Harry Stares was the Bandmaster of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada, Church organist and musician. He formed the band of the 91st Regiment, Canadian Highlanders (in 1920 they changed their name to the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders. He was the eldest of six children of Albert and Hannah Stares (of England), born in Hamilton Ontario. He joined the overseas battalion CEF in 1916 and during the celebrations of the end of WWI "Bandmaster Harry Stares’ Band played the National Anthem, 'O God Our Help In Ages Past' and 'Rule Britannia.' Everyone joined in."
The Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders
(Princess Louise's) Regimental Band
postcard
for a Taphophile Tragics from the Hamilton Cemetery
22 comments:
Hmmm... what to say about bagpipes?
Love the gravestone. A nice sentiment. :)
"Ever remembered by his band"... what more could a music director ask?
Like the textures in your picture. I bet Capt. Stares funeral service was worth hearing.
such a small stone!
wasnt he married? or is there another stone and is this sort of the "band stone"?
I saw no other stone nearby that included his family, but I may have missed it.
It seems he was married, but I cannot find his wife's name. They had one daughter, Jane Alexander Stares.
After that, the trail goes cold. Mostly all I could find was about his professional history, not much personal history.
How interesting! The inscription is very touching.
how nice that they cared for him in this way...
30 years is a long time. I am glad for his sake that he did not have to go through the horrors of WWII.
Unfortunate designation that: VD.
I think that enscription most touching: 'ever remembered by his bank'.
I have just succumbed and located Hamilton via Google Maps. Smack bang surrounded by the Great Lakes.
I am assuming that the V.D. stands for Volunteer Declaration. Interesting that it is listed before his Bachelor of Music.
Yes, we are at the tippy-tip of Lake Ontario!
His military decorations take precidence over his B of Music degree.
Volunteer Officer's Decoration (V.D.)
Colonial Auxiliary Forces Officer's Decoration (V.D.)
Colonial Auxiliary Forces Long Service Medal
Wife: Sarah Charles Mar 1874-????
Daughter: Ione Alexander Stares 14 Aug 1902-????. Mispelled "Jane" on occasion.
His sister Gertrude Stares b 1877 married fellow Bandsman WO-1 Walter Denton 1888-1957 late in life.
From family legends that was probably an attempt to prevent him from coming back to haunt his bandsmen and pupils. He was known as a tyrant when it came to music!
He probably hated the bagpipes. LOL. The band was the "Brass" band as shown in the photo. It was in operation from 1903-1946 when it was disbanded in favour of the regiment's other "pipe" band.
The band was then reformed by his brothers-in-law Richard Arthur Denton & Walter Denton as the "Corps of Imperial Frontiersmen Band". Older music lovers will remember the Frontiersmen in their blue Mountie uniforms. The band later went on to fame as the Tiger-Cat's Band in the 1940's to 1960's led by Captain Richard Arthur "Red" Denton. They also played on Sundays at the Gage Park bandshell.
Stares served in WW1 and went to England where he met Frederick Joseph Ricketts his bandmaster counterpart in the British Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders. Ricketts had just written a new ditty, a joke song about a fellow officer who was a bad golfer.
Stares loved the song and brought it back home to play it for his own band for the first time over here. It later became a big hit in WW2 with words added. - Colonel Bogie March aka (The Bridge over the River Kwai March).
Yup you heard it in Hamilton first!
Yes, of course.
I may have been thinking of chronological order, which would, as you say, be wrong.
Thanks for this interesting addition. I had read something about The Bridge over the River Kwai music, but not those tidbits!
For someone who reached this stature, I am not too surprised!
Thank you so much for contributing your family knowledge.
Thank you for this.
You are a relative?
My great uncle was Walter Denton one of his bandsmen. Harry taught music to most of my family. Richard Arthur Denton was my grandfather.
I am glad you found this and thank you again for contributing.
Stares family big in Hamilton Anglican Church music.
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Look up Edward Jeremiah Dewey Stares, and his children.
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Arhur Stairs, Jack (john), nefews of"Uncle Harry".
The trale is not that cold.
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