In performance in Hamburg

Denis Harper & Bert Hunt playing at Hamburg




The Five in Jive

These two were kindly supplied by Denis Harper's wife Jean. They show members of the band in performance. In contrast to the formal postcard prints, the musicians are in mufti rather than army uniform. I have shown beneath each photo the caption written on the back. Although Denis was accordionist with the Band of 14AOD, he was also an accomplished pianist. The "Five in Jive" picture is interesting as it corresponds to the personnel seen in the Glinde photos and also on the recording of "Dinah", further evidence that these members of the band sometimes performed as a quintet.

Don's guitar is an interesting detail. It is a flat top with a round sound hole. Compare this with the postcard prints, where we see him with an archtop with f-holes. Neither of these was his own guitar (which I still have - more on that later.) Someone has suggested that the archtop is a Gibson Cromwell, although the logo on the pegboard is indistinct. I can understand that Don would not have wanted to take his own guitar on overseas service, but how did the band acquire the instruments they used in France and Germany? As far as I can tell Denis's accordion, Ted's drum kit and even the white chairs are the same. What happened to the guitar?

"Ralph" in Glinde

The top picture shows Don Mackie with two saxophonists. That's Art Sutton on the left, this time with a tenor. (On the recordings I have, he plays only alto and clarinet.) The altoist does not appear in any of the other photos. On the back of the full-length picture, Don has written "This is Ralph." He is absent from the Arromanches photo and he is not wearing medal ribbons, while Don, Ted and Denis are. This indicates he was not with 14AOD in Caen but joined them only when they reached Glinde. Is he the second saxophone heard on "American Patrol"?

14AOD in Glinde

After V.E. Day, 14AOD moved to Glinde, near Hamburg, to handle returned ordnance. This is a series of informal pictures which I presume was taken in Glinde, as some of the men are wearing medal ribbons for the 1939-1945 and France & Germany stars. We see only five of the members of the band here. These correspond to the quintet heard on one of the recordings and a photo - to be published here later - of the band in performance. I believe these photos were included with letters home from Don to his wife Eileen. Where applicable, I have included the notes he made on the back.





3 Stooges (Arthur - Teddy - DJM)
(Wipe that smile off your face!)


3 Stooges again.
(I'll let you have a better one when we make an enlargement)



3 Heroes.
(That's Denis in the middle - bless his little 'eart)



Inseperables



Just reading through one of your letters here
(That's Eileen in the picture on the window sill.)

Pictures of the Band

These are a series of formal postcard prints of the band. They are from my father's collection and have been signed by the other musicians.




Bert Hunt

Yours on a "Blue Chord". Bert

















Ted Willmott

Best wishes always. Ted

















Don Mackie



















Denis Harper


Yours in tempo. Denis Harper


















Claude Page


Happy Days. Claude Page








Frank Simpson

To Mac

















Art Sutton

Yours swingcerely


















Claude, Denis, Don and (just about) Ted

What this is all about

During WWII, my father served in the Royal Army Ordnance Corps. In October 1944, he was posted to Caen in France with 14AOD (Advanced Ordnance Depot). He played guitar and he soon became part of an army dance band "The Band of 14AOD". After VE Day (8 May 1945) 14AOD transferred to Glinde near Hamburg to handle returned ordnance.

Dad brought back with him various records and photos of the band. But he never actually played the records. They lay gathering dust until a couple of years ago when I dug them out and had them cleaned up and transferred to CD. I was interested to know more about the band and its members. I sent a photo in to the Daily Mail's "Missing and Found" column and made contact with relatives of some of the other musicians. Comparing notes with them has enabled me to fill in a lot of the gaps, but I would still like to know more. The band comprised:

Art Sutton - alto saxophone and clarinet. He was originally from Leicester, but later moved to Birmingham. After the war, he developed a successful hosiery business called "Knickers"

Denis Harper - accordion. From Loughborough. He went on to be a successful band leader.

Claude Page - trumpet. From Rothwell, Northamptonshire. He played with a number of bands, including a 40s Big Band made up of veteran performers.

Ted Willmott - drums. From Carshalton.

Bert Hunt - piano. From Aldershot.

Don Mackie - guitar. From Abbey Wood, SE London.

Frank Simpson - bass.

I know that Messrs Harper, Hunt, Mackie, Page, Sutton and Willmott are no longer with us. So far, I have not established any contact with any family or acquaintances of Frank Simpson. But if he is still alive, he will now be in his late 80s.