Fort Williama Girls Military Band
Welcome Visitors!
Welcome Visitors!
This website is dedicated to my Mother Catherine Drew ( Johnson ) and friends, families and members of the Fort William Girls Military Band, Orchestra, and dance troop of the WWll era. The photos are at random but if you can name a band member or a person in a photo or want to post band photos on the site email us at [email protected] subject "band".
CLICK ON PHOTOS TO ENLARGE
CLICK ON PHOTOS TO ENLARGE
early orchestra photo 1938
bass fiddle...Thelma McCoy
piano...Catherine Johnson [Drew]
singer...Gladys Smith who sang a
beautiful rendition of Ava Maria.
Ethyl Round is playing guitar that is laying flat ( Hawaiian style ).
B. Killbank is playing the other guitar. They are both Epiphone electric guitars.
Maurice Jackson played saxophone as depicted in this post card. Mom
is standing behind xylophone but played piano. Maurice told her to stand there just for this post card.
This is a Great Lakes Girls Orchestra post card.
Catherine behind piano.
Dorothy McCoy on drums
Thelma McCoy on tuba
post card. Dorothy McCoy did a
drum solo in the song Sing Sing Sing
post card
post card
post card
reverse side of post card
post card
greeting the top brass
Maurice and Amelia Jackson
Directors for the band and orchestra and for the all girls marching pipe band called the
Hilties
singer for the orchestra Gladys Smith in centre of photo
Lonny
Dingwall in
centre of
photo , he was MC and equipment manager
Catherine and her best friend Lily David ( Upton )
Catherine at about age 13 She joined the dance revue portion at age 12 in 1936 and worked her way up to marching band( bass drum) and orchestra
(piano) until 1946.
Thelma McCoy and Catherine at about age 14 wearing uniform to play large bass drum in marching band
Catherine on right and I am trying to verify if the three girls are the three Kowalski sisters Sophie
Anne and
Josephine
Ethyl Round
was in marching band (trumpet) and in orchestra
( electric guitar). She was a bridesmaid at Moms wedding.
Thelma McCoy and Dorothy McCoy and Catherine.​
Thelma's
nickname was "Bubbles"
Thelma McCoy and
Shirley D'Arcy and
Dorothy McCoy
Gladys Smith on left and Amelia Jackson
Shirley Darcy leading the band. Thelma McCoy on tuba.
CPR ststion
Waiting for the troop train. Catherine and niece Josie Roberts
Christmas Day 1945
CPR station in Fort William.
troop train arrival.
Josie giving a rose to a unknown sailor.
Christmas Day 1945
One of the troop trains the girls met were what Mom called the Hong Kong Vets.
The girls played many cities and the bus and the trailer broke down often. Here they are push starting the bus.
Lonny Dingwall
Harvey
Smythe in suit. He made one trip with the band and wrote a book about the Jacksons.
Maurice
Jackson
Catherine and Thelma McCoy
The band went through several different names, some of which are
depicted in the photos.
Catherine
Catherine
Catherine on bass drum
Catherine
Catherine
The girls played in many cities. The dance revue and the marching band and the orchestra were all one in the same. Dance revue girls marched with the band usually in front with batons. Some as young as 6 years.
Girls that were in the marching band also played in the orchestra. Catherine played the large bass drum in the band and played the piano in the orchestra. Most of the girls could play several different instruments.
Some of the cities they played were : Fort William ( Orpheum theatre) , Trenton ( Air force base ),
Winnipeg ( playhouse theatre ), Steep Rock Mb, Duluth , Hibing, Lindsay. Brandon Mb,
Shilo training camp. The following pictures were taken at Shilo.
Catherine driving the Jeep
Shilo fire hall
unknown guard
at Shilo gate
unknown WACs
Shilo
unknown WAC
unknown mens band at Shilo
These guys were taken out of a mess call lineup for this pic.
Fort William Girls Marching Band members so far :
Catherine Johnson
Sophie Kowalski
Anne Kowalski
Josephine Kowalski
Ethyl Round
Milly Porter
Lily David
Eileen Bangs
Marguerite Moors
Kay Baker
Elsie O'Kanski
Kay Oram
Margaret Peterson
Joan Allen
Suzanne Ganja
Joan Brassard
Gladys Smith
Shirley D'arcy
June D'arcy
Thelma McCoy
Dorothy McCoy
Margaret Doak
Shirley Killbank
Gertie Niefiadomy
Mildred McMartin
Geraldine Hogan
Doreen Hebert
Irene Bodnar
Geraldine Alexander
Johanna Phillips
Mable Kirk
Mina Kirk
Shirley Colvin
Eileen Bodnar
Vera Denby
Elsa Anderson
Taimi Euren
Shirley Plater
Betty Wright
B. Killbank
Dance Revue Program. Catherine only did one dance revue when she first joined at age 12
zoom to read
zoom to read
A few newspaper articles : click on photo then zoom to about 200% and scroll to read, zoom back to 100%
VE day,
close to midnight, some of the girls ran out to march in street clothes