, more fulfilled lives because they each had their moment of stardom on the stage of the Kitsilano Showboat.

$19.95

The Life & Times of the Legendary Mr. D This final book on Arthur Delamont and his Vancouver Boys’ Band brings into the picture a host of other characters and musical figures that were all a part of his amazing life. It talks about the unsung heroes such as: the Committee members and the Mothers Auxilary who played such a crucial role in supporting the band on its amazing trips, Garfield White who was instrumental with securing the assistance of the CPR both in Canada and for the trips abroad, Lillie Delamont, Arthur’s wife, who accompanied him on all the 1930 and 1950 tours. Both Lillie and Garfield were responsible for leaving a thorough accounting of the boys’ adventures over the early years.

$49.95 (hard cover, including CD) www.warfleetpress.com ISBN 978-0-9812574-6-4

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to thank many people whose time, memories, memorabilia and enthusiasm made me feel that I was not alone in my efforts to leave a thorough accounting of Arthur Delamont and his bands. They also made me realize that I was correct in my assumption that it was too important an organization not to be enshrined in a book chock-full of facts and personal recollections. Every one of them filled in important gaps in the band’s story.

I am most grateful to Arthur’s daughter Vera Delamont for her kindness and friendship and enthusiasm in relating her feelings and thoughts to me regarding her dad and his accomplishments. Without her assistance these books would never have become a reality.

I would also like to thank: * Paul Jagger, Vera’s husband and former member of the band who was amazed by the material and facts that I was able to uncover over the years.

Every visit to their apartment gave me renewed vigor and energy to discover more and complete my task.

The kindness of several of the original members of the band when I first started my research. * Bernard Temoin, clarinet player and bass clarinet player with the Toronto Symphony added much to increase my understanding of the early days of the band. Our meeting was an inspiration to me and helped me to realize from the start that I was doing important work.

Two other original members: * Roy Johnston, the band’s first trumpet soloist and long-time Delamont friend and compatriot. Roy was able to impart to me in great detail those early years and offered much insight into the personal life of Arthur Delamont in both the early years and also in his later life. Roy probably knew him better than anyone outside of the Delamont family. * Clif Bryson, the band’s first saxophone soloist and later director of one of the first RCMP bands was also inspirational. Clif talked to me a lot about the origins of the band and about the band scene in Vancouver when he was the director of several bands here in the sixties.

I am also very grateful to: * Don Radelet. On a couple of occasions Don coaxed me on to succeed and to get something into print. I am sure Don would be overjoyed to know there are now six books in print (By Jove What A Band, The Red Cape Boys,

OPPOSITE: A 1970s reunion concert photo with several boys gathered around Arthur. Top, left to right: Bill Inman, Ross Armstrong, Bill Ingledew, Brian Bolam, George Fisher. Bottom right Don Radelet, Mr. D and Jack Bensted.

BELOW: Vera Delamont, Paul Jagger and Jack Bensted playing as a small combo in the nineties.

344 ~ An Original Member Dal Richards

ABOVE: 2004 Ray Smith and his friend, the singer Juliette.

BELOW: Gordon Laird playing alto saxophone with the Brock House Orchestra. Gordon now conducts the orchestra part time as well.

Woodwinds, Brass & Glory, Denton Park, The Lost Chord, The Life and Times of the Legendary Mr. D). Don’s scrapbooks were very helpful in piecing together the war years. I discovered many facets of Don’s life through his other scrapbooks: his military career and his sporting days as one of Vancouver’s top young soccer players.

Other early members I would like to thank are: * Hector McKay * Ron Atkinson. Each gave me more insight into Delamont and his times. * Jim McCullock. Jim’s thoroughness in our interview inspired me to be as thorough with my other interviews. He set a high standard that I always strived to reach. * Dal Richards. My many visits to Dal’s apartment always supplied me with more facts and names about the early days. Dal’s enthusiasm and wonderment at my progress and my tenacity over the years only spurred me on to finish my work. Dal’s interest in big bands began when he was a member of Arthur’s band and has continued to this day. His support has been a great inspiration.

I would also like to thank: * Bob Trerise, trumpet player, whose insight into the 1936 band trip to the Crystal Palace Festival in England was very inspirational.

Although we never met, I would like to thank: * Tom Woodman. Tom was on the 1939 tour and left a thorough account of the band in the thirties, - - a diary, which is in the Rare Book Collection at UBC. His diary has proved most useful in assuring the accuracy of names and events associated with the band during that early period.

I would especially like to thank: * Jim Pattison. I interviewed Jim Pattison regarding his days in the band during the 1940s. He has held Arthur Delamont in high esteem for over fifty years. The fact that he wanted to be a part of my books was very encouraging and appreciated. Also the names he gave me of fellow members from the forties helped in understanding better that period of the band’s history.

I would like to thank the son and grandson of two of the original members of the band: * Dave McCullough is the son of Gordon McCullough, who played trombone and then drums in the band. Stan Smith is the son of Ray Smith who was in the band in the late thirties. Stan’s grandfather was Stanley V Smith (an original member). Both of their fathers passed along their band stories to their sons and they most willingly passed them on to me. Gordy McCullough became wealthy and successful in real estate in later years and Ray Smith became the President and CEO of MacMillan Bloedel. Both were impacted by their days in the band and often talked with their sons about their experiences.

I would also like to thank:

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ~ 345 * Steve Oatway, the son of Wally Oatway, the third boy to join Arthur’s band in 1928. Steve showed me his dad’s photo albums which were most helpful.

There are several old boys from the 1950 trip to England that I interviewed and who gave freely of their time. All were a pleasure to interview.

They were all eager to share their memories and memorabilia with me as well: * Barrie Gillmore * Ziba Fisher * Norm Mullins * Evan MacKinnon * Gordon Laird * Cy Battistoni * Bill Cave * Robert Sherrin * Brian Bolam * Ron Wood From the 1953 trip to England I would like to acknowledge: * Kenny Douglas * Michael Hadley. Michael gave me great insight into the meta-narrative of Arthur’s story. I would also like to thank him for writing the Foreword to this book. * Art Tusvik and his wife Kay Coombes. I would like to thank both for their insight into the band’s association with the Ted Heath Band in England between 1953 and 1960. The stories Kay’s father Jimmy Coombes passed down to her enabled me to grasp much better the importance of Ted Heath’s band. * Ron Pajala * Ken Sotvedt.

All the forementioned were able to tell me a lot about the band’s performances on the stages of the Moss/Empire vaudeville circuit.

Two fellows whose admiration for Arthur Delamont and their appreciation of their days in the band were contagious are: * Donny Clark * Arnie Chycoski. Both had legendary careers in the music business: Donny as a session musician and first call on trumpet in Vancouver for twenty-five years and Arnie as the lead trumpet for thirty-five years with Rob McConnell’s Boss Brass. Accounts of their kindness and thoughtfulness to their fellow musicians once they had reached the pinnacle of success are well known. Both kindly consented to being interviewed and both told me that they were extremely proud of the fact that neither had ever missed a Kits Band reunion concert.

I am grateful to: * Bing Thom, clarinetist with the Kits Band on the 1955 and 1958 tours of England. Bing’s foundation has put over one hundred of my earlier books into the high school and elementary school libraries of the Vancouver School District. Meeting Bing and interviewing him was a delight and provided

ABOVE: Barry Brown who was on the 1958 and ‘62 band trips to England and the continent.

BELOW: Bing Thom and Arnie Chycoski at the 2004 Kits Band Reunion at the Kitsilano Showboat.

Bing is now a famous architect and Arnie was the lead trumpet with the Boss Brass for 35 years in Toronto. Arnie passed away in 2008.

346 ~ Bob Buckley’s Wonderful Musical Career

ABOVE: Gordy Brown on baritone saxophone from the 1953 and 1955 band trips.

BELOW: Barry and Bea Leinbach (Captain Bea).

Bea ran the Kitsilano Showboat for many years and now her son Barry is carrying on the tradition.

great insight into the philosophical side of the band story. * Gerry Deagle * Gordy Brown * Dick McManus * Earl Hobson * Bill Trussell. All were on the 1955 tour of England. Thank you for your memories and memorabilia.

Other Delamont clarinetists: * Sandy Cameron was also generous with his time and shared many interesting band stories with me under trying circumstances. He had just had his leg amputated and the interview was conducted at VGH during his recovery period. * Bob Calder, another clarinetist from the 1958 tour. I am indebted to Bob for his insight into the late fifties and early sixties period. His comments on how Mr D influenced his life came as no surprise to me. * Bill Ingledew provided me with his memories of Paris during the student riots of 1962. * Ken Fowler told me about the UBC Varsity band. * Peter Erwin, former saxophonist and conductor of the 15th Field Regiment Band told me some interesting details about the conductor’s son, Gordon Delamont, on the 1958 tour. * Barry Brown. I will never forget having dinner at Barry and Colleen’s house in Langley, hearing him recall, with great emotion, how much his experiences in the band had changed his life for the better. Barry and his two brothers had been in the band and their father had supplied the food for the band’s cross Canada portion of their early 1950s tours. * Brian Parkinson I will also never forget my one and only meeting with another original member of the band: * Jack Fairburn. I heard that Jack Fairburn was in University Hospital so I took along my book, Woodwinds, Brass & Glory (the photo album) and paid him a visit. Upon seeing my book, he grabbed it enthusiastically, looking at the pictures and talking about his band days as though they had been yesterday. His daughter, who was visiting him, took me aside and thanked me for bringing him the book. “It is the first time he has shown any enthusiasm for anything in months,” she said. No new information, it was reward enough to see that my book had brought him so much pleasure.

Another member from the 1930s who I feel grateful for having met was: * Alain Johnstone. While I never formally interviewed Alain we met on two occasions and he was very happy to learn of my endeavors to preserve the history of the band. Alain had been an officer in the war after his days in

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ~ 347 the band, and as he explained to me, his experiences in World War II had eclipsed almost everything that had gone on before, including his years in the Kits band. I left it at that, feeling grateful for at least having had the opportunity to meet with him. * Bill Millerd provided me with more insight into the way Arthur nurtured his boys along. Arthur felt Bill could make it as a professional musician but warned him of the downside of the business. Bill also told me about his experiences in Paris on the 1962 trip. I enjoyed my talk with Bill as he came right to the point. His stories were meaningful and revealed his many fond memories of the band. * Bob Buckley gave freely of his time to impart some great stories of his band days and of his own successful musical career. Bob’s composing career actually began while he was in hospital in Cologne, Germany recuperating from mononucleosis on the 1962 band trip. He composed his first piece for band without the use of a piano and it was played at the boys’ homecoming concert in Vancouver at the end of the trip.

From the 1960s tours I would like to thank several former band members who also gave freely of their time, memories and memorabilia: * Lockwood Gibbs from the 1962 tour. * Barry Leinbach (1966 tour). Barry talked a lot about his band days and his mother Bea’s involvement in the community of Kitsilano. She was in charge of the Kitsilano Showboat, the incomparable “Captain Bea!” * Rob Arseneau views his band days as the greatest days of his life. * Malcolm Brodie (the busy Mayor of Richmond and head of Trans Link).

My conversations and emails with Malcolm have always been inspiring and encouraging. * Wayne Tarling is a former percussionist with the band who turned tuba player in later years and still plays in many local community bands. Wayne’s insight into the musicianship of the Kits Band and how it compares with the musicianship of present day bands, confirms my opinion that musical standards and self-discipline have declined somewhat since Delamont’s days.

On a trip to White Rock I experienced the charms of several residents who were involved in the Kits Band and also in Delamont’s White Rock Band: * Mr. & Mrs. Leo Loewen in particular were heavily involved in the White Rock band. * Barry Miller played clarinet on the 1968 trip and was also the cordovox soloist on that trip.

Other old boys from the sixties whom I would like to acknowledge are: * Tom Walker * Richard van Slyke * Dave Calder

ABOVE: Ian MacLean in the yellow shirt playing trumpet (1972).

BELOW: Rehearsing for the 2007 reunion concert are Bill Millerd (1958) and (1962), on the right in the dark clothes, Eric Wood (1953 and 1955 band trips) on the drum set and Bill Gumbleton (1970 and 1972 band trips) with the white sleeves.

348 ~ An Enlightening and Humbling Experience!

Peter Allen has composed music for more than 100 films for American, Canadian and British film companies, including Twentieth Century Fox, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures, Warner Brothers, Disney, Cinetel Films, The National Film Board of Canada, the CBC, Life Time, Hallmark, as well as numerous independent film producers. He has written music for various television shows and series.

Below: Jack Allen (one of the originals) teaching a class of RCMP officers in the early 1950s, probably in Regina.

* Wayne Pettie * Don Luff I would like to thank Bill Inman who on several occasions welcomed me to his downtown office to chat and to comment helpfully on my ideas. And Bruce Ball who lives in Alberta. While on a trip to Vancouver last fall he spent the entire afternoon with me, reminiscing over lunch. His enthusiasm for the project helped strengthen my resolve and was much appreciated.

Old boys from the 1970s whom I would like to thank for their time, memories and memorabilia are: * Bill Walters * Bill Gumbleton * Brad Goodwin * John Evans * Ian MacLean Others I have communicated with by email, as distance has not lent itself to an actual meeting are: * Wendy Loewen in Maine * Wayne Briscoe in Victoria * Marek Norman in Toronto.

A special thanks to Marek for taking the time to write his own chapter for one of my books.

I would also like to thank: * Peter Allen, the son of Jack Allen (another original member of the band), for his support and stories about his father Jack and his uncle Bill.

To my friends and associates who critically examined my work, my heartfelt thanks, especially to: * Robert Thomson (owner of Godwin Books in Victoria) who painstakingly edited this book thus helping immensely to make it more readable. Robert’s organizational skills, perfectionism in prose, and intuitive editing were invaluable. A Delamont product and amateur bandsman (trombonist) for the past forty years, his knowledge of Vancouver’s bands added to my narrative. * Allen Specht, retired Victoria archivist, whose suggestion to put tangential matter at the end of each chapter was brilliant and added much clarity to the book. * To my mother I must say that she was in support of everything I ever did, whether she agreed with it or not. She loved to read and she loved my first three books on the band. Whenever I pass by a book store I think about picking up a book for her. Unfortunately, she passed away on July 4, 2009, at the age of 93, before reading this last book on Arthur and his band.

CD ~ 349

CONTENTS OF CD The first four selections were recorded in London at BBC studios in the summer of 1934 during the bands first tour of the old country.

1. Washington Post (1934 BBC recording) 2. Orpheus in the Underworld (1934 BBC recording), clarinet solo by Jack Allen. Peter Allen (the son of Jack Allen) is a prolific film composer living in Vancouver.

3. King Cotton March, 2’ – (from 1934 CD) 4. Colonel Bogey, 2’ 24 (from Bluebird CD) All the above were made into 78 rpm records on the Bluebird label and sold in Britain and the USA. The next nine selections are from the 1958 Homecoming Concert (album) after the boys returned from the 1958 Kerkrade Tour. Ted Lazenby is the soloist on Scenes That Are Brightest.

5. Trumpets Wild (1958 Homecoming Concert) 6. Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho (1958 Homecoming Concert) 7. Scenes That Are Brightest (1958 Homecoming Concert) 8. Land of Hope & Glory (1958 Homecoming Concert) 9. Tone Poem Finlandia, 7’ 25 (from 1958 Homecoming) 10. My Fair Lady, 5’ 43 (from 58 album) 11. Abide With Me, 2’ 13 (from 58 album) 12. Tulips From Amsterdam, 1’ 30 (from 58 album) 13. Semper Fidelis, (1958 Homecoming Concert) The following four selections are from the 1970 Kits Band album recorded in Vancouver after the band returned from its 1970 European tour. Whirligig is a wonderful trombone trio. A Hunting Scene was a Delamont classic. The Magic Flute was one of his manuscripts. Deep Harmony was a hymn selection he often played.

14. Whirligig (from the 1970 album) 15. A Hunting Scene (the 1970 Album) 16. Magic Flute, 7’ 35 (from 1970 album) 17. Deep Harmony, 2’ 41 (from 1970 album) The last two selections are from the 50th Anniversary Concert recorded and put onto an album after the January 1978 reunion concert. Overture of Overtures was a Delamont classic manuscript. Denton Park was the hymn tune the boys played in the West of England Band Festival in Bugle, Cornwall in 1934, winning over several British adult bands.

18. Overture of Overtures (50th Anniversary Concert) 19. Denton Park (from the 50th Anniversary)

350 ~ Index

INDEX Page numbers in bold indicate illustrations/captions Italics indicate boys/girls who were in the band Page numbers in red indicate Canadian cities/towns where the band played.

Page numbers in green indicate UK cities/towns, places where the band played.

Page numbers in orange indicate US cities/towns where the band played.

Page numbers in blue indicate European/Caribbeancities/towns where the band played.

A Abbink, Erik 167, 190 Abbotsford Int.Band Festival 230, 249 Aberdeen 256, 152 Aberfeldy 256, 276 Acapulco 221 Agnew, Joan 64, 113 Agnew, Marjorie 83 Airdrie 146 Air Force Cadet Band (111th S) Air Force Reserve Band 189, 264 Albert Hall 89 Alexander Bandstand 127 Allen, Bill 114 Allen, Jack 11, 48, 58, 62, 109, 114, 295, 322 Alma Hall 9 Alsatian 5 Ambrose Band 70, 174 Amersfoot 140, 142, 144 Amsterdam 237, 267 Anders, Frank 27 Andrews, Jim 125 Andrews, Tony 125 Anstruther 256, 276 Archer, Freddie 9

Argyle Theatre 100 Armstong, Dave 141 Armstrong, Louis 325, 326 Armstrong, Pat 52 Armstrong, Ross 11, 80, 321 Arseneau, Rob 223, 238, 332 Arthur Delamont Concert Band v, 183, 216, 245, 299 Ascania, RMS 179, 180, 187, 190 Assiniboine Park 14, 67, 97 Athenia, SS 106, 107, 108, 109 Atkins, Don 159 Atkinson, Harold 80 Atkinson, Ron 52, 62, 243 Ayr, 256 B Bacon, Max 174 Bailey, Pearl 329 Baird, Dorwin 10, 243, 322 Baker, Frank 244 Baker, Kenny 181 Baldwin, Phil 11, 323 Ball, Bruce 238, 258, 259 Ball, Kenny 271 Banff 14, 23, 25, 39, 54, 127, 151, 179, 197 Banff Springs Hotel 14, 39, 58 Banks, Tommy 324, 327 Barber, Chuck 90 Barcelona 267 Barker, Bill 80, 114 Barlow, Brian 306 Barlow, Doug 10, 20, 97 Barnett, Stu 320 Basingstoke 275, 286 Basso, Guido 327 Bath 103, 104, 139, 147, 152, 194 Battistoni, Cy 138, 152, 157, 282 Battle of the Flowers Parade 268

352 ~ Index

Baxter, Beverley 99, 100 BBC 43, 69, 100, 102, 139, 145, 160, 161, 164, 182, 199 BC All Star Band 242 BC Electric Band 112 BCER Co. Trumpet & Drum Band BCMEA 214, 234 BC Music Festival ii, iii, 19, 121, 151, 183, 185, 206, 245 BCSITA 190, 234 Beacon Theatre 5, 9 Beatles, The 273 Beaton Family Band 5 Beauchamp, Lorne 172 Beefeaters’ Band 232 Belle Vue Amusement Park 41, 44 Bellson, Louis 190, 328, 329 Bellingham 125 Benny, Jack 169 Bensted, Jack 24, 32, 37, 59, 114, 313, 322 Bergen 142, 143, 144 Bergklent, Adolph 69 Berklee School of Music 207 Bermuda 222 Bernhardt, Sarah 6 Besses o’ th’ Barn 84 Betts, Muriel 125 Bigsby, Harry 32, 37, 58, 190, 322 Billington 226 Birmingham 180 Birmingham Hippodrome 181 Birkenhead 100, 101 Bishops College School Cadet Corp Band 320 Black Dyke 84 Blackpool 139, 140, 141, 147, 164, 173, 176, 180, 181, 191 Black, Norman 272 Black, Stanley, Orchestra 174 Blood, Sweat & Tears 330 Bobby Hales Orchestra 193 Boden, Beryl 89 Bodmin 203

Bognor Regis 50, 62 Bolam, Brian 125, 128, 133, 152, 215, 216, 305, 311, 313, 315, 337 Bolton 147, 148 Bonelli 42 Booth, William 1 Borsa, Larry 267 Boss Brass 190, 312, 327, 329 Bournemouth 139, 140, 164, 204 Bouwman George 334 Bowen Island 5 Bowen, York 32, 332 Bowman, Charlie 228 Brandon 97, 137, 150, 179, 197 Brass Band Ass of Great Britain 113 ‘Brassed Off’ 84 Briscoe, Wayne 260 Bristol 164, 276, 286 Bristol Hippodrome 164, 171 British Bandsman 332 British Brass Band Festival 202 British Empire Games 183 British European Airlines 237 British Open Brass Band Championship 41 Brixton-Astoria Cinema 73 Brockton Point 35 Brodie, Malcolm 237, 239, 246, 247 Brogan, Frank 52 Brown, Barry 197, 206, 221, 229, 234, 246, 282 Brown, Gordy 176, 206, 246 Brown, Joe 93, 94, 95 Brown, Les 329 Brown, Richard 129, 167, 206 Brussels World’s Fair 197 Bryan, Rita 63 Bryson, Clif v, vi, 8, 9, 43, 58, 93, 205, 215, 233, 245, 315, 218, 322 Buckingham Palace i, 77 Buckley, Bob 222, 227, 251, 298, 314, 329 Buckley, Glen 141 Bude 203

INDEX ~ 353

Bugle, Cornwall 41, 55, 57 Bunkowski, Malcolm 259 Burnham-on-Sea 267, 276 Burrard Street Bridge 30, 31 Butroid, Arthur iii, vi, 10, 11, 49, 59, 63, 215, 243

By Jove What A Band v C Calder, Bob 198, 224, 255, 295 Calderwood, Bill 221 Calgary 25, 39, 67, 97, 120, 127, 137, 179, 197, 205 Calgary Stampede 126, 127 Calgary Stampede Band Festival 216, 217 Calloway, Cab 99 Calvin Winters and his Capitolians 5 Calvin Winters Band 27 Camborne 147, 203 Camborne Town Band 332 Cameron, Sandy 169, 199, 216, 234, 271, 303 Campbell, Bobby 141, 143 Campbell, Kim 263 Canadian Bandoliers 20 Canadian Daughters League Gold Cup 15 Canadian Grenadier Guards Band 40 Canadian National Band Festival iii Canadian National Exhibition 10, 13 Canadian Pacific Exposition Band Festival 8, 11, 19, 81, 82, 112 Capitol Theatre 5 Capone, Al 23 Captain Steeves 7, 27, 120 Carlisle 276, 286 Carnegie Trust 51, 52, 53, 73 Carnoustie & District Youth Brass Band 317 Castle Hotel 29 Cates, Susan 133 Cave, Bill 150, 164, 170, 312 Cave, Bob 58, 154 Cave Supper Club 193, 207, 328

CBC 77, 90, 250 Century of Progress Exposition 23, 24 Chapleau 40, 54, 110, 150 Chapman, Samuel, Sir 43, 45, 51 Charles, Don 188 Cheltenham 70, 182, 204, 213 Chester 276 Chicago 23, 31 Chicago Boys’ Band 24 Chicagoland Band Festival 23 Chicago White Sox 25 Chicago World’s Fair 24 Chilliwack 127 Christie, Keith 258 Christie, Richard 238, 246 Chycoski, Arnie 181, 183, 190, 207, 297, 312, 313 Cinderford 70 CJOR 56, 111 Clacton-on-Sea 104, 107, 239 Clark, Donny 179, 181, 184, 188, 190, 192, 194, 207, 234, 298, 312, 313, 314, 318, 326, 328 Cleator Moor 276 Club Top Hat 132 Coldstream Guards band 85, 167 Colette, Al 123 Cole, William, D (Adjudicator) 205 Collier, Ron 210, 249, 250, 251, 252, 261, 282, 301, 304, 306, 311, 312 Collingwood District Band 5 Cologne, 225, 226, 231, 258 Colograsso, Ron 124, 129, 138, 149, 249 Comiskey Baseball Park 25 Commercial Travelers Trophy 14 Committee, The 10, 20 Commodore 56, 207 Coombes, Jimmy 157, 210, 213, 270 Coombes, Kay 213 Cooper, Douglas 10, 58 Copenhagen 238, 256, 278 Cornfield, Mr 19, 32

354 ~ Index

Cornwall Guardian 44 Corp of Commissioner’s Pipe Band 5 Cotton Club 99 Coventry 70, 101 Coventry Hippodrome 175 CP Air 237 CPR 13, 20, 40, 55, 58, 79, 97 Cranbrook 127 Crane, Chris 203, 223, 230 Crawford, Mickey 58, 69 Crawford, William (Bill) 23 Creston 276 Crimini, Leo 104 Cromie, Don 80, 189, 323 Crystal Palace v, 11, 74, 75, 84, 85, 89 D Daily Province Carrier’s Band 27 Daley, Ted 104 Daniels, John 49, 97 Dartmouth 225, 240, 260, 267, 268, 273, 286, 291 Dartmouth Carnival 256 David, Glenn 291 Davies, Clem 56, 126, 130 Daykin, Harold 102, 116 Deagle, Gerry 162, 174, 206 Dedrick, Art 334 Delamont, Arthur 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 18, 39, 45, 59, 307 Beatrice 1 Debra v, 133, 197 Frank 1. 2 Gordo v, 133, 303 Gordon iii, v, 5, 6, 31, 50, 64, 69, 70, 80, 90, 91, 92, 113, 131, 132, 197, 201, 208, 210, 213, 214, 243, 250, 252, 253, 261, 283, 303, 306, 322 Delamont Grocery Store 6

Delamont, Herb 1, 2 John 1, 2, 4, 81 Leonard 1, 2, 3, 4 Lillie vi, 6, 14, 15, 23, 39, 44, 59, 67, 142, 197, 198, 221, 233 Lizzie 1, 3, 4 Myrtle 1 Delamont Park 332 Delamont, Seraphine 1, 3 Susan v, 132, 133, 197, 214, 303 Vera 6, 14, 16, 39, 40, 104, 113, 116, 279, 285, 301, 320, 325, 334, 337 Vina 197, 214, 303 Delamont’s Concert Band 112 De Montfort Gargens 48, 50 Denicke, Howard 167, 184 Denton, Dave 20, 151 Derby 70, 164 Derby Hippodrome 164 Derrick, Ralph 120, 128 Deutsch, Maury, Dr 208, 209, 210 Dingle, George 168 Disneyland 283 Donaldson, Hugh 23 Donnelly, Charles, Dr 243 Dorking 278, 285 Dorsey, Tommy 99, 114 Doug, Kirk Orchestra 207 Douglas, Ian 119 Douglas, Kenny 121, 125, 127, 133, 159, 165, 176, 309, 317 Downs, Porky 109, 114 Dr Bundolo 193 Dr Crippen 3 Dublin 70, 71, 147, 149, 150 Duchess of Athol, SS 40, 41, 51, 54 Duchess of Bedford, SS 97, 98 Dueck, Gerald 256 Duke of Connaught’s Regiment 5 Rifle & Bugle Band 5 Duke of Windsor 85 Duke of York 74, 87

INDEX ~ 355

Dunfermline 51, 52, 53, 73, 74, 200 Dunbar 276 Dundee 256 Dunfee, Van 9, 322 Dunkeld 276 Dunoon 256 E Ealing Studios 164 Earl Hill Orchestra 5, 39 Eastbourne 48, 49, 61, 77, 86, 139, 140 Edinburgh 50, 73, 139, 146, 147, 200, 240, 256, 276, 287 Edinburgh Castle 53, 146 Edmonton 17, 151 Edwards, Gordon 92 Eindhoven 142, 144 El Bekal Shrine Temple 133 Elgar Junior Choir 90 Ellenton, George 237, 242, 246, 334 Ellington, Duke 252, 282 Emery, Arnold 138, 172, 217, 264 Empress Hotel 13 Emery, Jenny 312 Empire Stadium 321 Empress of Britain, RMS 54, 68, 77, 79, 86, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110 Empress of Canada, RMS 81 Empress of Ireland, RMS 106 Empress of Japan, RMS 81 Endicott, Don 9, 11, 58, 243, 320, 323 Erwin, Peter 198, 206, 207, 210, 298, 324 Escott, Russell 69, 80 Esquimalt 143 Estonia 284 Eugene (Oregon) 126 Exeter 139 Exhibition Gardens 122 Expo 67 248, 249, 251

F Fairburn, Jack 11, 243 Falkirk (Scotland) 146, 276 Farnham (Surrey) 145 Farr, Ray 1 Ferguson, Howard, MP 42 Ferguson, Maynard 330 Ferris, Robert, Jr 305 Field (BC) 127 Fielding, Harold 147 Fifteenth Field Regiment Band 263, 324 Findlay, Jimmy 10, 64, 76, 322 Firemens’ Band 31 Fisher, George 301 Fleet Street 78 Flying Scotsman 62, 146, 200 Foley Commercial Hotel 41 Folkstone 70 Forster, Allan 105 Fort Lawson (Wash) 125 Fort William 14, 97, 179, 182, 197, 205 Four Notes, The 141 Fowler, Ken 198, 212, 263 Fraser, Don, Sr 91 Free-Masons 82, 245, 305 Fulton, Jack 327 Furlough Dance Party 124 G Garrick, The 100 General Gordon School ii, v, 6, 56, 114, 218, 246, 334 General Gordon School Band vi, 7, 57, 80, 89, 111, 121, 125, 307, 332 General Motors Building 24 Geneva (Switzerland) 258 George Mitchell Choir 140 Georgia Auditorium 182, 183, 264 Geraldo’s Band 271 Gillespie, Dizzie 329 Gillmore, Barrie 138, 311, 315

356 ~ Index

Gimby, Bobby 138 Gizeh Shriners Hall 314 Glasgow 51, 145, 156, 200, 276 Gloucester 70 Godfrey, Norm 312 Golden Anniversary 298 Golden Gate Bridge 88, 89 Golders Green Hippodrome 146, 162, 170 Good, Bill 144, 155, 156, 159, 170, 177, 213, 270 Good Citizenship Award 126 Goodwin, Brad 276, 285 Goteborg 277, 278 Grand Forks 119 Grandview Band 5 Grandview Band Parents Ass 121 Grandview HS of Commerce 81, 121 Grandview Junior Band 81, 82, 119, 121, 125, 206, 307 Great Yarmouth v, 105, 300 Green, Junior 80 Greenwich Naval College 100 Grenadier Guards Band 85, 86, 125 Griffith, Roy 121, 127, 135, 159, 172 Grosvenor House 42 Gurney, Brian 141 H Habkirk, Jack 10, 41, 50, 62, 238, 242 Hackney Empire Theatre 152, 164 Hadley, Michael ii, iii, 130, 135, 138, 141, 154, 159, 163, 171, 202, 226, 231 Hagood, Hardy 306 Hailstone, Johnny 114, 120, 129 Haiti 222 Hamber, EW 79 Hamburg 258, 267 Hamilton, Jack 323 Hammersmith Palais 210 Hanagan, Adjutant 4 Hardy, John 10, 69, 243

Harkness, Doug 9, 10, 61, 63 Harper, Almond, Dr 89 Harringay Stadium 101. 147, 149 Harrison, Lance 90, 91, 326, 328 Harrison, Sidney (adjudicator) 125 Harry Posy Orchestra 207 Harrowgate 81 Harvey, Bill 130 Harvey, Percy 122 Haude, Mayor 99 Hawthorne, John 257 Haywood, W 27 Heath, Ted 70, 129, 149, 165, 176, 180, 191, 200, 203, 210, 222, 271 Hedley, Hubert, Kline 331 Hemming Memorial Trophy 231 Henderson, Ed 306 Hereford 1, 48, 70, 267, 276 Hereford SA Band 1 Herriot, Bobby 156, 157, 264 Hillegom (Holland) 142, 143, 144 Hills, Frank 21, 314, 325 Hillversum (Holland) 142, 144 HMCS Discovery Band 189 HMCS Naden 245 Hobson, Earl 184, 185, 190, 269, 281, 318, 331 Holbrook, Doug 170, 172 Holland, Roll 322 Hollywood 126 Home Gas Band 112 Hook of Holland, The 142 Horrocks, Al 242 Hotel Georgia 81 Hotel Russell (London) 139 Hotel Vancouver 28, 90, 151 Howard Davis Park 180, 199 Hughes, David 159 Humber College 282, 311 Humphrys, Pete 80, 108, 120, 122, 129 Hunt, Mickey 29

INDEX ~ 357

I Iles, John, Henry 84 Indian Queens Silver Band 47 Ingledew, Bill 185, 212, 214, 222, 224, 225 Inman, Bill 257, 262 Irish Fuseliers Band 5 Irish Sweepstakes 70 Irwell Springs 84 Isle of Texel (Holland) 142, 144 Isle of Wight 49 Issy’s Supper Club 207 J Jagger Paul 114, 304, 325, 334, 336 Jamaica 221 Jasper Park Lodge 17 Jenkins, Cecil 49, 80 Jersey 180, 199 JJ Johnson 211 John Oliver HS Band 332 Johnson, Pauline 6 Johnston, Roy iii, v, 10, 11, 21, 28, 29, 30, 31, 34, 50, 58, 62, 63, 80, 243, 261, 278, 295, 305, 312, 317, 320 Johnstone, Alan vi, 80, 104, 117 Jones, Parry (adjudicator) 76 Jones, Allan 147, 148 Jones, Dave 256 Jones, Mae 285 Jones, Reg 105 Jones, Tudor (adjudicator) 245 Jordan AW 27 Juliette 90 K Kamloops 14, 23, 25, 39, 67, 97, 127, 205 Kellett, Bud 188, 233 Kelowna 119, 124, 127 Kelowna Secondary School 194 Kendell, Captain 3, 4, 5,

Kendor Music 250, 334 Kenmore 276 Kenora 67, 97, 137, 179 Kenton, Stan 176 Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band 227 Kenny, Mart 90, 250 Kerkrade Int Band Festival 200, 201, 202, 203, 216, 220, 225, 226, 227, 228, 236, 238, 239, 241, 294 Kerrisdale Kiwanis Band 189, 233, 249 Ketchum, Chris 267 Kettering 70 Kimberly 127 King George VI 112 King, HB, Mayor 20, 27, 28 King, Mackenzie, PM 109, 111 Kingswear 225 Kirchen, Ivor & Basil, Band 192 Kit Kat Club 59, 60 Kitsilano 6, 10, 24 Kitsilano Boys Band ii, vi, 10, 23, 28, 31, 35, 42, 57, 77, 113, 119, 121, 229, 251, 307, 333 Kitsilano Boys Band Alumni Executive 314 Kitsilano Boys Band Parents Ass 33, 128, 185 Kitsilano HS 20 Kitsilano HS Boys Band 14, 17, 18, 20 29 Kitsilano Showboat 255, 311, 313, 314, 315, 317 Kitsilano Times 24, 35, 64 Kneller Hall 19 Koffman, Moe 306 Koningen Emma, MIV 141, 142 Krantz, Lillie, Elizabeth 5 Kristianstad (Sweden) 277 Krupa, Gene 127 L La Fontaine Park 40, 67 LA Police Benefit Show 127 Lakeview Casino 131

358 ~ Index

Laird, Gordon 58, 123, 138, 146, 311 Larvik (Norway) 277 Lazenby, Dick 114 Lazenby, Ted 125, 203, 204, 210, 211, 212, 216 Lea, Colin 149 Lear, Howard 141 Leatherhead 285 Leicester 48, 49, 70 Leicester Palace Theatre 164 Lehtonen, Al (Wally) 234, 237 Leidzen, Eric 201 Leinbach, Barry 239, 311, 334, 346 Leinbach, Bea 311, 346 Leningrad 288, 290 Lerner, Alan 152 Lethbridge 127 Lewis, Jerry 161 Lexington Hotel (Chicago) 23 Lighthouse 328 Lions Football Band 189, 216 Liverpool i, 40, 41, 98, 100, 102, 106 Llandudno (Wales) 181, 182 Lockwood, Ron 138 Loewen, Wendy 267 London v, 1, 2, 11, 15, 42, 48, 65, 69, 73, 78, 139, 141, 145, 146, 148, 199, 210, 247, 258, 267, 278 London Barracks 74 London Embankment 139 London Hippodrome 101, 141 London Palladium 165 Long Beach (California) 221 Loss, Joe 59 Louden, Ray 189 Loughborough 70 Louis, Benny 329 Louis, Joe 67 Lower Mainland All Star Band 242 Luff, Don 232, 334 Doug 232, 334 Vic 232, 334

Lusher, Don 211, 270 Luton 70 Luton, Band 84 Lyceum Dance Hall (London) 173 M MacAdams, Doug 10 MacAdam, WA, Mr 40, 42, 100, 101, 106 Macaulay, Doug 316, 325 MacLean, Ian 275 Macleod (Alberta) 127 MacMillan Bloedel 122 MacMillan, Ernest, Sir 83, 84, 134 MacMillan, Ernest, Sir, Fine Arts Club 83 MacPhearson, Fraser 189, 215 Madame Olga Petrovich 20, 151, 298 Madrid 258 Maidment, Colonel 3, 4 Malkin Bowl 83, 134, 322 Malmo 277 Malvern 286 Manchester 41, 113, 147, 148, 149 Manchester Hippodrome 164 Manzer, Carson 104 Marathon 179, 182, 197 Marsh, Garnet 120 Martin, Dean 161 Masons 173 Matlock 70 McAllister, Lorraine 90 McAndrew, Murray 138, 169, 174 McCartney, Bob 80 McCartney, Paul 277 McConnell, Rob 190, 306 McCoomb, Ozzie 189, 279 McCullock, Jim vi, 28, 57, 64, 68, 80, 313 McCullough, Gordy v, 8, 9, 10, 56, 58, 59, 61, 120, 121, 323 McCullough, Dave v McDougall, Ian 264 McGeer, Mayor, GG 124, 127

INDEX ~ 359

McKay, Hector vi, 64, 83, 323, McKenzie, Dave 249, 258, 321 McKenzie, Henry 192 McLeod, Alex 125, 152, 170, 325 McManus, Dick 169, 185, 214 McVicer, Jim 170 Medicine Hat 54, 67, 328, 329 Melton, Herbie 9, 58, 60, 243 Mendelsohn, Felix 32 Metro Vancouver Firefighters’ Band 337 Middleburg (Holland) 142, 144 Milbrandt, Ted 223 Miller, Barry 255, 260 Miller, Bruce 265 Millerd, Bill 223, 233, 301 Millerd, Frank (up front photo) Mills Bros 127, 133 Mills Hotel (London) 42 Montana Hotel (London) 100 Monteith, Gaeme 237 Montreal 39, 40, 67, 97, 99, 109, 138, 150, 179, 197, 295, 249 Moose Jaw 1, 2, 5, 14, 16, 23, 25, 39, 54, 67, 97, 182, 205 Moose Jaw SA Band 1, 4 Morecambe 60, 72, 73 Morecombe & Wise 181, 191 Morse, Eddie 9 Morrison, Mack 10, 97 Mortimer, Harry 202, 203 Moscow 288 Moss-Empire i, 154, 158 Mothers’ Auxilary 21 Mottishaw, Walter (Bud) 10, 80 Mowatt, Don 97 MSO 329 Mt Pleasant Band 5 Mullins, Norm 121, 145, 311 Munn & Felton Band 203 Mussleburg 276

N Naden, CFB 143, 245 Nanaimo Concert Band 312 National Brass Band Championship v, 74, 83, 89 National Juvenile Band 6, 9, 11, 19, 32, 89, 114, 188, 215 Nelson 119, 127 Nelsen, Chris 234, 238, 241, 242, 258, 260 Nelson, Havelock 183, 206 Newbury, Alan 9, 58 Newcastle 287 Newcastle Island 21, 64 Newcastle-on-Tyne 149 New Hipppodrome Theatre Coventry Newquay Town Band 46, 47 New Westminster Boys & Girls Band 19, 32, 120, 183 New Westminster & District Concert Band 326 New York City 97 New York World’s Fair 96, 111, 116, 225 Nice (France) 224, 267, 268, 269 Nicholson, Bob 166, 170 Norman, Marek 246, 247, 297, 306 Norquay 203 Northampton 70, 276 North Vancouver Kiwanis Club 123 North Vancouver Schools’ Band 112, 123, 124, 125, 166, 169, 205, 206, 217, 218, 307 Northwest Music 264 Norway 274 O Oatway, Wally iii, v, 10, 21, 49, 53, 54, 60, 61, 70, 79, 80, 243 Oliver, James 15 Olson, Gordon 232 Olson, JB 19, 27, 36, 81 Olson, Ole 322

360 ~ Index

Olympia (Washington) 126 Oosterbeek (Holland) 142, 144 Oosterbeek Int Music Festival 136, 144, 145 Order of Canada 300 Orpheum Theatre vi, 5, 7, 55, 56, 57, 79, 81 Orsova, SS 221, 222 O’Shea, Tessie 102, 164 Oslo 277 Ottawa 67 P Pacific Music 28 Pacific Northwest Music Festival 13, 19, 20, 31, 32, 56 Paige, Raymond 98 Pajala, Ron 160, 165, 168, 172 Palace Theatre 145, 164, 173, 180 Palance, Jack 199 Palomar Supper Club 91, 328 Panama City 221 Panorama Roof 90 Pantages Theatre 5 Parade Gardens (Bath) 194 Paris 150, 164, 174, 182, 193, 222, 235, 258, 259, 267 Parker, Handel 47, 48 Parker, Walter 80, 109, 114 Parks Board Band 5 Parker, Charlie 172, 209 Parle, Jack 6, 11, 19, 89 Parkinson, Brian 223 Parnell, Jack 176 Parsons, Dave 261 Parsons, Ed 262 Pathe Film Co 43, 100, 102 Paton, Stan, Band 90 Patrick, SS 181 Patterson, Lawrence 120 Patterson, Rick 223 Patterson, Stan 80, 120

Pattison, Jimmy 123, 130, 189, 244, 262, 291, 292, 301, 312, 314, 317, 318 Patton, Bryce 272 Pearson, Norman 9, 31, 43, 59, 62 Peden, Torchy 76 Peebles, RJ 27 Pender Auditorium 124, 133 Pentiction 119, 127 Penticton Peach Festival 244 Penzance 203 Peterborough 147 Peterson, Dale 315 Petrie, Al 260, 276 Petrie, Deryk 272 Petrie, Iain 242, 245, 267 Pettie, George 256, 267 Pettie, Wayne 234, 312, 313, 315, 334 Pickett, Bill 200 Pickett, Hugh 328 Pier Pavilion, Llandudno 181 Pittencrief Park 51, 52, 73, 74,200 Plymouth 44 PNE 6 Point Grey Junior HS Band 20, 57, 121, 125, 185, 205, 307 Police Pipe Band 79 Port Arthur 14, 67, 137 Port Coquitlam City Band 56 Portland (Oregon) 126 Portsmouth 164, 181 Pratt, Bobby 128, 191, 213 Price, Harry 124 Prima, Louis 327 Prince of Wales Band vi, 57 Princess Alice 13, 14 Princess Maud 149, 151 Princess Street Gardens 240 Princeton 119 Ptolemy, Dave 244 Ptolemy, Ron vi, 104, 244

INDEX ~ 361

Q Quebec City 5, 54, 68, 137, 138, 150, 179, 193, 205 Queen Elizabeth 217, 242, 243, 244, 247 Queen Elizabeth Theatre 189, 249, 261, 262, 281, 297 Queen Mary Band 57 R Rabin, Oscar 173 Radelet, Bill 82, 97 Radelet, Don vi, 82, 108, 115, 122, 285, 298, 299 Randall, Bob 11, 243, 321 Rands, John 212, 225 RCAF Central Command Band 207 RCMP Band vi, 79, 92, 93, 94, 95, 97, 109, 110, 114, 137, 156, 159, 205, 215, 216 Redditch 70 Reading 286 Redoubt Music Garden 48, 61 Redruth Town Band 47 Rees, Commissioner 3, 4 Regal-Zonophone Gramophone Co 43, 48 Regina 39, 67, 97, 137, 150 Reid, Bob 50, 58, 63, 124 Reid, Jack 54 Reid, Wally 80 Reifel, George 11, 243 Reiser, Teddy 36, 64, 69, 80 Repel, Teo 117 Revelstoke 14, 23, 25, 39, 67, 127, 137 Reynolds, Jack 264 Rhyl, Wales 101 Richards, Dal 24, 32, 37, 50, 59, 62, 70, 80, 86, 90, 113, 124, 167, 179, 189, 205, 208, 243, 262, 263, 299, 301, 312, 314, 318, 320, 321, 325 Richmond Junior District band 242 Richmond Legion Band 246 Ridder, Allard D 32, 56, 122

Rimouski 3, 5 RMS Empress of Ireland 2, 3 Robbie, Alex 125 Robbins, Dave 326 Robbins, Tony 293, 294 Robson, Peter 125 Rogan, F (adjudicator) 76 Romanelli, Luigi, Don, Leo 131 Ross, Frank, Hon 217 Ross, Gene 244 Ross, George 199 Ross, Stu 10, 58, 60, 61, 80, 189, 243, 244, 297 Royal City Boys Band 79, 82, 83, Royal City Concert Band 190 Royal Dartmouth Regatta 240, 260 Royal Dublin Horse Show 70, 71, 80 Royal Hall Harrowgate 181 Royal York Hotel 329 Russell, George 250 Rycroft, Lyn 246 S SA Band 85 Safeway Stores 14, 33, 35, 56, 110 Salisbury 275 Salmon Arm 119 Salter, Lionel (adjudicator) 184, 185, 205 Samaria, SS 137, 138, 150, 152, 156, 160, 177 Sandi de Santis Band 90 San Francisco 88, 90, 126, 221 Sara, William, Hoskins 6, 9, 11, 19, 89, 188 Saskatoon 150 Saxonia, RMS 205, 219 Scheveningen (Holland) 142, 143 Schmeling, Max 67 Schuman Circus 258 Scots Guards Band 74, 85 Scott, Duncan, Campbell, Canon 68, 69 Scott, Mae 64 Scottish CWS Band 84

362 ~ Index

Scythia, RMS 182, 195 Seaforth Highlanders Band 5 Seattle 125 Seattle World’s Fair 221 Sechelt 34 Seis, Marvin 80 Selassie, Haile 103 Severinson, Doc 250 Shakespeare Theatre i, 102 Shanklin 49, 62 Shapiro, H 89 Sharpe, LG, Agency 42, 182 Shepherd’s Bush (London Empire) 164 Sherrin, Robert 139 Shriners’ Auditorium 127 Shriners’ Band 121 Shrewsbury 287 Shrum, GM, Colonel 109 Sidmouth 275, 286 Siemans, Phil 176 Silver Slipper 322 Sinatra, Frank 165, 176 Sinclair, Meade 114 Slyke, Richard, van 263, 298, 324 Smith, Art 166, 217 Smith, Bob 328 Smith, Camfold (ventriloquist) 149 Smith, Ray ii, vi, 122, 123, 243, 322 Smith, Ron 189, 299 Smith, Stanley, V vi, 122, 243, 322 Smith, Trevor 245 Smith, Vina 132 Soldier Field 25 Sonny Richardson and his Kampus Kings 5 Sorbonne 201, 258 Southend-on-Sea 204, 228, 229, 240, 241, 287, 288 Sotvedt, Ken 125, 163, 166, 170, 189, 199, 211, 212, 278, 311, 314, 315, 316, 335, 336, 337 Sotvedt, Jim 211 Southam Publishing, Co 15, 16

South Burnaby Juvenile Band 27 South Van Juvenile Band 19, 27, 37, 81, 232 Sousa, John, Philip ii, 25, 26, 154, 155, 164, 173, 212, 225, 234, 246, 270, 279, 280, 291, 333 Southampton 69, 77 Southport 71, 72, 73, 100 Spencer Eb 80 Spencer’s Dept Store 21, 82 Spitfire Band 329 Spithead Revue 160, 165 Staton, Dr (adjudicator) 32, 113 Steeves, Ardie 9, 31, 49, 50 Stewart, Douglas 20, 52 Stewart, Harvie 48, 49, 69, 80 St. Austell 203 St. Dennis Youth Band 333 St. Hilda’s Band 15 St. Just Silver band 47 St. Mary’s Training School Band 25 Stockwell, Cameron (Stocky) 40, 60, 73, 35, 78, 103, 105, 139, 151, 182 Storstad 3 St. Pinnock Band 47 Strand Theatre 5, 9, 14, 56, 215 Stanley Park 80 Stanley Theatre 21 Steeves, Hugh 120, 133 Stockholm 276 Stonier, Bill 264, 325 Storie, Rolf 200 Sturley, Ross 104, 115, 120 Sudbury 14, 40. 67, 97, 110, 179, 205 Sunderland 163 Swansea Empire Theatre 181 Swift, Co 25, 98 Swift Current 23, 25, 39, 54, 67, 137, 179, 197, 205 Sylvania, SS 197 Symonds, John 189 Symonds, Norm 210, 252

INDEX ~ 363

T Tallinn, Estonia 288, 290 Tarling, Wayne 335 Taylor, Louis, D, Mayor 27, 31, 55, 57 Teignmouth 275 Temoin, Bernard vi, 32, 49, 52, 58, 61, 86, 317 Territorial Staff Band 1, 3, 4, 5 Thames Embankment 275 Theatre Royal, Portsmouth 166 Thom, Bing 180, 181, 185, 186, 190, 301, 311, 323 Thomson, Don 125 Thomson, Robert 125 Timm’s Family Band 5 Tivoli Gardens 238, 258 Toc H Clubhouse 43 Todd, Brian 194, 234, 313 Top Hat Club 208 Toronto iii, 5, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 54, 97, 137, 179, 197 Torquay 43, 139, 141 Tossell, Fred 104 Townsend, Jack 322 Trail 119 Tranquille Sanitorium 14, 23, 67, 97 Traugott, Erich 330 Trois Rivieres 150 Trousdale, Rob 239 Trussell, Bill 193, 216, 298, 313 TSO 322 Tuck, Doug 238 Tunbridge Wells 182, 199 Tupman, Dennis 190, 327 Turner, Fred 120, 167, 183, 190, 215, 233, 242, 326, 327 Tusvik, Art 128, 160, 181, 188, 199, 210, 211, 213, 214, 215 Twain, Mark 6 U United Traveler Shield 31

University of Washington 125 Upper Fraser Valley Music Festival 205 US Air Force Band 85 USSR 285 USS Virginia 89 V Vancouver 5 Vancouver Exhibition 6 Vancouver City Band 13, 183 Girls Band vi, 13, 20, 27, 32, 57, 63, 64, 79, 113, 205, 307 Firefighters’ Band 79, 127, 245, 311, 335, 336 Metropolitan Junior Orchestra of the Maccabees 90 Music Festival 111, 113 Opera House 6 Police Pipe Band 89, 279 Province 6 Rube Band 232 Sun 6 Sun Juvenile Band 27 Varsity Band (UBC) 119, 121, 218, 263 Vernon 54, 119 Victoria 13, 20, 32 Boys’ Band 13, 183 Victoria’s Monument i, 77 Vincent, Percy, Sir 69 Vaudeville 5 VSO 33, 56, 111 W Walker, Tom 267 War Cry 1 Ward Music 206, 323 Watkins, Wilfred 120 Watt, Pete 10, 49, 54, 59, 61, 79, 80, 243, 261, 322 Waverly Market 51

364 ~ Index

WC Shelly Challenge Cup 82 Wembley Stadium 74, 75, 145, 165 Western Washington Music Festival 205 Westlake College of Music 327 West of England Band Festival i, 41, 44, 46, 55, 84 West Toronto SA Band 97, 137, 261 West Vancouver Youth Band vi, 27, 39, 56, 57, 79, 121, 125, 198, 202, 205, 245, 307 Parents Ass. 197, 205 Weymouth 139, 275 White, Ed-Silva 163 White, Garfield vi, 13, 18, 20, 39, 52, 55, 90, 151, 198 White River 40, 54, 150 White Rock Junior City Band 246, 265 Whitfield, David 199, 210 Wilkins, Rick 327 Williams, Percy 8 Wilson, Gary 267 Wilson, Tug 14, 39, 128, 215 Windermere 28 Winnipeg 14, 23, 25, 39, 54, 67, 97, 110, 150, 179, 182, 197, 205 Winnipeg Tribune 14 Winter Garden (Vancouver) 90 Winter Gardens (Blackpool) 176, 191 Winters, Calvin 30, 35 Wolverhampton Floral Fete 69 Wood, Clifford 11, 43, 125, 243 Wood, Eric 169 Wood, Ron 128, 137, 138, 139, 144, 159, 162, 163, 169, 171, 312, 326 Woodcock, Freddie 11, 49, 52, 59 Wood Green Empire Theatre 147, 164 Woodwards Stores 14 Woolwich 225 Worthing 99, 102 Wright, Donald 31, 49 Wright, Frank (adjudicator) 44, 46, 47

Y Yeovil 267, 286 York Township Boys Band 31 Young, Alan 243 Z Zandvoort (Holland) 142, 143 Zentner, Si, Band 190, 326, 327 Zurich 258, 260, 267

June, 1939 Winnipeg, A Boy With A Horn The following article appeared in The South-East Corner (a Winnipeg newspaper) It was written by Harris Turner on June, 1939 the day after the boys played in Winnipeg.

I met a lad who plays a horn in a band. Anybody who ever played any kind of horn in any band always aroused my envy, but this young fellow played a slide-trombone, which is the most enviable of all musical weapons, and he played it in the Kitsilano Boys’ Band, which, according to the Century of Progress Exhibition, is the best boys’ band in the world. This boy had a uniform that would make a peacock look like a dirty, grey sock. Why was I deprived of the privilege of learning to play the slide-trombone? Why didn’t somebody handcuff me to a slide trombone and refuse me food and sleep until I learned to play it? Why don’t they make slide trombone playing a compulsory subject in public schools? Why don’t they give slide-trombones away with subscriptions to the Western Producer instead of handing out carving knives and aprons? (continued on page 115)

THE POWER OF

DELAMONT

When Arthur Delamont came to Vancouver in the 1920s he had a vision one day: to establish a youth band good enough to win international competitions against the very best adult bands. This is exactly what his Kitsilano Boys’ Band achieved. Chris Best uses hundreds of photos, candid interviews of former band members and a CD of vintage band excerpts to explain the Delamont phenomenon: his virtuoso trumpet playing, his showmanship, his leadership-- his uncanny ability to inspire hundreds of boys and girls to practice until they reached a remarkable level of musicianship. Delamont’s students also learned lifelong lessons about honesty, modesty, teamwork, the courage to take on difficult tasks, and self-confidence. It is largely thanks to Delamont’s example that the British Columbia Department of Education decided in 1961 to allocate generous funding for hundreds of band programs throughout the province. Dr. Robert Stuart Thomson, owner of Godwin Books. $49.95 Can