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Chapter Three : The Whitby
Citizens' Band
The band regrouped in the 1920's, with Edwin Evans at the helm once
again. Whitby boasted three important industries then, all of which had
flourished during the war: the King Brothers' Tannery, whose leather was
used for horse harnesses and bridles, shoe soles and industrial belts;
the Martin Buckle Factory (later the Whitby Malleable Iron and Brass
Company), which manufactured brass buckles for horse blankets and
collars.
These industries provided employment for more than a few band
members, particularly the buckle factory. Several generations of the
Wilkinson and Mowat families worked there. David Mowat was brass moulder
for 40 years. John Toms was an employee for 40 years, until his death at
the age of 74. John Brown Clarke, father of Eric Clarke, worked there as
a moulder for 31 years. Cecil Greenfield, with 55 years of service,
witnessed the factory's final closing in 1964.
With the war over, the demand for military horse-related equipment
dwindled, and the popularity of the gasolene engine increased, making
times hard for all three factories in the 1920's. No doubt the diversion
provided by playing in the band was all the sweeter, and the Whitby
citizens' Band appears to have picked up more or less where it left off
after the war was over. An advertisement from May 11, 1922, publicizes
a band concert and dance at the Whitby Music Hall, to be held the following day.
Citizens are urged to "...come out and encourage the boys," with
admission costing 35 and 50 cents for adults and 24cents for children. A photo
of the band, taken two years later in Alexandra Park, Oshawa, shows a new look
for the players. Gone are the military-style uniforms of a decade ago. In their
place are white shirts and trousers, white nautical-style peaked caps and dark
jackets and ties, more reminiscent of cruise wear. Such outfits would also have
been less costly to put together. Noticeable, too, are a few reed instruments
among the brass ones. 
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Eric Clarke took over as bandmaster from John Broadbent in
1933. He was a long-time member of the band, and had won Best Soloist prizes
at previous CNE competitions. That was the year Alvin ("Sam")
Church joined the Whitby Citizens' Band, at the age of eight. His interest
in band music had been piqued when he and brother Walter ("Moe")
lived with their parents at 211 Brock Street South, in an apartment above
the old Salvation Army Citadel. With their friend Ted McCormack, they would
peer longingly through the windows when the Salvation Army band was playing.
The corps bandmaster, Mr. Willett, eventually invited them in , and they
were allowed to beat the drum. Sam and Moe's mother, who had been a
professional singer with Harry Lauder in Britain, persuaded Eric Clarke to
give them some tuition on "real" instruments. Sam and Ted started
on cornet, and Moe on trombone. So, for an hour before the adults arrived,
they were given instruction. Thus began the junior band tradition which
continues to this day. |
