Some fascinating information there. Many thanks to all who contributed (Todd in particular).

And my commiserations, Terry, on your nephew’s near-tragedy. Glad to know he is safe and sound.
And good luck with your training for a new career. Does the term technician indicate that you will be servicing X-ray machines?

I wonder whether the US 6th Army acquired a pipe band through General Mark Clark’s association with pipe bands during the Second World War.
I have mentioned in a post somewhere on XMTS that the South African 6th Division was transferred from the British 8th Army to the US 5th, under Mark Clark, shortly before the liberation of Rome.
Included in the 6th Div was a kilted unit, the First City/Cape Town Highlanders. The fighting men of this battalion were in ordinary uniform for the Italian campaign (khaki shorts in summer, battledress in winter) but it did have a pipe band attached (likely to have been made up entirely of Cape Town Highlanders in Gordon tartan). When off duty, the fighting men wore tammies (the CTH officers had blue glengarries diced in red and white, the FC officers khaki balmorals), but in the line they wore tin hats.
A tank regiment, Prince Alfred’s Guard, was also part of 6th Div. It has a pipe band nowadays (and it has armoured cars, not tanks), but I couldn’t tell you whether it had pipers in the 1940s.
There was also a (British) Guards brigade (will have to look up which one) with the 6th Div at one point. I cannot recall whether the Scots Guards were part of it, but it would also have had its pipe band in tow.

And in closing, I was aware of the Maple Leaf tartan, but was not aware of its military status. The Scottish Register of Tartans calls it a district tartan, and classifies Maple Leaf Dress also as district.
Maple Leaf Blue is noted as having been adapted for “Ontario School”, but the chaps in Edinburgh aren’t sure whether this was for a school of that name, or simply a school in Ontario.
Regards,
Mike