Hettie Smith

Hettie Smith
Smith from a 1988 Guider magazine
Born	Henrietta Grace Smith (1916-09-03)3 September 1916 Kent, England
Died	2 July 2010(2010-07-02) (aged 93) Bath, Somerset, England
Education	Saffron Waldon College
Occupation(s)	Conductor, editor, music advisor to Girl Guides Association

Hettie Smith (3 September 1917 - 2 July 2010) was a choral director for the Girl Guides Association and compiler of several songbooks, including Canciones De Nuestra Cabaña (1980).[1]

Personal life and education

Henrietta Grace Smith was born in Kent to Raymond Smith and Henrietta Langley. She was evacuated to Bath during WWI. After the war she grew up in Plumstead, London and attended the John Roan School. She trained as a teacher at the Saffron Waldon College. At the start of WWII she returned to Bath as a music teacher at Royal School, Lansdown.[2] She lived in Bath until the 1980s[3][4] when she moved to North Wales.[5][6] In lieu of flowers at her funeral, donations were made to Girlguiding Somerset North and WaterAid.[7]

Girl Guides

While in Bath, Smith was involved in “almost every aspect of Guiding”, including Brownies, Guides and secretarial work.[8] Her roles included:

• 1960s: Somerset County music advisor - HQ singing instructor[9][10]
• 1961: Standing Camps of Canada (Ontario) - singing instructor[11]
• 1967 - 1972: Headquarters training team - arts and music advisor for England[12][13]
• 1969: Commonwealth music advisor[14]
• 1972: Training committee, chair,[15] Girl Guide Association music consultant[16]

She was active in the music making at Foxlease Guide centre, Hampshire and on the committee of Friends of Our Cabaña.[17]

Recordings

Smith was involved in the following BBC albums:

• Sing Along with the Girl Guides (1971) - conductor[18]
• National Guide Festival of Song (1972) - producer[19]
• Get Together: Children’s Songs with a Message (1973) – conductor (with Marion Prior)[20]
• What Can I Do? (1975) - director[21]
• Come On and Sing with the Girl Guides (1975) - sleeve notes[22]

Publications

• Smith, Hettie (1970). Diamond Jubilee Songbook. London, UK: Girl Guides Association. Compiler
• Smith, Hettie (1974). Girl Guide Song Book 1 & 2. London, UK: Girl Guides Association. Editor
• Smith, Hettie (1976). Musical Fun with the Brownie pack. London, UK: Girl Guides Association. ISBN 0852600739. Illustrated by Jennetta Vise
• Smith, Hettie (1980). Canciones De Nuestra Cabaña (Songs from Our Cabaña). New York, USA: Girl Scouts of the USA. ISBN 9780884413660. Editor

References

1. Smith, Hettie G (1980). Canciones de nuestra cabaña. New York, USA: Girl Scouts of the USA. ISBN 9780884413660.
2. "Hettie Smith's Great Gift". Somerset Standard. Frome, UK. 21 April 1967. p. 4.
3. "Hettie Smith's Great Gift". Somerset Standard. Frome, UK. 21 April 1967. p. 4.
4. "Catherine paints a winner, just for the record". Bristol Evening Post. Bristol, UK. 31 May 1972. p. 4.
5. "Townswomen". North Wales Weekly News. Rhyl, UK. 19 December 1985. p. 17.
6. "Sunshine". North Wales Weekly News. Rhyl, UK. 28 December 1984. p. 13.
7. "The obituary notice of Henrietta Grace". funeral-notices.co.uk. 15 July 2010. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
8. "Hettie Smith's Great Gift". Somerset Standard. Frome, UK. 21 April 1967. p. 4.
9. "Burst of Song". Cheddar Valley Gazette. Cheddar, UK. 12 May 1961. p. 12.
10. "Beacon Fires". Central Somerset Gazette. Somerset, UK. 24 June 1960. p. 10.
11. "World Chief Guide at Wells". Taunton Courier, and Western Advertiser. Taunton, UK. 13 May 1961. p. 10.
12. "Hettie Smith's Great Gift". Somerset Standard. Frome, UK. 21 April 1967. p. 4.
13. "Training for Guide leaders". Shepton Mallet Journal. Shepton Mallet, UK. 17 November 1972. p. 12.
14. "A musical day for Guiders". Hull Daily Mail. Hull, UK. 6 October 1969. p. 5.
15. "Training for Guide leaders". Shepton Mallet Journal. Shepton Mallet, UK. 17 November 1972. p. 12.
16. "Catherine paints a winner, just for the record". Bristol Evening Post. Bristol, UK. 31 May 1972. p. 4.
17. Hettie Smith (November 1988). "Our Cabaña". The Guider (Vol. 78 No. 11 ed.). London, UK: Girl Guides Association. p. 14.
18. "World Guide to Music". Belfast News-Letter. Belfast, UK. 8 March 1971. p. 3.
19. "Somerset's part in new record". Shepton Mallet Journal. Shepton Mallet, UK. 2 June 1972. p. 4.
20. Get Together: Children's Songs with a Message (LP liner notes). Girl Guides Association & St Paul's Girls' School. London, UK: BBC Records. 1973. RED 147 S.
21. What Can I Do? (LP liner notes). Girl Guides Association. London, UK: BBC Records. 1975. MRMC 023.
22. Come On and Sing with the Girl Guides (LP liner notes). Girl Guides Association. London, UK: BBC Records. 1975. MRMC 024.