CLASP Draw for Scots Guards Club & RSPS

Here is the full draw for the Scots Guards Club and Royal Scottish Pipers CLASP Competition which will take place on Saturday 28th January in Edinburgh. For full information go to The CLASP website.  Scots Guards Club – Starting time 10am Grade 3 – Piobaireachd Stewart Allan (Ground and Full) Robert Thomson (Ground and Full) Andrew Richardson (Ground and Full) Alfred Graf (Ground and Full) David McRobb (Full only) Robert Wilson…

PP Ed’s Blog: Article on Pipers in Action in WW1/ Ban on Post 1947 Ivory Pipes Being Sold

A WW1 article in the Scotsman at the weekend made poignant reading – five hundred pipers killed and six hundred wounded. It read: ‘London-born Sir Philip Gibbs (1877-1962), one of five official reporters during the First World War, wrote about the effects of the pipes and the extraordinary bravery of pipers and Highlanders among the British forces at the Battle of Delville Wood near the village of Longueval which raged…

History: How MacAdam’s Roads Spawned the Modern Day Pipe Band

The late piping scholar, historian and military music expert David Murray wrote this article for Pipe Band Magazine in 2002. It traces the earliest origins of the pipe band. Of the picture above David wrote: It shows drummers of the 1st Battalion Seaforth Highlanders in 1883. Note the size of the bass drum and that seven of the drummers carry flutes. Seven wear the medals for the 2nd Afghan War of…

PP Ed’s Blog: Army Pipers/ Band Sizes/ Hector the Hero/ SPA/ Preston Lodge

Ian McAlister has added to the debate on a cap on band sizes. Ian writes: ‘I have said for a while we need to limit numbers in bands. I would have a maximum squad number and maximum playing number into force to allow a bit of cover for holidays etc, perhaps a maximum of 18 pipers playing with max of 21 in the squad. ‘This would make more players available…

Readers’ Experiences Following New Rules on African Blackwood

Two readers have kindly offered their experience of dealing with government  authorities now regulating the movement and commercial activity surrounding  African blackwood.  Piper Bob Low: ‘Having an upcoming trip in January to France via Switzerland with bagpipes, I contacted APHA [the regulating body in the UK] for advice. They confirmed they cannot issue an ‘instrument passport’ until dalbergia is formally adopted into the EU version of CITES. They anticipated earliest would be…