View source for Laurence Henry Hicks

{{Short description|English-Australian composer, military bandmaster (1912–1997)}}
{{Use Australian English|date=April 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2019}}
[[File:Squadron Leader L. H. Hicks.jpg|thumb|right|Laurence Henry Hicks]]
'''Laurence Henry Hicks''' [[Order of the British Empire|OBE]] (1912 – 21 April 1997) was an English-born military bandmaster and composer. He migrated to [[Music of Australia|Australia]] in 1952 after having served in World War II with both the British Army's [[Black Watch]] and the [[4th Canadian (Armoured) Division|Fourth Canadian Armoured Division]]'s military bands. From April 1952 onward, Hicks was the first Director of Music for the [[Royal Australian Air Force]] (RAAF). On 1 January 1963, he was appointed to [[Order of the British Empire|The Order of the British Empire – Officer (Military)]] with the citation, "For service as Director of Music with the RAAF". In preparation for the [[History of Nauru|1968 independence]] of [[Nauru]], Hicks composed music for the [[national anthem]] "''[[Nauru Bwiema]]''", with lyrics by Nauruan writer [[Margaret Hendrie]]. He was Squadron Leader of the Central Band which performed on 31 January at the independence ceremony in Nauru.

==Biography==
Laurence Hicks was born in 1912 in London to a father who was a clarinet player in the British Army.<ref name="Jubilee"/><ref name="NLA">{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article71795027 |title=Profile: He's Our Mr Music | newspaper = [[The Argus (Melbourne)|The Argus]]|location=Melbourne | date = 31 March 1956 | accessdate = 12 April 2013 | page = 7 | last = Armit | first = Michael | publisher = [[National Library of Australia]] }}</ref> At the age of 14 years, he was a band boy for the [[Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)|Cameronian Scottish Rifles]].<ref name="NLA"/> The following year he attended [[Royal Military School of Music]] at [[Kneller Hall]] learning the clarinet and cello.<ref name="NLA"/> He subsequently joined the Cameronian Scottish Rifles as a clarinetist and toured [[Egypt]] for two years and then India.<ref name="NLA"/> He returned to study at Kneller Hall undertaking a bandmaster course and graduated in 1938.<ref name="NLA"/> Hicks was appointed to the [[Black Watch]] and served with them at the outset of World War II.<ref name="NLA"/> From 1940 to 1941 he taught woodwind instruments at Kneller Hall.<ref name="NLA"/> The following year, he trained a military band for the [[Canadian Army]], and in 1944 took part in the allied invasion of Europe with the [[4th Canadian (Armoured) Division|Fourth Canadian Armoured Division]].<ref name="NLA"/> In mid-June 1944, the [[Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps Band]] performed at [[Normandy]], Hicks recalled "we were mobbed by the troops particularly after we played the '[[Colonel Bogey March]]' which everyone enjoyed".<ref name="Kopstein">{{cite web | url = http://www.worldmilitarybands.com/a-job-well-done/ | title = A Job Well Done | last = Kopstein | first = Jack | publisher = World Military Bands | accessdate = 12 April 2013 | url-status = dead | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20120908172412/http://www.worldmilitarybands.com/a-job-well-done/ | archivedate = 8 September 2012}}</ref> After the war he rejoined the Black Watch band and performed in India, Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Britain.<ref name="NLA"/>

In January 1951, his band recorded ''Black Watch Military Band (Royal Highland Regiment) Conducted by Bandmaster Laurence H. Hicks'', which included a composition by Hicks, "Jubilee March".<ref name="Jubilee">{{cite web | url = http://www.nls.uk/media/1056406/section-03-b.pdf | title = Scottish Vernacular Discography, 1888–1960 | last = Dean-Myatt | first = Dean | publisher = [[National Library of Scotland]] | page = 10 | accessdate = 12 April 2013 }}</ref> The following month they toured Australia and New Zealand.<ref name="NLA2">{{cite news | url = http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18177893 | title = Black Watch Band to Tour Australia | newspaper = [[The Sydney Morning Herald]] | date = 18 October 1950 | accessdate = 12 April 2013 | page = 3 | publisher = [[National Library of Australia]] }}</ref> In April 1952 he was appointed the inaugural Director of Music for the [[Royal Australian Air Force]] (RAAF) and re-established the Central Band.<ref name="NLA"/><ref name="RAAF1968">{{cite web | url = http://airpower.airforce.gov.au/HistoryRecord/HistoryRecordDetail.aspx?rid=664 | title = Central Band at Nauru Independence | date = 31 January 1968 | work = History Record Time Line | publisher = Air Power Development Centre. [[Royal Australian Air Force]] (RAAF) | accessdate = 12 April 2013 }}</ref><ref name="RAAF1952">{{cite web | url = http://airpower.airforce.gov.au/HistoryRecord/HistoryRecordDetail.aspx?rid=42 | title = First Permanent Full-time Band Formed | date = 2 June 1952 | work = History Record Time Line | publisher = Air Power Development Centre. [[Royal Australian Air Force]] (RAAF) | accessdate = 12 April 2013 }}</ref> He recruited new members and designed the band's uniform.<ref name="NLA"/> By March 1956 the Central Band were practising every national anthem for the forthcoming [[1956 Summer Olympics|Summer Olympics]] in Melbourne.<ref name="NLA"/> On 1 January 1963, Hicks was awarded [[Order of the British Empire|The Order of the British Empire – Officer (Military)]], "in recognition of his loyal and valuable service",<ref name="NLA3">{{cite news | url = http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article104254572 | title = Heroism of Servicemen Remembered | newspaper = [[The Canberra Times]] | date = 1 January 1963 | accessdate = 12 April 2013 | page = 4 | publisher = [[National Library of Australia]] }}</ref> with the citation "For service as Director of Music with the RAAF".<ref name="OBE">{{cite web | url = https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/1110564 | title = Search Australian Honours – Advanced Search | publisher = [[Government of Australia]] | date = 1 January 1963 | accessdate = 12 April 2013 | quote = Citation: For service as Director of Music with the RAAF }}</ref><ref name="SL1963">{{cite web | url = http://www.awm.gov.au/research/people/honours_and_awards/person.asp?p=348956 | title = Honours and Awards – Laurence Henry Hicks | work = Honours and Awards | publisher = [[Australian War Memorial]] | date = 1 January 1963 | accessdate = 12 April 2013 }}</ref>

In preparation for the [[History of Nauru|1968 independence]] of [[Nauru]], Hicks composed music for the [[national anthem]], "[[Nauru Bwiema]]", with lyrics by Nauran writer, [[Margaret Hendrie]].<ref name="RAAF1968"/> He was Squadron Leader of the RAAF Central Band which performed on 31 January at the independence ceremony in Nauru.<ref name="RAAF1968"/>

In about 1938, Hicks married and by 1956 the couple had three children.<ref name="NLA"/> Hicks died in 1997 aged 84-85, and in 1998, the [[Nauru Philatelic Bureau]] issued stamps to commemorate the 30th year of independence, including two acknowledging Hicks’ role.<ref name="RAAF1968"/>

==See also==
* [[Music of Nauru]]
* [[Music of Micronesia]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Hicks, Laurence Henry}}
[[Category:1912 births]]
[[Category:1997 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century Australian male composers]]
[[Category:Australian composers]]
[[Category:Canadian military musicians]]
[[Category:British military musicians]]
[[Category:Australian military musicians]]
[[Category:British emigrants to Australia]]
[[Category:National symbols of Nauru]]
[[Category:National anthem writers]]
[[Category:20th-century Australian musicians]]
[[Category:20th-century Australian male musicians]]
[[Category:20th-century British male musicians]]