Locating the Kilt Pin

[jsrnephdoc]

One always reads that the purpose of the kilt pin is to keep the outer apron in place. I've been watching LOTS of Pipe bands while exercising on an indoors stationary bike (hard to do much else when outdoors it's ≥ 105°F in Las Vegas).

When I visit kilt retailer's websites, I always see the bottom of the kilt pin no more than 2-3 inches above the bottom of the kilt itself, but when I look at military pipe bands in Scotland, they're centered mid-way up the front apron.

Is there some significance to that?

[Jock Scot]

There is no right or wrong place to put the kilt pin. Although the military being the military do have a specific place to put their kilt pin . For the civilian non band member, one wears the pin where it suits the individual. However, it is usual and wise to only put the pin through the outer apron.

[Troglodyte]

One always reads that the purpose of the kilt pin is to keep the outer apron in place. I've been watching LOTS of Pipe bands while exercising on an indoors stationary bike (hard to do much else when outdoors it's ≥ 105°F in Las Vegas).

When I visit kilt retailer's websites, I always see the bottom of the kilt pin no more than 2-3 inches above the bottom of the kilt itself, but when I look at military pipe bands in Scotland, they're centered mid-way up the front apron.

Is there some significance to that?

Simple answer, yes.

Different kilted regiments developed their own ideas as to where the pin should be located - the Gordon Highlanders appear to wear theirs high on the thigh as they like the pin positioned to cross the middle horizontal green-and-yellow bar of their sett.

The kilt-pin, it should be remembered, is not used to fasten the outer apron the the inner, but to act as a decorative weight for the lower front corner. Almost any kiltie will tell you how well that works...

Unless you are under regimental constraints or in a band or other uniformed body, you are free to place the pin where you fancy - or go without one. Most people find an agreeable part of the sett to place the pin, anywhere from about two inches up from the bottom and a safe distance in from the fringed edge - where the additional folded-back layers help to support the pin. However, you will see old photos of kilties wearing their pins at an angle in the bottom right corner of the kilt, and there in no reason not to do the same if you fancy.

If your kilt-wearing takes you into long grass and undergrowth, or up onto heather moors, it is probably best to do without the pin, as they have an exceptionally annoying habit of attracting brambles and bracken and other long whippy plants with the idea of recreating the Gordian Knot. Consequently, you are for ever trying to disentangle yourself, and are at risk of ripping the pin out of the kilt.

In practice, placing the pin a few inches above the knee is a good idea, as it prevents an irritating knocking against the knee when in action, like walking or dancing.

[OC Richard]

I've been watching LOTS of Pipe bands while exercising on an indoors stationary bike (hard to do much else when outdoors it's ≥ 105°F in Las Vegas).

About civilian pipe bands, kilt pins aren't all that popular.

To put numbers on it, in Grade One (the bands with the best musicianship, and generally the best-dressed, who are "influencers" amongst lower-level pipe bands the world over) only four of the 14 bands were wearing kilt pins at this year's World Pipe Band Championships last Saturday.

I've played in pipe bands for nearly 50 years now. I've played in a few bands that wore kilt pins and in a few that didn't. From experience I can tell you that there's no "upside" to wearing them, and plenty of "downside".

Bands can wear the same set of kilts for a half-century or more. (One of the Grade One bands, Shotts, got new kilts...in 1983.) The kilts of all the bands who wear kilt pins show damages and stains.

A thing about uniforms is that the more items you add the more things there are to go missing or be worn wrongly. And so it is with kilt pins, it's extremely difficult to get everybody in the band to wear them the same way, and inevitably somebody will lose theirs. So the kilt pins, rather than making the band look more smart, make them look higgledy piggledy.

It's why the preponderance of bands don't bother.

When I look at military pipe bands in Scotland, they're centered mid-way up the front apron.

Is there some significance to that?

Sadly because of budget cuts and other causes there are very few military pipe bands in Scotland now.

In 2006 all of Scotland's infantry regiments were coalesced into a single uber-regiment The Royal Regiment Of Scotland.

Every time I look, another one of the battalions' pipe bands has been abolished. As far as I know there's only four left:

2SCOTS
3SCOTS
4SCOTS
7SCOTS

The only battalion whose pipers wear kilt pins is 2SCOTS, here

[OC Richard]

Now if we go back in time, Officers and Pipers of The Gordon Highlanders wore simple blanket pins.

However the Gordon Highlanders ceased to exist in 1994.

Only six kilted Highland regiments existed in the British Army from 1809 to 1948 and the Gordons were the only one to wear kilt pins.

Here's the Gordons' Pipe Major, 2nd from left, the wee gent, in the early 1960s.

The giant of a man at far left, Pipe Major Anderson of The Black Watch, piped at John F Kennedy's funeral.

[OC Richard]

All this legacy stuff aside, you can wear a kilt pin wherever you want.

There does seem to be a traditional range of territory.

It's just common sense; it would look strange to have the pin super high close to the sporran strap, or super low on the selvedge.

And it would look strange to have the pin halfway over to your sporran, or right at the edge touching the fringe.

As mentioned above it's fairly common for men to centre the pin on a stripe in the tartan.

This seems just about right to me.

[jsrnephdoc]

All this legacy stuff aside, you can wear a kilt pin wherever you want.

...

As mentioned above it's fairly common for men to centre the pin on a stripe in the tartan.

This seems just about right to me.

I just realized that I've seen many photos of the king, kilted. In NONE of them is he wearing a hat.

Is it likely he just doesn't like hats, or is there some convention he's honoring?

[User]

I just realized that I've seen many photos of the king, kilted. In NONE of them is he wearing a hat.

Is it likely he just doesn't like hats, or is there some convention he's honoring?

I've rarely seen photos of him wearing a hat that's not part of a uniform. I would guess if the weather doesn't necessitate a hat, he prefers to do without.

5be9de9948eb1211b20e2ee3.jpeg

[OC Richard]

I just realized that I've seen many photos of the king, kilted. In NONE of them is he wearing a hat.

Is it likely he just doesn't like hats, or is there some convention he's honoring?

I think it's practicality.

He shows up at an event in a car, then he gets out of the car and walks a short distance to whatever venue, where he's either indoors or under cover.

Add to that, my impression is that people in the UK just don't wear hats as often as Americans do.

I've watched so many English Premier League football matches where it's pouring rain and thousands of people are in the stands getting drenched: no hats, no umbrellas, and though tons of them are wearing jackets with hoods none of them have their hoods up.

I saw that everywhere at the World Pipe Band Championships when it's raining: people standing around in the pouring rain, hatless, eating fish & chips and chatting like it's nothing. The Americans, Canadians, and Australians were the only ones wearing hats.

[jsrnephdoc]

https://i.imgur.com/MFIEHwm.jpg[/IMG]

It's truly amazing how MUSIC can put indelible time stamps on our memories.

I don't remember much about either of my own parents' funerals, other than at each, a piper performed Amazing Grace.

And, I remember Robert Kennedy's 1968 funeral primarily because the strings of the Boston Symphony performed the haunting "Adagietto" from Mahler's 5th Symphony. I was still in college then, but that performance cemented a lifelong affection for his symphonic music, including introducing my son, at age 7, to the gargantuan "Resurrection" 2nd (92 minutes long, no intermission). Just over half way through, my son tugged on my sleeve and whispered "how much longer will it last?" We had seats in the very middle of the orchestra at SF's Davies Symphony Hall, as far as one could get from an isle. I assumed his next statement would be that he had to pee or that he was bored, so I asked him "Why? Do we have to leave?" His reply: "No; I don't want it to end."