A Canadian Army Piper’s Stories
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A Canadian Army Piper’s Stories[/caption]
This book contains a selection of autobiographical stories by Pipe Major Hugh Macpherson about his life and experiences in the Canadian Armed forces over 34 years.
The stories cover his training in the bagpipes, as an infantry commander with the Royal Canadian Regiment and as Personal Piper to successive Governors General of Canada. The book contains photographs of the author on his tours of duty in various places around the world.
About the author:
Born in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Pipe Major Hugh Macpherson first began learning to play the bagpipes in Saskatoon at 13 years of age. In 1964, at 17 years of age, he joined The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada, where he served as an infantry piper with the First Battalion at Camp Gagetown, New Brunswick. In 1967 he travelled across the continent by train as one of the pipers on the Canadian Centennial Tattoo.
Leaving the army, he moved to Ontario and worked as a daily newspaper reporter on the St. Catharines Standard and, after a short time with the Clan McFarlane Pipe Band, led the Welland Police Pipe Band to a Grade Three North American Championship at Burlington, Ontario in 1970. The following year he went back into the army, joining Second Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment and undergoing Combat Leader and Infantry Section Commander training. He served as an infantry corporal piper in New Brunswick and Cyprus.
He was privileged to attend the year-long British Army Pipe Majors’ Course at Edinburgh Castle, Scotland and graduated first in his class in May 1975.
Upon graduation he was assigned to form an air force volunteer band at Canadian Forces Base Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, after which he served as pipe major of Canadian Forces Europe at Lahr, West Germany 1977-1982.
He returned to Portage la Prairie for two years before attending one year of French language training. This was followed by the CF Senior Leadership Academy. Following that he was pipe major at Canadian Forces Base Greenwood in Nova Scotia until 1988 when he returned as pipe major of Second Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment. In 1990, 2 RCR Pipes & Drums won the Grade III North American Championship at Maxville, Ontario.
From April 1992 until his retirement, he served as pipe major of Air Command Pipes & Drums in Ottawa, achieving the rank of Chief Warrant Officer in 1995 as the Canadian Forces Senior Pipe Major. During that period, he also held the appointment as Personal Piper to successive Governors General of Canada.
Pipe Major Macpherson retired with over 34 years of service in September 2000 and in 2004 earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree (Cum Laude) in History from the University of Ottawa.
In November 2004 Scott’s Highland Services of London, Ontario published his first book, “Pipers of The Canadian Regular Army 1950 – 2000”. Two years later “A Piper’s American Odyssey” was published by Penumbra Press of Manotick, Ontario.
He has been married since 1969 to Susan Macpherson (née Parnall) of St. Catharines, Ontario, and has two married children – Professor Iain Macpherson, PhD at Grant MacEwan University in Edmonton and Victoria Macpherson-Hayes, BSc, RN in Toronto.
Quality Paperback, 6×9” 50 pg, Publication date: February 2021, ISBN 978-0-88970-221-9: $17.95
Ebook: You can get "A Canadian Army Piper’s Stories" in three e-book formats (ISBN 978-0-88970-223-3 each $9.99):
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