what battalion? (RRS)

[theborderer]

To me, as ex KOSB, the picture is of the Pipes and Drums of one of the Battalions of the RRoS who normally wear Royal Stewart kilts in No.1 and No 2 Dress. The pipers are in Barrack dress with brown leather sporran, therefore wearing the Regiments Government 1A Kilt. The same can be said for the Pipes and Drums playing at Highland Games or other civil events wearing the 1A Tartan kilt and the Regimental sporran with cantle. Only when No 1 and No 2 Dress is applicable then the tartans of the antedescent Regiments are worn. (Dress Regulations RRoS - Dress Miscellany)

[blackwatch70]

To me, as ex KOSB, the picture is of the Pipes and Drums of one of the Battalions of the RRoS who normally wear Royal Stewart kilts in No.1 and No 2 Dress. The pipers are in Barrack dress with brown leather sporran, therefore wearing the Regiments Government 1A Kilt. The same can be said for the Pipes and Drums playing at Highland Games or other civil events wearing the 1A Tartan kilt and the Regimental sporran with cantle. Only when No 1 and No 2 Dress is applicable then the tartans of the antedescent Regiments are worn. (Dress Regulations RRoS - Dress Miscellany)

You are absolutely correct, and I am not! I forgot about 2 kilts for RRS pipers.

Probably It's a piper from 1 SCOTS , whose pipers have been participated in Hamilton parade with RRS band.

http://www.theedinburghreporter.co.u...ruiting-surge/


Regards,
Mikhail

[OC Richard]

These photos indicate that 3 SCOTS Pipes and Drums wear Black Watch kilts on some occasions:

Black Watch 3rd Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland Pipe Band at Markinch 2014

Very interesting! So now we have at least two RRS Battalions' Pipes & Drums where the pipers, when dressed in civilian "competition dress", switch their traditional Royal Stewart kilts to Sutherland kilts. Perhaps the reasoning is to save wear & tear on their Royal Stewart kilts?

I've not yet seen a photo of the Pipes & Drums of any RRS Battalion wearing anything other than their full traditional pre-RRS kit while in Full Dress, but perhaps what we're seeing is the first step in a plan to put all the Pipes & Drums into one generic kit.

I would have thought, given that the majority of the Pipes & Drums' traditional kit have Royal Stewart kilts for the pipers, that any new generic RRS pipers' kit would include that tartan. Sad if they put all the pipers in Sutherland, especially since only one of the parent Battalions did so (the Argylls).

Parent Battalions having their pipers in Royal Stewart kilts: The Royal Scots, The King's Own Scottish Borderers, and The Black Watch.

Going back a bit, the pipers of The Queens Own Cameron Highlanders wore Royal Stewart kilts from around the end of WWII up till the amalgamation with The Seaforth Highlanders around 1960.

Anyhow for a generic RRS piper's kit I'd like to see the Royal Stewart kilts and plaids continued. Don't know if they would perpetuate some of the old tartans in covers and ribbons as they did with the pipers of The Highlanders.

Pipers of The Queens Own Cameron Highlanders in Royal Stewart kilts and plaids, on the eve of amalgamation

[blackwatch70]

Very interesting! So now we have at least two RRS Battalions' Pipes & Drums where the pipers, when dressed in civilian "competition dress", switch their traditional Royal Stewart kilts to Sutherland kilts. Perhaps the reasoning is to save wear & tear on their Royal Stewart kilts?

to be more exact as I understand from Dress regulations of RRS, pipers wear antecedent kilts in ceremonial dresss only (i.e. # 1A Ceremonial, #2A ceremonial, #3, #14A Ceremonial orders of dress).
In all other forms of dress they wear RRS uniform (i.e. Government 1A kilts).

[OC Richard]

to be more exact as I understand from Dress regulations of RRS, pipers wear antecedent kilts in ceremonial dresss only (i.e. # 1A Ceremonial, #2A ceremonial, #3, #14A Ceremonial orders of dress).
In all other forms of dress they wear RRS uniform (i.e. Government 1A kilts).

Yes indeed that is what we're seeing.

What's odd about it is the necessity of issuing two kilts to each piper. Has it been usual, in recent times, to issue two kilts to each soldier? If so when did this practice start? In the old days it was only one kilt per man (as can be seen in late 19th and early 20th century photos of soldiers with their entire kit laid out for inspection).

By the way, the kilts now being worn by all ranks of the RRS are in the colour scheme of the tartan worn by senior Sergeants and Officers of the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders, which has a rather lighter shade of green than the tartan worn by the Other Ranks of the Black Watch and Argylls, and the tartan worn by the Officers of The Black Watch.

The tartans worn by The Black Watch, Officers on the left, ORs on the right



The tartan worn by senior Sergeants and Officers of the Argylls; note the much lighter shade of green



The RRS tartan

[blackwatch70]

As far as I know, Government tartan 1A was specified in 1920s, before that date there was uniform Black Watch tartan worn by officers, NCOs and ORs in A&SH.
We understand why in 2006, when RRS was created, the Black Watch tartan has been chosen as oldest military tartan, but why the Gov 1A exactly?
I suppose, just because his more bright appearance than dark standard Gov. 1 tartan worn by Black Watch and ORs in A&SH.

as for your question about two kilts for each soldier (IMHO there is no sense to do that) and when this practice started....
I think that pipers are special case.
I have read discussion on one of forums about Black Watch pipers of 19c and some experts supposed that they have 2 sets of kilts and plaids - one in standard BW tartan and second in Royal Stewart tartan (or even special type of BW tartan for pipers where black threads replaced by red ones, this pattern found in famous Wilsons of Bannockburn tartan pattern books) , probably for solemn occasions (like ceremonial dress today). see below...

Ireland 1840s - Black Watch tartan

early 1850s some red tartan

1864, India - Royal Stewart tartan

1864 - same year! - again Black Watch tartan

1880s - different plaid and kilt

[blackwatch70]

an addition about 2 kilts for piper.

From memories of ex-Black Watch pipers, in this regiment 2 kilts (in BW and RS tartan) for pipers were part of standard issued kit until 1980s at least.
of course they never worn Black Watch kilt but it was an issued item!

regards, Mikhail

[Bruce Scott]

Recently posted on the British Army Facebook page:
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"The Pipes and Drums of the 3rd and 7th Battalions The Royal Regiment of Scotland lead the Armed Forces marching contingent through Dundee."