John Barbour concludes his articles on Red Hackle Pipes & Drums with a profile of its best-known Pipe Major. We are grateful to former RSPBA judge John (Ian) Wood for the above picture of P/M Weatherston with the Worlds trophy won at Belfast in 1962…. John Carlton Weatherston was born at 53 Forge St., Garngadhill, Glasgow on July 7th, 1917. His father was a gas works labourer who was a…

The mid-to-late 1950s was a good period for the Red Hackle. The Queen acceded to the throne in 1952 and at the Braemar Gathering where the band was playing, she presented Pipe Major McLeod with the Braemar Gathering Shield in front of the 31,000 people who attended the games that year to celebrate the start of her reign. In October 1953 the first Red Hackle BBC radio broadcast took place….

Australian piper and adjudicator Dennis Browning follows up on our earlier story from Nicholas Taitz about New Zealand’s master piper, the late Bill Boyle, ‘the best since GS’…… The above photo was taken in my lounge room in May 1980. Pictured are Brian Wilson, Bill Boyle and myself. Bill was invited to judge at the East Coast Championships here in Newcastle, New Soouth Wales, and he stayed with me for…

This history of the band is based on a combination of historical documents, interviews, and tales told by band members and others. I make no claim for detailed accuracy; and I would welcome corrections and/or additional material. Often referred to as ‘the best band never to have won the Worlds’ the Red Hackle Pipes and Drums was in existence for around 35 years, always as a Grade 1 band. The…

The late Alex Duncan plays his uncle Gordon’s Sleeping Tune. Alex, son of Ian and Chris, died tragically young last weekend: