I will always remember Jerry as a great brother. We grew up just making it in the 1930’s. War came in 1939 and Sheila, Bridget, Joe and I were evacuated to Leighton Buzzard which was not a very good experience. Jerry stayed home and later joined the army. He was wounded and after a few months was allowed to come home to Rucklidge Avenue. I never heard him complain except he would have a few bad headaches. Anyway he needed something to do so decided he wanted to play the drums. It was great except very noisy, but we decided to put up with his banging away.

Jerry & Sheila took up ballroom dancing, and when they got dressed up for a competition in London they won 1st prize. Then he met Claude Bampton who had set up a blind band at St Dunstan’s and he invited Jerry to play the drums. I think it was then that he met Ernie Cookson who played the saxophone and a friendship developed with all the family.

Fast forward to Jerry marrying Pat and having a family. Chris and I went to Bedford one weekend and did some painting to their house. Everything was OK until Jerry kicked over a gallon of paint in the garden. Oh my god, paint all over the path and running onto the grass. Pat heard the commotion and came out saying a few choice words. Poor Jerry really got it, and Chris was scared and kept saying he could clear it up … but then Chris told me we should get away ASAP.

Another time Jerry & Pat and Chris & I bought 2 caravans. We loaded all the kids and headed to Yarmouth. It was really wet and muddy and the caravans got stuck in the mud so we all got together to push them except Pat who was directing. Anyway, Jerry had leased one of the caravans to some showgirls who were having trouble with the electricity so he told Chris to go over and fix it. Chris went over and the showgirls were very scantily dressed so he said he couldn’t work over there, but Jerry told him to go and enjoy it ha, ha.

We had some wonderful times at family gatherings, but the last few years when Margaret and I visited Jerry in Brighton were the best with so many happy memories.

I loved him and will always remember him. RIP Jerry, you’ve so earned it.

Love from May

P.S. Jerry, Marge and I always enjoyed a sing-along and one person in the family wanted to be a back-up singer (you know who you are), but didn’t know all the songs or words so we told her to forget it … but we did allow her to join in sometimes.

LOL May Disney

THE CLAUDE BAMPTON ORCHESTRA

While cataloguing the business records of the RNIB, the Heritage Services team came across an NIB backed jazz band! The Claude Bampton Orchestra was founded and funded by the NIB in 1936 and was made up of twenty musicians, eighteen of who were blind. Conducted by Claude Bampton who used an oversized baton that made sounds to direct the musicians, one of the orchestra's first performances was broadcasted by the BBC in 1937 before they undertook a tour of theatres and music halls up and down the UK. Their finale was known to include up to six grand pianos. The orchestra continued into the 1940's before disbanding, among its initial members included Carlo Krahmer and acclaimed blind jazz musician Sir George Shearing who joined at 17.

FEBRUARY 1944 - Pianist-leader Claude Bampton is appointed Director of Music to St. Dunstan's and will form and coach a blind band, as he did in 1937 at the National Institute for the Blind. Jerry & Ernie became members of this band and loved it.