“THEN THE BAND PLAYED .” 
the Lancashire district in which only five 
bands took part, all told. 
After we had all five played, the judge 
stepped on to the platform and, having stated 
that he had already decided upon the first 
and second prize winners, requested bands 
Nos. i, 3, and 4 to play again, to enable him 
to place them. 
We were No. 5, and 
while the three bands 
were playing off we 
spent the time shak- 
ing hands with band 
No. 2 and wondering 
which of us was first 
and which second. 
Imagine our aston- 
ishment when the 
judge again mounted 
the platform and an- 
nounced that he 
awarded the first, 
second, and third 
pri zes 1 0 the ban d s t h a t 
had just played again, 
giving us fourth place 
and No. 2 band fifth 1 
These stories are quite true. The soloist 
in No. 1 and the dummy in No. 2 both lost 
their lives in the deplorable colliery disaster 
here in West Houghton in 1910. 
Mr. E. R. FODEN, 
Secretary of Foden's Motor Works Band, which has 
won prizes at every contest attended since 1908, 
including the Belle Vue Championship three times out 
of four, in 1909' 10- 11, and the Crystal Palace 
Championship and l,00(f Guinea Trophy. 
There are a number of amusing incidents 
connected with our band, but in the first 
place it is difficult to recall them all just when 
you want to make a selection of the best, and 
in the second, although an incident may be 
very amusing at the time, it is difficult to put 
down in black and white just what the actions 
conveyed to the mind. 
Though we are a Cheshire band, our work- 
shops are recruited, of course, from all parts 
of the country, and our bandsmen, accord- 
ingly, are men from many different counties. 
Among them are two Birmingham men, 
who are great friends, and who, when the 
band is away on engagements, almost invari- 
ably occupy the same room and sleep together. 
'The men of the band are a good-natured, 
light-hearted lot, and these “ away ” engage- 
ments are thoroughly enjoyed, a good deal of 
fun being generally got out of them. Now, 
when the band was going to the Isle of Man 
not long ago the men were chaffing on the 
Vol. xlvi. 38. 
303 
boat and saying that sometimes a man’s hair 
turned white the first night on the island. 
They stayed at the Central Hotel, and the 
two Birmingham men, as usual, had arranged 
to sleep together, so the other bandsmen, 
thinking they would have a. joke with them, 
sneaked upstairs before they retired for the 
night and dusted the 
pillows of their bed 
t h i c k 1 y with flour, 
which they had got the 
cook to let them have. 
Our two friends 
from Birmingham did 
not retire very early, 
and, having been 
laughing and talking 
with the rest down- 
stairs till a late hour, 
they were very tired 
when they got to their 
room, and, pulling off 
their clothes, tumbled 
quickly into bed with- 
out noticing anything. 
About three o’clock 
in the morning one of 
them had a bad dream, and woke up with 
that curious sensation of foreboding and 
disquietude which often follows a nightmare. 
It was pitch-dark in the room, but, anxious 
to see the time, he got out of bed and, striking 
a match, went to the dressing-table to look at 
his watch, 
Imagine his horror when, upon catching- 
sight of his reflection in the mirror, he per- 
ceived that his hair was quite white. 
Dropping the match, which burnt his 
fingers, he gave a loud cry that awoke his 
mate and made him sit up in bed. 
“ Whart’s the marter, whart’s the marter ? ” 
says he, in his broad Birmingham twang. 
“ Oh, Johr, Join* ! ” says the other, wring- 
ing his hands, “ I’ve gorn grey in a night 1 
I’ve gorn grey in a night ! ” 
“ Nornsense ! 57 says Joe, climbing out of 
bed. “ Ye’re drunk ! i doin’ t believe yer.” 
“ Then look at my hair ! ” says Harry, 
striking another match. And there they were . 
the match held like a torch between them, 
each in his nightshirt, standing staring, with 
eyes wide with horror and surprise, at the 
other’s whitened head ! 
Meanwhile the boys in the next rooms had 
been aroused by their voices, and burst into 
the room just in time to see the picture 
presented. 
I will leave you to guess the chaffing those 
two men afterwards came in for. 
“BLOWING AND SHAKING IIIS FINGERS UNTII, I IF, 
WAS RED IN THE FACE, WITHOUT MAKING A SOUND ! ” 
