Loscoe Miners’ Welfare Silver Band: NCB storm clouds have silver lining

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Members of the NCB No5 Area St John Ambulance Brigade Band with their wives at Skegness in 1953. Front, from left: Eric Lamb, ?, Ivy Eyre, Mary Webster, Reg Sharpe and Granville Webster

The Loscoe Miners’ Welfare Silver Band in 1959. Back row, L -R: Eric Ottewell, Barry Naylor, Harry Parkin, Melvin Ford, Jim Daniels, Ernie Lamb, Malcolm Lamb, Ron Saint, John Slater, Murray Slater. Middle row: Cliff Hawkins, Morris Hartshorn, Vin Grainger, Mick Groves, John Parkin, D Kirkland, John Marshall, R Bennett. Front row: Albert Slater, Tom Groves, B Forman, conductor Granville Webster, Jack Payne and Reg Sharpe

Heanor Church Temperance Band outside Heanor vicarage in 1918

This photograph of Heanor Town Band in 1897 is among John Flint’s memorabilia

IN the early 1960s, Loscoe Miners’ Welfare Silver Band’s popular conductor and musician, Granville Webster, passed away suddenly and trombonist Maurice Hartshorn took up the baton.

I remember the first parade we did was for Heanor Carnival. In those days, it started at Milnhay Road, Langley Mill, marched through part of Langley Mill and then up Mansfield Road, Heanor – which was no fun with an E flat bass instrument strapped to you.

We played marches part way up the hill, then it was left to the drums to continue the march. The bass drummer at that time was Albert Slater, who had been with the band a good many years and was a brilliant drummer.

When we got to the top of Mansfield Road, coming round by Heanor Church, I remember taking my peaked cap off to wipe away the sweat and a voice shouting: “Put your cap on, you are on parade.”

The Heanor parade went past the Market Place, down Market Street, up Derby Road, then down Thorpes Road, on its way to the town ground where the carnival was held.

A year after the Heanor Carnival, the band took on another carnival parade. This time it was at Brinsley, in Nottinghamshire. We were told this was only round the village of Brinsley and was for the Brinsley Carnival. In fact, it was longer than the Heanor parade, as half way round everyone stopped for refreshments. We seemed to be marching for hours.

One thing I have learned over the years is – never have a refreshment stop near a public house. That is what happened at Brinsley. Although food was put on for the bandsmen, they bypassed it to get into the pub. When the parade formed up again, about four of the bandsmen were unable to continue as they were highly intoxicated and barely able stand, let alone march or play an instrument.

After that, I decided not to do any more carnival parades. But, a year or two after, I was asked if I would play in another parade at Codnor.

I said “no thanks”, but they said it was only a Sunday school parade, down one street and up the next, followed by a concert for the children. So, I agreed, although I began to have doubts when I recalled how long the streets were in Codnor. As it turned out, it was only a short procession and the concert was soon over.

I cannot remember the band doing any more processions after that, but we performed many concerts in and around Heanor.

One year, the band was asked to give some concerts and lead a parade at the Miners’ Holiday Camp, Wynthorpe, near Skegness, which had been taken over for the weekend by the St John Ambulance Brigade. The main parade was from St Matthew’s Church on the Sunday in Skegness.

When we arrived, the band was housed in new brick-built chalets, with steam pipes running through them to keep them warm.

After settling in, we were told that we would be giving a concert in the camp’s concert hall fom 8-10pm for members of the St John Ambulance Brigade.

Afterwards, about 10 of the bandsmen decided to go out for a meal. We went to a cafe not far from the camp called Smokey Joe’s. When we arrived, the place looked as though it was closed, so we knocked on the door. A window opened and a voice yelled: “What do you want?”

We asked if there was any chance of a meal and when he saw 10 bandsmen, Smokey Joe opened up and gave us a marvellous meal.

We got back to the camp at about 11pm and I was ready for bed, but that was not to be. Someone decided to play a “tattoo” on the hot steam pipes that went through all the chalets.

Then, about 1.30am, after we had settled down for the night, one of the bands’ cornet players decided to play “Reveille” as loud as he could.

A chalet door opened and a voice told the cornet player where he could shove his cornet. The noise stopped in an instant and we finally got some rest.

On Saturday morning, we led the St John Ambulance Brigade through Wynthorpe and back to the Miners’ Holiday Camp. The afternoon was taken up with more concerts.

Afterwards, some of the bandsmen went out for a meal again, but this time it was to a fish and chip shop called Linga Longa at the top of Wynthorpe Avenue. Some of the lads went to the public house across the main road called the Royal Oak.

I went back to the holiday camp wondering what sort of night I was going to get. apart from someone pushing a dustbin down the stairs, hitting every step, it was reasonably quiet as everyone had to be up early on Sunday for breakfast and the church parade in Skegness.

The service at St Matthew’s Church started at 9.45am. The band, not only headed the parade to the church but also played the hymns.

After the service, the parade went to the saluting base, near to the Emperor’s Ballroom, finishing just past the clock tower.

In 1967-68, the members of the band decided it was time the band had a more modern look and did away with the old uniforms with their gold braiding etc. Instead, we had new royal blue blazers with a badge on the breast pocket which said we were the Loscoe Miners’ Welfare Silver band.

To pay for the blazers, the band had to take on more concerts. So we played at Royal Leamington Spa, Longton Park, Burslem Park at Stoke-on-Trent, and I forget how many times at Alton Towers and Trentham Gardens.

It was about 10 shillings (50p) to get into Alton Towers in those days, but, of course, the band went in for nothing as we were giving concerts.

We also did a lot of local concerts at the Memorial Park, Heanor; Crossley Park, Ripley; River Gardens, Belper; Victoria Park, Ilkeston; Matlock, Matlock Bath, Bakewell and so on.

Nearly every Sunday we were performing somewhere to pay for the new blazers.

Whenever the Loscoe Band needed transport to concerts or parades, the band secretary John Grainger always asked me to call on the services of Cyril Saxton of Saxton’s Coaches, of Heanor.

They only ever let us down once when we were giving a concert at Alton Towers. Half way there, the coach broke down and all the bandsmen had to get out and push.

I often wondered what people thought when they saw about 20 bandsmen pushing a coach. However, the driver got it going again and managed to get us to Alton Towers on time.

Whenever the band played at Alton Towers, Trentham Gardens, or Stoke-on-Trent, on the way back to Loscoe, the coach always stopped at a public house in Mickleover for refreshments.

It was then a major job to get some of the bandsmen back on the coach. The only way it could be done was for the driver to shout: “Everyone who wants to stop here, can, but I am going home.”

Then there was a general stampede to get on the coach. No-one wanted to be left in Mickleover.

In about 1964, many pits in and around Heanor were closing and, as many of the bandsmen worked at colleries, they had to move if they wanted to stay in the industry.

So, several members left to work in either Nottinghamshire or the north Derbyshire coalfields and it looked as if the Loscoe Miners’ Welfare Silver Band would have to fold.

A few months ago, I went to see Brassed Off, a film about a miners’ band and the effect of pit closures. It took my mind back to the days when our band was in the same situation.

But, due to the mammoth efforts of Harry Parkin and Vin Grainger – and with help from the Loscoe Welfare itself – the band kept going.

At one time, there were a lot of brass bands in the Heanor area, like G R Turner’s Brass Band at Langley Mill. Some of our Loscoe bandsmen, including Jack Payne and Alf Challands, played for Turner’s.

When we were short of players, some of the Stanley Common Brass Band used to help us out and vice versa. They used to practise at the White Post public house at Stanley Common but, like the Loscoe band, it eventually folded.

Now, when I sit in my armchair listening to tunes that we so often played, with my eyes closed and my foot tapping in time with the music, my mind goes back and once again I am with the bandsmen of the Loscoe Miners’ Welfare Silver Band. I can still see conductor Granville Webster waving his baton, Reg Sharpe, Jack Payne, Tommy Groves, Vin Grainger, Harry Parkin, drummer Albert Slater, Ernie Lamb and his son, Malcolm Lamb.

I shall certainly never forget Alf Challands, who was taken ill on the bandstand at Matlock Bath and as he handed me his double bass instrument, the largest instrument in the band, said: “John, I’ve had it. I can’t play any more. Please ask them to play my favourite tune whenever they can.”

The tune was Deep Harmony and we always played it at concerts just for Alf.

Whenever I hear it now, I think of Alf and Matlock Bath and those lovely bygone days with the Loscoe Miners’ Welfare Silver Band.

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