Gill Backhouse wrote to Nostalgia last month in her role as secretary of Chorleywood Choral Society – to find out if anyone knows when the society was first formed.

They had always thought it was some time during the Second World War, but while one of their members was researching the celebration of Armistice Day in previous years, they came across a piece in the West Herts and Watford Observer about a concert by the Chorleywood Choral Society on November 11, 1921.

“The concert took place in the Ebury Hall Rickmansworth – the Memorial Hall in Chorleywood wasn’t opened until the following year.

“The conductor was Mr Whitaker-Wilson and the programme included some of his own compositions plus At the Abbey by Charles Villiers, For the Fallen by Elgar and Peace Lives Again by Frederick Bridge.”

Ms Backhouse said that information had come as a great surprise to them, and so they put out an appeal for more information, and found a fair amount from church magazines suggesting it was in 1939 the Rev Lewis Roberts, curate responsible for St Andrew’s (then a daughter church of Christ Church) chaired a meeting at 30, Carpenters Wood Drive at which the music society was founded.

The object was to bring together a number of friends and fellow music lovers to present ‘drawing room concerts’ by instrumentalists and groups of singers.

One of these was Ernest Dennis, born in 1889, who initially worked alongside Rev Roberts in the venture, but soon became the society’s conductor, ably supported by accompanist Alice Harrison.

Ernest was a church organist of experience and ability, and at a second meeting seven days later, this time in Christ Church school hall (Ernest was headteacher), the action of the founders was ratified, including a change of name to the Chorleywood Music Society.

While Lewis was curate, he arranged for the society to take part from time to time in services at St Andrew’s. He instituted what was called a Special Musical Service on August 10, 1941, and from September, over the next three years, members of the society began occasionally to sing anthems, solo pieces, sometimes prayers and, at Christmas, carols. Doris Daniel was perhaps the best known solo singer. On Sunday, March 22, 1942, The Crucifixion was performed. 

In 1976, the society’s name was changed again, to the Chorleywood Choral Society – and when that happened, it was stated there had been a society of that name in the early part of the century. The big question is: When?

That 1921 report mentions the conductor as a Mr Whitaker-Wilson. Well, Ms Backhouse did some research and discovered a Cecil Whitaker-Wilson who was born in Birmingham and married in Hendon in 1916.

She writes: “Presumably, it was soon after then that he and his wife came to live in Chorleywood. Whether he was involved with the re-forming of the Society in 1940, again I do not know, but he celebrated the Queen’s Coronation in 1953 by composing England and Empire, performed by the Chorleywood Music Society. This work was the climax of a series of works ranging from the time of Queen Elizabeth I.”

Ms Backhouse said Whitaker-Wilson lived at The Walnut Orchard, Chorleywood Common and was a prolific author as well as composer.

“We would all love to know when and by whom Chorleywood Choral Society was actually formed as we may be approaching our centenary,” she writes.

“Having recently discovered Sir Henry Wood – who also lived in Chorleywood – was involved in the design of our War Memorial Hall, we wondered if he had anything to do with an early choral society?”

Does anyone know any more? Please get in touch.

Contact Nostalgia, by clicking here watfordnostalgia@london.newsquest.co.uk