what do you make of this vintage photo?

[Bareknees1]

Dang! I had Bing Crosby, "Road to Edinburgh". Way off. Still on the steep part of the learning curve. All kidding aside, I really enjoy these posts, OC, thanks for sharing your marvelous breadth of knowledge.

[ctbuchanan]

Not so way off. That was my first impression as well. He looks a young Bing Crosby to me as well.

[MacGumerait]

Richard , in addition to everything you have said and others , there is also one other thing that strikes me odd about this pic and adds to the head scratching .

If this person is supposed to be a military piper from a vintage time period ... why the fly plaid instead of a piper's plaid ?

[MacGumerait]

Sean D , you beat me to the question . Good eye !

[OC Richard]

These plaid things would make sense if there existed in the military such a thing as a "piper's plaid" which was worn only by pipers and a "drummer's plaid" which was worn only by drummers...

but there wasn't.

Rather, there were "full plaids" or "long plaids" which were worn by officers in certain forms of dress (especially with trews or tartan riding breeches), certain senior NCOs, and, yes, pipers.

And there were "belted plaids" (so called because they were secured around the waist with a narrow cloth belt) which were worn by officers in certain forms of dress, all NCOs and privates in Full Dress, and, yes, by drummers (due to their being soldiers, not because they were drummers).

Indeed it's rare to see a military piper wearing a belted plaid but here it is! a piper of The Cameron Highlanders. Note that he's wearing the simpler form of jacket that the Highland regiments wore on active service in the latter half of the 19th century



And here's a piper of The Cameron Highlanders in the usual Full Dress, for comparison

[MacLowlife]

Dang! I had Bing Crosby, "Road to Edinburgh". Way off. Still on the steep part of the learning curve. All kidding aside, I really enjoy these posts, OC, thanks for sharing your marvelous breadth of knowledge.

I was thinking it might be Bing, too, which would explain the smile on his face and any unfamiliarity with the kit, but here is an old thread where Bing DOES appear...
http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/f...16/index5.html

[Sean D]

Thanks Mac. I happened to look through a copy of the Scots Guard handbook and in the front of the book are 2 pages of photographs of various dress orders and the one pic shows a piper in diced hose , buckle brogues and a drummers or fly plaid , not normally worn by pipers any thoughts on this ?