Act I
The Cornwall’s have endured many moments of drama in their long and distinguished military history. So it was with delight, that whilst mulling over ideas for a story from the archives, I came across a unique and more light-hearted item. The item in question was a scrapbook, with 32nd Light Infantry Amateur Dramatic Club stamped in gold lettering on the front cover.
Accession number 4261
The scrapbook contained some magnificent programmes, flyers and posters dated between 1865 and 1880, some of which look as fresh as the day they were printed. The Theatre Royal Jersey example uses a wide variety of fonts and the style strongly evokes the period. The item appears to be printed on satin or silk. According to the Victoria and Albert Museum, ‘Silk and satin theatre playbills and programmes were produced from the 18th century onwards, to commemorate special evenings at the theatre. Most theatres in the 19th century would have had some made to mark grand openings or milestone performances. By the end of the First World War however the practice had generally died out’.1
Accession number 4261
A quick internet search revealed that The Theatre Royal, Jersey seemed to have a high tendency to burn down: when in Royal Crescent it was destroyed by a fire on 31 July 1863; the replacement opened in Gloucester Street on 17 April 1865 and fire again destroyed the building on 29th March 1899. The third theatre was opened by Lillie Langtry on 9 July 1900 but a further fire on 12 May 1921 once again required the theatre to be reconstructed.
Act II
Finding the scrapbook prompted a database search for similar items and the results were many and varied. Whilst the scrapbook showed the Regiment as the entertainers, particularly the Band, the second item (below) seems to have been preserved as a keepsake of a good evening out in times of trouble.
The programme was produced for a play, ‘Romance’, starring Doris Keane at The Lyric Theatre, London. Once again the style is evocative of the times, in this instance World War I, and the ‘Hostile Air Raids’ warning is particularly resonant. Doris Keane appears to have been a popular actor as ‘Romance’ ran for 1049 consecutive performances. Items from the archive sometimes have the power to transport you to a different world and this item is no exception. The warning of hostile air raids provides the only reminder of the war that was raging. To borrow a phrase from the Second World War, the prevailing spirit seems to be ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’ – advertisements for John Pound & Co, Oddenino’s Restaurant and French sparkling muscatel reinforce this point.
Accession number Temp098A.xxxxxix
Act III
The 2nd Battalion Band seems to have been very busy during the 1920’s and the following two documents reflect their work and style.
The programme for Truro is a simple flyer, perhaps handed out to advertise the event but also used on the day, at the head of the document it clearly states ‘Programme’. Frustratingly, although the date and time is given, the year is not, perhaps the most likely event is a Sunday afternoon bandstand concert, possibly in 1925 as 19 July fell on a Sunday during that year. The bandstand is still in existence and a summer season of concerts run from May to September.
Accession Number 8326b.i
The programmes for the concerts on Southsea Pier are all together more professionally collated and reflect the concentrated concerts, six over two days. Once again the advertisements reflect the times: the motor car dealerships in particular are evocative, the small line drawing of, presumably a Jowett motor car, is a nice touch. As with Truro Bandstand, Southsea Pier is still in existence, although it also seems to have had several fires and rebuilds.
Accession Number 8326b.vi
Epilogue
This concludes a whistle-stop tour of some fascinating items, if truth be told, curiosity and more questions have been raised than answered. It seems the immediate period after World War I was a golden one for the 2nd Battalion Band and perhaps Bandmaster Mr W H Hildyard or the subject of military entertainment deserves a more thorough investigation. This article may not be one of military activity but it demonstrates one form of interaction between the military and civilians that continues to this day.
- Victoria & Albert Museum, https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1113383/silk-programme-unknown/ [Accessed 2nd May 2026] ↩︎