Foxhole is a village in mid-Cornwall within the parish of St Stephen-in-Brannel
We do not know the year in which Foxhole Band was formed but it was certainly prior to 1886 when the players travelled to Newquay to compete in the sixth Annual County Volunteer and Independent Brass Band Contest. We do know that John Morcom was musical director in 1896 and it may well be that he was there when the band played its first note.
1886 to ????: John Morcom Foxhole Brass Band MD. When he resigned he remained as a player. (John Brush)
1897: Foxhole Brass Band and Whitemoor Fife and Drum Band in the procession. (24 June 1897 – West Briton and Cornwall Advertiser)
1899: Foxhole Brass Band at a tea evemt. (6 July 1899 – Royal Cornwall Gazette)
1900: Foxhole Brass Band, marched to Penlee, the grounds of Mr. Pope. (26 July 1900 – Royal Cornwall Gazette)
1902: Music supplied by the St Stephen Independent and the Foxhole Brass Bands.(14 August 1902 – West Briton and Cornwall Advertiser)
Foxhole Band – date unknown (Photo: courtesy CCHS)
1903: Foxhole Brass Band at Mithian Wesleyan Sunday school tea treat. (RCG 2nd July 1903)
1903: Mr W Trethewey became the band’s musical director but it seems that John Morcom remained as a player.
At some point William H Juleff took over as musical director, but it seems that he left in 1907 and, soon after that, the band folded.
1903: “Foxhole Brass Band, under the direction of Mr W Trethewey. (8 January 1903 – Royal Cornwall Gazette)
1903: Foxhole Band at a Total Abstinence Society annual festival, (4 June 1903 – Royal Cornwall Gazette)
1903: Foxhole Brass Band at Talskiddy anniversary. (18 June 1903 – Royal Cornwall Gazette)
1903: Foxhole Brass Band Foxhole sports. (27 August 1903 – Royal Cornwall Gazette)
1904: Foxhole Brass Band, conducted by Mr W Trethewey, bandmaster. (7 January 1904 – Royal Cornwall Gazette)
???? to 1907: William H Juleff Foxhole Brass Band MD. (John Brush)
1907: Foxhole Brass Band at the quarterly meeting of the juvenile Band of Hope and the City Tent of the Rechabites. (6 June 1907 – Royal Cornwall Gazette)
1907: Brass Bands from Foxhole, Treviscoe, St Dennis, and Indian Queens at the annual Techabite demonstration of the St Dennis One and All. (17 June 1907 – West Briton and Cornwall Advertiser)
1907: Foxhole Band under the able direction of Mr W H Juleff. …” (15 August 1907 – West Briton and Cornwall Advertiser)
1907: Brass Bands of Foxhole, Queens, Treviscoe, and St Dennis St Dennis Hospital Day. (29 August 1907 – West Briton and Cornwall Advertiser)
1907: Foxhole Brass Band at Nanpean. (10 October 1907 – West Briton and Cornwall Advertiser)
1907: William H Juleff, Foxhole Brass Band MD, left to take over St Dennis Band. (John Brush)
1907: Foxhole Brass Band disbanded. (John Brush)
1908: Foxhole Brass Band re-formed with the help of John Morcom.
1908-1929: John Morcom, Foxhole Brass Band MD. (John Brush) There were other conductors during this time.
1908: Foxhole Brass Band began contesting and whilst never rising above the second section, their results were quite impressive. (John Brush)
1908: Foxhole Brass Band at Probus on Whit-Monday. (11 June 1908 – Royal Cornwall Gazette)
Foxhole Band 1908 and Highstreet Sunday School at Carpalla (Photo: courtesy CCHS)
1908: Foxhole and St Stephen Brass Bands, marched to Trevarrick, Belle Field. (25 June 1908 – Royal Cornwall Gazette)
1909: Foxhole Brass Band at Nanpean Infirmary Sports. (1 July 1909 – Royal Cornwall Gazette)
1909: Foxhole Band, under Mr John Morcom. (9 August 1909 – Western Morning News / 12 August 1909 – Royal Cornwall Gazette)
1909: The Foxhole Brass Band under the conductorship John Morcom at Foxhole annual horse show and sports. (12 August 1909 – Royal Cornwall Gazette)
- Name changed to Foxhole Temperance Band. (John Brush / CCHS)
Foxhole Band pre-1914 with J Morcom MD and Tommy Wakeham in flat cap
1912: The first West of England Bandsmen’s Festival (Bugle Contest) with Foxhole Brass Band in Class B playing the own choice test piece, C. I. V. March. On this occasion J Stubbs led the players to fifth place out of the six bands in the section.
Foxhole Band pre-1914 (Photo: courtesy CCHS / Arthur Northey)
Back row: Joe Juleff, Hob Morcom, John Bassett, Dick Arthur, Will Morcom, D Bull, Tom Vercoe, Drummer
Middle row: Sid Thomas, Will Juleff, Tommy Wakeham, Will Goudge
Front row: Dan Allen, Jack Richards, Dave Mitchell, Albert Bullock
(Photo: courtesy CCHS)
????: J Stubbs Foxhole Temperance Band MD although J Morcom continued to conduct at some contests. (Contest archive)
1915: 100 Cornish Clayworkers enlisted and marched from Nanpean to St Austell, headed by Foxhole Band. (20 May 1915 – Cornishman)
1915: Foxhole Brass Band led the troops’ send-off at the railway station. (15 July 1915 – West Briton and Cornwall Advertiser)
During the early stages of the First World War, the band continued to operate and often escorted recruits to St Austell Railway Station. With the introduction of conscription, however, reports of their activities ceased and it seems likely that they disbanded. If that was the case then they wasted no time in re-forming after the war as the following photographs show.
Foxhole Band 1918 (Photo: courtesy CCHS / Arthur Northey)
Back: Fred Snell, Capt. Marshall Arthur, Fred Morcom
Middle: unknown (drummer), Percy Whetter, Tommy Wakeham, Albert John Morcom, Jack Bassett, Jack Lee, Albert (Hob) Morcom
Front: Fred Snell, Will Morcom, Jack Morcom (MD), William Henwood, Dick Lean
Foxhole Band –1919 (Photo: courtesy CCHS)
Foxhole Band 1919 (Photo: courtesy CCHS)
1920: Name changed “when they made the slight, but no doubt important, change brought about by a slight feeling of hypocrisy, to Foxhole Silver Band”. (John Brush)
1920: St Dennis and Foxhole Prize Bands at St Stephen and St Dennis branches of the Comrades of Great War demonstration. (24 June 1920 – West Briton and Cornwall Advertiser)
Foxhole Silver Band 1921 with the Sir Edward Nicholls Cup (Photo: courtesy CCHS / Arthur Northey)
1922: Foxhole Silver Band contesting under Jack Williams. (Contest archive)
1924: Foxhole Silver Band contesting under J Bassett. (Contest archive)
1924: Foxhole Silver Prize Band at Blackwater. (24 July 1924 – Cornubian and Redruth Times)
1925: Anniversary services in connection with St. Mawes United Methodist Sunday-school were held on Sunday, the preacher Rev. T. Wilson, of Portloe. The church was beautifully decorated. On Monday a public tea was held at Nanshut Hall, by permission of Mr. W. Mitchell. Foxhole Brass Band was in attendance. (Western Morning News – Thursday 23 July 1925 / Nev Meek)
1926/7: Foxhole Silver Band contesting under J Morcom. (Contest archive)
1928: Foxhole Band the under the conductorship Mr F Colman…” (14 August 1928 – Western Morning News)
Foxhole Band 1928 (Photo: courtesy CCHS / Arthur Northey)
1929: Foxhole Silver Prize Band under Mr T Wakeham at Penryn United Methodist Sunday school gala. (29 June 1929 – Western Morning News)
1929: Foxhole Silver Band contesting under E F Woodhead. (Contest archive)
1929 to early 1950s: Albert John Morcom Foxhole Silver Band MD but guest conductors were often employed for contests and the names of E F Woodhead, A G Richards and C H Baker often appeared on contest programmes.
Foxhole Band – 10th July 1930 (Photo: courtesy CCHS)
1934: Foxhole Silver Band contesting under A G Richards. (Contest archive)
1935: Foxhole Silver Band contesting under C H Baker. (Contest archive)
1937: Foxhole Silver Band Chacewater Methodist Fete. (22 July 1937 – Cornishman)
Foxhole Band – circa 1938 (Photo: courtesy CCHS)
1939: Foxhole Silver Band at Cubert Hospital Sunday. (6 July 1939 – West Briton and Cornwall Advertiser)
1939: “Variety Programmes. Foxhole Silver Band, under Mr. A. J. Morcom, was in attendance. Two enjoyable variety programmes were given by the popular concert party the Par Beach Entertainers, who later in the evening returned to the Open-air Theatre on Par Sands …” (10 August 1939 – West Briton and Cornwall Advertiser)
1939: Foxhole Silver Band at St Agnes British Legion, and Friendly Societies. (17 August 1939 – West Briton and Cornwall Advertiser)
WWII: “Foxhole Band carried on throughout the war with men too old and boys too young to fight.”(Arthur Northey of Foxhole Band)
1945: Foxhole Silver Band, under Bandmaster A J Morcom in attendance. (16 August 1945 – Cornishman)
1946: Foxhole Silver Band, conducted by Mr A J Morcom at Lelant. (18 July 1946 – Cornishman)
1947: Foxhole Silver Band at Porthallow Regatta. (4 September 1947 – Cornishman)
Last known posed photograph of Foxhole Band – Tregonetha, near St Wenn 1947 (Photo: courtesy CCHS / Arthur Northey)
Back: Courtney Morcom, George Cross, Raymond Kent, Jack Ford, Bill Bunt, Arnold Tucker, Arthur Northey (aged 15), Bill Trudgian
Middle: Fernleigh Whetter, Eddie Sheriff, Albert Giles, Eddy Sweet
Front: Medlin Morcom (drummer), Bill Henwood, Reggie Johns, Percy Whetter, Maurice Henwood (aged 10), Albert John Morcom (MD), Bill Lampshire, Albert Tucker, Noah Johnson
1948: Foxhole Silver Band at Porthallow Regatta. (2 September 1948 – Cornishman)
Goonhavern Tea Treat – Circa 1948 with Foxhole Silver Band (Photo: from Goonhavern Fb)
Foxhole Band – Trethowel Carnival in St Austell – July 1949 (Photo: courtesy CCHS)
1950: Foxhole Silver Band contesting under C H Baker. (Contest archive)
“The name of Morcom has been associated throughout the life of Foxhole Band.” (Former member Arthur Northey)
Foxhole Band at St Austell Hospital Carnival Parade circa 1951-52 (Photo: courtesy CCHS)
1959: Foxhole Silver Band at Coverack Regatta. (17 August 1950 – Cornishman)
Foxhole Band 1960 at Nanpean Carnival
Albert John Morcom MD with Keith Whetter in short trousers
Front row: Alan Goudge, Percy Whetter, Bill Lampshire, Cecil Bragg
Second row: Fernleigh Whetter, Alfie Tucker, Charlie Bilkey, Eddis Sherrif
(Photo: courtesy CCHS)
1963: Foxhole Band disbanded and the instruments and music loaned to Cornwall Education Authority.(Arthur Northey of Foxhole Band)
1971: Foxhole Silver Band re-formed (instruments and music returned) under Harold Trethewey. (Arthur Northey of Foxhole Band)
1973: Foxhole Silver Band disbanded. (Arthur Northey of Foxhole Band)
Compiled by Tony Mansell (Bardh Kernow)
This collection is a part of the Cornish National Music Archive (CNMA) project to Collect, Preserve and Share our Cornish Heritage and Culture.
It is based on location as each may have had more than one band.
Our thanks go to all of the organisations and individuals, whether named or not, who have provided information and photographs for this archive.
If you own the copyright to any of the photographs included here then please let us know and they will be credited or removed.
If you are able to correct or update any information included here then please leave a comment.