James Arthur Travers (1890-1952)

[wes williams]

On the first page, and at the end of this thread I gave a little bit more information about James Travers, a concertina player, tuner and repairer, along with a photo. Today I borrowed my wife's Ancestry account and found him on the first try! I've messaged a lady who appears to be his grand-daughter, so this may lead to a proper article with more details. But here's a summary:

 

Born James Arthur TREVERSH (which is why many searches never worked!), on 19 Mar 1890 at Clapham, London. By 1901 he is living in Battersea, and by 1908 he is with the East Surrey Regiment. At the end of WW1 he is living in Sheepcote Lane, Battersea where he remains until ~1938, and moves to Somerset by the 1939 telephone directory(TD), Isle Brewers by 1946 TD, and Castle House, Enmore by 1951 TD. He died 4 Oct 1952.

 

Since the description of him in late 1949 says he has over 45 years experience of the concertina, it takes us back before 1905, so it's possible he started work aged 12 in 1902. I'm reminded very much of the early days of Tommy Williams, also of Battersea, who worked for Lachenal. Perhaps they knew each other?

 

Edited May 24, 2021 by wes williams

[Stephen Chambers]

He's in Somerset in time for the 1939 Register Wes (taken on 29 September 1939), which provides a snapshot of his life at the outbreak of WW2. His address is given as Merry Garden, Langport, occupation Army Pensioner Disable[d], along with his wife Florence V. Travers, occupation House & Shop Duties.

 

[wes williams]

Thanks Stephen,

Merry Garden appears to be in High Ham, a small village in the Langport district. Your mention of him as an Army Pensioner brings up something that has puzzled me. In the advert below from July 1950, he prominently features the abbreviation C.D.G which I thought might be 'Croix De Guerre' . Anybody have any ideas?

[sadbrewer]

On 5/24/2021 at 11:15 PM, wes williams said:

On the first page, and at the end of this thread I gave a little bit more information about James Travers, a concertina player, tuner and repairer, along with a photo. Today I borrowed my wife's Ancestry account and found him on the first try! I've messaged a lady who appears to be his grand-daughter, so this may lead to a proper article with more details. But here's a summary:

 

Born James Arthur TREVERSH (which is why many searches never worked!), on 19 Mar 1890 at Clapham, London. By 1901 he is living in Battersea, and by 1908 he is with the East Surrey Regiment. At the end of WW1 he is living in Sheepcote Lane, Battersea where he remains until ~1938, and moves to Somerset by the 1939 telephone directory(TD), Isle Brewers by 1946 TD, and Castle House, Enmore by 1951 TD. He died 4 Oct 1952.

 

Since the description of him in late 1949 says he has over 45 years experience of the concertina, it takes us back before 1905, so it's possible he started work aged 12 in 1902. I'm reminded very much of the early days of Tommy Williams, also of Battersea, who worked for Lachenal. Perhaps they knew each other?

 

 

His Service Record shows him as being a Plumbers Mate at the time of attesting for the East Surreys in 1908.

 Apparently he deserted in 1911, and again in October 1914.

Edited February 3, 2022 by sadbrewer

[Alan Day]

I used to play Water Polo for the Avondale Swimming Club based at Latchmere Baths and had a girlfriend in Sheepcote Lane . Some of the first Prefabs were built there. He was certainly walking distance to Tommy Williams who lived just off Silverthorne Road where it joins Queenstown Road near Battersea Park. Tommy, I understand, tuned and worked freelance for Lachenal. I feel certain that they knew each other. Thanks for the memories.

Al

[Pikeyh]

Wes, if you can find out any more about him I’d be very interested as I now own his specially commissioned Wheatstone 68 key Jeffries duet system Aeola . It looks like the one in the photo of him .

[Mike Franch]

Just saw this thread. I note the reference to "tune alteration" in the advert. I wonder if this refers to changing the keys of Anglos or moving instruments from the old high-pitch tuning to the modern A440--or to both! Are there many references to re-tuning in advertisements? I haven't noticed them before.

[Stephen Chambers]

On 9/9/2022 at 10:31 PM, Mike Franch said:

Just saw this thread. I note the reference to "tune alteration" in the advert. I wonder if this refers to changing the keys of Anglos or moving instruments from the old high-pitch tuning to the modern A440--or to both! 

 

Just saw this post - quite possibly both I'd think.

 

Indeed I strongly suspect that James Travers was the tuner who retuned Bob Cann's original Hohner C/F Club model button box to D/G (a major step in the history of D/G box playing in England) - since tuners were thin on the ground (and who else was there in the vicinity?) and his letter-head mentions "chromatic melodeons" (then the predominant style in England), and I know that some other concertina tuners started working on accordions in the 1930s (when piano accordions took over from concertinas in popularity). Back in the '70s John Clifford (husband of the renowned fiddler Julia Clifford) told me how he used to get broken accordion reeds replaced by "people called Jeffries in Kilburn" in the '30s (Jeffries Bros. were at 18, Lincoln Mews, Kilburn), and Crabb's old rubber stamp showed that Harry Crabb had offered accordion repairs (though in later years "Accordion" got removed from it, leaving an odd-looking blank space).

 

As for retuning to A-440 - though it had been agreed on as an International Standard in 1939, World War 2 delayed its implementation and it was only afterwards that, over time and as needed, people got their instruments changed, and it wasn't until 1964 that production of High Pitch brass instruments ceased.

 

 

[symon]

It is interesting that he arranged music for concertina. I've not seen his name in the ICA archives (with an admittedly cursory look). I wonder if anyone has any of his music?

[Pikeyh]

19 hours ago, Stephen Chambers said:

 

Just saw this post - quite possibly both I'd think.

 

Indeed I strongly suspect that James Travers was the tuner who retuned Bob Cann's original Hohner C/F Club model button box to D/G (a major step in the history of D/G box playing in England) - since tuners were thin on the ground (and who else was there in the vicinity?) and his letter-head mentions "chromatic melodeons" (then the predominant style in England), and I know that some other concertina tuners started working on accordions in the 1930s (when piano accordions took over from concertinas in popularity). Back in the '70s John Clifford (husband of the renowned fiddler Julia Clifford) told me how he used to get broken accordion reeds replaced by "people called Jeffries in Kilburn" in the '30s (Jeffries Bros. were at 18, Lincoln Mews, Kilburn), and Crabb's old rubber stamp showed that Harry Crabb had offered accordion repairs (though in later years "Accordion" got removed from it, leaving an odd-looking blank space).

 

As for retuning to A-440 - though it had been agreed on as an International Standard in 1939, World War 2 delayed its implementation and it was only afterwards that, over time and as needed, people got their instruments changed, and it wasn't until 1964 that production of High Pitch brass instruments ceased.

 

 

wow! That’s amazing about Bob’s melodeon .