Thomas Edward Bulch

Thomas Edward Bulch (1862-1930) was the son of Thomas and Margaret Bulch, one of thirteen children. The family lived near Durham in the north of England. Thomas’s father worked for some time as timekeeper at the New Shildon Railway Wagon Works. It there that Thomas became an apprentice Blacksmith by 1881, and by 1884 appears to have progressed to the position of Fitter.

Thomas’ father and uncles were bandsmen in local bands, and his maternal grandfather Francis Dinsdale was the bandmaster of the New Shildon Saxhorn Band. Thomas showed a great aptitude for music in his early years and at age 17, composed his first contest march, “The Typhoon”.

In 1884, aged 21, Thomas migrated to Adelaide, Australia, soon traveling on to the Victoria goldfields. Shortly after his arrival in Creswick, Thomas was asked to take control of the 3rd Battalion Band, and the Allendale and Kingston Brass Band. Bulch formed his own band, “Bulch’s Model Band”, in 1886/7. This band eventually became the City of Ballarat Brass Band.

Bulch composed and arranged many tunes to meet his interests and commitments. One such tune was "Thou Bonnie Wood of Craigelee", a tune he probably appropriated from the published works of Carl Volti. But it turns out that Carl Volti was a pseudonym for one Archibald Milligan, (1848 - 1919) a well known Glaswegian composer and conductor. Milligan in turn had appropriated a tune composed in 1818 by Scotsman, James Barr (1779 - 1860), which he wrote to set a poem written by Robert Tannahill (1774 - 1810).

More detailed biographies of George Allen (The Wizard) and Thomas Bulch (The Typhoon) can be found on the website "The Wizard and the Typhoon" <http://www.wizardandtyphoon.org/>. This website sets out the "The Story of Two County Durham Railwaymen and their Global Influence Throughout the Golden Era of Brass Music". The site is operated by and Copyright © 2021 to, Shildon Heritage Alliance CIC. All rights reserved.

A list of known compositions and arrangements by Bulch can be found here: <http://www.wizardandtyphoon.org/the-typhoon/a-list-of-thomas-edward-bulch-compositions-and-arrangements-including-some-known-pseudonyms/>