Secretary Mr RC Whitelaw concludes his hard-hitting commentary from 1948 on the Scotish Pipe Band Association’s rift with Cowal and the difficulties he had in staging the second SPBA Worlds in Glasgow. Permit me next to refer to a few awkward moments which existed in the plan to run the contest [the second SPBA World Pipe Band Championship] at Scotstoun in Glasgow. Is it believable that only on 26th August,…

Part three of our intriguing insight into the thoughts of the Scottish Pipe Band Association’s Secretary Mr RC Whitelaw back in 1948 as he battled with Cowal, the Glasgow local authority and contrarian forces within the movement….. What was I expected to do after issuing the circular? Would I resign from the office of Association Secretary? A few critics hoped I would do so. Can anyone imagine me running away…

We continue with the strongly worded article from 1948 by SPBA Secretary Mr RC Whitelaw defending his actions following the Association’s schism with Cowal and his attempts at getting the World Championship moved to Glasgow…. The move was arranged by the issue of a circular letter to all the bands on 22nd June, 1948. Many of my very clever strategist critics completely lost their heads when they read that circular…

The World Pipe Band Championships, earns millions for the local economy and brings considerable prestige to the city of Glasgow. Today they can’t get enough of the Worlds. But it wasn’t aways so. In this article from 1948, the SPBA’s then Secretary, Mr RC Whitelaw, explains the schism with Cowal Gathering, the search for a new home for the Association’s first official World Pipe Band Championship and the difficulties he…

In 1972 the band were selected, along with the Robert Armstrong Memorial (Grade 1), Dromara (Grade 2), Howard Memorial (Grade 3), and Ballykeel Moneyrea (Grade 4), to represent Northern Ireland at the Intercontinental Gathering at the CNE in Toronto, Canada. They were placed ninth as a band and fourth in drumming. Along with the Armstrong Memorial, they were invited back again in August 1977 to compete once again at this…