George Lloyd, highly traumatized, and close
to death, as were other survivors of HMS Trinidad, was brought back
to England and there sent to what may well have been a purpose built
hospital close to Aberdeen in Scotland. During the voyage home, their
original ship, HMS Trinidad was, sunk by orders of the Senior Naval
Officer, as too badly damaged to warrant the danger of keeping any
crew aboard her and it was only possible for her to move at the slowest
speed making her a sitting target for the enemy who were in continuous
evidence. When she finally went to the bottom she was flying the poignant
message which read, ”I am sailing to the Westward” This
was an allusion to a well known saying of the time, Going West, which
meant that you were done with, finished, no use to anyone. Such is
war, one of the most up to date cruisers, a fine fighting vessel,
destroyed in its first few months at sea.
 |
At Newmacher, as the hospital was called, George was considered to
be irreparably damaged and that he would be institutionalised for
the rest of his life. His wife, a doughty Swiss lady, thought otherwise,
though she was horrified when first seeing him, by the condition he
was in. His muscles had collapsed, he was a shapeless mess, and, though
barely coherent, told his wife that she should not come again to see
him as he could not bear it for her to see him as he was. After weeks
of arguing with the authorities she was allowed to take him from the
hospital, and return south where she set about restoring the balance
of his body and mind to normality. After the war they spent a long
time in Switzerland and a very therapeutic period in the South of
England where they established a good business as a specialised Market
Garden. It was a very long time before the noises in George's head
dissipated sufficiently for him to begin composing again. That he
did, and to such good effect, is illustrated by the 12 Symphonies
3 operas, 2 piano concertos and two violin concertos as well as a
wide variety of music for military and brass band, piano music and
song. He received a commission from the Festival of Britain authority
for those celebrations. Other composers to receive similar commissions
were Vaughan Williams and Benjamin Britten, both of whose operas have
entered the repertoire. George’s work suffered greatly at the
hands of the opera company chosen to perform it which was in a great
deal of strife with leading singers, and generally in its administration
and so never made anything like the impact of the others. At this
time, George was not in good health and was unable to give it the
attention that may have saved it. Both his piano concertos were given
performances by two outstanding pianists, John Ogdon and Kathryn Stott;
the violin concertos also have been given performances by internationally
renowned players. At least one of the symphonies (the 6th,in 1981)
has been performed at the Henry Wood Promenade concerts receiving
rapturous applause.
 |
George
was a conductor of great flair and was really appreciated by the orchestras
that appointed him. Maybe some of you will be lucky enough over the
years to play in the Hong Kong Symphony, an internationally renowned
orchestra for which George wrote special music and with whom George
was a regular Guest Conductor. He also conducted regularly, the Albany
Orchestra of New York, a first rate professional orchestra and one
that has recorded much of George’s repertoire. All of his work
is available on disc and the sheet music is available on hire from
the email address provided at the end of this article.
Towards the end of his life he lived near Regents Park in London.
He was one of the first on the scene when the dastardly IRA almost
destroyed the Guards Band and wrote special music for their memorial
service. It was subsequently played at the service in memory of our
own musicians who lost their lives in a similarly cowardly attack
by the IRA. George died at a great age and has been accorded the title
of great man. He was too and it is my fond hope that you fine young
musicians of today's Band Service will seek him out and make his music
better known. It deserves to be.
[Read the Biography]
