Back Row L-R : Dave Brown, Brin Parker, Ray Clark, Herbert Underwood, Keith Vaughan. Middle Row : David Clark, Michael Stenson, Ian Gillett, Colin Clark, David Rice, Roy Freeman, Eric Mackness, Cyril Tew. Front Row: Bill Panter, Charlie Moule, Dick Howard, Walter Knight, Norman Gillett, Maurice Clark, Ray Moule, Reg Douglas. Conductor: Ernie Denton.

I joined the Mission Band at the age of 10 in 1953.  This came about after listening to the band play in a concert held at the chapel. The band at that time only consisted of approximately 11 or 12 men.  From memory they were:

Maurice Clark – Conductor Roy Freeman – Solo Cornet Eric Mackness – Cornet David Rice – Cornet Len Goulding – Cornet Bill Panter – Tenor Horn Ray Clark – Baritone Ray Moule – Euphonium Herbert Underwood – Trombone Charlie Moule – E flat Bass Walter Knight – B flat Bass

There may have been 1 or 2 more but I can’t remember them.

I joined with 5 of my contempories, all members of the Sunday school.  We were each issued with an instrument and each met up with a member of the band for a half hour lesson prior to their weekly band practice.

Those that joined me were:

Richard Warrington – Cornet Brian (Brin) Parker – Cornet Geoff Wiggins – Tenor Horn Peter West – Tenor Horn David Makeham – Baritone

Not only did we all attend the Mission Sunday School we also all attended Alfred Street Junior School.  In July 1954 we were all to leave the Junior School and a leaving party was arranged.  One of our teachers got to know that we belonged to a brass band and asked us to perform at the party.  Although we had only been playing for just a few months we readily agreed to play without any technical knowledge required to play together!  I can only think that it must have sounded just awful but no one commented on this.

Throughout the rest of the 1950s there was a great influx of youngsters who wanted to join the band.  Some only stayed for a short while but others learnt to play an instrument and were to stay with the band for a number of years.  By 1959 the numbers had swelled to such an extent that the band was now up to full strength and beginning to enter contests again – something they had not done since the late 1930s.

In the early 1960s, Ernie Denton, who had been the principle cornet player with Rushden Temperance Band for a number of years, was invited to become the Mission Band’s Musical Director (Conductor).  Ernie quickly raised the standard of the band and before long we had been awarded second place in 4^th Division Area Finals of the National Brass Band Championship held at Leicester.  This result meant that we had qualified to attend the National Finals in London where we played at Hammersmith Town Hall.  We were unfortunately unplaced though I think local band Corby Silver gained first place.

Eric Mackness had been the Band’s Secretary for a number of years dealing with correspondence, filling in entry forms for contests and attending meetings of the Northamptonshire Brass Band Association.  It was suggested that a younger member of the band should accompany Eric to these meetings and it was agreed that I should fulfil this role.  Within a couple of years, Eric expressed a wish to stand down and I was asked to replace him as Band Secretary.  From memory I think I was 18 at that time which would have made the year 1961.  One of the duties of the Band Secretary was to receive on behalf of the band any trophies won at any contests.  In 1963 we entered the annual Northamptonshire Association’s contest at Corby which required each band to play a set piece and a piece of their choice.  We were awarded First place for both pieces and it was my proud duty to be presented with two silver cups.  I remember that at that time there was some rivalry between us and Corby Silver Band.  They were not well pleased to be beaten on their home patch!

The Band Treasurer at this time was Dave Brown who played the Baritone.

After two or three years I relinquished the post of Band Secretary but am unable to remember who took it on after me.

By the mid 1960s I was finding other interests than brass banding to pursue, (one was a certain Barbara Jacques who was to become my wife), and eventually in 1967 I handed in my instrument and left the band of which I had been a member for the past 14 years.

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