Category: History

Editor’s Notebook: Worlds Winners/ Glasgow Skye/ SPA Professional/ Charles Dunbar Pipes/ WW2 Tunes Search

Posted on      by      1 Comment

Thanks to the RSPBA and their Chairman Kevin Reilly for the positive response to our mini-campaign to have the World Pipe Band Champions 1906 – 1946 recognised by their inclusion in future Worlds programmes. Mr Reilly has been in contact with the RSPBA’s Media and Marketing committee, so fingers crossed we will see the names of these somewhat neglected champion bands and their pipe majors in the 2023 Glasgow Green…

More Editor’s Notebook: Worlds Winners/ Glasgow Skye/ SPA Professional/ Charles Dunbar Pipes/ WW2 Tunes Search

Superb Piping From Duncan Johnstone/ Jimmy McIntosh Challenge Contest

Posted on      by      1 Comment

As the BBC’s ‘Pipeline’ comes to an end, I thought readers might like to remember days gone by, writes Dr Jack Taylor.  The following excerpts are from a broadcast about 1974-75 by Andrew Wright and Duncan Johnstone. The recordings are of Duncan’s light music showing his characteristic style.  The recording quality is not great, but the playing is. Andrew played The Bicker and Battle of Strome. These recordings are now on…

More Superb Piping From Duncan Johnstone/ Jimmy McIntosh Challenge Contest

Open Letter to RSPBA Officials on Worlds Winners and Setting the Record Straight

Posted on      by      4 Comments

Dear Sirs, With the support of our many readers, Piping Press this week published a full list of World Championship winning bands from the pre-SPBA and RSPBA era. We believe these bands and their achievements deserve to be recognised by their inclusion in the Worlds programme produced every year for that great championship at Glasgow Green. We appreciated that these titles were won under the umbrella of the Cowal Championship,…

More Open Letter to RSPBA Officials on Worlds Winners and Setting the Record Straight

Putting the Record Straight on Our World Pipe Band Champions

Posted on      by      3 Comments

I am grateful to reader Trevor Clydesdale for forwarding this list of winners from the first Cowal Championship in 1906, writes the Editor. These bands were considered the World Champions of their day and deserve to be showered with the same accolades as the champions of today. Yet they feature not in the official RSPBA Worlds programme produced for that championship each year. Perhaps these winners did not have the…

More Putting the Record Straight on Our World Pipe Band Champions

Editor’s Notebook: Clan MacRae and the Worlds/ Donald’s Fingers/ Bellows Pipes Sale/ PS AGM

Posted on      by      Leave a comment

Kenny Macleod has responded to this week’s story on the Clan MacRae band. Kenny: ‘My uncle Alec Macleod was the P/M of the Clan MacRae when they won the Grade 1 Worlds in 1953 [left of the trophy, facing], and my father Jimmy, pictured third from the left, was the pipe sergeant. ‘He left the band in 1968 and started the Glasgow Skye Association band along with Eddie MacLellan, who…

More Editor’s Notebook: Clan MacRae and the Worlds/ Donald’s Fingers/ Bellows Pipes Sale/ PS AGM