Arthur Delamont

Arthur (William) Delamont was born in Hereford, England, on January 25 in1892. He played clarinet and later cornet with his father and brothers in a Salvation Army band in Hereford. In 1910 the family moved to Canada and in 1914, intending to return to England for a great international Salvation Army convention, they suffered the sinking of the Empress of Ireland in the St. Lawrence River with the loss of many lives including that of Arthur’s brother, Leonard. Back in Canada with his family he played in a Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Salvation Army band, and, after 1922, in many Vancouver theatre orchestras. In 1928 he formed the Kitsilano Boys’ Band, remaining its conductor until his death. Achievements of the Kits Band under his direction were remarkable.. In 1936, they were the first foreign band to win a British championship at the Crystal Palace in London. In 1939, their third British tour was disrupted by the outbreak of war and they travelled home in peril across the submarine infested North Atlantic Under his influence many of the band’s members became professional musicians, including BC Hall of Famer Dal Richards. In 1976 he formed the Arthur W. Delamont Concert Band, which included many former students. Delamont also conducted the pep band at the University of British Columbia for more than 40 years. Delamont was named Vancouver’s Good Citizen of the Year for 1946 and in 1979 the Governor General appointed him a Member of the Order of Canada. Delamont Park in Vancouver is named in his honour. He died in Vancouver on September 11, 1982.