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, […]
Tag: Andrew Pitkeathly
Willie Ross teaching in Dundee
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 […]
Piper above all others
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 […]
From humble beginnings — the story of the Army School of Piping; part 2
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 […]
Sovereign’s Piper on the Army payroll and a tune called ‘Mallorca’
• 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 […]