The Trumpets

John Stanton

“I was born in New Bradwell Milton Keynes in 1940. When I was six years old the family moved to Wolverton, Milton Keynes and it was then that I started asking my mother to buy me a musical instrument, but the answer was always the same, “John I cannot afford to buy you one”.

In the end my mother asked a local man who was a conductor of the Wolverton Brass Band if he would give me cornet lessons and he agreed. He was a really nice man who smoked a pipe and there was always a lovely smell of tobacco in his house. His room was packed with all kinds of brass instruments and drums. I went for lessons for about 9-10 months and loved every minute of it.

In 1946 the family moved to Mursley, a small Village between Bletchley and Buckinghamshire. My father was born in the village so you could say that the family roots were there, but for me I couldn’t continue with the cornet lessons. Instead I started piano lessons with a tutor in the village. This lasted for two years but I didn’t really enjoy it and wouldn’t practice.

I then joined the Mursley Choral Society as a soprano, travelling around the villages in the area playing concerts. At the end of the evening there were always the refreshments, egg sandwiches, rock cake and tea out of those enormous metal teapots which was undrinkable.

John Gates

I started playing the trumpet when my wife (now retired) bought me an old instrument for my 60th birthday. For my Christmas that same year she bought me a mouthpiece then I really began to make some serious progress, in exchange I bought her some gold plated ear plugs. 10 years on I have gone from strength to strength playing in the Albert Hall for the Royal Variety, on cruise ships with Canon and Ball and I even supplement my pension busking on the underground. I can honestly say I have enjoyed every minute of it and look forward to many more years of playing, if my teeth last.