Marlboro Drum and Bugle Corp April 2015

“THEY WERE THE BEST”
1930s
HERBERT F. AKROYD POST 132
AMERICAN LEGION
DRUM and BUGLE CORPS
3 TIME NATIONAL CHAMPIONS
1Bob Kane 2015 Marlboro Historical Society

THE BEGINNING
• Winter of 1928/29
• Joe Varley & Ed. Dunn get idea
• At time the city had about 15,000 people & the
Post had about 100 members
• Had no members that could beat a Drum or blow a
Bugle
• Had no Equipment nor money to buy any

The Beginning Cont.
• Henry T. Eager, Post Treasurer purchased with
his own monies, 10 Drums
• 10 prospective drummers bought uniforms out
of their own pockets for $1.50 each
• One member (Harold R. Wheeler) played &
taught piano & became the group’s teacher
• Along with the help of Fred Stone they started
to develop a Corps with Ed Dunn as Drum Major.

The Beginning Cont.

Edith Rogers Cadet Team

The Beginning Cont.
• Spring of 1929 they marched in VFW parade in
Marlboro & stole the show with everybody praising
them.
• The Drummers tasted blood & dug deep and in
August bought new uniforms at John M.
Carpenters store in Marlboro.
• They looked so good that 7 other members
volunteered to learn drumming, so more drums
were needed.

THEN CAME THE BUGLES
• Six (6) members volunteered to learn with Dr.
Kelleher as “Bugle Sergeant”
• The Treasury stepped up & purchased 7 Drums and
6 Bugles
• Harold & Fred then taught them
• By the time of the Mass. State Convention at
Westfield in August, everybody had learned how to
play the drums & bugles and being Vets assumed
they could march.

Bugles Cont.
• The parade at Westfield was very long &
exhausting. It was to be reviewed by
President Calvin Coolidge.
• By the time the corps got to reviewing
stand, the buglers were utterly winded and
couldn’t blow their bugles.

Parade at Westfield

Bugles Cont.
• Due to the good publicity from Westfield the Post
added 30 new members
• 12 of these were Buglers, more bugles were
purchased
• The buglers rehearsed in Dr. Kelleher’s dentist
office
• Corps drilled in the State Armory

Dr. Kelleher’s Office (Then and Now)

Dr. Kelleher’s Office

1930
• Spring of 1930 – One year old
• New Drum Major : Major William Finn
injured in WWI – entered as private and
advanced to rank of Major !
• Marched in 12 parades winning anywhere
from $10 to $275

Members of 1930 Corps
Major William Finn - Drum Major
Joseph Beaulac Major Aaron Hosmer
Charles Bliss Dr. John Kelleher
Frank Boland Joseph McKenzie
Henry Callahan Albert Muir
Harold Chase David St. Laurent
Louis Collette Lieut. Nick Scouras
Louis Collins Harry Sherman
Edward Dunn Fred Stone
Henry Eager Joseph Varley
Wilfred Hamelin Charles Webber
Harold Wheeler

1931
• Hired famous drummer & maker of drums,
Lawrence Stone to be Drum Instructor
• Purchased new uniforms from Carpenters
• Parade over city streets to show off new
Uniforms, 5,000 spectators

1931 Cont.
• Kept winning every competition entered
• Won State Championship in Plymouth
• Held Fund Raising Drive to send corps to
Nationals in Detroit
• Finished 2nd to Miami in National Championship

National Convention (Detroit 1931)

1932
• Hired 2 expert musicians to instruct
– Lawrence Stone as Drum Instructor
– Walter Smith (the premier trumpet player in the
country)
• Did 16 minute broadcast on WTAG
• Sponsored Competition at Prospect Park

1932 Cont.
• 2nd in State Championship by ¼ point
• Won Eastern States Championship in East
Orange, N. J. viewed by 15,000
• Did not compete in the National Championship
in Oregon.
• Ended season with 12 first places and $2,300 in
cash awards

1932 Photo with
their
‘State Champions’
drum from 1931
(placard over year)

1933
• By spring the Post had 200 members and the
Corps had 70 men.
• Purchased new uniforms
• The Corps had 2 sets of uniforms, drums and
bugles.
• Lawrence Stone had invented a new and
superior drum & the corps bought them

1933 Cont.
• Competed in 18 competitions winning $2,625
that helped defray the costs to go to Chicago
• Up to Chicago they had won the New England
and 2 State Championships, and the Eastern
States, plus 49 first prizes and 6 second prizes.
• Won National Championship in Chicago by
biggest margin ever at the nationals and won
$1,250.

15th National Convention

Marlborough
Turns out for
Victors
24
William H Finn, leader of Akroyd Post,
American Legion, drum and bugle
corps, shown upon his return from
Chicago with the great trophy won by
the outfit. He’s the drum major.
Marlboro turned out to greet the
victorious homecomers
October 8, 1933
Bob Kane 2015 Marlboro Historical Society

Parade in Triumph Through Marlborough

1934
• Entered 17 competitions before the Nationals and won
16 & finished 2nd once. One of the wins was for the
State Championship
• Traveled to East Orange, NJ to defend their Title as the
Eastern States Champs but the competition was rained
out.
• Won second National Championship in Miami defeating
30 other units & the 2nd place unit by 5 points, ( largest
margin of victory ever ).
• Large “Welcome Home” reception / parade attended by
thousands & large reception in State Armory with the
Governor attending

1934 Cont.
• This year’s Champions consisted of 70 Members
– Major William H. Finn, Jr. Drum Major
– Rev. Francis Kelleher, Chaplin
– Charles Bliss, Corps Commander
– Christopher Ghiloni, Business Manager
– Dr. John A. Kelleher, Asst. Bus. Mgr. & Bugle Sgt.
– Harold Wheeler, Musical Director
– Henry Eager, Treasurer
– Fred Stone, Drum Sgt.
– Orai Peloquin, 1st. Sgt.
• Also, over the years the following, tirelessly taught the
members to do the following:
– The late Thomas English, Drill Instructor
– Walter Smith of Boston, taught Buglers

Returning from Miami 1934

Corps by old Post Office

1935
• Vote to censure Mayor for Ahepa Statement
• New baton made for Major Finn from 75 year old
ash tree
• Wins State Championship for 4th time
• Other corps unwilling to meet Marlboro in
competition cut down prize money
• Finish 5th at Nationals in St. Louis

1936
• Won State Championship for 5th time
• Finished 4th at Nationals in Cleveland only
sixth of point below the winner.
– 1st Edison, Chicago, Illinois 95.775
– 2nd San Gabriel, Ca. 95.625
– 3rd Philadelphia, Pa. 95.425
– 4th Marlboro, Ma. 95.125

1937
• Did not compete in State Championship
• Marched in various parades
• Wore Wheat Miners Lamps on helmets at an exhibition
in Holliston
• Finished Sixth at National Championship in New York’s
Polo Grounds
– 1 - San Gabriel, Ca. 96.82
– 2 - East Orange, N.J. 96.15
– 3 - Huston, Pa. 96.15
– 4 - Miami, Fla. 95.40
– 5 - Stamford, Ct. 95.00
– 6 - Marlboro, Ma. 94.90

1938
• 1937 National Champs, San Gabriel, Ca. writes stating that a warm
welcome awaits Akroyd Houde Post in Los Angeles in September
• Won 7th State Championship in Worcester
• Invited to exhibit at Madison Square Garden and in Salt Lake City
• To practice for Nationals they do parades and exhibitions
• Ten car special train w/125 persons, including 68 men of the unit
will leave at midnight on September 9th & will be away for 22 days.
The Governor, Congressman, Mayor, State Rep. & City Councilors
along with 3,000 see them off

Convention Booklet

Color Guard

1938 Cont.
• On application for National Championship under prizes won was
the following:
– 2 National Championships
– 5 Eastern State Championships
– 7 State Championships
– 248 First prizes
• Win 3rd National Championship beating out Commonwealth
Edison of Chicago!
• Great Hurricane back home
• Big celebration when they got home
– 3,000 persons greeted them home
– 25,000 view Celebration Parade
– 850 persons at Testimonial Banquet, including US Senator Henry
Cabot Lodge, Boston Mayor Tobin, the Mayor & other dignitaries!

September 20, 1938 Marlborough Enterprise

1938 National Champions LA Coliseum

Hurricane Headlines

Great Reception

Welcome to Champions

Parade

1939
• Won State Championship for the 8th time
• Wins World Championship by defeating the best
Veterans of Foreign Wars corps - the Acorn Post
Drum & Bugle Corps of Royal Oak, Michigan.
• Held at the Boston Garden in front of a crowd of
15,000 of which 1,000 came from Marlboro
• Place 5th in Nationals at Soldier’s Field, Chicago.
They were forced to compete in a blinding storm of
wind & rain after waiting 4 hours to compete.
Hackensack, NJ were the winners.

1939 Chesterfield Ad

1940
• Win State Championship for the 9th time in
Amesbury
• Serve as Liaison Officers & Hosts for the National
Convention in Boston, but will not compete
• Marched in Convention Parade that was seen by
75,000, which included several hundred from
Marlboro
• Four Majorettes parade with the Drum Corps for
the very 1st time

1941
• No corps competition at State Convention in Fall
River this year. First time since the
competitions were inaugurated.
• Many crack corps disbanding
• Corps is snubbed at State Convention parade
in Fall River
• Corps will not compete at the Nationals in
Milwaukee

Marlboro Drum and Bugle Corp April 2015

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