1900 - 1994

Silverwood Mine

Hollings Lane

Thrybergh

Facts, Stories and Features

FRANK AND ROBERT GREEN

SILVERWOOD BANDSMEN

Foreword by John Doxey

The Story below is a wonderful insight into the Band, and also of a family that were lovers of music, brass band music! Though Frank and Robert were not miners and had previously played with other bands they found their selves involved with the Silverwood band. Their time with the band left them with fond memories and a great respect for miners, and Robert Green the writer of the article below remembers the help he received from one of the band members.

He was surprised to learn upon visiting the site that his father Frank was not listed, I explained my ignorance of who actually had played in the band and that the site relied on the wonderful input of people like himself. Robert then kindly sent in the terrific family history below. I really enjoyed the story and feel sure that like me you the visitor will also enjoy the story of Frank and Robert.

I must add this bit because it emphasis's Roberts sense of humour and he wrote it in phonetic Yorkshire because I happened to mention how much I miss the Yorkshire accent.

" I wish 'mi 'fahtha 'wuh rear, 'tuh 'gi 'thi some 'intrestin facts 'abart it all.. 'Wa'ree knew 'abart 'blowin an 'bandin would 'ave filled 'thi site up".

I'm going cross-eyed trying to write it.. It's funny how you can say it but not write it.

Robert

"Robert th'art a gud un"

THE GREENS OF

SILVERWOOD BRASS BAND

John.. Re: The Brass Band.. Let me introduce myself and my connections with Brass Banding in Yorkshire..
My name is Bob (Robert) Green.. I've lived in Sheffield all my life and was a 2nd Euphonium player in the Silverwood Colliery Band. This was due to the fact that I played the Euphonium in Habbershuns Band at the Wellington Inn in Rotherham. Where we congregated on a couple of days a week.. All this is around 1959 to 1963 approx.. My banding career started at the age of 4 on 6th cornet parping every 8th note, with my own family band "The Briddon Brass Band" from Heeley in Sheffield (early 50's) My father's mother was Eliza Briddon. This formed into The Meersbrook Brass Band as I am led to believe, this fell apart to debt and no instruments etc!.. Again this would be around 1958/59..

It's true about the South Yorkshire humour, and also Yorkshire as a whole.. Without it where would we have been on those (if we had any) hole in the shoe/backside hanging out of the trousers Christmases and the other celebratory times. No money, no grub no home in some peoples cases and I'm only thinking of 40 year ago..  For most of my upbringing I was in hand-me-downs from my siblings, being the youngest of 5 kids and 2 having died.. It was hard and the HUMOUR was there all the time, Well! Most of the time!

My father (Bandmaster) and myself and what was left of our Family Band continued at the Wellington Inn, just across the road from Rotherham swimming baths. I think that some of Silverwood's bandsmen practiced also, especially Paul (the Euphonium Player). (no second name). My father and myself played at both venues for quite a while.. With Silverwood I used to be sat next to Paul (1st Euph' Player). But I remember he smoked and drank quite heavily and suffered really bad headaches (migraine). The migraine he used to call my musical backbone, because when he suffered the terrible illness he would pause from playing and lean over to me and whisper " you're on your own Robert" And I'd have to carry the Euphonium section on my own.. I'm sure not every attack of migraine was a factual occurrence, my dad used to tell him I lacked confidence.

I've thought of something else that we did on our long walks to Silverwood Band.. My dad always said that I would never get my musical career right if I didn't practice my tempo and beat.. So! While walking those miles he used to whistle a particular piece of music (contest piece if one was nearing) and him having been in Military Bands, he'd step it out exactly to the measured length of his pace. And I'm not joking, you could set your clock to it and he would be just a few steps short of what-ever distance he'd worked out,. He wurrah good'n..
Other thing I'd like to add, is that all those early years for me was a nightmare,! Because I found reading music and still do, an impossible task and dad would get on at me and say read the music don't memorise the tune.. How the heck I got through it all, still never ceases to amaze me..
I went onto the Royal Marines Military Auditions for a Euphonium Player. Paul gave me the backbone and I've never believed otherwise. (My mother, (Edna May Green) thought he looked a bit like Alan Ladd..) He was a very close friend to our family (not Alan Ladd) ..

Frank Green (my Father) conducted the Silverwood Colliery Band on many occasions and took them to at least one contest, Sadly he died in 1987 still composing and blowing as we always called it.

 There's not much else other than I used to say to Paul that I would liked to have worked at Silverwood, but, he used to say that if I kept up my practicing on a regular basis it would be a better and cleaner career. He was absolutely right. I know he used to talk about the accidents and 'fall-ins' as he called them and he blamed his heavy drinking and smoking on it.. And I can assure you that practicing in the Welfare Club on Sunday's was a drinking, smoking, swearing, shouting. arguing practice as well..
I'm really pleased that the info will be put on your site, it's a sad day when I think of all the Local Bands that myself and my father played in are now buried in some-ones attic somewhere.. Maltby Colliery, Wath, Dinnington.
I will get on to my brother to see if he has any of the photos from Silverwood, I knew my father took loads of pictures but they never had heads on.. Little plastic Kodak Camera it was!!! Never took a picture of what you where pointing at... But times were hard, hence the walking!
I'm now 53yrs and suffering health wise with my right side (mild stroke) and left lung, haven't blown an instrument for years now.. But I know I would not have got this far with the emphysema in my left lung (can't spell) if I had not been a Brass Musician for all them years
My father and myself would walk all the way from "The Manor Estate" in Sheffield on Sundays to practice at the Silverwood Colliery's Welfare Club. Nine times out of ten we would get a lift back from some-one called Don, I think he played the Eb Bass. He had a Commer type caravanette/bus. Not really sure.. But I know one thing that on the way back from a contest at Doncaster City Hall, we had a near miss with another car and it threw my mother onto the seat in front of her, seriously injuring her neck.
I think we played a piece of music for the contest called "Passing Moods".. Might have been Habbershuns Band with half the Silverwood Colliery Band.. It used to happen a lot, swapping players for this and that reason... I'd be about 10/11 yrs old then, Playing Solo Euphonium for that particular Piece "Passing Moods"..
I know Paul from Silverwood was not playing because of his illness and we had to substitute 1st Euphonium player with another musician from Habbershuns he also was called Paul but a lot younger and he left me out on a limb with the Euphonium Solo...
This is why it gets confusing which Band, when and where doing what and why!! It was like playing the Lottery... And, we forget things, don't we?
My father would have truly dropped that bass drum on his foot some times. My dad used to say that when he was closing his eyes before going to sleep, he could hear that drum all the way over in Sheffield where we lived. And the first thing he would think about soon as opening his eyes in the morning would be that bloody drum..
Shoveling and hand balling coal and slag all week then turning up for practice took some doing and I think that's why all the bands practiced in pubs and clubs, work hard and play hard I suppose..
One thing that does stick in my mind was the comradeship that existed (not all the time) but when it was needed it came out... I suppose that comes from working underground looking after one-another..
The last time I played with Silverwood was a Christmas and we Trawled the pubs for a week in Rotherham playing carols and I remember being £13.0.0d in pocket after they had taken out for instruments and the like... That would be about 1962/3.. Never saw so much money in all my life before.. I remember there was an argument between quite a few of them for what was to happen to the band. Sorry memory it is! Probably that's why we ended up with so-much because some wanted to keep it and some didn't. I didn't have much say in it any way. Grown-ups!????

Copyright Robert Green.

 Family Band Photo, can be seen on The Heeley Site. www.oldheeley.supanet.com/oldheeley19.htm

Robert can be reached here should anyone like to contact him

rg014j1188@blueyonder.co.uk

It will be an interesting venture to hear from other's about the Yorkshire Spirit in Brass Banding Music.. Or, in fact any spirit in Brass Banding Music.

Robert.

Many thanks to Robert for sharing his story here for our enjoyment.

John

BAND PAGES ON THIS SITE

Fred Kelly

Reginald Gray

R & F Green

George Baker

Mike Longden

Brass Band

Brass Band 2

Brass Band Drawing