1940 : Wartime

The Band's fortuned paralleled the country's progress from the confusion in September, 1939 down to a low point in 1941 followed by a steady improvement in the succeeding years.
In 1940/41 the pre-war Band had their contesting eliminated and concert work drastically reduced. Members were needed in the armed forces or on essential work in mines and factories and coupled with the fact that friction was arising between drinkers and teetotallers it was decided to call in the uniforms and instruments after the brief season of three local park concerts in 1941.
However, there was no break in continuity, for another of the Temperance Society activities was a billiard hall with a full size table which was attracting numerous school boys, who found that admission could be gained much younger than the Mechanics Institute; so during the winters of black-out the "Temp" was a popular club for youths.
The Committee men quickly realised the potential for forming a Band from youngsters with plenty of time of their hands and no inclination for drinking, and an advert in the press drew a large crowd of boys to the billiard room on Autumn Sunday afternoon.
Everyone wanted a cornet and when they had all been allocated the remaining instruments were distributed (any brothers applying were given one instrument between them).
It seemed that everything had gone when a broad Durham accent shouted "wha'll tak soperana?" and one lad accepted immediately rather than lose the last available instrument. What a surprise when it turned out to be a cornet - albeit mysteriously smaller than the others - instead of the instrument laid of the table which one learned later was a tenor horn.
The accounts book gives a date of November 9th 1941 to a list of 26 applicants of average age 12½ years, together with a note of their existing musical abilities such as piano, recorder, fiddle, drums or simply nothing at all.
Twenty-one applicants were selected to be Bandsmen and began training under Mr J.W.Netwon the immediate pre-war conductor, on Sunday afternoons.
Scale practice was the order of the day leading up to easier marches such as "Starlit Dell" and a short arrangement of "Donau Wellen" and it wasn't long before "Lustspiel" and "Punchinello" were played with great attention to the essential details such as smartness in semi-quaver passages.
The sprinkling of adults were well experienced bandsmen with a background of championship contesting, broadcasting and extensive concert seasons. Their knowledge was transmitted to the school boys who were also expected to improve themselves by obtaining private tuition and to engage themselves in solo competition work and later in quartet competitions.
The 1941 re-formation was no mere stop-gap awaiting better times coming. Youth Bands and Junior Bands were not a feature of those days and the aim right from the start was to maintain, without concessions to age, the musical traditions of Rothwell Temperance Band as they had been established through the previous 60 highly creditable years.
The adult instrumentalists at this period were:- Martin Roberts, Bass, also Secretary and Treasurer; Thomas William Lunn, nicknamed "Boy" but a veteran bass player (solo horn on group photographs 40 years earlier); Wil. Portrey - of the broad Durham accent, Baritone Player; Albert Ward, Euphonium.
Also giving constant support were Tom Beckwith the President of the Temperance Society and retired player, and Field Clark, the long serving General Secretary of the Society.
Eventually when wartime contesting was undertaken the "bottom end" was strengthened by local adults who had played with the pre-war Band, Len Wilson, George Tasker and Norman Bulmer.
After the war when men returned from the forces they reinforced but not replaced the youths of the wartime vintage who were now highly competent.
As wartime conditions improved, opportunities for contests and concerts became available and were taken with enthusiasm by this well trained young band conducted by Mr John W Newton.
Taken from The