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 band's instruments and some from a Volunteer Band in Dalkeith. At first the members each contributed 6d (2½) a week to keep the band going but then a voluntary subscription of 1d (½p) 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 traveling 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 for 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 band and Mr.
Mackay, the general manager, was band president for 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 own 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 for new instruments "so they may be the better able to compete with others." The Dean footed the bill of £390 and the old instruments were kept (for the junior 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. Motherwell.
Prestonpans. Stoneyburn. Waverley Market. Murrayfield. Musselburgh and the Marine
Gardens. Portobello as well as organising their own competition at Newtongrange.
The band always fared quite well without winning very much in those days.
In 1926 the administration of the silver band was taken over by Newbattle Miners
Welfare Committee. Relations between the band and the Welfare Committee were
by no means good and. when a request for new instruments was turned down by
the committee in 1930. the band broke up citing "apathy of the general
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 in Newtongrange and Easthouses were free but the band took fees for performances elsewhere. Generally the cash from fees and anv contest prize money was divided amongst the players but some of the money had to be returned to Welfare funds.
The band uniforms were in a bad state, as they 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 pay for a professional conductor, or for the band to compete in competitions. The silver band felt they were entitled to ½d(0.2p) 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 they 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 TV Formerly the Silver
Band was supported by contributions from the Lady Vic 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).