When best pals Tim Mutum and Don Robinson from Ipswich offered to sift through and catalogue boxes of archive material belonging to the well known music publisher, R Smith and Co, they had no idea of the banding treasures they would unearth.

Amongst manuscript scores, letters and paperwork going back to the First World War, they also found dozens of photographs from the period when the music publisher and British Bandsman magazine were in the same ownership and shared the same offices.

New homes

With the full support of the Salvation Army Trading Company, who now own R Smith and Co, Don and Tim set about finding homes for items, with Tim telling 4BR: "The Salvation Army were anxious anything of historical interest should find the best possible home to secure it for posterity.

Consequently, some old pictures of John Henry Iles have been passed to his grandson, and old photos of bands like Foden's Motor Works Band and Munn and Felton's Works Band are now with the respective bands."

Vaughan Williams treasure

One treasure was certainly a picture of composer Ralph Vaughan Williams addressing the audience prior to the announcement of results at the 1957 National in the Royal Albert Hall, when his 'Variations for Brass Band' was used as the test piece (above).

It was offered to the Ralph Vaughan Williams Society with Tadeusz Kasa delighted to accept it.

She told 4BR: "It's absolutely marvellous to see a hitherto unseen photograph of Vaughan Williams. We are currently building a Vaughan Williams room at Leith Hill Place, Surrey where he spent his childhood. It would almost certainly find a place there."

Apparently, the editor was not aware of anything ever being published in the journal on the brass band music of Vaughan Williams, and I'm delighted to have had the opportunity to rectify thisTim Mutum

VW Journal

It didn't end there either, as Tim was then asked if he would write a piece for the Society journal on Vaughan Williams and his music for brass band.

It has just been published in the June issue and Tim is delighted that the picture is prominently featured.

He told 4BR: "Apparently, the editor was not aware of anything ever being published in the journal on the brass band music of Vaughan Williams, and I'm delighted to have had the opportunity to rectify this.

It's a stunning picture of Vaughan Williams which we can now also share with 4barsrest readers."

Find out more

To find out more about the article and how to join the Society go to: https://rvwsociety.com/joinrenew/