Cecil was the youngest son of William and Violetta Oughton and was born on the 6^th February 1923 at 27 William Street, Hetton-le-hole and along with his two brothers was brought to their new home at Dalmellington in 1927.

 

His formative years were spent at Dalmellington High School.  At the age of seven he was introduced to the cornet by his father and was soon playing duets with his brother Robert.  As he began to mature as a player he began to drift away from brass band music and brass bands much against his father’s wishes, a situation that was often the reason for much friction within the family.  Cecil had leanings towards the world of the Big Band scene and as the arguments about this continued in the family, at the age of 14½ Cecil left home without his father knowing until he was discovered missing.

 

Cecil found himself in Morecambe and the chance sight of an advertisement for a young trumpet players was to change his musical life for ever.  The advertisement was for the Nat Gonell’s new Georgian’s Dance Band – a successful audition followed and a new life began.

 

In those early days he was looked after by Nat Gonella’s wife Stella Moya who sang with the band but after much persuading he told them where he came from.  It was not long after that they contacted his father who travelled down from Dalmellington to try and persuade his son to come back home – as much as he tried Cecil had made his mind up that he wanted to stay.  Nat Gonella realised he had a prestigious talent on his hands and told his father that if he allowed Cecil to stay both he and his wife would look after him as if he were their own son –William agreed that under those terms he could stay.

 

By 1939 the rift between father and son had been healed – so much so that he invited his father to Blackpool to watch one of the band’s performance – you can imagine what William must have thought when he learned that Cecil was being paid £24 per week (equivalent to £796 today) a wage that William would have only dreamt of in those days.  Cecil and the band played at each venue Monday through to Saturday and then travelled on Sunday to the next venue – it was a busy life for a young teenager.

 

In 1942 Cecil was called up for compulsory national service in the Royal Artillery.  On the 2^nd of July 1944 his parents received official notification that Cecil had been killed in action.  At the time of his death 21 year old gunner Cecil Oughton was a member  of the 59^th Royal Artillery Tank Regiment. 

 

Cecil was buried at Banneville-la-Campagne War Cemetery along with over 2000 other Commonwealth Burials of the Second World War, 140 of them were unidentified and five were Polish graves. 

 

The name of Cecil Oughton lives on today in the form of two awards.  One is a music trophy which is awarded annual at Doon Academy and the second is our very own Cecil Oughton Memorial Slow Melody Contest.

Slow Melody

Cecil Oughton

Roll of Honour

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