Want to know about the band's past? Read on!
Whilst doing a little research into the Littlehampton Concert Band's history ready for it's 18th Birthday, we found out some interesting things. What we know is detailed below but there are still a few holes in our knowledge. If you know the answer to any of the questions in green, or indeed can elaborate on any other details in the text, please let us know. (Click here to send an email)
Musical History in Littlehampton
Researching the history of the band has been quite a surprising task in that it has unearthed a history of music in Littlehampton going back over 200 years. The really early stuff is very sketchy but so far we know that the earliest known musical group was back in 1778 and was in the form of a church band.
The really interesting thing is that they rehearsed and performed in St Mary's Church so it is very fitting that the modern band should have elected to return to its roots, as it were.
Since then, there is very little information and it is possible that the band disbanded as our next snippet of information moves us on over 100 years.
Do you know of any band or musical ensemble in Littlehampton between 1778 and 1895?
The key to the resurrection of a band in Littlehampton is a man by the name of George Sainsbury who moved to Littlehampton from Fawley in Hampshire. He had an impressive love of music which he used to play in and set up a number of musical ensembles around the country and when he moved to Littlehampton, he started a fife and drum band.
Do you know what year George Sainsbury set up the fife and drum band?
George Sainsbury eventually changed the fife and drum setup to a brass band which was called the Littlehampton Sacred Brass Band.
We know the band was changed prior to 1895 but don't know exactly when. Can you help?
Eventually, Sainsbury left England and went to live in Canada where he set up the Weston Boys Brass Band.
Right: The Weston Boys Band in 1920. George Sainsbury is the one in the centre at the back. (Click the photo for a full size image)
Do you have any information about the band between 1905 and 1936?
There is another gap in the bands history but we do know that the band changed again by accepting wind players and so becoming more like the type of band it is today. Our next link to the band’s history was right under our noses as, in 1936, the Haselip family moved from Petersfield to Littlehampton.
Left: The band as it was in 1936. (Click the picture for full size image)
Right: Samuel Haselip, father of the current librarian and grandfather of the current musical director. Really is a family business.
The band’s current Librarian, John Haselip was only 7 years old and his father began playing trombone with the band. The band was being led by a Mr Pullinger and John often went with his dad to the band’s rehearsals which were held in an old mortuary situated at the Fisherman's Quay.
Who was Mr Pullinger and how long was he the director of the band?
At this time, the band were very active playing concerts on the green, marching in the carnival and the Armistice day parade as well as playing by the Oyster Pond during the Regatta. The band also could occasionally be found playing on a motorboat on trips up the Arun to the Black Rabbit. There they would play a short concert before again performing on the boat for the return trip.
At about 1940 and that start of the second world war, the band was forced to give up its rehearsal venue at the old mortuary and so moved to a large wooden building behind Floyds Tool and Cycle Shop. At that time, the band was in need of a librarian so John Haselip stepped in and was librarian for about 4 years.
During this time, a number of members were called up into service but the band continued, helped out by other service men stationed in and around the town. John Haselip commented “If the band did a marching parade, you would see the players, some in band uniform and others in Army, Navy or Airforce uniforms.”
Through the war period, the band was led by a man called Mr Reid but he retired when the war ended and the next conductor was an ex RAF warrant officer called Arthur Barber. He was apparently a tall man with a moustache and was affectionately known as Ali. (Ali Barber – get it!)
Who was Mr Reid and how long was he director of the band?
Who was Arthur Barber and how long was he director of the band?
By the time John Haselip joined the Army, the band had moved from their premises behind Floyds and now practiced at St Catherine’s School (no longer there). This arrangement didn’t last too long so the council stepped in and as a last resort allowed the band to use the old pavilion (now the Windmill Theatre) which, at that time, was only used for storing beach huts during the winter months.
How long did the band rehearse at St Catherine’s School and hence when did it move into the pavilion?
As there were no sides to the pavilion, the huts were arranged around the sides creating a space in the centre, big enough for the band to play. The music and instruments were stored in a cupboard behind the stage however, the venue was far from ideal and was so cold, this no doubt contributed to the band’s decision to disband which was estimated to be in 1952.
The modern Littlehampton Concert Band
On April 22nd 1988, the Littlehampton Town Band was officially re-formed with the intention of creating a marching band to head the town’s annual carnival procession. £250 of funding was provided by the town council to purchase music but, at the initial meeting, it was decided that the band would not do any marching so further funding from the council was withdrawn. The driving forces behind the band were Margaret and Derrick Saville who were key to getting the council backing, plus Ruth Summers who dealt with the formation and music side, taking on the role of the first musical director.
The band began rehearsing a week later and initially met in the East Hall of the Littlehampton Community School to start with but after a few years, moved to Rosemead School (no longer there) and was under the baton of Ruth Summers who remained as director for about 3 years.
The band logo was a bit different back then and was the result of a competition held in 1989. The winner, out of 50 other entrants was 13 year old school girl Christie Cartlidge who saw her design as the band logo for a number of years. This logo remained as the symbol of the band until 1995 when the band purchased banners. The logo needed to be simpler to reproduce on the cloth so a new design was created. It is unknown who designed it but the dolphin logo has remained ever since.
1990 saw Mike Roussell appointed as Musical Director who took the band in a new direction. Being a patient person he was ideal to improve the band and help develop the younger element of the ensemble which at the time included a young Bob Haselip. At the time, over half of the band was made up of under 18s so it was fitting that a year or so later, the band moved from Rosemead School to Elm Grove site of Littlehampton Community School. Also at this time, the band library was taken back under the wing of John Haselip for the second time.
This move gave the band more room to rehearse which was important as, by now, Mike took the band into competition with much success. The band won merit awards at the 1990, 1992 and 1993 Boosey & Hawkes National Concert Band Festival and on this last occasion, won the opportunity to go to Manchester to perform in the National Finals. The finals were held at the Royal Northern College of Music and the band were one of only four community bands that were invited to the finals.
In 1998, Mike sadly moved away and Derek Deans, who had been playing tenor horn with the band and had served as assistant director for a number of years, took up the baton until a new director was found. This was to be Maurice Ozanne whose experience with the Salvation Army gave him the perfect background to lead the band. Maurice served as director for over 5 years but unfortunately health problems forced him to retire in 2003.
It was also in 2003 that the band went through some major changes which was a huge gamble by the committee. They moved premises to St Mary’s Church Hall in the town centre, changed the rehearsal night from a Friday to a Thursday, and appointed a new Musical Director in the form of Bob Haselip. Despite having never conducted before, Bob had a few ideas of his own and started to grow the band. The final shocking change was to the library which was in need of a librarian. But who could the band get with the skills and expertise to do such a task - Yep, you guessed it, John Haselip took over the library for a third time.
In March 2004, the band went global by launching its very own website providing updated information for both band members and the public. The unexpected side effects of the website included attracting a number of new members and providing a means to communicate with other bands and musicians around the world. In fact, the website attracts more hits from other countries than it does from the UK.
In June of 2005, the Littlehampton Concert Band went to Germany to perform in the twinned town of Durmersheim. This opened the doors of international relations and allowed us to make contact with the Weston Silver Band (who were also founded by George Sainsbury) and provided the opportunity for further exchanges including a trip to France in 2006.
Left: The Weston Silver Band as they are now, some 85 years after George Sainsbury formed the group
Bibliography
- Littlehampton - A Pictorial History by D. Robert Ellery, published by Phillimore and Co Ltd, 1991
- Littlehampton - The Archive Photographs Series, compiled by Ian Friel and Rebecca Fardell, published by The Chalford Publishing Company,1998)
The band would like to extend special thanks to the following people for lending their time and knowledge into finding out the bands history.
- John Haselip - Current Librarian and Bass Clarinettist
- Theresa MacDonald - General Manager of the Weston Silver Band in Canada
- Alan Steer - Genealogist from Fawley Parish Church
- Chris Cooper - Clarinettist and founder member of the band