Portsmouth Music Scene


The Portsmouth Music Scene

John Henry Squire.


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He was married at St Mary's Church by Dr Cosmo Gordon Lang who went on to become Archbishop of Canterbury.

Marriages Jun 1905
to? Mary Robertson COOPER Portsmouth 2b 1032 (his vocalist)

Deaths Sep 1956 Squire John H age 76 Uxbridge 5f 129
Died: September 1956

Two children one called Betty
Births Dec 1908 Squire Elizabeth Esther Kensington 1a 128 ????

John Henry Squire (Royal Marines Bandsman and civilian orchestra leader) was born on 24 January 1880 at Holloway in London. He ran away to sea at the age of twelve and officially enlisted in the Royal Navy in 1898 as a band boy. He later transferred to the Royal Marines as a bandsman (Service Records notes cornet and violincello). He served on HMS Terrible and HMS Impregnable and saw service in the Boer War and Boxer Rebellion. He won three medals, East and West Africa Medal impressed to 350489. J. H. SQUIRE. BNDS. H.M.S. ST GEORGE with ribbon; Queen`s South Africa Medal impressed to 340489 J. H. SQUIRE. BAND. H.M.S. TERRIBLE with ribbon and Natal clasp; and China War Medal 1900 impressed to J. H. SQUIRE, BANDSN. H.M.S. TERRIBLE with ribbon and Taku Forts clasp. Note J H Squire is not on the Medal Rolls for East and West Africa campaign. Service Records have no record of his having served on HMS St George.

After serving with the Commander-in-Chiefs Orchestra at Portsmouth and with the Staff Band of the Royal Naval School of Music he left the Service in 1906 purchasing his discharge for £12 at which time he was stationed at Eastney Barracks.

He then began his civilian music career and founded the Celeste Octet which gave its first concert in 1913.
Squire was the subject of a Will`s Cigarette Card `Radio Celebrities` No 10 which credits him as `the man who introduced Jazz to England` and the man `who bought Irving Berlin`s first song.
He was Musical Director of six West End theatres conducting Peter Pan, - all at the same time; he introduced ragtime music to London in 1911 and sold more than 2,000,000 gramophone records. He also wrote at least twenty-four compositions including a suite called His Majesty's Ships. It claims a record for his Celeste Octet as having the largest sale of gramophone records of any "straight" orchestra in the world. In 1938 he published an autobiography `...And Master of None`.

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Sidney Crooke was a pianist with the J H Squire Celeste Octet
Charles Williams joined the famous J.H. Squire Octet and in 1920, he formed his own Charles Williams Octet. squire11x
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RECORDINGS
He made over 500 radio broadcasts from 1923 to 1955 and made many recordings on the Columbia label.
Here are just a few titles by the J.H.SQUIRE'S CELESTE OCTET.

Traumerei / Humoreske ?(Shellac, 10", Single, 80 ) Columbia 3407 R date unknown
ONE HOUR OF LOVE & PASSIONE COLUMBIA 3722
A: Whispering Flowers (Blumencefluster) B: Rose Mousse Columbia UK 3768 Nov 1925
A: Love's Old Sweet Song B: Poem Columbia UK 3796 Dec 1925
A: La Cinquantaine B: Gavotte Columbia UK 3877 Mar 1926
A: Whispering Flowers (Blumengefluster) B: Rose Mousse Columbia UK 3768 1927
Cavalleria Rusticana - Intermezzo B-SIDE OPENING CHORUS / EASTER HYMN Columbia 3943 date unknown
Melody In F / Cavatina ?(Shellac, 10") Columbia 4154 date unknown
Serenade / Moment Musical ?(Shellac, 10", Single) Columbia 4194 date unknown
Barcarolle Columbia 4294- 1930
Serenata / Extase Columbia 4382
EVENSONG AT TWILIGHT COLUMBIA 4983
MY INSPIRATION IS YOU COLUMBIA 5123
Nocturne In E Flat Side 2 - Liebestraum (Dream of Love) No 3 Columbia Records No : 6142 (AX 1660)
Melody (1.4 MB) Columbia 5639
Moonbeams And Shadows (1.4 MB) Columbia 5639
COLLETTE [VALSE] COLUMBIA DB 231
Side 1 - The Bohemian Girl then you'll remember me Side 2 - Maritana - scenes that are brightest Columbia 9107
Liebestraume No. 3 (Dream Of Love) (Shellac, 12", 80 ) Columbia 9142 1926
Largo In C / Rondo Capriccioso ?(Shellac, 12", 80 ) Columbia 9179 date unknown
On Wings Of Song/Ave Maria ?(Shellac, 12", 80R) Columbia 9275 date unknown
Classica ?(Shellac, 12", Mono) Columbia 9440 date unknown
Mignon ?(Shellac, 12") Columbia 9507 date unknown
CHAND SANS PAROLES & INVITATION TO THE VALSE COLUMBIA 9608
Memories of Mendelssohn 12" 78 COLUMBIA 9649
AVE MARIA B-SIDE SPRING SONG COLUMBIA DB 907
A Venetian Barcarolle-Serenade ?(Shellac, 12") Columbia DX 211 date unknown
Liszt: Liebestraum No. 3 in A-Flat Chopin: Nocturne in E-Flat, Op. 9, No. 2 Columbia DX 362 Recorded January 29, 1932
TWILIGHT ON THE WATERS COLUMBIA DB2
The Piccaninnies' Picnic Columbia DB-2
Twilight On The Waters Columbia DB-2
2009D EVENSONG AT TWILIGHT A7235 - (London)
2009D LAND OF DREAMS A7236 - (London)
2142D EVENING LULLABY A7234
2142D A KISS BEFORE THE DAWN A7994
2215D TOREADOR ET ANDALOUSE A7948
2215D MINUET IN G A7233
2393D MINUET SICILIANNE A10084
2431D THE CHORISTER'S DREAM A7940
2431D THE LONDONDERRY AIR A7941
Song Of The Celeste Columbia
Scottish Fantasia Columbia date unknown
The Wedding Of The Rose
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squire3.jpg squire7.jpg squire100.jpg squire101.jpg squire102.jpg

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Film 1943 Strange to Relate

JH Squire was the first Musical Director at The Mikado Cafe in Palmerston Road Southsea.
Played three afternoons a week in the Cadena Cafe Osbore Road for 2/6d a show.
and summer seasons on South Parade Pier Southsea in the 1930's

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1906 and 1928 on South Parade Pier

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1932 and 1932

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5-12-1936 ------ 2-6-1942

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1-10-1942 ----- 14-5-1949

Song Of The Celeste - J.H. Squire Celeste Octet (Columbia)


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JOHN HENRY SQUIRE (1880-1956)

J H or Jack Squire with his Celeste Octet became known throughout the world where the BBC reached and Columbia records sold from 1913 to the 1950s. The first Columbia record in Japan was a Celeste Octet recording. His dramatic and adventurous life began when as an eleven-year-old in 1891 he ran away from home and became a ship’s boy sailing the Americas. He returned to join the Navy as a cadet bandsman playing the cornet despite being under age at fourteen. He progressed to serve on HMS Impregnable, during which time he played for Queen Victoria at Osborne House and then joined the famous Mission of HMS Terrible, seeing action in the Second Boer War and in the Boxer Rebellion from 1898 to 1902 , for which he earned three medals.
The East and West Africa Medal impressed to 340489 J.H.SQUIRE. BNDS. H.M.S. ST GEORGE with ribbon. HMS St George was the flag ship at Simons Town where the mission laid up for a while to prepare for action. The Queen’s South Africa Medal impressed to 340489 J.H.SQUIRE.BAND. H.M.S. TERRIBLE with ribbon and Natal clasp; and the China War Medal 1900 impressed to J.H.SQUIRE. BANDSN. H.M.S. TERRIBLE with ribbon and Taku Forts clasp. From 1903 to 1906 he was Royal Marine bandsman no.143 and served with the Commander-in-Chief’s Orchestra at Portsmouth and with the Staff Band of the Royal Naval School of Music at Eastney Barracks before buying his service discharge for £12. Then, as a civilian, he began his famous music career as a cellist.

He spent several years playing wherever opportunities presented, in cafes and concert halls and clubs and particularly on passenger ships to New York. There he worked with a leading music publisher and helped promote Irving Berlin who was a poor street musician. He helped Berlin gain notice in London and the rest is history.
The eventual pleasure JH’s music gave to millions internationally might never have been if he had accepted the invitation to form an eight-piece group for the inaugural sailing of the Titanic; at that time his ensemble had five musicians and earnings were meagre. The White Star Line would not pay more for an extra three musicians and so JH remained with the Olympic where he was at the time. He was on the Olympic that fatal night returning to the UK. In 1913, JH formed the Celeste Octet which came to be known as the Father of all Small Orchestras; its instrument make-up might change frequently depending on the musical performance but started out with four violins, a celeste, piano, cello and double base. The first concert in Southsea was April 1914; over the years there were many concerts and the Octet returned again for its centenary performance sixteen years later.. JH was the subject of a Will’s Cigarette Card ‘Radio Celebrities’ No.10 which incorrectly credited him with introducing Jazz to England.
He certainly promoted it on the English music scene and formed a ragtime band in 1911 and had the first all-English jazz band. He was musical director of six theatres at the same time and was Sir James Barrie’s musical director on Peter Pan for ten years from 1920. He wrote many compositions including a Suite ‘His Majesty’s Ships’ which was intended for King George V and was performed by the Royal Marine Band on several occasions. He played several times for the King; he played at Dartmoor Prison and many cafes, concert halls and theatres. His BBC daily and weekly programmes were numerous . JH also gave talks on the wireless covering his life’s adventures. During WWII, he was with ENSA and played throughout the country and frequently in France. He was a great mentor of individual musicians and gave many their start in the music business. A famous one was the celebrated violinist Tom Jenkins who died tragically young in his forties. The Celeste Octet is claimed to have had the largest sale of gramophone records of any ‘straight’ orchestra in the world at the time, some 2,.000,000.

He was Vice President on the Board of the British Authors’ and Composers’ Society alongside the Earl of Lauderdale and Sir Henry Wood.
J H Squire married twice. In 1905, J H Squire married Mary Robertson Cooper at St. Mary’s Church in Portsea and Dr Cosmos Gordon Lang officiated. He became the Archbishop of Canterbury in 1928. Mary Robertson was the vocalist and pianist with the Celeste Octet. She died in January 1917 and the well known Frank Reade became the pianist for many years. There were two sons Ian Henry Robertson (1906-1983) and Keith Norman Robertson (1907-1991). Ian worked for Columbia and then in estate management. He joined up in WWII but remained in the country due to weak health. Keith became an international bridge player and was the author of many books on bridge after WWII using his second name Norman. In the thirties he was a well-known cabaret dancer of Squire & Viney fame and then enlisted, earning a Mention in Dispatches in 1945.

On 9 February 1917 JH married Dorothy Beastall (1894-1983) in London.
They had three daughters and one son.
Barbara Ann (1918-2012) Dorothy June (1921-) Thomas James Douglas (1924-1979) and Elizabeth Joan (1925-2000)
Madeleine Robertson Squire


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