There can be no doubt about who is buried in this grave.
Mr James had led a very interesting and eventful life, as you will read in the detailed obituary published in the North Wilts Herald, but I do have one quibble. Well, not just one. In the obituary there is but a passing reference to the wife who predeceased him. She is however, mentioned on the kerbstone of this elaborate headstone along with her mother. Sadly, both sides have sunk into the heavy clay soil and are almost lost.
Death of Mr. W.D. James
A Well-Known Swindon Musician
The death has taken place, at the age of 55, of Mr William David James, of Victoria Road, Swindon, a member of a well-known family of musicians and one of four brothers who have achieved considerable renown in musical circles.
Deceased was, perhaps, the least famous of the quartet, but there were few more accomplished violinists in the West of England, and there is little doubt that, had he chosen, he would have made his mark, as his brothers have done.
What he knew about music he learned from his uncle, Mr. William Hawkins, of Wellington Street, Swindon, who for nearly a quarter of a century was bandmaster in the 2nd Battalion Wilts Volunteers and for many years musical director to the GWR Mechanics’ Institute. Mr. Hawkins took his nephews in hand when they were quite youngsters, and under his tuition they soon became proficient. Deceased played the trombone, both in the Regimental Band and the New Swindon Amateur Minstrels, which was an orchestra of 40 performers, and of which Mr. Hawkins was also conductor.
Subsequently, he left the GWR Works to enter the musical profession, and for a short period he played first violin in the Royal Aquarium Orchestra at Brighton, but family considerations induced him to return to Swindon, and he took up his old position as a clerk in the Locomotive Department at the Great Western Works.
Practically the whole of Mr James’ life was spent in Swindon. As a boy he sang in St. Mark’s Church choir, his uncle being choirmaster, and in later years his services as a violinist were in great demand at local concerts. On many occasions he played first violin at performances given by the Swindon Choral Society and the Cirencester Choral Union, and, following in the footsteps of his uncle, he conducted an excellent orchestra of his own. Devotees of dancing invariably found it a pleasure to indulge in their favourite pastime to music furnished by Mr. James’s orchestra, and for many years it has been one of the best known in the district.
Deceased’s three brothers – Messrs. Edwin Fred James, Frank G. James and Wilfred G.T. James – are all at the top of the tree in their profession, being members of the King’s Private Band and also professors of the Royal College and the Royal Academy of Music. At one time and another they have been engaged at all the principal musical festivals in the country, and some time ago they visited the United States with the London Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Arthur Nikisch. Mr. Frank James plays the trumpet, and the other two brothers are the principal bassoon players at Covent Garden Opera and all the great London concerts. It was as a old employe in the Great Western Works that Mr. Wilfred James gained a scholarship at the Royal College of Music, and from Swindon he went to London and quickly made a name for himself in the profession. At the present time he is the principal bassoon player in the Queen’s Hall Orchestra, under Sir Henry J. Wood.
The late Mr. James, in addition to being a well-known musician, was prominently identified with Freemasonry in Swindon. He was initiated into the Gooch Lodge in 1896, and, having passed the various degrees, was 10 years later made Worshipful Master of the Lodge. Latterly, his health had not been robust. He had a seizure some time ago and was compelled to go into a convalescent home at Weston-Super-Mare. After treatment at that institution he returned to Swindon, much improved in health, but some months back he had a second stroke, from which he never really recovered, and on Friday he passed away, to the regret of a wide circle of friends and acquaintances in Swindon and the neighbourhood.
Mr. James’s wife pre-deceased him some years ago. He leaves four sons and one daughter.
Extracts from the North Wilts Herald, Friday, June 26, 1914.
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