pipers of the lost Highland regiments

**OC Richard** · 13th July 18, 06:08 AM

Originally Posted by figheadair

It's difficult to tell because of the resolution whether these are pre-Crimean war productions or show the pre-Crimean war uniform but were produced later. Can you confirm?

I'm not familiar with the top image. It has the appearance of a contemporary sketch.

The middle painting looks like the work of Richard Simkin (1850-1926) who painted a vast number of paintings showing historical British military uniforms. You see them on vintage postcards all the time.

Here's his Wiki

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Simkin

So that painting would have been done decades later than the period it depicts. I don't know what sources Simkin used but AFAIK his paintings are considered to be accurate.

The bottom photo is one of the series Crimean War Heroes taken in 1856. It's piper John MacDonald who joined the 72nd in 1843 and was appointed Pipe Major in 1856. The original photos were obviously black & white, so take the colourings with a huge grain of salt.

**blackwatch70** · 17th July 18, 02:12 AM

Originally Posted by figheadair

It's difficult to tell because of the resolution whether these are pre-Crimean war productions or show the pre-Crimean war uniform but were produced later. Can you confirm?

the first sketch painted by CCP Lawson (1880 - 1967) named as "72nd Highlanders, Piper, c.1850", so it's not contemporary image.
second one , as pointed OC Richard, by Simkin,
and third is well known coloured photo.

**figheadair** · 17th July 18, 08:52 AM

Originally Posted by blackwatch70

the first sketch painted by CCP Lawson (1880 - 1967) named as "72nd Highlanders, Piper, c.1850", so it's not contemporary image.
second one , as pointed OC Richard, by Simkin,
and third is well known coloured photo.

That was my point, all retrospective rather than contemporary (less the photo of course) so open to question.

**blackwatch70** · 26th July 18, 02:07 AM

more information about 72nd Highlanders pipers from the book "Pipers and Pipe Music in a Highland Regiment" by I.H. Mackay Scobie. My book is dated as 1924 old.