Horn-u-Copia's Display of Makers

Starting around 1884 the Salvation Army began as a dealer selling other makers brass instruments. They opened a repair shop in 1889 at 96 Southwark St.

In the 1880s and 90s the Salvation Army under the guidance of William Booth, started a number of shops in a variety of fields including matchmaking, brush making, basket-making, carpentry, tinsmith shop, tambourine making, wood carving, mattress making, bakery, chair making, sign writing, tailoring and others. A brass instrument shop seemed to be inevitable.

Starting around 1884 the Trade Department in London sold other makers brass instruments, which were listed in the first SA Tune Book in 1884. By the late 1880's the SA had almost 400 bands which could use repair services. Consequently, Commissioner John Carleton, of the Trade Department, suggested that the SA open a brass repair shop in London. This was opened in 1889, under the supervision of the Trade Dept., in a basement room of the IHQ at 96 Southwark St. The shop began with two experienced brass workers and one 16-year-old apprentice. The apprentice, Jack Furness, later became the head of the factory and also the Bandmaster of the St. Albans corps band.

After the brass shop opened for repairs in 1889, it was natural that the SA should eventually become a maker of instruments as well. In 1890 the new second edition Tune Books had a whole page of SA instruments available from the Trade Dept. These first instruments from the shop were made from parts, if not whole instruments, purchased from other makers. The first complete instruments made in the SA shop were produced in 1893 and were proudly called, "Our Own Make". From a business point of view, the SA production of instruments was an instant success, especially after the General, in his "Orders to Field Officers", required that all SA bands buy their instruments from the SA. Orders poured in and production increased so that by 1894 there were 17 workers employed and this increased to 60 workers ten years later.

From 1890 to 1896 the brass shop was located at 98, 100, and 102 Clerkenwell Rd., London. In 1896 they moved to 79, 81 Fortess Rd., London, until 1901. The address was stamped on the bell of these instrument. (Serial 5,049 comes from this period). In 1901 the SA opened a factory for instrument making in St. Albans. This factory was called the Campfield Musical Instrument Works.

From 1890 to 1896 the Trade Dept. and the brass shop were located at 98, 100, and 102 Clerkenwell Rd., London. In 1896 they moved to 79, 81 Fortess Rd., London, which was the location of instrument making until 1901. Instruments made during this Fortess Rd. period were the first ones stamped with the address on the bells.

Offerings for the student market (youth bands) included models including: Herald, Jubilee, Reliance, Endurance (French import) and Congress. Limited production models included: Special Congress, Festival, Fanfare and Deluxe. The primary student model was the "Gold Medal" which became the Triumph. The Triumphonic models were added in 1914, and continued in production until the factory closed.

The instruments were first made in high pitch. But they also made low pitch instruments at least as far back as 1926 (Factory records were lost in a 1926 fire). They continued making high pitched instruments until 1964.

In 1901 the SA opened a factory for instrument making in St. Albans, a northern suburb of London. This factory, called the Campfield Musical Instrument Works, was near the SA printing facility, called Campfield Press, which is still in operation in 2001.

The factory produced all of the instruments of the brass band including the early pocket cornet and G trombone. They even designed and patented an Eb bass trombone with a slide going forward as usual and one going backwards as well, both working together with ropes and pulleys. Some SA bands in England between 1909 and 1922 started to use saxophones. The SA did not make these instruments.

Several attempts were made to produce a less expensive instrument line for small corps and youth bands. Each attempt ended abruptly because ways could not be found to produce a cheaper instrument.

Some of these model lines were called Herald, Jubilee, Reliance, Endurance (imported from France) and Congress. Other names for limited production or specialty instruments were Special Congress, Festival, Fanfare and Deluxe. The main model line for senior bands in the early years was called Gold Medal, later changed to Triumph with the Triumphonic models being added in 1914. The Triumphonic line was made until the factory closed.

From the beginning, brass instruments in England were built in high pitch, (A= 452), sometimes called philharmonic pitch.

Most of the rest of the world used low pitch (A= 440), sometimes called continental or international pitch. The Campfield Works made both as far back as 1926, indicated in the oldest remaining factory records. It is likely that both high and low pitch instruments were made before 1926 as well. In 1964 Boosey and Hawkes, the other well-known brass band instrument maker decided to cease making high pitch instruments and the SA agreed to do the same.

The St. Albans factory was in operation until 1972, when it was sold to Boosey and Hawkes. By terms of a seven-year agreement, B & H continued to make, for the SA, only the top of the line, Bandmaster cornet and the Triumphonic tenor horn until the agreement ran out in 1979 when all SA instrument making came to an end.

The last instrument made by the SA in 1972 was a Herald cornet with the serial number 34283. By then the machinery was getting so old that accurate parts were difficult to make. Some of the equipment still in use was bought as war surplus after World War I. The SA decision-makers in London decided not to fund the modernization of the SA factory because of the huge cost and because it had been losing money for several years.

The Campfield Musical Instrument Works had a vibrant history of serving the needs of SA bands. Instruments were made with thicker metal and heavier silver plate to meet the needs of active schedules and sometimes-hostile street corners. Several designs and patents were attributed to the Works including the before mentioned Eb bass trombone, the first trombone slide lock and a special drop-end lyre for trombone that did not have to be removed before the instrument was put in a case.

The factory kept pace with its competition too with compensating valves for lower brass. Even though only 34,000 instruments were produced in 83 years, these instruments were produced to serve the Lord, and to meet the needs of ever-expanding bands in the Army world. Many of the workers in the factory right from the beginning used their skills to make instruments and to play them, too, in corps bands. Today we pay tribute and give thanks to those dedicated men and women, who gave so much to the history of Salvation Army bands.

Addendum: The Salvation Army Repair Shop No. 2 was opened in February 2001 in Kingston, Jamaica, where each week unusable instruments are being returned to the playable state, both for the SA bands in the Caribbean and for other bands as well.

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