After last week’s post on Andrew Pitkeathly appeared, we were contacted by quite a number of readers who wrote of their fond memories of this unassuming piping legend. One of them, Graham Adams from Australia, was a pupil of Andrew’s father, Bob for many years and he came to know […]
1970-1971 By Jeannie Campbell MBE In 1970, the Gathering took place on August 26-27. The set tunes for the Open and Clasp competitions were The Big Spree (including tripling and Crunluath variations), Lord Lovat’s Lament, Craigellachie, Nameless (Hiharin Odin Hiharin Dro), Clanranald’s Salute and The Prince’s Salute. Four were to […]
1956-57 By Jeannie Campbell MBE In 1956 the tunes for the Open competition were Nameless (Book 8), The End of the Little Bridge, The Daughter’s Lament, Craigellachie, Lament for the Duke of Hamilton, The Red Speckled Bull, The Stewarts’ White Banner and Lament for The Harp Tree, from which four […]
1951 By Jeannie Campbell MBE In 1951, competitors for the Argyllshire Gathering’s Open Piobaireachd competition had to offer four tunes, MacDougalls’ Gathering, John GarveMacLeod of Raasay’s Lament, The Daughter’s Lament, Lachlan MacNeill Campbell of Kintarbert’s Fancy. The Gold Medal competitors were to submit six tunes of their own choice. John […]
Bruce Hitchings MBE BEM has spoken of his fond memories of his fellow Queen’s Own Highlanders piper, Iain Morrison, who died a few weeks ago. The recently married judge and proprietor of Highland Reeds told Bagpipe.News: “I was fortunate to have served with Iain when I joined the 1st Battalion, […]
By Jeannie Campbell MBE Some time ago, Mrs Gatens from Fife donated some piping memorabilia to the Museum of Piping at the College of Piping (now at the National Piping Centre). The items belonged to her late husband, Ernest D. Gatens. Among the books and chanters were some other interesting […]
The first ‘Piper Above all Others’ competition was an invitational one that was held in Glasgow from the late 1970s to the early-mid 1980s. Andrew Wright won it in 1979, Donald MacPherson in 1980, Pipe Major Angus MacDonald in 1981. Fred Morrison won the 1985 one. The 1980 competition is […]
By Major D. M. Henderson, Women’s Royal Army Corps TA Continuing the article reprinted from British Army Review of 1988. We are grateful to Brigadier P. H. O’meara and to the author, Dr Diana Henderson, for permission to publish. After the First World War there was a serious shortage of […]
• From the July 2000 Piping Times. The final part of our story on the office of Sovereign’s Piper, with excerpts from articles by Neville T. McKay and Bryan Douglas, Royal Scottish Pipers Society, the latter an interesting tale concerning King Edward VIII and Society member, Colonel CM Usher. In […]
