Accompanying Gracie: The Life, Times and Music of Harry Parr Davies (1914-1955)

© 2015 Andrew Everett MA. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 02/12/2015

ISBN: 978-1-4969-9450-9 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4969-9451-6 (e)

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

List Of Illustrations

– Unless Stated Otherwise Photos From Parr-Davies Collection

Introduction

Acknowledgments

Author’s Note

Chapter 1 Childhood And Youth (1914-31)

Chapter 2 Meeting Gracie (1931-2)

Chapter 3 The Song-Maker

Chapter 4 Gracie’s Films (1932-4)

Chapter 5 George Formby And S. Africa (1935-7)

Chapter 6 Usa Tour (1937)

Chapter 7 A Busy 15 Months (1937-1938)

Chapter 8 Time For Change (1939-1940)

Chapter 9 Canada Tour (1940-1)

Chapter 10 ‘Trooper’ Davies (1941- 1942)

Chapter 11 New Musicals (1943)

Chapter 12 The Later War Years (1944-1946)

Chapter 13 Demobilised (1946-9)

Chapter 14 More Musicals (1950-51)

Chapter 15 Final Years (1951 - 1955)

Postscript

Appendix 1 Alphabetical List Of Compositions

Appendix 2 Chronological Lists Of Compositions

Appendix 3 The Draft Text Of ‘The Curfew’

Appendix 4 Chronology

Appendix 5 Bibliography

Endnotes

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

– Unless Stated Otherwise Photos From Parr-Davies Collection

1 - Grandison Street, Briton Ferry (Edward Beckerleg)

2 –2 Arthur Street Neath (Edward Beckerleg)

3 – Organ inside Gnoll Road Congregationalist Church (1935 Jubilee Booklet)

4 - Harry at 17 years

5 - Harry with agent Ben Aza

6 - Gracie and Harry in Capri paying cards.

7 - Harry and Gracie at ‘Greentrees’

8 - Harry in a cameo role in ‘Queen of Hearts’

9 - Outside Doctor Naegeli’s Klinik in St Moritz

10 - Pasadena with Gracie signing autographs

11 - Dinner with Charlie Chaplin, Paulette Goddard, Gracie, Monty and Harry

12- Harry’s Christmas Fun Cheque

13 - Gracie and Harry with Mounties in Canada

14 - Albert Hall concert programme

15- ‘Trooper’ Harry at piano with Gracie

16 - Family Grave (permission of Edward Beckerleg)

17 - ‘Billie’ unveiling plaque in Old Town Hall Neath 2000

18 - Plaque in Old Town Hall Neath 2000

Introduction

Harry Parr-Davies was no more than a name to me until I saw the documentary play about Gracie Fields and realised that the songs Sing as We Go, Wish Me Luck As You Wave Me Goodbye, Pedro the Fisherman, and I Leave My Heart in an English Garden were all composed by the same man. This set me about discovering more about him. Consulting the internet, I discovered a web-site and even more importantly was given Gabrielle Bell’s CD of Harry’s music covering the styles and sounds of 30’s, 40’s and 50’s I also gathered as many items of second sheet music and two vocal scores. After compiling a family genealogy I now started to collate my material into biographical form so I could explore the man and his music set against the times he lived in.

I consulted local libraries for Groves and Dictionary of National Biography. Giving ore personal detail were the archives in Neath and West Glamorgan Libraries and I quite quickly came across accounts of the 2005 Exhibition in Neath about Harry, which Edward Beckerleg had mounted with the help of late Bill Hanks. I contacted them both and they were helpful. Edward in particular provided with copies of material on the boards he had provided for the exhibition. Even more importantly, he posted to me CD’s of Harry’s music covering the styles and sounds of 30’s, 40’s and 50’s.

Law’s book on Her Majesty’s Life Guards Band gave me further information about his time as a trooper as did the band’s archivist of Life Guards Museum Cumbermere Barracks, Windsor. The census, passenger sailing and newspaper sections of internet genealogical programme Find My Past provided me with material not only about Harry, Gracie, but also about the concerts given by the band. Two more resources proved interesting, but less useful. The editions of Gracie’s and George Formby’s films were interesting in so far as they put their talents on display, despite being often poor in their musical attribution.

Many popularist biographies and autobiographies of George Formby, ‘Hutch’, the Hulberts and many more that had contact with Harry revealed surprisingly little about him, beyond the detail of a show for which he was providing the music. The 3 biographies of Gracie Fields and her own autobiography were better here because they retail anecdotes of her relationship with him, even if vague about actual dates. Many of the above books contain factual errors concerning incidents, dates, places and people encountered and the reader is rarely given the source of material. Some are mere fabrication against ascertainable facts. This similarly applies to many newspapers cuttings available over the years.

A trawl of local second hand music shops, such internet companies as Amazon, Abe Books UK and The Sheet Music Warehouse, has resulted in two vocal scores, about 100 items of sheet music and a number of revue programmes. For details of the musicals (9 in all) with which Harry was involved, Ganzl’s comprehensive review of British musicals was very useful. Also Harry’s contribution to British films (28 in all) reviewed by internet programme from IMDB was invaluable. This has allowed me to compile a list of his compositions, mainly about 230 songs by sorting out what he actually did and did not write for each of 28 film, 9 revues, 9 musicals as well as a few instrumental works and ballet music.

Acknowledgments

My wife Mary for proof reading

The late Bill Hanks for his information and website

Edward Beckerleg for help with the material from the Davies family archive. He acted previously in the possession of Harry’s sister Marjorie (‘Billie’) David. and now in Neath Library. Toni her granddaughter has given permission to use the archived material for instance photographs, letters and anecdotes; for his encouragement and liberal supply of other information, including recorded music from many sources, featuring Harry’s music;

West Glamorgan Archives; particularly Harriet Eaton for the text of The Curfew and other staff of Neath Library; Neath Antiquarian Society;

staff of Kensington Library;

the widow of Professor Rex Meadows (and her posting of a CD of her husband, accompanying Gabrielle Bell, in a selection of Harry’s music);

Peter Wilson (Classic CD’s of Carlisle);

the archivists of Irish Guards and Life Guards;

George R Laws

Author’s Note

There are some practical difficulties in assessing Harry’s complete output (mainly c. 220 songs from all sources). While 2 vocal scores of musicals are readily available second hand, the scores of his other 7 musicals were probably not published nor were those of revues. However, publishers did indeed issue some individual songs from musicals films and revues as well as many individual items he composed.

At present second-hand sheet music and scores together with a variety of available recordings are the best sources on which to make a partial judgement of his achievement. Therefore using what I have able to gather from sheet music, songs records and scores, I have made short comments in the text. I have outlined plots of films and musicals he was involved with as well as giving relevant details in the revues. Where possible I have placed the song in context.

CHAPTER 1

CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH (1914-31)

11 Grandison Street, Briton Ferry

In the already crowded terrace house of 11 Grandison Street, Briton Ferry, a baby was born on 24 February 1914 - Harry Parr Davies. His father, David John Davies (born in March 1880 in Rhydyfelin, Pontypridd) was a shop manager and his mother Rosina Parr (born 1882) was a pupil teacher. David John had come to Briton Ferry and was a lodger with the Parrs.¹ The young Davies family were still living in with Rosina’s parents. They had two daughters Glenys Kathleen (born 1908) and Marjorie (nicknamed ‘Billie’ born 1911). Rosina’s parents Henry and Lucy were originally from Devon, coming from Buckland Brewer, a village a few miles inland from Bideford. They had crossed the Bristol Channel to find work in one of the industrial villages dedicated to coal mining and ironworks to the east of Swansea. Henry came in 1850’s to work in the coke works as a coker while Lucy was a glover.

The household was musical. Both parents sang; father later became a member and then secretary from 1928 of the Neath Male Harmonic Society, a local male voice choir. Harry (whom the family called Boy) had a keen musical ear and so began to pick out tunes on the piano, even when only 3 or 4 years old. The family often sang songs at home.

In August, World War One (WW1) had been declared and sometime early in the war, the five members of the Davies family left the Parr’s house in Briton Ferry to move east. Having been refused the army, David John went to Treherbert up valley from Pontypridd to work in the offices in Bute Colliery. Owned by United National Colliery Ltd based in Cardiff, it employed 120 men.² There was possibly a rented house with job.

The Rhondda and Swansea Railway had provided a meandering rail line basically carrying coal from the upper Rhondda mines to Swansea Docks It ran from Treherbert (its connection with the Taff Vale Railway was at the side of Bute Colliery) via upper Rhondda to travel down part of the River Neath valley to Swansea Docks. Neath was connected with its mainline. As it also carried passengers, it is possible that the family used the railway to go from Neath to Treherbert.

By May 1919, Harry was ready to start school at Tynewydd Primary School, opened in 1863. There as a five-year old, he played the 1918 popular Tin Pan Alley waltz song, I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles on the school piano – a presage of the future Harry playing for an audience. Harry kept on with musical activity teaching himself not only to read and write music but compose his own verses with the undoubted encouragement of his parents, sisters and teachers. His sister Billie recalled that he used to rule his music out on sheets of paper and hang them out to dry. In the family home, if they wanted him out of the way, they would give him a half-a crown to ‘disappear’.

The family now moved back to the Neath area to a terraced house near the town centre at 2 Arthur Street. Harry attended the Gnoll Primary School, just round the corner from home.

2 Arthur Street, Neath

He was self-confident enough in his compositional skills as a 7 year old to send to the popular Princess Mary, the Princess Royal, a song/cantata of his own devising on the occasion of the marriage to Viscount Lascelles on 28 February 1922. Typical of her, the effort was graciously acknowledged.

In c.1923, he transferred to Neath Intermediate School, where he continued his general education. While there, he decided that music was to be his career. He not only played the piano, and then the violin but precociously realised that he had an ability to write melodies. The result was he composed a number of songs usually to his own lyrics and later pieces for piano, violin and organ.

Organ inside Gnoll Road Congregationalist Church

Harry was taken up by Seymour Perrott, Borough organist, also organist at Gnoll Congregationalist Church. He had been an Associate of the Royal College of Organists (RCOG) from 1910. He would take up as much work home for his next lesson in a week as would be sufficient to last an ordinary pupil for a month or six weeks.³ Perrott lived just further up the Gnoll Road near to Arthur Street across from the communal park, the Victoria Gardens.

Harry despite his other studies and activities decided to consolidate his efforts at composition by trying to get his music published. So he wrote to music publishers, such as Lawrence Wright, one of the main publishers of popular music of the time. Wright had himself c.500 songs and was active from 1915 until 1941 (using pseudonyms Horatio Nicholls and less often another Everett Linton (e.g. in 1926 for the song I Never see Maggie Alone). In 1927 he published Shepherd of the Hills, I Hear You Calling, and Among My Souvenirs, which became international standards. Harry had read about him:⁴-

Horatio Nicholls

c/o Lawrence Wright Mus. Pub.

Dear Sir,

Please find enclosed MSS of songs I have written. I am only 14 years of age,⁵ and on reading your life story, I decided to write to you. Could you advise me in what way I could make a living for myself at song writing. You will be able to judge by the songs I am sending you whether I shall ever make a ‘hit’. I am not very rich, and am at present a pupil at the Neath Intermediate School. What do you advise my next step should be. Would it be possible to gain an interview with You. I know you are the head of the Lawrence Wright Music Publishing Company, could you get them to accept one of my song for publication as it is hard to find publishers. To help me get a start in the musical world, I am so anxious to get on. You were in my position once, help me now please. Could you find a competent lyrist (sic) and make him to write words of a song, and let me set to music, do give me this chance. Hoping that my songs will meet with your approval,

I remain

yrs sincerely

H. Parr-Davies

P.S/ I know that you are a very busy man, but would it be possible in the near future to join an interview.

He in a few years would meet with Horatio Nicholls and work with him on some of his songs. A similar letter was sent to another well-established publisher:-

Francis Day & Hunter

Dear Sir.

Please find enclosed a few M.SS of songs I have written. I am submitting these to you for your perusal with a view to publication.

I am only 134 years of age and I was wondering whether you hold any auditions, if so I would be glad if you would allow me to be present at the next one you hold.

If you ca If the songs are not up to Publishing standard I would be glad if you would let e know my fault so that I may remedy it.

Could you put me in touch with a competent lyrist, as my greatest difficulty is finding works.

Hoping that my composition will meet with your approval.

I remain

yrs sincerely

H. Parr-Davies

Francis Day and Hunter would also later become a frequent publisher of his songs. Nevertheless, about this he has a foxtrot played at the Empire Cinema Neath which opened in 1926,⁶ no doubt by resident pianist and music teacher, Gladys Williams.

The Curfew⁷

During his time at the Intermediate School, the teachers helping him with the language, structure and music of the piece, he wrote a 3-act operetta the Curfew. This was based on a romantic poem, much liked by Queen Victoria, written in 1867 by 16 year old poetess, Rosa Hartwick Thorpe called The Curfew must not ring tonight. (see appendix III for transcription of the original text). The story is set at the end of the Civil War. Marie Blanche saves Jack Courtnay her lover from wrongful execution as the murderer of a nobleman. She stops the curfew bell ringing, the signal for his execution to take place. The scenario written in an exercise book, elaborated the poem’s structure into 3 acts and developed the plot so as to provide dialogue, interspersed with musical numbers for songs, duets and choruses. This is most likely to be an early draft he provided for his teachers. It would be informative if the finished article and its music could be found.

The model used for the work is akin to Walter Scott’s more romantic novels to which mild humour and sentiment are added – as seen in operettas, English musicals and opera semi-seria - i.e. after trails - a happy ending. Set during the trial period of King Charles 1, it is a tour-de-force for one so young. It scarcely matters too much that it is set at the wrong time of year, for the trial and execution of Charles 1 took place in January 1649, not at the harvest time the operetta celebrates. Charles 1 is the assassin named), but he could not have done the dirty deed. The motivation behind Gerald de Maur’s murder also needs clarifying. There are other historical anomalies in Act III concerning the priests and Oliver Cromwell. It is possible that the final work ironed them out.

Its atmosphere is generally convincingly rural. Despite overpunctuation, e.g. a myriad of commas interfere with the enjambement of the verse,