John Vernon Beecroft
Sex: M
Individual Information
Birth: 1893 - St. Marys, NSW, Australia 1
Christening:
Death: 1959 - Ashfield, NSW, Australia 1
Burial:
Cause of Death:
AFN :
Events
• Event, The Sydney Morning Herald, 26 Jan 1927
AUSTRALIAN BAND.• Event, The Sydney Morning Herald, 12 Oct 1927
ENGAGED FOR CANADA.
The Australian Commonweath Band now in New Zealand, on its way back from a world tour, will, after its Australian appearances, return to Canada to fulfill an engagement for a series of concerts at the Western Fairs. The leader of the band for these concerts has bee accepted, it is announced in a cable message received from the conductor, Mr. Alber H. Baile, by the secretary Mr. V. J. Beacroft, who is now in Sydney. The engagement will take the band through Canada, from Vancouver to Toronto, and will conclude with several performances at the Toronto Exhibition in September.
Thirty bandsmen, representing various States in the Commonwealth are included in theis organization, which has been travelling for the past 16 months over an extensive territory, including England, Canada, the United States, and Africa. The band will arrive in sydney on February 22, and will give a concert here on February 26. Mr. Baile, the conductor, held a similar post with the Newcastle Steelworks Band on its tour abroad. With these two bands he took part in four championship contests in England, and assured first awards in two of these, Bellevue and Hallifax, and third and fourth place in the other two.
AUSTRALIAN BAND.• Event, The Mercury (Hobart, Tas.), 28 Jan 1928
Successes in Canada.
Trouble with American Federation.
The Commonwealth Band, which will return to Sydney by the Aorangi on Friday, is coming back with the added prestige of great public receptions in Canada and in two States of America. But it has also had the experience of being prevented from accepting engagements to play in other centres in the United States, because, it is explained, of the attitude adopted by the head of the North American Federation of Musicians.
Mr. Vernon J Beacroft, manager of the tour, who has reached Sydney in advance of the band, states that at least three contracts to play in America were offered during the series of successes in Canada, but could not be accepted, solely because, he points out, Mr. Weber, of New York, president of the North American Federation of Musicians, would not agree to any such engagements, and advanced as his reason, he adds, that foreigners could not be allowed to compete in this way with American bandsmen. Mr. Beecroft, who went to New York to discuss the matter with him, reminded Mr. Weber that American musicians were permitted to come into Australia and pursue their calling, and also admitted to the unions. He made an offer that his bandsmen should join the American union, but in vain.
When the band, of which Mr. A. H. Baile, its conductor, left Australia, it had already entered into contracts for six engagements at the western fairs of Canada, received as the result of the impression it made on a previous tour of the Dominion. As it had, upon arrival in Canada, three week to spare, it went into the States of Washington and Oregon, in America, and there gave a series of concerts, without any objection from the Federation of Musicians. Its success was empatic. The Press notices were highly eulogistic. "To say that the visitors 'out-sousa-ed Sousa' might, be a fitting simile." was the verdict of the Bellingham "Herald" (Washington), and the Portland "Telegram" began its review: "The Australian Band played as well as the Australian Army fought in Flanders; no higher tribute can be paid." Later, in Canada, the success of the visiting musicians was just as emphatic. They fulfilled their engagements at the fairs and then gave about 30 concerts in various cities of the Dominion. The enthusiasm of the public may be estimated from the fact that at Calgary, where the Commonwealth Band had played at the fair to 23,000 people, it gave a fortnight's return season to capacity houses.
It was during the Canadian tour that Mr. Carruthers, director of an amusement corporation, heard the Australian visitors, and at once offered them the three contracts in America already mentioned, to play at fairs if matters could be arranged with Mr. Weber. These fairs are agricultural and industrial shows, at which the bands appear in open-air programmes, sharing interest with vaudeville entertainers as an additional attraction for the public Naturally the members of the Commonwealth Band were eager to accept this offer of renumerative engagements, especially as Mr. Carruthers gave an assurance that these would probably lead to other appearances. But the project had to be abandened, when Mr. Weber, refused his sanction. Mr. Weber agreed to permit the Australian Band to play in vaudeville houses; but this offer, Mr. Beacroft states, was later withdrawn, because the Australians refused to abandon a contract, already half fulfilled, to play in Winnipeg.
It would have been possible, of course, for the Commonwealth Band to embark upon a concert tour of America without interference from the Federation; but the diffculty in this case, Mr. Beacroft explains, would have been to obtain halls at definite dates for an uninterrupted route. This enterprise was comparatively simple in Canada, but in America such a venture would have been doomed to failure.
COMMONWEALTH BAND• Event, The Argus (Melbourne, Vic.), 13 Sep 1928
World-famed body.
Coming to Hobart.
The Australian Commonwealth Band, under the beat of Mr. Albert H Baile, fresh from its success abroad, will shortly appear at the Strand Theatre.
The band was originally the Newcsstle Steel Works Band, that went to England to play at Wembley in 1924. The were to play for three weeks, but were so well liked that they stayed for three months, which proved to be the record band engagement for Wembley. Because of the excellence of its work the band was chosen to play for the Royal luncheons when the King and Queen of England and the King and Queen of Rumania visited the exhibition.
After a highly successful tour in England the band returned to Australia by way of South Africa and New Zealand, being whole-heartedly receved by the musical critics and the general public in each country visited.
Mr. Baile now hit on the idea of making the band representative of the whole commonwealth. He reorganized his forces, choosing the finest soloists available, and began his second world tour in 1925. He again visited New Zealand and Africa on his way to England, and after a successful season in the mother-land, returned to Australia in 1926 by way of Canada and New Zealand.
RECEPTION IN CANADA
In Canada the band aroused such enthusiasm that Mr. Baile got an engagement to return in 1927, to play for all the Canadian Western fairs (yearly agricultural and industrial exhibitions) at the rate of 4,000 dollars (£800) a week. Having three weeks to spare before the first fair began, the time was spent in the United States. Here success was unbounded. One critic wrote that the band "out-sousaed Sousa" in classical pieces, and equalled Paul Whiteman in jazz. In Canada the band was acclaimed as the finest ever heard. The Sashkatoon "Star" said: - "Better even than the Coldstream Guards' Band."
"Similar engagements were offered in the United States, buth the American Musicians Union prevented the fulfillment of the contracts," said Mr. V. J. Beacroft, manager of the band to a representative of "The Mercury" yesterday. "The president of the union said he deemed the band's engagement competitive with American musicians, and would use every means in his power to prevent the band appearing. He threatened to declare any fair or theatre "black" if it engaged the band, and to call out all union labour. I made a special trip to New York, and explained that our band did not wish to displace American musicians in orchestra pits or dance halls as Americans displace Australians in Australia at the present time, but merel wished to play as a stage attraction. But the union president would not listen to reason, and contracts worth 15,500 dollars had to be given up. We played for a further month in Canada, and then came home."
Since its return to Australia last September the band has aroused great enthusiasm in Brisbane, and the other towns of Queensland, and in Sydney, where it had a run of ten weeks at the Haymarket Theatre, and is now giving a three-weeks season in the Capitol Theatre, Melbourne, where crowded houses have witnessed to its popularity.
To sum up, the band is presented as a stage attraction, giving selections from the great masters, sacred and descriptive numbers and modern jazz, with full lighting effects, and its great versatility is the secret of its success.
The musical director, Mr. Baile, has in all competed in four contests in England with his Australian bandsmen, and has won two first prizes, one third and one fourth, including the Empire championship, and the world's greatest trophy for bands, a gold shield worth £2,000. He holds the Belle Vue conductor's medal for 1924 and 1926.
PERFORMANCE IN THEATRE.• Event, The Sydney Morning Herald, 1 Aug 1929
Claim by Band Succeeds.
Mr. Justice McArthur, in the Banco Court yesterday found for the plaintiffs in actios in which John Vernon Beacroft and Albert Henry Balle, of the Australian Commonwealth Band, sued Robert McLeish and G. F. Carden, claiming damages for breach of contract. Plaintiffs claimed that through Beacroft they had arranged with McLeish to give performances at picture theatres at Camberwell and Collingwood for five nights for £250. They had arranged with Carden to give a performance at the Adelphi Theatre, Nicholson street, Carlton, for the same five nights for £112/10. Plaintiffs claimed that the arrangement fell through because it was distasteful to certain of the moving picture authoritites.
McLeish in evidence yesterday denied that any definite arrangement was complete.
Mr. Justice McArthur said that he was satisfied to accept the statement of plaintiffs in the matter. McLeish had apparently enterered into an arrangement without realising that he was restrained by some understanding with Hoyts. There would be judgement for £235 against McLeish, and judgement for £102/10/ against Carden, each judgement to carry costs.
Mr. K. Morrison (instructed by Messrs. Westley and Dale), appeared for plaintiffs, and Mr. Menzies and Mr. P.D. Phillips (instructed by Messrs. McClerry, Robson, and Mendes), appeared for the defence.
MUNICIPAL BAND.• Will, The Sydney Morning Herald, 16 Mar 1939
CITY COMMISSION REJECTS PROPOSAL.
The City Commissioners have rejected a proposal to establish a municipal band in Sydney.
It had been suggested that the Australian Commonwealth Band should be re-formed as the "City of Sydney Military Band." Yesterday the Commissioners decided that they could not agree to the proposal for such a municipal band which had been submitted by Mr. Vernon J. Beacroft.
IN THE SUPREME COURT OF NEW SOUTH WALES.-Probate Jurisdiction -In the Will and Codicil of EMMA JANE SOLOMONS late of Armidale in the State of New South Wales Widow deceased.-Puisuant to the Wills, Probate and Administration Act, 1898, the Trustee Act, 1925 and the Testator's Family Maintenance and Guardianship of Infants Act, 1910: Notice is hereby given that every creditor or other person having any claim against the Estate of Emma Jane Solomons, the abovenamed deceased, who died on the thirtieth day of June one thousand nine hundred and thirty-eight and Probate of whose Will and Codicil was on the 6th day of February 1939, granted by the Supreme Court of New South Wales to VERNON JOHN BEACROFT the sole Executor In the said Codicil named, Is hereby required to send particulars in writing of such claim to the said Vernon John Beacroft In care of the undersigned. WEAVER GENTLE & HARRISON, at their office hereunder mentioned, on or before the 18th day of May 1939, at the expiration of which time the said Vernon John Beacroft will proceed to convey and distribute the assets of the said deceased to and amongst the person entitled thereto, having regard only to the claims of which he then has notice; and Notice is hereby further given that the said Vernon John Beacroft will not be liable, for any assets or any part thereof so conveyed or distributed, to any person of whose claim he shall not have had notice at the time of such conveyance or distribution. Dated the 14th day of March, 1939, WEAVER GENTLE & HARRISON Proctors for the Executor, 111 Faulkner Street, Armdale.
Parents
Father: James Henry Beecroft 2
Mother: Ada Hawke 3
Spouses and Children
1. *Alma E Solomons
Marriage: 1918 - Newcastle, NSW, Australia 4
Status:
Sources
1. Online Australian Birth-Marriage-Death Index (http://www.bdm.nsw.gov.au/familyHistory/familyHistory.htm).
2. pritchliz@bigpond.com, My Connections (rootsweb.com).
3. graemedavidwilson@yahoo.com, Mr. Graeme WIlson (ancestry.com).
4. Online Australian Birth-Marriage-Death Index (http://www.bdm.nsw.gov.au/familyHistory/familyHistory.htm), Newcastle district; 11820/1918.