By Connor Jardine
I am delighted to announce an exciting project that a group of Lanarkshire pipers have been working on over the past year. Dan Nevans, Cameron May and myself, Connor Jardine, have been researching music within the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) and the wider Lanarkshire community, with the aim of collating and preserving the music, new and old, to create The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) Pipe Music Collection. The book will include tunes that were composed by pipers who served in the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) and pipers from the Lanarkshire area. This project was inspired by the hugely successful Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders Pipe Music Collection. The team hopes that pipers benefit from the collection as much as they have from the Argylls collections.
The book has three main objectives:
- To raise awareness of the regiment & its history, and to tell the stories of the pipers who served.
- To re-publish tunes that are at risk of being lost which were composed by those who served in the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) or were composed by Lanarkshire pipers.
- To give modern-day Lanarkshire pipers a platform to have their tunes published to a wider audience.
If you have any pipe tunes that fit the above criteria, please get in touch with the team by email at cameronianscollection@gmail.com, or by directly messaging the The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) Pipe Music Collection Facebook page. Nearly 200 pipe tunes have already been identified, but there are no doubt others that can be included in the book, therefore all suggestions are welcome.
If anyone has any stories or images of relatives/friends who served as pipers in the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles), the team would love to hear from you.
The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)
The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) was formed in 1881 from the amalgamation of the 26th Cameronian Regiment (formed in 1689) and the 90th Perthshire Light Infantry (formed in 1794).
Three Battalions of the regiment went to France in 1914, with further Battalions serving overseas in theatres of war such as Gallipoli, Salonika, Egypt and Palestine, while many more served in the UK, Ireland and India. By the end of the War, three men of The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) had been awarded the Victoria Cross and hundreds more awarded other medals and honours for bravery and exceptional service. More than 7000 men of the regiment would lose their lives during the First World War.
In the Second World War, the 1st Battalion distinguished itself in the Far East as part of the famous Chindits. The 2nd Battalion was deployed to France as part of the ill-fated BEF and was evacuated from Dunkirk after heavy fighting. The Battalion would later see action in Madagascar and Italy before being deployed again to the North-West Europe theatre alongside the 6th, 7th and 9th Battalions. More than 1200 men of the regiment would lose their lives during the Second World War.
During the army reforms of the 1960s, the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) chose to disband in 1968 rather than amalgamate with another Lowland Scottish regiment.
The Research Team
Connor Jardine (Airdrie) first learned to play pipes at Glenboig Pipe Band. He later joined the North Lanarkshire Schools’ Pipe Band and was taught by Ross Cowan, playing with the band for 5 years. Following his time in the juvenile grades, Connor joined Inveraray & District Pipe Band, winning the World Pipe Band Championships in 2019 and 2024. Connor’s interest in the pipe tunes of the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) stems from his family background. Connor’s grandfather was a Sergeant in the Highland Light Infantry during the Second World War, and two of his great-uncles served with The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) during this conflict.
Dan Nevans (Airdrie) is a third-generation piper. A former world pipe band champion, prize-winning solo piper, author, and educator.Taught initially by his father John and guided into professional piping by Bob McFie, Jim Semple, Logan Tannock, Jim Wark, Donald MacPhee, Willie Morrison, and Willie McCallum. Dan is a member of the teaching team at The National Piping Centre and the piping tutor at Hutchesons’ Grammar School. Deeply rooted in Lanarkshire piping, Dan is one of the senior pipers in the legendary Shotts and Dykehead Caledonia Pipe Band. Dan’s connection to The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) is through his paternal great-grandfather who served with the 2nd battalion of The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) during the First World War. Dan performs to this day with his great grandfather’s Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) cap badge proudly displayed on his Glengarry.
Cameron May (Dillarburn) started piping aged 10, being taught by his dad Robin May. He then joined Coalburn IOR Pipe Band where he was taught by Donald Williams. When he started high school, he began receiving tuition from Ross Cowan and Robert Wallace. Cameron is currently Pipe Sergeant of Coalburn IOR where the band has had recent success becoming Grade 3A Champion of Champions in 2023 and gaining promotion to Grade 2. Away from bands, he has had a successful spell competing at many solo contests around Scotland.
Composition Contest
As well as announcing this project, we would also like to announce that we are holding a composition contest to celebrate the launch of the book. The purpose of the contest is to provide composers with a Lanarkshire background or ties to The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles), an opportunity to have a tune published in a Lanarkshire-focused book, with a particular focus on young composers and musicians, giving people aged 21 and under a creative outlet to develop their skills and demonstrate their creativity. There are 3 competition categories, with the winning submission from each category being included in the book. The contest categories are as follows:
- A competition-style 2/4 March with submissions open to any age group. This will be named in honour of the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) Association.
- A hornpipe, with submissions limited to composers who are 21 or under on the 1st of August 2025. Name TBD.
- A 3/4 March, with submissions limited to composers who are 16 or under on the first of August 2025. Name TBD.
Submissions are welcome from composers who meet at least one of the following criteria:
- From, or live in, Lanarkshire
- Have a relative or teacher who served in the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)
- Currently a member of a Lanarkshire Pipe Band
*Submissions are welcome for multiple contests if the composer meets the age criteria.
The closing date for entries is the 30th of April 2025. Submissions can be emailed to cameronianscollection@gmail.com.
In your email, please include the entry form (Composition Contest Entry Form.pdf), a PDF document of the notation, and an audio recording of the tune.