Walked To Practice Mr. Charlie Sillence was born at Carters Clay in 1915 and taught to play the cornet at the age of nine by his father, Mr. Walter Sillence. He joined the Lockerley Band in 1925 and was tutored from then on by Mr. David Moody. Such was his keenness that he walked from Newtown to Lockerley for practice until his parents could afford a bicycle for him. The young bandsman soon made progress. He attended the first Wessex Summer contest at Downton in 1925 and the contest at Romsey the following year, playing in every contest since. Like Mr. Moody, his service was interrupted by war. He joined the Army in January, 1942, and served as a P.T. and Aircraft Recognition instructor with an Anti- Aircraft Battery in Malta, returning to England in November, 1945. He carried on with the band as solo cornet under Mr. Moody and took over lead solo cornet from him in 1948. In all he has won eleven medals for solo cornet, four of these in four consecutive contests in one year. As well as playing , Mr. Sillence has done much on the administrative side to keep the band going. He has been its Hon. Secretary since 1950. and also Treasurer since 1956. He is also solo cornet with Romsey Methodist Circuit Band and trumpeter for Wellow and Nomandsland British Legion. And as if that is not enough, he has also found time to act as a bell ringer at St. Leonard’s Sherfield English. for 42 years.