Among many tributes pipers around the world took part in yesterday to mark the 75th anniversary of VJ Day was the one that took place at Balhouse Castle in Perth, Scotland.
The ceremony carried a pognant air for those assembled as the regiment’s 2nd Battalion didn’t return from Burma until 1948.
Pipe Major (Retd) Alastair Duthie played part of the regiment’s gathering tune then the regimental lament, Lochaber No More and then the regimental march, Hielan’ Laddie.
Watch part of the ceremony here:
As we reported on Wednesday, Uddingston Strathclyde Pipe Band’s 90th Anniversary March for the Masses won the Combined Band Entry in the RSPBA’s recent composing competition.
This entry required the submission of the melody and scores for the pipes, side drums, a bass and up to two tenors.
The band has kindly provided us with the scores for all the parts.
A spokesman for the band said: “Whilst only a few members were involved physically writing the tune, we believe that everyone played a part in some way whether it be through giving feedback on early drafts, checking music for typos, writing the music on the computer, coming up with the name and just being part of the creative atmosphere.”
The scores are produced here, beginning with the snare score and the pipe score:
Founded in 1972, in the small South Lanarkshire town, Uddingston Strathclyde now includes a Grade 4, Grade 3 and a Grade 2 band.
The addition of a Grade 3 band comes as the organisation last month created an ‘academy’ structure to ensure its long-term future.
Based in Tannochside area of Uddingston, the proximity to the M8 and M74 motorways means the bands can attract members from a wide swathe of central Scotland.
The organisation is now embarking on a new chapter in its history to deliver a sustainable model capable of delivering long term success. This will take the form of a pathway for talent to progress from learner to senior levels with an academy structure in place that will attract a broader pool of talent from across the country.
John Bowes is the Pipe Major of the Grade 2 band, Alan Minty the Grade 3 band and Ian MacGregor the Grade 4 band.
We received quite a number of suggestions as to the identity of the two bands featured on the website on Wednesday.
The colour photograph showed The Spirit of Germany Pipe Band. Dr Andy Fluck from Stuttgart can be seen in the centre with the red bag cover. Second rank on the right is Thomas Schalla of the Claymore Pipes and Drums from Munich.
It is thought that the photo was taken in 1994 after a four-day piping course held near Ammersee in southern Germany in and tutored by Jacky Pincet.
The second photo proved more difficult with only a handful of readers idenifying the band as the Kinlochleven Pipe Band. The photo was taken at Ballachulish in the 1950s.
No one, however, was able to identify any of the individuals shown and we’d be grateful for any information on this.
