what battalion? (RRS)

[OC Richard]

I've been following what's been going on with the Pipes & Drums of the various battalions of The Royal Regiment Of Scotland as best I can from here on the other side of the world.

Whenever I see photos of them they seem to be maintaining the traditional kit of their respective battalions.

So this photo, from 2014, intrigues me. It's the generic RRS sporran, hose, cap badge, and kilt, but the bag-cover is Royal Stewart, such as was worn by the pipers of The Royal Scots and The Kings Own Scottish Borderers. The only pipers to wear that kilt, on the other hand, were the pipers of the Argylls.



I have heard that a generic kit for all the Pipes & Drums is an eventuality, but I had assumed that a generic kit would include Royal Stewart kilts and plaids for the pipers (I would think it would me a matter of "majority rules").

Does anyone know what battalion this piper is a member of, and why the Sutherland kilt is being worn with a Royal Stewart bag-cover? Thanks! Richard

(Note that pipers have never, as far as I know, worn hackles in their Glengarries. Eagle's feathers and blackcock tails yes, hackles no. Such a hackle would have told us which battalion, but alas.)

[Bruce Scott]

I'm thinking 1 SCOTS, the Royal Scots Borderers, who are the result of the merging of the Kings own Scottish Borderers Battalion and the Royal Scots Battalion. On the 1 SCOTS Pipes and Drums Facebook site there are photos of them in Royal Stewart tartans and plaids, and with RS tartan bag covers while in combat dress.

The 13A Barracks dress in the photo seems a little odd for a public performance but the soldiers in the background are in combat dress so its probably a fairly low key event.

https://www.facebook.com/1SCOTSPandD/photos_stream

[OC Richard]

That makes sense because they're the parent battalions which used Royal Stewart bag-covers.

But why the Sutherland kilt? The pipers have long worn Royal Stewart kilts.

I've never to my knowledge, before now, seen pipers wear kilts of two different tartans in the same battalion.

But on the page you linked to I see that they're wearing Sutherland kilts with their civilian kit (which many military Pipes & Drums maintain, and wear when competing at Highland Games) but have retained their Royal Stewart kilts when in uniform.

The Black Watch keep their Royal Stewart kilts when in civilian kit, in fact their kilts, flashes, and Glengarries are the only bits of their uniform that are also worn when competing. (They wear ordinary civilian ghillies, hose, sporrans, shirts, and jackets.)

Here are The Black Watch (3SCOTS) in mufti, competing at a Highland Games



Here are 1SCOTS in mufti likewise competing at a Highland Games. Seems that only their Glengarries and bag-covers remain from their uniform. Note the odd reversal of tartans: The Black Watch and Scots Guards wear Royal Stewart kilts and Black Watch bag-covers. So the pipers maintain two different kilts! I wonder if that is unique.



Thanks for the link! Very interesting.

[Bruce Scott]

Methinks we need a Royal Regiment of Scotland insider to answer these questions -

Perhaps one of members in Scotland has a contact?

[macwilkin]

Total speculation on my part, but I would agree with Bruce's thoughts that these are pipers from 1 SCOTS, as that particular style of "wooly-pully" seems to be distinctive to the old Royal Scots. I believe there is a photo of an OR in the Royal Scots wearing one in Diana Henderson's "The Scottish Regiments".

[blackwatch70]

This is a piper from RRS Regimental band, not from any specific Battn of RRS.
Any pipers from Batts of RRS still wear antecedent battalions pipers kilts.

So 1 SCOTS, 3 SCOTS pipers wear Royal Stuart kilt.
2 SCOTS pipers wear Erskine tartan.
4 SCOTS pipers wear Cameron of Erracht.
5 SCOTS (now Balaklava coy) wear Black Watch kilts.

regards,
Mikhail