Eighty years ago today, at St Valery-en-Caux, France, men of the 20,000 strong 51st Highland Division surrendered to German forces under the command of Major General Erwin Rommel. The division had fought almost continuously for ten days against overwhelming odds. Exhausted and out of ammunition, they were surrounded by vastly superior forces. Rescue by sea from the coastal town proved impossible. The Division’s valiant effort bought time for the British Expeditionary…

It was heartening to read of the RSPBA’s determination to get band contests moving again in 2021. As John Hughes the Chairman said, everything must be done to restore our band tradition to its rightful place in our cultural life. I was interested in his reference to band formations. Wouldn’t it be ironic if it took the tragedy of this pandemic to get bands to change from the old fashioned…

Keep PP subscription free by supporting the Piping Press Shop. On special offer today are three lots of second-hand books either donated to us or superfluous to the PP archive. SOLD Lot 1 comprises an old size copy of the Kilberry Book of Ceol Mor by Archibald Campbell. This historic book is offered in its 1973 edition and is in very good condition. It comes complete with a reduce-sized photocopy…