Louisbourg Heritage Society
P. O. Box 396
Louisbourg, Nova Scotia, B0A 1M0
CANADA

The Louisburg Town Band 1935-1937

The Louisburg Town Band, the last Louisburg brass band, was part of the town in the 1930's. Along with the rest of Canada, Louisburg was deeply affected by the Depression. One indicator, the 1931 Census, recorded a population of 971 as compared with the 1 921 population of 1152. Mayor Melvin S. Huntington, in an article in the Halifax Herald, on January 2, 1931, wrote that, "The unemployment situation has been more acute here than in any previous year and the fishing industry on which so many of our citizens depend was not a success owing to scarcity of fish and low prices which prevailed throughout the entire season. Consequently many of our citizens are much worse off financially than they were at the close of 1929." Still, Huntington was looking forward to a prosperity which he saw just around the corner. And there were efforts being made to construct prosperity. Work at the site of the 18th-century Fortress of Louisbourg resulted in a number of foundations of major buildings being stabilized, and a new stone Museum and Curator's house constructed and officially opened in 1937. Additional local initiative was shown by the Louisburg Broadbill Guides Association which tried to attract wealthy sports fishermen during the swordfishing season. The Board of Trade was active in encouraging town beautification, maintenance of roads and seeking ways to attract new industry. But it took another war and the L. H. Cann ship repair facility to get Louisburg's economy moving again.

The Origin of the Town Band

Wesley Townsend organized the Louisburg Town Band, as an activity for the many local young men who had no work, particularly during the winter.¹ The Townsend family was considered "musical" and both Wesley and his brother Fletcher had been members of earlier bands. Wesley was also a member of a local dance orchestra, called the Syncopators, that played for area dances during the later 1920's and early 1930's.² Howard MacPhail recalls that he and a number of friends went to the Townsend house on Station Hill on Sunday evenings to sing. It was on one of these Sunday nights, according to MacPhail, that the topic of forming a brass band came up.³

There is no record of the date on which the Band was actually formed. Personal remembrances generally recall the mid 1930's. Reverend Neil McLean, probably the youngest member of the Band, remembers a practice early in the Band's development during which Charles Stacey arrived to say that King George V had died.⁴ This would place the practice on Monday, January 20, 1936. Melvin Huntington provides additional evidence for a mid 1930's beginning. When writing to Dr. J. C. Webster, about the official opening of the new Museum at the Fortress site, he mentioned the availability of ". . . the Louisburg Town Band which has reorganized during the past winter.⁵ Given that there were bandmembers unfamiliar with music, this would suggest that Wesley Townsend began developing the new Band as early as the summer of 1935. John MacAskill reinforces this by recalling that the Band probably practiced for about a year before going public.⁶

The inaugural appearance of the Band is described by Howard MacPhail. He recalls that, "the first New Year's we had the Band we decided that we would play at midnight, New Year's Eve, under the place ( on Main Street) where the Coal Pier ran across. We we re up in the IOGT Hall, where the Library is now. We went up there in the evening, and about eleven or a quarter to twelve we went down to the Pier. I think we played Auld Lang Syne - I'm not too sure - but I think we did. But we also played two or three waltzes that we had learned. And when we were finished,, Jerry Smith, a Councillor - he lived a way up off the tracks - came down to congratulate us. He made a speech. That was 1 o'clock on January 1st. That was our first appearance." Alex Smith remembers his father standing on a concrete abutment speaking to the Band. He says that before the event, while waiting in the IOGT Hall the band members had an amateur-hour contest to amuse themselves.⁷

17. Louisburg. Looking east along Main street in the 1920's or early 1930's.

The next public appearance of the Band was on Saturday, May 2, 1936. Huntington writes in his diary that he presided at a concert in St. Bartholomew's Hall ". . . given by the reorganized Louisbourg Band which was, I think greatly enjoyed by a large audience. This concert was directed by Harold Covey in the absence of Wesley Townsend, the Band Leader, [who was unable to attend on account of illness]." According to the newspaper account, the programme for the evening consisted of duets and trios. There were also, no doubt, selections by the entire Band.⁸

Huntington recorded the names of the bandsmen taking part in the May 2 concert. They were: Harold Covey - director, Michael Kennedy, Freeman MacKenzie, Charles Stacey, Murdock McLean, George McLean, Neil McLean, Ernest Skinner, John MacAskill, James Peck, Melvin Beaver, Walter Jewell Sr., Alex Smith, Danny Nicholson, Layton Coveyduc, Howard MacPhail, Henry Roberts and William Dearing.

These were not the only people who would play in the Band. Freeman MacKenzie remembers that Jack Johnson played the drum part time. Additional members included Tom Bates, Alex Burke, Oscar Harris, Lloyd Harris, Dan Kelly, Alex Leahy and Harold Wilson.⁹ Bud Bagnell, while never a member of the Band, remembers sitting in the Band Room with other youngsters during the practices directed by his uncle, Harold Covey. On occasion, he would stand in for Bill Dearing on the bass drum. " My uncle used to give me heck because I was off a beat," he recalls.¹⁰ Tom Bates attended two practices before he decided not to continue as a band member.¹¹ Interestingly, there were never any lady members of this Band, though they shared equally in the hardships of the time.

Wesley Townsend and Harold Covey were not the only 1920's Brass Band members who helped the Band. As noted above, Jack Johnson played the drums every now and then, and Walter Jewell, Sr., played in the first concert. Arthur MacQueen returned to Louisburg from Sydney on several occasions to help with instruction. He brought along friends who were members of the Sydney City Band. Other former band members gave or lent their instruments to the boys. John MaAskill used his step-father Guy B. Hiltz's bass and Ernest Skinner used the circular bass that had also been used by Hiltz. Jim Peck obtained his grandfather Duncan Lamont's baritone, Howard MacPhail played Melvin Huntington's baritone and Freeman MacKenzie used his Uncle Walter Jewell's tenor instrument. ¹²

There was also a Band Committee. Reverend Neil McLean remembers that Jim Peck, and later George McLean, held the post of president. Danny Nicholson was secretary and Henry Roberts, the treasurer. But the Band never had a great deal of money. There were no band uniforms, not even caps. There was some sheet music from earlier bands and Wesley Townsend ordered, and presumably paid for, additional music. Jim Peck recalls how Townsend had hoped to have the Band sponsored by R. J. Logue, a Sydney car dealer, who had a business in Louisburg.¹³ But, probably due to his illness, Townsend was never able to follow up on this. The first practices were held in the IOGT Hall on Upper Warren Street. But the Town eventually provided some support in the form of a room in the Town Hall in which the Band could practice and store its instruments. Reverend McLean remembers the practice sessions and the order of the instruments during practice - the band was in a circle and from left to right came cornets, alto and tenor horns followed by trombone, baritones, bass and drums. Harold Covey provided the formal instruction. However, Murdock McLean taught his brothers Neil and George some of the basics. Murdock McLean was a talented musician playing in a local orchestra called the Super Five. But some of the bandsmen also had previous experience with music. Neil McLean played the piano, Ernest Skinner the trumpet and John MacAskill and Alex Smith the guitar. There was help from the outside as well. Howard MacPhail remembers instances in which four or five of the Band would go travelling into Sydney to practice with the City Band.

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