We regret to report the passing of P/M Robert Kilgour late of the Scots Guards. P/M Kilgour died at his home in Edinburgh.
Bob Kilgour was born in Edinburgh in 1924 and in 1940 he received a practice chanter for his birthday and started to learn piping thus, following in the footsteps of his grandfather. He joined the Scots Guards in 1944. He attained the rank of Pipe Major of the 2nd Battalion (1962) before leaving the Army in 1966. He moved to Denmark in the early 1970s and had a significant impact n the development of piping and pipe bands in that country before moving back to Scotland.
P/M Bernard Bouhadana of the Grade 2 Balagan band said: ‘I was very sad to hear that Bob had died. He was one of my important teachers. He made a huge contribution to piping in Denmark.’
Former Scots Guardsman Neil Clarke said: ‘Saddened today to learn of Bob Kilgour’s death. I never knew him in the Scots Guards, he was several generations before me. I did meet him a few times through the Scots Guards Pipers’ Branch and found him a true gent and very likeable man.
‘What’s perhaps amazing is that he outlived so many contemporaries who also thought of him as an ‘old guy’
Well done Bob, privilege to have met you.’
Hear about Bob’s life in his own words on this excerpt from the ‘Noting the Tradition’ series on the Piping Centre’s website.