Alfred W. Craig

Alfred W. Craig was listed in the electoral register at 7 St Bernard’s Row in 1933 and removed from the register in 1934.¹ Alfred Craig had lodgings in St Bernard’s Row in February 1933 when he was convicted in the Edinburgh Sheriff Court and imprisoned for 20 days. He was a drummer in a jazz band with irregular employment, earning £3 3s a week.² He admitted defrauding the Ministry of Labour of £4 11s 4d by claiming benefits for days that he was working.³

Alfred Walter Craig was born on 03 July 1907 at 8 Station Road, Balham, London, the son of Frank William Craig, a motor mechanic and Jane Zoe Spect.⁴ He began his musical career in 1924, initially in dance orchestras and from the early 1930s in jazz bands. During the second world war he played with the Royal Airforce Dance Orchestra. After the war he moved to Paris and in 1949 to Nice. In 1971 he was guest of honour at the Nice jazz festival. In 1974 the Al Craig Trio released an album, ‘The Golden Jubilee Drummer,’ to mark his fiftieth year as a musician. He died at Nice on 25 October 1981.⁵

Alfred Craig married Audrey Wright by proclamation on 29 October 1930, in Glasgow though both had addresses in Edinburgh.⁶ Audrey Ann Christian Wright was born on 31 August 1913, daughter of Vernon Oswald Wright and Ann Selby.⁷ The marriage registration records Vernon Oswald Wright’s occupation as ‘insurance agent’ reflecting his role as an inspector for the Scottish Life Assurance Company. However, he was known more for his skills as a church organist.⁸

Mrs Audrey A. C. Craig was listed in the electoral register at 9 Saxe-Coburg Place between 1936 and 1938.

1. Electoral registers 1933, 1933-34 and 1934.
2. ‘Jazz Drummer Sentenced.’ Edinburgh Evening News. 08 February 1933. p. 5, col. 4. https://britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk: accessed 11 May 2024.
3. ‘Unemployment Benefit Offence.’ The Scotsman. 09 February 1933. p. 7, col. 3. https://britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk: accessed 11 May 2024.
4. Births (CR) England. Wandsworth, London. 12 August 1907. CRAIG, Alfred Walter. vol. 1d, p. 657, no. 94. https://gro.gov.uk: accessed 12 May 2024.
5. Discogs. ‘Al Craig.’ https://www.discogs.com/artist/930728-Al-Craig: accessed 12 May 2024.
6. Marriages (SR) Scotland. Blythswood, Glasgow. 31 October 1930. CRAIG, Alfred and WRIGHT, Audrey. 644/10 2040. https://scotlandspeople.gov.uk: accessed 11 May 2024.
7. Births (SR) Scotland. St Andrew, Edinburgh. 16 October 1913. WRIGHT, Audrey Ann Christian. 685/2 667. https://scotlandspeople.gov.uk: accessed 11 May 2024.
8. Obituaries. The Scotsman. 05 March 1942. ‘The Late Mr Vernon Wright.’ p. 6, col. 4. https://britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk: accessed 12 May 2024.