Introduction
Frank Rendell led a remarkable life as a military musician and bassoonist. After a childhood spent at Hardington Mandeville, he enlisted in the Somerset Light Infantry and later transferred to the Band of the Grenadier Guards, where he played the bassoon. For the last fifty years of his life, he lived in Tulse Hill, pursuing a career as a bassoonist and, later, as a teacher of the instrument.
Childhood
Frank was born on 17 January 1891 at Hardington Mandeville, the sixth of nine children of Edward Rendell and his second wife, Elizabeth (née Davis).[1] The family lived in a cottage in Rectory Lane.
Military career
In his youth, Frank enlisted in the 2nd Battalion, Prince Albert’s (Somersetshire Light Infantry). The 1911 census recorded him as a lance corporal and musician serving with the regiment in Malta. He also served with the regiment during the First World War and was included in Hardington’s Roll of Honour in January 1915.[2]
After the war, he transferred to the Band of the Grenadier Guards whose headquarters were located at Buckingham Gate, London.
Marriage and later life
On 15 June 1921, Frank married Jessie Mamari Bullivant at Holy Trinity Church, Tulse Hill by licence.[3] Frank, then thirty years old, lived at 127 Tulse Hill, while Jessie, five years younger, resided at 27 Tite Street, Chelsea. Jessie was born in East Ham, the daughter of a ship’s steward.
Initially, Frank and Jessie lived at 108 Cambridge Street, Pimlico, where they had two children in quick succession: Alan Davis, born 25 March 1922, and Diana Lorna, born 9 November 1923.[4] By November 1923, they had moved to 44 Arlingford Road, Tulse Hill.[5] A vaccination register from that time recorded Frank as a bassoonist.
In the late 1920s, Frank received a small inheritance following his mother’s death in July 1929. His father’s will directed that the family home be sold, and the proceeds divided equally among his sons.[6] As his father’s estate was valued at £109 10, and there were five sons, Frank probably inherited no more than about £20.
By 1937, Frank and Jessie were living at 70 Leigham Vale, Tulse Hill.[7] In the 1939 Register he described himself as a professor of bassoon and musician, suggesting that he was then teaching as well as performing. They later moved to 100 Leigham Vale.[8]
In 1941, their son volunteered for the RAF as a fighter pilot and, the following year, went to Canada for his training. A newspaper article about his training mentioned that he had been a member of the congregation and Youth Fellowship of Holy Trinity Church, Trinity Rise, and was a Patrol Leader in its Scout troop.[9] This suggests that the church remained a focal point for the family. Alan later flew in the Far East, and a contemporary newspaper credited him with dropping the last British bomb of the war.[10]
Frank died on 11 March 1971 at the age of eighty, leaving an estate valued at £7,667.[11] Jessie followed only a few weeks later, passing away on 18 April at the age of seventy-five, leaving an estate valued at £13,162.[12]
Conclusion
Frank Rendell’s career as a military musician took him far beyond the village where he was born. After settling in South London, he remained involved in music for the rest of his working life, first as a bassoonist and later as a teacher.
References
[1] Civil registration birth index; 1939 Register, family reconstitution.
[2] Western Chronicle, 5 February 1915, p.6.
[3] Marriage register of Holy Trinity, Tulse Hill.
[4] City of Westminster Union vaccination registers.
[5] City of Westminster Union vaccination registers.
[6] Will of Edward Rendell, dated 7 March 1921, proved at Taunton on 23 March 1927.
[7] Voters’ lists.
[8] Voters’ lists.
[9] Streatham News, 5 February 1943, p.1.
[10] Streatham News, 2 November 1945, p.1.
[11] National probate calendar.
[12] National probate calendar.
