Black Watch Pipe Major

**Benning Boy** · 29th August 14, 02:20 PM

I'm sure someone can tell me, who was the Black Watch Pipe Major in 1970?

I met him at a performance here in The States, and was majorly embarrassed when he called the band to attention upon my introduction, but despite that had an interesting conversation with him and some of the band members. For the life of me I can't remember his name. He autographed the program for me, but it was destroyed when the roof spring a big leak during a major storm. I'd like to know his name again.

**Downunder Kilt** · 29th August 14, 04:02 PM

James Anderson- PM 61 - 77, sourced from Bob Dunsire Bagpipe Forums, post made with photo by OC Richard, I believe. (Don"t want to steal the photo from over there though) Cheers

**Ron Abbott** · 29th August 14, 04:05 PM

Pipe Major James 'Big Jim' Anderson

**Benning Boy** · 29th August 14, 06:12 PM

Thanks! I very vaguely remembered the word big figured into it somehow, but even that was faint. I'll have to write that name down somewhere, so I don't forget again.

I introduced myself to him as I thought I should, soldier to soldier, by rank and name. He thought I was joking with him. At the time I was a 21-year-old Captain. I showed him my ID card, and he still had his doubts. He asked something to the affect, how does a kid like you ever get to be a Captain. I reminded him we had a war going and a shortage of Infantry officers, and told him I had just been at the right places at the right time. At that he called the band to attention. It struck them like lighting, they weren't expecting anything like that. You should have seen the expressions on their faces. Priceless! After we got that silliness out of the way, we had a nice conversation about pipe bands, some of the pipers even got involved, although I think they mostly wanted to just see the freak.

**Ron Abbott** · 29th August 14, 06:30 PM

From some other forums/websites:-

http://blackwatchforums.co.uk/showth...nderson-1st-Bn

http://www.heraldscotland.com/commen...s-men.22675093

http://bagpipejourney.com/articles/w...shtml#anchor_A

http://www.thecourier.co.uk/news/loc...t-jfk-1.157561

and from our own forum:-

http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/f...estions-83521/

In that last one, the Pipe Major of the 1st Bn. Queen's own Highlanders (on the far right as you look at it) is Jock Allan, formerly of the 1st Bn. Scots Guards and who subsequently went on to become the Director of the Army School of Piping.

The Gordon Highlanders pipe-major in the photo is Joe Kerr and I think the Royal Scots pipe-major is Patrick 'Paddy' Morecroft. The cap badge on the partially hidden one might be Argylls, however I can't see the face well enough.

**OC Richard** · 14th September 14, 05:07 AM

Yes here he is!

A very large man. I'm told his nickname in the battalion was Big Ug (can somebody confirm or deny this?) and I'm told he had an exceptionally good ear for music in general (non-pipe as well as pipe music).

There's a pipe tune, a 6/8 March, called Jimmy Anderson's Welcome to Arran composed by Duncan Johnstone. Here it is, the second tune?

https://soundcloud.com/tyler-bridge/...el-t-macdonald

An interesting uniform thing in the top photo is the Archer Green coatee which was introduced in 1953. Note that it lacks the gold 'lace' (braid) usually seen on Pipe Major's tunics, which you can see on his Archer Green doublet in the lower photo. The lower photo rewards study, as it shows a mix of the old 1953 Coatees, the new plain Doublets which lacked piping around the flaps, and Anderson's full-lace doublet.

**OC Richard** · 14th September 14, 05:28 AM

Originally Posted by Benning Boy

I was a 21-year-old Captain.

Wow, that sure beats my Father-in-Law, commissioned 2nd Lt at age 19 and promptly shipped to the South Pacific (there was a war going on then too!) as the youngest officer in the Division.

Pretty sure he didn't make Captain until well after the war, in his mid-twenties.