The Queen’s New Year’s Honour List has announced that Tom Brown, former leading drummer of Boghall and Bathgate Caledonia and tutor and mentor to hundreds of pipe band drummers, has been created a Member of the British Empire (MBE). The citation reads: ‘Thomas Johnston BROWN, Pipe Band Drummer and Instructor, Boghall and Bathgate Caledonia Pipe Band. For services to Scottish Traditional Music.’ Boghall and Bathgate owe much of their current…

We’ll be back after the break with the very best in piping and pipe band journalism. We value your support and that of our advertisers and contributors. Look out for our review of 2019 from some of our ace scribes as we look at the highs and lows of the past 12 months.

We continue with our look back through piping history. We know readers appreciate these ‘blasts from the past’ and thank you to all those who have forwarded old photographs and newspaper clippings. Please keep them coming. The following is from the Press & Journal newspaper, Aberdeen, September 30, 1967. The report reads: Mr William MacDonald, a native of Benbecula, carried off the piping world’s major trophy at the Northern Meeting…

Dear Customer: Just in case you have not heard we recently received confirmation that we no longer require CITES in order to export and I am sure you can agree this is very welcome news. It means we can get order shipped out much quicker and without the extra hassle or expensive of the permits. We wanted to remind you that there is still time to order ANY MacRae Bagpipes offered under…

Today we feature the celebrated performance of Muirhead & Sons Pipe Band at the World Pipe Band Championships held in Corby, England, in 1975. The recording is courtesy former Muirheads member Donald McBride. Corby proved to be the band’s last serious tilt at the World title. The band was placed second to Edinburgh/Lothian & Borders Police under P/M Iain McLeod that day. Muirheads folded three years later. Readers will be…