42nd Royal Highland Regiment

[Luke MacGillie]

I'm always interested in information about pipers' kit, and little there seems to be!

The problem of course is that there was no allowance for pipers on the official establishment.

From what I've read they were either paid by the officers, or paid by the government by the ruse of officially being drummers.

Their outfits varied, being
1) civilian livery just as they would wear in the employ of the aristocracy outside the army
2) musician's uniforms
3) ordinary soldier's uniforms.

So one sees 18th and early 19th century army pipers in tartan outfits, reversed colours, and ordinary red.

The thing about the pipers wearing Grenadier caps is very interesting. Why on earth would pipers wear them, I wonder?

The idea that pipers were not authorized, Ive even heard it said not till the 1850's is simply not true. 2 Pipers in highland regiments, assigned to the Grenadier company was the standard by the late 1750's. No different than the 2 fifers assigned to the Grenadier company in non highland regiments.

Here is a letter from the Clothing Board of General Officers regarding the raising of Keith's and Campbell's Highlander, who ended up serving on the Continent.



2 pipers in the Grenadier company. Now with the 78th, the lone piper in the regiment was the Grenadier company commanders servant. In the 42nd they were on paper as pipers, their extra pay over that of a normal drummer was paid by off reckonings from the Officers. Sometimes pipers and drummers switched places, in that a piper was punished for some misdeed by having to switch to playing drums. That tells me that piping and drumming both were required to even be considered for recruitment.