I previously prepared an article about the history of pipe bands in the East of Scotland, which was published on Piping Press in October 2023.
Included in the article were the names of many pipe band leaders and individuals no longer with us who were from the East, or were based there, and who greatly contributed to the development of the SPBA/RSPBA and pipe band music in general.
By Alistair Aitken OBE
The article also recognised, however, that there would be others of whom I had been unaware or had missed. I learned recently that one such omission was the late Drum Major Robert McLaren, who with Pipe Major Hugh MacPherson, lead the Lochore Pipe Band, Fife. Robert passed away towards the end of 2024 having almost reached the age of 97.
Robert McLaren was a prolific and dedicated teacher of pipe band drumming, who also served as an adjudicator and as Vice-Principal of Drumming of the then SPBA Pipe Band College. At that time the College operated under the wing of an SPBA Advisory Committee and Robert was also a member of that Committee, representing the Association’s Fife Branch.
Robert was highly respected and well known as a tutor who ensured that all the basic drumming rudiments were learned and played properly. He was also a strict disciplinarian. He taught the 1956 winner of the World Solo Drumming Championship, David Splitt, who at the time was only 13. He also taught two other prizewinners in the top six that year, James Scott and George Reid.
The mention of David Splitt reminded me that I had written an article for the former RSPBA magazine ‘The Pipe Band’ when David passed away in January 2015. Robert McLaren was also mentioned briefly in that article as the tutor of both David and George Reid, the latter being a former adjudicator friend and colleague of mine in the RSPBA.
In their early drumming careers David Splitt and George Reid achieved 1st and 2nd places respectively in the SPBA Juvenile Drumming Championships. David won both the Under 15 and Under 18 competitions. When he won the Senior Championships in 1956 he achieved a remarkable points total of 98% from both adjudicators involved. In that competition George Reid received the special prize for the best unplaced Juvenile (aged 14).
When Lochore Juveniles disbanded around 1956, both David and George continued with the Lochore senior band where they enjoyed success in Grade 1 under L/D Jimmy Marr (another well-known former RSPBA adjudicator). In 1957 they both travelled with the band to Moscow.
After a successful 1962, David decided to sever his pipe band career in favour of another form of percussion in a pop group. Around the same time George moved to England, where he is still based, to seek employment.
Even so, in early 1963 they both decided to have a final attempt at the SPBA Senior Solo Drumming title, tying fifth behind David Armit, Jim Hutton, Bob Montgomery and Andy Hosie in that order. I am sure Robert McLaren would have been very proud of his pupils.
NOTE: I am grateful to Robert McLaren’s son Alex for bringing the omission of his father’s name from the article to my attention, and also for providing two of the photographs.
