Police sergeant serenaded by the banjos next door

‘The Portsmouth and District Banjo, Mandolin and Guitar Club were off into the Ben Hur overture, and at the end of it the soft, appreciative voice of Mr Goble assured the players they were ‘‘in form tonight’’.’

And so began a 1969 feature from The News’ one-time sister paper The Hampshire Telegraph.

One of its reporters had spent an evening watching a rehearsal of the club at a venue revealed by the piece’s next paragraph.

‘The music of what to some is a bygone era, wafted out into a warm summer night, and, perhaps, even filtered into the nearby Cosham police headquarters where the like of a busy police sergeant may not always have the opportunity to let his mind wander to more romantic thoughts that the music may have conjured up.’

The elderly gent in the picture on the right of the front row is Archibald Flower and the two photos here come from his granddaughter Valerie Bosley.

I wonder if the club is still going?

Continuing the musical theme, Richard Houghton, the author of The Beatles – I Was There is now writing a people’s history of The Who marking 50 years since the band exploded on to the British music scene.

He would love to hear from anyone who saw them perform in their early days. Perhaps you were at one of their appearances at the Savoy Ballroom, Southsea, in 1965?

Richard can be contacted via [email protected] or by letter at 1 Totnes Road, Manchester M21 8XF.

CALLING ALL READERS

I’m about to embark on an additional weekly nostalgia project with The News, one in which you can play a major part. The first will look back at 1970 so if you have a particular memory of that year please write to me with your memories and send lots of pictures. My e-mail address is at the top of the page.