Wine is a Mocker

Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise

Proverbs 20: King James Bible

I arrived a bit early for my meeting at Blackburn Museum & Art Gallery today. Whilst waiting, I went for a quick root around this veritable 'cabinet of curiosities' (I can justifiably use this term because the exhibits actually included one!).

Lots of things caught my attention today, including what looks suspiciously like a pair of Edward Burne-Jones Pre-Raphaelite mosaics in the lobby. My chosen blip today though had to be this shot taken of the Temperance section - and in particular, the wonderful Mrs Lewis' Teetotal Mission Statement. I didn't realise at the time that her header: 'Wine is a Mocker' originates from the bible, but it turns out it does.

You may have gathered by now, but temperance is not something I subscribe to very often. It was chosen today though because the word subconsciously triggered a reminder of Wingates Temperence Band based in nearby Westhoughton. This traditional northern brass band was established in the 1870s as an alternative to the 'evil drink', and is still going strong today (although it lost the 'Temperence' bit in both word and deed quite a few years back).

The reason I know all this is that my grandad James played the large B flat tuba (I think) for Wingates from around 1915 to the mid 50s. Wingates were, and still are, a seriously good brass band, and amongst a lot of retained memorabilia, I still have grandad's Crystal Palace National Championships winning medal from 1931.

Postscript: My photoblog here shows a picture framed on our staircase, first published in the local paper of my grandma welcoming back my victorious grandad in 1931.

There is also a picture of grandad here taken 10 years earlier in 1920, and currently hosted on the Bolton Museum website. He is seated front right of the band, just by the titled big bass drum.