Lockerley Silver Band A Friendly and Welcoming Village Band
Interview with John Wilkins on Sunday 19 th June 2016 By Mary Rogers
John Wilkins – A Musical Journey
John Wilkins was born in 1928 in Newbridge, near Copythorne. Although his parents weren’t musical, his own journey into music began at the age of 10 when a friend at Copythorne School—who lived at Pollards Moor—told him about the Cadnam Band. Intrigued, John decided to go along, and was given a cornet to play.
He received his first lessons from the bandmaster, Frank Lovell, who taught him in his own kitchen. Frank was also the father of Marion Bungay. At that time, the Cadnam Band practiced in a hut next to the White Hart pub in Cadnam.
However, John didn’t feel entirely comfortable with the cornet, and soon switched to the E flat bass—a position he would stick with throughout his musical career, occasionally switching to B flat bass for contests.
During the Second World War, the Cadnam Band managed to keep going thanks to its older members. They took part in wartime fundraising events such as
Wings for Victory Week
,
Buy a Tank
, and
Buy a Spitfire
. John recalls one memorable occasion when the band marched for five miles through the Cadnam area, raising money for the war effort.
Eventually, the Cadnam Band folded as many of its aging members could no longer continue. The band’s instruments were shared out: Marion received one, her brother got several, and John was given an old E flat bass. The band had very little sheet music, but John was handed a set of Wright and Round books—ideal for small groups of 10–12 players. He recalls playing marches like
Staunch and True
and waltzes such as
Humpty Dumpty
and
Heartsease
from these collections.
After Cadnam disbanded, John stopped playing for a time. It wasn’t until 1955 that he returned to banding, when an old Cadnam bandmate who had joined Lockerley Band invited him along. Two years later, John officially joined Lockerley to fill an E flat bass vacancy. He played alongside Walter Sillence (Charlie’s father), who also played E flat bass.
At that time, many members of the Lockerley Band were Baptists and Methodists. John also played alongside Michael Pritchard, the grandson of Isaac Pritchard. Over the years, John eventually became the bandmaster at Lockerley, before later returning to his original role on the E flat bass.
Music became a family affair—his daughter Joan played tenor horn, as did his wife, Joyce. When John first joined in 1955, there were no women in the band. However, when the group needed a tenor horn player for a particular event, they made the decision—after some serious discussion—to allow Joyce to join. She remained part of the band until her death in 1985.