| The Silver Band
Adam Haldane: "They've aye had a great band in Newtongrange,
ye know - well, sometimes it was guid and sometimes it wisnae
sae guid. But it was like everything else it had its ups
and doons."
The history of the present bank dates back to 1893 when
the Newtongrange Lothian Brass Bank was founded. There had
been an earlier band called the Marquis of Lothian's Band
(and presumably funded by him) and the new band acquired
some of the old bank's instruments and some from a Volunteer
Band in Dalkeith. At first the members each contributed
6d a week to keep the band going but then a voluntary subscription
of Id a week from the men at the pit was started up and
this raised £70 - £80 a year. The band also
held weekly dances and organised the annual Newtongrange
Games to help meet their expenses, which were considerable.
A professional conductor was employed at a salary of £110
a year, uniforms and instruments had to be bought and maintained
and travelling expenses to competitions had to be found.
The village took a great pride in their band and it was
important that it was well turned out.
The Lothian Coal Co. supported the band in a number of
ways. Jobs and houses were made available tor incoming players,
shifts were changed to suit the band members and wages lost
through playing engagements were made up by the company.
Mr. Callender. the company secretary, took a keen interest
in the bank and Mr. Mackay, the general manager, was band
president tor a number of years.
In 1909. a deputation from the band approached Mr. Callender
to seek help. The band had nowhere regular to practice.
They used the Lothian Halls when they could get a let, which
was not often, or they rented a room at the Dean Tavern,
which was not really suitable. The Dean Committee agreed
to build a hall for the band and the Masonic Lodge. It was
decided that the Dean should nm the hall and all profits
would go to the band but, in fact, the Lothian Coal Co.
took charge and lets had always to be arranged through the
colliery office. The band hall was formally opened on Saturday
25th November 1911.
The band had bought a number of new instruments in 1901
with help from the Dean and the Lothian Coal Co. but a request
was put into the Dean Committee in 1911 tor new instruments
"so they may be the better able to compete with others."
The Dean tooted the bill of £390 and the old instruments
were kept (or the luruor band. The band was now a silver
band and had been since 1905 when the old instruments had
been silver-plated.
In 1914 the band competed at various contests at Hamilton.
Falkirk. Motherwcll. Prestonpans. Stoneyburn. Wavcrly Market.
Murrayfield. Musselburgh and the Marine Gardens. Portobcllo
as well as organising their own competition at Newtongrange.
The band always tared quite well without winning very much
in those days.
fn 1926 the administration ot the the silver band was taken
over by Ncwbattle Miners Welfare Committee. Relations between
the band and the Welfare Committee were by no means good
and. when a request tor new instruments was turned down
by the committee in 1930. the band broke up citing "apathy
of the genera) public and the bandsmen, absenteeism and
disagreement with the management."
The band was re-started in 1932 and two years later the
Welfare Committee did provide new instruments. In 1936.
the Welfare requested that the band play-once a week at
Newtongrange and once a fortnight at Easthouses. The performances
in the Welfare Park bandstand were great occasions and hundreds
turned up to watch, listen and dance to the music. All band
engagements m Newtongrange and Easthouses were tree but
the band took tees tor performances elsewhere. Generally
the cash from tees and anv contest prize money was divided
amongst the players hut some ot the monev had to be returned
to Welfare funds.
The band uniforms were in a bad state, as thev were 24
years old. and in 1939 new uniforms were bought with money
allocated by the Dean Committee. "The Equipment
was of the very best. The Committee wished to see the Bandsmen
fitted before payment was made and it was hoped the Band
would appear in Public fully dressed"
After the war there continued to be bad feeling between
the silver band and the Welfare Committee, which refused
to pav tor a professional conductor, or tor the band to
compete in competitions. The silver band felt thev were
entitled to ' :d from each miners' Welfare contribution
but the local Welfare Committee was in debt and could pay
no more. The band threatened to break away but the instruments
belonged to the Welfare and thev would have claimed them
back. There was a suggestion in 1946 that the Lothian Coal
Co. might take over the band.
The Dean and the Silver Band had always had a close relationship
and the Dean had supported the band generously from the
beginning. In the late 1940s, however, the Dean partially
withdrew its support, contending that the Welfare should
fulfill their responsibilities to the band. There was even
an attempt by the Dean Committee to give the Band Hall to
the Scouts in 1948 but the National Coal Board claimed ownership
of the hall. The Dean Committee never resisted this claim
as they were glad not to have the burden of maintenance.
The Welfare increased its support to the band in 1948 with
a donation of £130, compared to £88 the year
before and £46 in 1945. This enabled the band to take
part in contests and the standard of playing improved under
bandmaster James Farrow to the extent that the band took
first prize in the third section at Kirkcaldy in 1952.
By 1953 with money "more fluent in Welfare circles"
the Welfare Committee agreed to spend £90 for instrument
repairs, £60 on uniforms and £200 to send the
band to Manchester for the British Brass Band Championship
Finals.
In 1954 'The Dean Tavern Committee Trophy' was presented
by the Committee for a brass band competition at Dalkeith
and the next year £100 was given to the band for uniforms.
In recent years the Dean has given the Silver Band an annual
grant, currently £350 a year. The band now lease the
Band Hall from the Lothian Estates and have a club licence.
They sometimes play in the Dean and that is always a special
occasion. In October 1986, the band played in the Dean the
night before they left on a visit to Hungary and there's
always a performance on New Year's Day.
The band has done well in competitions recently. In 1980
they won the British Championship (Second Section) and they
have appeared on T.V. Formerly the Silver Band was supported
by contributions from the Lady Vie and then from Bilston
Glen Pit but in 1985 the union withdrew its support after
a dispute with the band. Since then, the band has found
commercial sponsorship and is now called Scottish Brewers
Silver Band (Newtongrange).
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