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Cpl. Fred Mortimer
British Army Royal Irish Rifles
from:Luton
In 1914 my grandfather, Fred Mortimer, was the bandmaster of Luton Red Cross Band. When war was declared he and the other eight bandsmen of military age volunteered for France, expecting to work as military bandsmen.
Once in France, though, they were employed as stretcher-bearers. Fred thought this was because of the "Red Cross" in the band's name. As bandmaster he was told he could either be a sergeant unpaid, with the privileges of the rank,or a corporal unpaid. Living in Luton he might be, but Fred was a Yorkshireman, from Hebden Bridge, with a wife and six young children to support. He chose to be paid.
As the war dragged on the powers that be decided that morale needed lifting and so the band members were given back their instruments. However,because he was only a corporal Fred could not now lead the band. He had to take his orders from an unpaid sergeant, a well-meaning vicar who played the organ and had no experience of brass bands whatsoever. Fred said that the first parade they did was a shambles because the vicar insisted on putting the trombones at the back, giving the horns in front of them a very uncomfortable time indeed.
Fred survived to become the most successful band conductor of the 1930's leading Foden's Motorworks band to victory at the Brass Band Championships no less than seven times.
