- by Fred Creighton
Possibly, Nellie Griffiths and Florence Easton. Both were cornet-playing members of the early-day Canadian Staff Band.
Nellie (Mary Eleanor) Griffiths was the daughter of Staff-Capt. Thomas Llewelyn Griffiths, the “Welsh Minstrelâ€, a pioneer Salvation Army officer involved in a number of early-day musical evangelical activities in Canada. Nellie, as a vocalist, was known as the “Welsh Nightingaleâ€. She was included in some of her father’s musical groups along with her brothers Richard and Robert. (Richard later became a Lieut-Commissioner, and Private Secretary to General Evangeline Booth; while Robert became the Bandmaster of the New York Staff Band [1907-1912]).
In the early 1890s, Nellie became a Salvation Army officer and a member of the Canadian Staff Band, playing cornet. In 1894 she was the conductor of a “Lassies Band†of the Salvation Army in Canada.
In May 1899 Nellie married fellow Staff Band member Ensign Henry Bale. They later transferred to the USA, retiring in 1938 in the Central USA Territory as, respectively, Territorial Home League Secretary, and Territorial Field Secretary.
Florence Easton became a Salvation Army cadet in 1897, and retired in 1928 as a Brigadier, serving, at that time, as the Assistant to the Field Secretary. She was a cornet-playing member of the early-day (1898-1901) Canadian Staff Band, as per the official Salvation Army Disposition of Forces publications. She was active in a number of other THQ musical groups, generally as the pianist, including: the Musical Musketeers No. 2 Company; the Staff Songsters; the THQ Orchestra/String Ensemble; and the THQ Staff Sextette; Florence was also the pianist/soloist/organist for a number of special Salvation Army meetings such as Commissioner Eva Booth’s meetings (1890s-1900s), General William Booth’s meetings (1907), and the Memorial Service at Massey Hall held October 1915.
Brigadier Easton was promoted to Glory in 1951.
All photos are provided courtesy of the Salvation Army Heritage Centre.
Note- in picture depicting Nellie Griffiths with the Territorial Staff Band (1898), Ensign Henry Bale is in the upper left corner of the picture, playing bass.