Rye Musician.
By T. E. Sims
Before he left Rye Secondary School, Roberts Ernest Cutting, eldest son of Mr. and Mrs. R. Cutting of Lea Avenue, Tilling Green, always wanted to be a musician.
Following in his fathers footsteps, he joined Rye Town Band as a Boy Cornet Player, with his school pal, Dennis Batchelor. Both Mr. Cutting (senior) and Mr. Batchelor (senior) had a long record in Rye Town Band.
At 14 years of age. Roberts became assistant principal cornet player and until he joined the Army at an early age, continued in Rye Town Band.
He soon joined the band of his regiment, the 3rd Dragoon Guards. (or Carribineers). With them he made recordings and broadcasts and played at many concerts under eminent conductors, among them the late Sir Malcolm Sargent.
Roberts mother was also very keen on Music and as a girl she spent most of her weekends listening to the band concerts on Hastings Pier. (At the Old Bandstand). ‘I never thought I would sit and listen to my son playing with his army band and as a ‘soloist’, says Mrs. Cutting.
When he left the army he went to work at Morris Motors and soon joined the Works Band. Whilst there he married, at Rye Church, Miss Margaret Curtis of Rye, who herself played in Rye Town Band. Later he moved to the British Leyland Group and played with Chosley Silver Band as conductor – bandmaster. He has now moved on to Abingdon and has recently been appointed bandmaster of Abingdon Borough Band. His whole family are very proud he has gained such an honour. Mr. Ray Cutting, his father, was a member in Rye Town Band from an early age and continued for many years until the band broke up early in 1970. His two brothers, Dennis and Jim, also were members. An uncle, Ernest Cutting, after whom Roberts is named, was lost in Rye Lifeboat Disaster.
Roberts and his wife, Margaret, have a son of five and a half and a little daughter of three.
His Army Band training was at Kneller Hall.
From Rye’s Own Quarterly issue October 1971
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