The Royal Blind Assylum Band

Recollections

Marie Brown (née Robertson)

Edinburgh

Thank you to Marie Brown who wrote:

Royal Blind Asylum Band

The Band

"I recently came across this photo of the Royal Blind Asylum Band. It would have been taken around 1954-56.

I was the only girl member of the band. I'd like to be in touch with others who were members of the band at that time.

I'd also like to find out:

- when the workshops in Gillespie Crescent closed, and

- which year the band disbanded."

Marie Brown (née Robertson), Edinburgh: August 9, 2012

Recollections

Marie Brown (née Robertson)

Edinburgh

Marie Brown added:

From my Youth

The Band

"I was a member of the Royal Blind Asylum Silver Band when I was about 12. This places the photo in mid-1950s.

I am holding a trombone for the photo as the baritone horn I normally played would have hidden me completely. My being in this band was purely accidental.

I was supposed to be taking my young brother to learn something musical. He couldn’t do the mouthing needed to play a brass instrument so dropped out and because I had been used as an example, the bandmaster having discovered I could produce a note, I became a member of the band.

The absolute downside was lugging this heavy instrument in its heavy case to and from band practise. I still suffer from sore shoulders."

Performances

"We performed in parks and in bandstands all over central and southern Scotland, even venturing as far north as Perth and Arbroath.

The men in the band mostly worked in the Royal Blind Asylum workshops in Gillespie Crescent. It was a manufacturing unit and the workshops turned out goods like mattresses, wire goods, jute goods and used large dangerous machinery.

It took specialist training for the men to use these machines and all the ‘gaffers’ were sighted. Yes, it was all men in the workshops and they shouted a warning if a woman walked in the door. The women worked in the knitting and sewing workshop and also in the offices using Braille typewriters.

From memory all the band members were employed in these workshops and were a mix of blind, partially blind and sighted people."

The Bandmaster

"The bandmaster controlled and conducted the band by means of a combination of cords hooked onto a finger of the blind players and gathered into a thick wedge attached to his music stand which he beat the time onto while using his baton to conduct the others. He could control individuals by tapping their cord as needed. The standard of music played was always of a high quality.

At one time he attempted to march the band. This involved a complex system of cords and it was successful a couple of times but too difficult to keep up."

Leaving the Band

"I left the band when my interests in music turned to Elvis and Bill Haley and I gave into peer pressure. It was strictly uncool to be in a silver band so I swapped band practice for the Palais and the pleasure of the jive."

FOOTNOTE

"I’m not sure when the band folded, but I heard it was because there was a shortage of potential members. The workshops closed and the buildings were sold to a housing society for flats.

All the staff were either made redundant or transferred to a much smaller workshop in Craigmillar which, in turn, was closed for lack of funding and all the staff made redundant.

Thankfully the Royal Blind School goes on although it is also struggling for funds now."

Marie Brown: Sep 25, 2012

Marie Brown (née Robertson), Edinburgh: September 25, 2012
(Notes written by Marie Brown, August 2012.)

Recollections

George Lewis

Southampton, Hampshire, England

Thank you to George Lewis who wrote:

Around 1950

"In 2007, I sent photos of when I was a member of Royal Blind Asylum Brass Band.

Yes, I remember these photos (above) taken of the band on its excursion to Kinghorn in Fife, around 1950. - Peter Stubbs

Mid-1950s

"I see that recently you have received photo and write-up of her time with the band from Marie Brown.

I left the band in March 1954 to join the RAF, but I recognise most of the people in the photo. My younger brother Donnie (on the cornet) joined just after that when my father was still in the band.

He is the one behind the double bass, although as happened for Maria a few people's instruments were swapped around for the photo. His instrument was the bass drum.

If Maria would like to get in contact, she can, and I'll put her in touch my brother.

George Lewis, Southampton, Hampshire, England: October12, 2012

Thanks, George, for your comments and your offer to get in touch with Marie. I've now passed on your message and email address to her and hope that you'll hear from her soon.

Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh: October 18, 2012

Recollections

George Lewis

Southampton, Hampshire, England

Thank you to George Lewis for writing again giving me the names below of most of the members of this band.

Royal Blind Asylum Band

Around 1955

	Back Row	Middle Row	Front Row
1.	Chrissie ?	Donnie Lewis	Jenny Blues
2.	?	David Francis	Donald Lewis
3.	?	Chic Hutchison	?
4.	Joe Best	Big Bill Hamilton	Mr Farrow
5.	? MacDougall	?	?
6.	Andy Peters	Jock Adams	Alex Moody
7.	Willie Farrow Bandmaster's son	?	?
8.		Marie Robertson	Hibby Hibberd

Acknowledgement: George Lewis, Southampton, Hampshire, England: October31, 2012