The stories behind Pipe tunes

[WalesLax]

'The 79th’s Farewell to Gibraltar’ was one of the early quicksteps written for troops on the march. It was composed by Pipe Major John Macdonald of the 79th Cameron Highlanders in June of 1848 when his regiment left Gibraltar for Canada. The 79th was originally supposed to have gone to the West Indies, a post notorious for its unhealthy climate and the inordinate amount of casualties due to fever, but at the last minute the regiment was posted to Canada due to the fortuitous intervention of the Secretary of State (who happened to be the commanding officer’s brother).

For three years, that regiment had been part of the garrison stationed on the strategic (but small) Rock of Gibraltar, located at the far southern part of Spain. The regiment was delighted to get off "the Rock," to go somewhere else.

This is the reason the Pipe Major composed “The 79th Farewell to Gibraltar” and decided to teach it to the pipers on the crossing. But the tune’s title may have been somewhat tongue-in-cheek, as the transport lay off Gibraltar for some days, delayed by contrary winds.

After having crossed the Atlantic Ocean without incident, the fog on the St. Lawrence seaway presented a serious hazard. The captain was greatly concerned about a possible collision and asked the Pipe Major to take the pipe band up on deck to play as a warning to other ships of their presence. MacDonald decided to have them play their new tune. So, it was by The 79th’s Farewell to Gibraltar’s first public airing that the ship avoided collision.