The History of the York Lions Drum Corps is presented by Gord Moffatt , you will all remember Gords' fist solo in "Married I can always get." Gord was one of the original York Lions back in 1962, he is the only York Lions still marching competitively, he marches with the Empire Statesman from Rochester New York . Gord is also a member of the DRUM CORPS HALL OF FAME. Gord is well positioned to do great Job on the History of the White Knights.
YORK LIONS CORPS HISTORY
York Lions Drum Corps (The White Knights) had a relatively short but lively existence. Formed in 1961 and disbanded in 1966, the corps managed to cram a lot of travel and improvement into what was really 5 short competitive seasons. The corps operated out of the Borough of York a borough of the City of Toronto, Ontario Canada.
The corps would not have existed without its founder and driving force, Doug Saunders. Doug was the Director of the Leaside Lions Drum Corps (Jungle Kings). There are some questions as to the circumstances of Doug’s departure from Leaside Lions, however he was instrumental in convincing the York Lions Club to start a new drum corps in what was then the Borough of York. York Lions Club had previously sponsored
a bugle band in 1942 called the 202 Squadron RCAF York Lions Bugle Band, which evolved into the very successful 180th Mosquito Squadron Air Corps so they were aware of the needs of a competitive drum corps and readily provided the tools necessary to start the new corps.Throughout the fall of 1961 the corps began rehearsals and recruiting. By the start of the 1962 competitive season York Lions Drum and Bugle Corps was ready to take to the field. In the early 60’s, every small town in Southern Ontario seemed to have a drum corps, usually sponsored by a service club, local branch of the Canadian Legion, or some other military based organization. York Lions joined this large fraternity entering in the Junior "B" competitive circuit, an equivalent to today’s Div II junior corps. There was no touring required in that era as corps selected when and where they wished to compete according to their budgets. In the normal traveling circuit where such corps as the Brantford Belltones, Trafalgar Patrolmen, Columbus (Toronto) Simcoe Optimists and Hamilton Optimists (later to become Hamilton Conqueror. 1962 ended with the corps finishing
3rd in the Canadian Nationals.1963 became a great building year for the corps. The White Knights (as they were beginning to be called due to the white uniforms with purple and gold trim) started to dominate the circuit and by the close of the season had captured the Junior B National title. As a Lions club sponsored corps, there were numerous parade and concert obligations to fulfill. One of the most desirable commitments was a trip to the annual Lions International Convention. In 1963 the convention was held in Miami, Florida. The corps traveled two days via charter bus to Florida, arriving somewhat worse for the wear, but nonetheless managing to capture the coveted parade Championship in scorching June heat.
In 1964 it was evident that the corps was good enough to move up to the Junior "A" circuit with the perennial powerhouses, Toronto Optimists, and De La Salle. The corps was competitive throughout the season but it turned out to be a very humbling experience as they finished fourth in the National Championships in Waterloo Ontario.
Toronto Optimists (84), De La Salle (79), and Sarnia Sertomanaires,(77) finished in front of York (72). For the first time in their short history the corps was not at or very close to the top. The big Lions Club trip of 1964 turned out to be a little anticlimactic as the convention was held in Toronto that year. Nonetheless, the Corps again took top honours and participated in many local public appearances over the Lions Club week.1965 was a truly watershed year for the corps. With enhanced instruction, professional musical scores from some of the activities’ finest and an influx of personnel the corps truly became a serious contender. (Help came from such esteemed sources as Fred Johnston, Ted Key, Vinnie Radford, and John Sasso, some of whom are now World Drum Corps Hall of Famers). The corps again finished fourth at the Nationals in Toronto’s Varsity Stadium. However, the quality of the corps had risen significantly and the gaps between 1st and 4th had shrunk considerably. Toronto Optimists 86.10 De La Salle 82.35, Sertomanaires 78.45 York Lions 74.95
Again the corps was fortunate to be sponsored by the Lions Club and traveled to Los Angeles, CA for the International Convention, where they again captured the best parade unit title. Of course, the Lions Club did not cover the total cost of all these trips. Corps members sold chocolate bars, raffle tickets and conducted various other fund raising activities to help defray the costs.
1966 was the last year of the Corps’ existence
. It was another great year. When you are number four it takes a lot of recruiting, a lot of things going just right, and a big load of talent to knock off the big guns. We worked extremely hard but fell short in our quest to overtake the top three. However, we did obtain a fourth straight championship at the Lions International Convention in New York City. At the Canadian Nationals the scores were Toronto Optimists 86.00, Cadets La Salle 83.65, DeLa Salle Oaklands 80.05 , York Lions 76.70. The contest was held at Montreal’s Autostade stadium, which was built for the upcoming 1967 Olympics. A few Old White Knight felt that York had edged out Dell at the Port Hope competition in 1966 however a newly found score sheets of the 1966 show says Optimists 78.2, Del 71.0 and York 70.85. True, we were only 0.15 away, but I think this is the closest that York ever got to defeating Del. Regardless, it was still a great year.
Of course there are many, many more highlights and stories about the corps’ short existence, but they are far too numerous to cover in detail here. (The annual trek to Wasaga Beach, the corps playing on a flotilla of boats, marching down the beach, playing in every Lions Club event in Ontario to name just a few). However, these events will be better described in the "Memories" section of this web page.
The corps folded after the 1966 season with its members spreading throughout the local drum corps market. Some went to Toronto Optimists and De La Salle to finish out their Junior careers. Others went to local Senior corps such as Canada’s Marching Ambassadors and Canadian Commanders. (Some would say the win by Ambassadors at the 1967 Nationals in Ottawa was heavily influenced the by the influx of well trained York personnel.) The corps folded due to the heavy costs associated with running a drum corps in the late 60’s. The York Lions Club reactivated its musical involvement with the York Lions Steel Drum Band a few years later. This group was another "Saunders" endeavor as Doug’s brother Don (who was also an assistant director with the White Knights) was a prime mover in this new activity. The steel drum band still performs at parades all over the continent including a recent performance for Queen Elizabeth in Toronto.
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