How It All Began…

This year Chelmsford Silver Band celebrates its 70^th anniversary.  Seventy years of making music. Seventy years of memories.

How did it all start?  Here’s the story that I heard:  one day a Chelmsfordian was listening to Braintree brass band and realised that some of the musicians were Chelmsfordians too.  This prompted him to go to Chelmsford Council and suggest that since there were obviously a number of local players out there the town should form its own band.  The Council agreed.

There’s no record of how Braintree reacted when some of their members left (or maybe they still played in both bands?) but we do know that the Chelmsford Council bought a set of second hand instruments (some of which the band still uses), a set of uniforms (navy and maroon) and provided the old town registry office (now demolished) for the band’s free and exclusive use as a rehearsal hall.  In return the band was contracted to play at least seven concerts at outside venues in Chelmsford during the summer season.

Any brass musician will tell you how important the conductor is, both to the music and the musical spirit of a band.  Chelmsford’s first conductor was Ernest (Ernie) Benson, a native of Sunderland, who came south in the 1930s to find work.  Currently conducting the Chelmsford Brotherhood Band, and also playing trumpet in dance bands, Ernie was an ideal candidate. Passionately fond of music he taught anyone who wanted to learn, encouraged youngsters and championed women’s lib!  Yes, to the Council’s horror and against their wishes, he allowed a female trombone player (his pupil) to join the band.  His argument was simple: a trombone player was needed for a concert so either the girl plays or we don’t.  Today we have ladies playing both brass and percussion, and it’s difficult to believe that they were once excluded.

I was told that in those early days the council took a close interest in their investment and expected a report from the Bandmaster at regular intervals. Over the years this monitoring has faded but until fairly recently the band has always been allotted a free place to rehearse.  When the registry office building was demolished as unsafe, the band moved to the sports centre at Meadgate.  Later, when the rooms they used for playing and storage were requisitioned (by government ruling) for use as a youth and drama facility, they were offered the bowls club building in Central Park (now a café).  Unfortunately this was not only too small for the growing number of players it was not particularly safe.  After one rehearsal band members came out to find their car tyres slashed.

It was clearly time to find different premises, but the Council no longer had any suitable accommodation to offer.   Happily a band member recommended applying to the Methodist Church in Broomfield Road, who had a hall for hire.  It proved to be good advice.  The band — now entirely self-supporting — enjoys a good relationship with the church and gives a free carol concert there every year with a collection for charity.

Written by Mary E Von Heide