We are grateful to piper Martin Kessler, Bonn, Germany, for forwarding two newspaper cutting about a Fife BB pipe band and the Michael Colliery Pipe Band. This was in response to the query by reader Gary Clacher a week or so ago.
Gary wrote: ‘My dad, Adam Clacher, won the World Solo Drumming Championship in 1959 when he was with the Grade 2 Michael Colliery band. Not sure if this has been done before or since by a Grade 2 leading drummer. I wonder if anyone has any photos of my dad, or the Michael Colliery band? A long shot but photos seem so hard to find from this time.’
A few days later Martin got in touch: ‘Perhaps your reader, Gary Clacher, will be able to identify his dad on one of these newspaper clippings. The picture of the BB [drill team] shows a G Clacher.’
The first picture (above) has a caption which reads, ‘Michael Colliery Pipe Band, one of Fife’s crack combinations, and the winners of many trophies, including the Fife Miners’ Welfare Championship Shield.
‘In front are seated, left to right: Mr James Keir, agent, Wemyss Coal Co., Mr David Guthrie, past President of the band, Mr William Galloway, manager of Michael Colliery, and Mr James Moody, band secretary.’
The caption on the the first Boys Brigade picture (above) reads: ‘Leven BB team who won the Harkness Challenge Cup for Drill at the annual Boys Brigade Sports held in Kirkcaldy on Saturday…..front: W Sutherland, A Doig, A Kidd, Lt H Robb, A Wilkinson, J Suttie and G Clacher.’
The second picture (above) has the following caption…’The band of the 4th Kirkcaldy Company who gained the Robertson Challenge Shield. Left to right (back row): P/M J Yardly, Lt. H Gibson, Cpl A Henderson, Piper N Stewart, Piper J Dick, Cpl A Downie, P/M J Falconer, P/Sgt R Barclay; Front: Sgt B Seath, Drummer D Morrison, Drummer P Yardly, Sgt A Anderson, Drummer J Gregor, Drummer R English and Sgt J Brown.
