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The Salvation Army Instrument Factory
The
Salvation Army Instrument Factory
A Short History By William Scarlett
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In
the 1880’s and ‘90’s the Salvation Army under the guidance of
William Booth, started a number of shops in a variety of fields
including match making, brush making, basket-making, carpentry, tin
smith shop, tambourine making, wood carving, mattress making, bakery,
chair making, sign writing, tailoring and others. A brass instrument
shop seemed to be inevitable.
Starting
around 1884 the Trade Department in London sold other makers’ brass
instruments, which were listed in the first SA Tune Book in 1884. By the
late 1880’s the SA had almost 400 bands which could use repair
services. Consequently, Commissioner |
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John
Carleton, of the Trade Department, suggested that the SA open a brass
repair shop in London. This was opened in 1889, under the supervision of
the Trade Dept., in a basement room of the IHQ at 96 Southwark St. The
shop began with two experienced brass workers and one 16 year-old
apprentice. The apprentice, Jack Furness, later became the head of the
factory and also the Bandmaster of the St. Albans corps band.
After
the brass shop opened for repairs in 1889, it was natural that the SA
should eventually become a maker of instruments as well. In 1890 the new
second edition Tune Books had a whole page of SA instruments available
from the Trade Dept. These first instruments from the shop were made
from parts, if not whole instruments, purchased from other makers. The
first complete instruments made in the SA shop were produced in 1893 and
were proudly called, “Our Own Make”. From a business point of view,
the SA production of instruments was an instant success, especially
after the General, in his “Orders to Field Officers”, required that
all SA bands buy their instruments from the SA. Orders poured in and
production increased so that by 1894 there were 17 workers employed and
this increased to 60 workers ten years later.
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From
1890 to 1896 the Trade Dept. and the brass shop were located at 98, 100,
and 102 Clerkenwell Rd., London. In 1896 they moved to 79, 81 Fortess
Rd., London, which was the location of instrument making until 1901.
Instruments made during this Fortess Rd. period were the first ones
stamped with the address on the bells. A few instruments still exist
from this period including an Eb bass recently for sale on Ebay with the
serial number of 5,049.
In 1901 the SA opened a factory for instrument making in St. Albans, a
northern suburb of London. This factory, called the Campfield Musical
Instrument Works, was near the SA printing facility, called Campfield
Press, which is still in operation in 2001.
The factory produced all of the instruments of the brass band including
the early pocket cornet and G
trombone. They even designed and patented an Eb bass trombone with a
slide going forward as usual and one going backwards as well, both
working together with ropes and pulleys. Some SA bands in England
between 1909 and 1922 started to use saxophones. The SA did not make
these instruments.
Several attempts were made to produce a less expensive instrument line
for small corps and youth bands. Each attempt ended abruptly because
ways could not be found to produce a cheaper instrument. |
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Some of these
model lines were called Herald, Jubilee, Reliance, Endurance (imported
from France) and Congress. Other names for limited production or
specialty instruments were Special Congress, Festival, Fanfare and
Deluxe. The main model line for senior bands in the early years was
called “Gold Medal”, later changed to “Triumph” with the “Triumphonic”
models being added in 1914. The “Triumphonic” line was made until
the factory closed.
From
the beginning, brass instruments in England were built in “high”
pitch, (A= 452), sometimes called “philharmonic” pitch.
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Most of the
rest of the world used “low” pitch (A= 440), sometimes called “continental”
or “international” pitch. The Campfield Works made both as far back
as 1926, indicated in the oldest remaining factory records. It is likely
that both high and low pitch instruments were made before 1926 as well.
In 1964 Boosey and Hawkes, the other well-known brass band instrument
maker, decided to cease making high pitch instruments and the SA agreed
to do the same.
The St. Albans factory was in operation until 1972 when it was sold to
Boosey and Hawkes. By terms of a seven year agreement, B & H
continued to make, for the SA, only the top of the line, “Bandmaster”
cornet and the “Triumphonic” tenor horn until the agreement ran out
in 1979 when all SA instrument making came to an end.
The last instrument made by the SA in 1972 was a “Herald” cornet
with the serial number 34283. By then the machinery was getting so old
that accurate parts were difficult to make. Some of he
equipment still in use was bought as war surplus after World War I. The
SA decision-makers in London decided not to fund the modernization of
the SA factory because of the huge cost and because it had been losing
money for several years.
The Campfield Musical Instrument Works had a vibrant history of serving
the needs of SA bands. Instruments were made with thicker metal and
heavier silver plate to meet the needs of active schedules and
sometimes-hostile street corners. Several designs and patents were
attributed to the “Works” including the before mentioned Eb bass
trombone, the first trombone slide lock and a special drop-end lyre for
trombone that did not have to be removed before the instrument was put
in a case.
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The factory kept pace with its competition too with
compensating valves for lower brass.
Even though only 34,000 instruments were produced in 83 years, these
instruments were produced to serve the Lord, and to meet the needs of
ever expanding bands in the Army world. Many of the workers in the
factory right from the beginning used their skills to make instruments
and to play them, too, in corps bands. Today we pay tribute and give
thanks to those dedicated men and women, who gave so much to the history
of Salvation Army bands.
Addendum: The Salvation Army Repair Shop No. 2 was opened in February
2001 in Kingston, Jamaica, where each week unusable instruments are
being returned to the playable state, both for the SA bands in the
Caribbean and for other bands as well. Donations of instruments, cases
and funds are welcome for the rapidly expanding band program in the
Caribbean. The Central Territory Music and Gospels Arts Dept. has
helpful information. (847/294-2133)
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copyright© William
Scarlett 2001 Not to be reproduced in any format in part or in whole by
any method without prior permission from the author
We are indebted to Bill
Scarlett for allowing us to use the results of his research. Please
respect Bill's copyright. You may contact him at wmhred@yahoo.com
The photographs on this
page are of Bill's display at the USA Central Territory Congress,
Chicago, June 2001
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