In 1986 Strathclyde Police Pipe Band won the World Pipe Band Championships for the sixth year in a row, beating the previous record of five wins held by Muirhead and Sons. This is a record that remains to this day. The band was under the leadership of Pipe Major Ian McLellan BEM who steered the band to 11 world championships in 12 years between 1981 -1992 at the end of which he retired from the police.
In the week leading up to the Worlds in 1986, the BBC followed the band, documenting the preparations leading up to the championships and also on the day. This documentary called One off the Record showed the band personnel policing parades in Glasgow city centre, playing at a passing out parade at the Scottish Police College and at the band practices the day before the championships. One of the National Piping Centre instructors Wilson Brown was a member of the band and he recently found the documentary on an old VHS tape which he had converted. Here is a link to this documentary that captures an important piece of pipe band history.
Wilson’s older brother Gavin had also played in the band. In 1976 the band won the Cowal Championships and Wilson enjoyed a successful weekend winning the U18 Piobaireachd and MSR. The day was even more memorable for the brothers as Ian McLellan invited Wilson to march in front of the band with his trophies as they marched down the traditional Cowal games route.
Wilson joined Strathclyde Police in 1982 and was posted to Saracen Police Office C Division for his two year probationary period. The police pipe band worked in Glasgow city centre at Stewart Street Police Office which is close to the NPC. The pipe band personnel formed an operational policing unit under the direction of Inspector John Wilson. In late June 1983, Wilson was contacted by Ian McLellan who informed him that due to a number of retirals, the police band were short of pipers and that his services would be required for the worlds. He was given a chanter and new McAllister reed and handed a folder with all the competition tunes, two medleys and two MSRs. The pipe band then went on annual leave and on their return in late July Wilson started to attend the practices. After an outing at Bridge of Allan games Wilson played at the Worlds and the band won Grade 1. In the morning Wilson was one of 12 pipers in the MSR performance and by the time of the afternoon medley competition the band competed with 11 pipers. The only other band tunes Wilson knew at this time was the Green Hills set and two parts of Auld Adam which was used to set the chanters.
After the historic win in 1986, the band went into the recording studio and recorded a record entitled Six in a Row. This was recorded by Lismor records and proved to be a very successful recording, popular with many pipe band enthusiasts.
The band enjoyed unprecedented success during the 80s achieving a clean sweep of all the major championships and winning a number of champions of champions titles. The police band produced a style of play and a sound at this time that made them formidable competitors with a high level of consistency. The police pipe band was made up entirely of serving police officers which ensured a 100% attendance at practices however as the size of pipe bands started to rise it proved to be a constant challenge to identify and recruit new officers with the requisite skills.
Wilson left the band in 1988 to further his policing career. He returned for two further spells with the band as both a Sergeant and Inspector. Although the band wasn’t able to achieve the results of the 80s the band was still a regular prize winner during this time. It also played an important role within the communities of Strathclyde playing at numerous events during the year, providing an important link between the police and the public.