Q2

When and where was Blake’s Jerusalem first sung by the WI?

It was sung for the first time at the 8th Annual General Meeting (AGM) held in the Queen’s Hall London on Tuesday 20 and Wednesday 21 May 1924.

The Queen’s Hall was almost entirely filled by the 2,300 delegates and visitors from all over the country. Mr Noel Buxton, Minister of Agriculture was present on the first day, and addressed the meeting assuring them of the interest which the Ministry takes in the movement.

On the second day, Sir Henry Hadow  gave an address on ‘Music for County People’ and, in his usual and happy way, contrived to make his talk both helpful and amusing.

Another distinguished and welcome visitor was Sir Horace Plunkett.

From the April Home and Country:

The year’s Annual Meeting will have one special feature. The delegates will burst into song. It must be a great inspiring shout of song or the outside world will be in no way impressed. Jerusalem was a happy choice, for as the delegates sing hopefully of the New Jerusalem which every institute member is helping to build, the singers can remember with thankfulness that ‘satanic mills’ no longer disgrace our land. Blake’s protest on behalf of the helpless child victims of those thought less days was not made in vain.
Report of the meeting written by an (unnamed) member:
Let me first give the pats on the back. Our headquarters can do a meeting well. The arrangements were excellent. The doors of the Queen’s Hall might with advantage have been opened wider and earlier to welcome the delegates but there, I am instilling a bit of a knock to the first pat! Delegates were soon in their places. The stewarding was perfect. The stewards might have been chosen for their good looks and their dignified carriage as they certainly were for their good temper. Their becoming shoulder sashes in Institute colours lent a touch of brightness to the scene.
I gazed round the large Hall, well filled with an expectant and happy audience of country women. I looked with pride at the capable chairman, revered throughout the movement for sincerity and kindness, ready to begin the meeting on the stroke of the appointed time. I regarded with curiosity the orchestra waiting to lead the singing of God Save the King and Jerusalem, the most fitting institute hymn which had to be written by a poet, and I said to myself “Oh you lucky Institute member to be here”. The band struck up, we sang the national anthem heartily but I do wish our conductor had allowed us to sing Jerusalem right through from the start as best we could. Here again a knock with the pat! It was truly kind of Mr Leslie and his choir to give us their valuable help.