My new Scottish soldier postcard

[Michael Weatherhead]

Thanks. How interesting. I was watching a youtube video once, about a regimental pipe band that wears white polar bear fur. During a visit from Pres Reagan, he presented them with a polar bear skin, to use, for more hats. I read about how the black bearskins are obtained. Through legal, controlled hunts, in Western Canada. But leave it to good ole PETA, along with their useful idiots (singers and actresses), to butt in, and tear down traditions. I wish they would, as author Laura Ingraham once said, "Shut up and sing." and, "Shut up and act." They always have something to say, don't they?

[OC Richard]

Yes that postcard shows the Pipe Major of the 2nd Battalion Seaforth Highlanders. The Seaforth Highlanders were formed in 1881 (as part of a major overhaul of the entire Army) by the amalgamation of the 72nd Highlanders (who wore Prince Charles Edward Stuart tartan trews) and the 78th Highlanders (who wore MacKenzie tartan kilts).

The new Seaforth Highlanders retained more of the kit of the parent regiments than did the other new Highland regiments, wearing both collar badges, and the Pipes & Drums of each battalion having somewhat different uniforms. The main differences was that the Pipers of the 1st battalion wore silver hardware and had white hair sporrans while the pipers of the 2nd battalion wore gilt hardware and had brown-grey sporrans.

Here are more pics of the Pipe Major of the 2nd Battalion Seaforth Highlanders









Here are the two sets of collar badges:





Interesting is how the Pipe Major of the 2nd battalion wore an officer's sword belt plate on his crossbelt in addition to the normal crossbelt hardware.