History of the Chinewrde Marching Band 1941 – 1989

Myrtle's envelope

Myrtle’s Band has a make-over!

After the disaster in November 1940, Myrtle met with the other survivors: Sarah Somaton; Dorothy Crochet and the trumpet section. They decided to start building a new band in the New Year. So in January 1941, they began searching for new members. Myrtle still wanted the band to be un-prejudiced and open to all who excel, but the trumpet section was pushing for a more professional feel.

The trumpet section’s quest for excellence and professionalism started a number of arguments within the band. These arguments happened on such a regular basis, that between the years 1940 and 1962 many individuals joined but very quickly left.  This volatile atmosphere was upsetting and early in 1945 the entire band walked out leaving Myrtle Appasionato; sarah Somaton; Dorothy Crochet and the trumpet section for a second time.

Myrtle made it quite clear that it was her band and the trumpet section needed to back off. The trumpet section made it clear that they believed the band was unprofessional; Myrtle corrected them by maintaining that she led an amateur band! This debate between them concluded in an agreed set of rules for the new band:

The new Rules were as follows:

1.    To be un-prejudiced and open to all, as long as they are the best at what they do

2.    To excel and be exceptional

3.    To be a professional amateur band at all times

4.    To have a uniform which is neat and looks good

5.    To have a logo which fits the sophisticated band’s ethos

6.    To always be on the look out for exceptional people

7.    To have a new name that evokes the band’s ethos

The band’s ethos was:

·         To provide quality entertainment to their fans.

·         Keep waste to a minimum - so they would continue with a make do and mend vein and create uniforms from their own clothes until they had some money to buy new ones.

·         They would endeavour to be innovative and ambitious in their choice of music to be played at each gig.

·         The colour scheme was to be black and gold.

As for the new name, since most of them were happy to settle in Kenilworth and thought of the place as their home they decided it should have a Kenilworthian theme. Taking the original Kenilworth name Chinewrde they became the Chinewrde Marching Band in July 1945.

While on the look out for band members they were limited to what music they could play having only three trumpet players; a baton twirler; conductor and a percussionist who played the whistle and triangle. Myrtle was in desperate need of some drummers, and a xylophone player at the very least!

In 1948 Myrtle gave birth to her only child Sophia. Desperate to keep the band going Myrtle started to teach Sophia to play the xylophone and glockenspiel as soon as she could hold the beaters!  Sophia Appasionato joined the Chinewrde Marching Band in 1950 at the age of 2 and played her first few gig’s in her pushchair. Meanwhile in an attempt to please the woman who saved her from the workhouse, Dorothy vowed to learn a new percussion instrument every year. However, this was not enough and Myrtle was still on the look out for drummers. The band continued to multi task and struggle for the next few years.

As their profile and fan base grew, it became easier to persuade musicians to join the small group and in 1962 Myrtle finally got a drummer! Lady Fleur Merlotte joined the band in an attempt to restore her sanity. And in the 1970’s Alfred and Bert joined the band playing the harmonica and the banjo thus enabling the band to play much more diverse music including Hello Dolly and Oklahoma!

During the 1980’s the band grew with 3 new recruits, the first of which was a 17 year old called Annie Greenberg. Annie joined in 1982 as a way to cope with her loneliness; the band was really all she had. Then in 1987 Barbara Mallone, a tuba player, joined. And finally in 1989 Stixx Malone joined and with his drumming abilities matching those of Lady Fleur’s, the Chinewrde Marching Band was finally on its way!

Official Biographer for the CMB – Godfrey Yammerstein: A Profile of a Great British Marching Band

History of The Chinewrde Marching Band 1940

KIDDUUMS to MMB

The KIDDUUMS band had changed its name between 1932 and 1940, and was now known as Myrtle’s Marching Band or MMB for short. The band had been going strength to strength and had a repertoire so unique and diverse, that many people were stunned into silence whenever they performed. Their rendition of Aint nobody here but us Chickens;  Bye bye birdie and Flanagan & Allen’s Run Rabbit Run were popular favourites.

In the summer of 1940 Myrtle introduced three trumpet players to the MMB, and they continued to turn up to rehearsals. The rest of the members of the band were concerned as they did not know anything about the three trumpet players including their names. The three trumpet players turned up on time for rehearsals, and left on time at the end of the evening. They never let the band down and were always present and played their best at any gig. They never spoke a word to any of the band members, except to Myrtle who couldn’t even hear what they were saying. There was an air of uncertainty around them but no one asked them any questions, after all this band was unprejudiced and diverse.

The incident that changed the band forever!

At a practice in Kenilworth town centre, November 1940, things changed for the band forever.

Myrtle was trying to get the band to march in formation, which was something new to the group. Unbeknownst to her and because of her balance issues she was having trouble keeping to a straight line,  each time she showed them what to do and then watched them march in formation she could not understand why they kept veering to the right. During this practice - which was going on for quite a long time - certain members of the band were starting to question the Trumpet section, what were their names? Where were they from? and more importantly how come they were not fighting in the war? The trumpet section was getting agitated and argumentative (something which continued from this day forth) and started shouting and waving their trumpets about in a fit of rage. Myrtle was trying to calm everyone down when a big explosion occurred up by the Globe Hotel.

We now know that the explosion was a German landmine going off, but at the time the band did not have any clue what it was. The Trumpet Section fled, Myrtle was thrown backwards and crawled to safety under some rubble with Dorothy and Sarah following close behind. In a strange twist of fate, all the other band members who were questioning the Trumpet section died that day leaving only Myrtle, Sarah, Dorothy and of course the three trumpet players.  For the second time in her life Myrtle vowed to create the best band ever, with new recruits... again!

And the new name would be The Chinewrde Marching Band

Official Biographer for the CMB – Godfrey Yammerstein: A Profile of a Great British Marching Band

History of The Chinewrde Marching Band (1925 - 1932)

Myrtle Appasionato, Photo courtesy of Sophia

Myrtle and Sarah leave their lives in search of a perfect beat and meet a Dotted Crochet!

The beginnings of this fantastic marching band start with a travelling Carnival passing through these parts in autumn 1924. Myrtle Appasionato and Sarah Somaton were part of that travelling Carnival and in spring 1925 they ran away from their troupe in order to settle here in Kenilworth. Myrtle was excellent at keeping time and was pitch perfect, so with these natural talents she knew she could make it as a conductor. Myrtle and Sarah packed their things and left in search of a band to lead. According to the limited records that I managed to source Myrtle was born in 1913, and left her Carnival aged 12. I cannot find any records for Sarah Somaton.

Life was hard for the pair, as they scrambled to survive. They were ridiculed for being travellers, but they managed to live day to day surviving by any means they could. Myrtle had heard that a band would be playing in the Abbey Fields after the Carnival procession that year and as the pair were missing the entertainment limelight they decided to join the band. Although the band gladly took on Myrtle, they were not interested in a baton twirler and so they turned Sarah down. The band did indeed play the Abbey Fields after the Carnival procession that year, but unfortunately Myrtle was not conducting!

After being cast aside by Myrtle’s new friends Sarah was distraught and begged Myrtle to find another band for them. Myrtle asked the band to reconsider, but it seemed the band was scared of Sarah – due to her childlike features and her accompanying adult outlook. Myrtle accused the band of being prejudiced and attacked them with her baton and a fight ensued ending with the percussionist boxing Myrtle’s ears with his cymbals and the pair were sent on their way.

It wasn’t long before Myrtle reaslied that having her ears boxed had seriously affected her talents at conducting music. She could no longer hear, and was slightly off balance when she was standing or marching. She was so angry at how they had treated her friend Sarah that she vowed to get even and create a better band which would be more diverse than any other band before. There would be no prejudice within her band and being different was a pre-requisite - it would be open to all who wanted to excel! Myrtle Vowed to create the most diverse, dynamic and innovative marching band ever and so The Kenilworth innovative, diverse, dynamic and un-prejudice, un-conducted marching or static band (or The KIDDUUMS Band) was born!

Myrtle took the band all over the place while she searched for the best player of each instrument. In 1932, during this search for excellence, she came across a former workhouse where some children were still living.  In this former workhouse she met an 8 year old girl called Dorothy who had been born in the workhouse and therefore believed it to be her home. Myrtle was so taken by the girl’s talent to use anything as a musical instrument including an old battered whistle, grass, an old shoe and a mouldy old carrot that she rescued the girl and Dotty joined the band! With Myrtle and Shirley both searching for new band members and recruiting as many as they could, the band grew into a large group of 25. The KIDDUUMS Band was on its way!

Official Biographer for the CMB - Godfrey Yammerstein – A Profile of a Great British Marching Band (first published March 2011. 2^nd publication May 2011)