|
In This Issue
·
Greetings
·
Upcoming Events
·
Perfect Attendance
·
A Wee Bit of History
·
Royal Regiment of Scotland
·
Say What?
·
Celtic Market
·
Shenanigans
·
Contact Us
Christopher Fox – 7th
Jim Glasscock – 22nd
www.salpd.com
The bands web site
www.richmondias.org
Irish
American Society
|
Greetings
Just when you think you know what you are going to write
about something amazing happens and it all changes. I had some other thoughts
to put in the newsletter for this month and then things changed in the last
week and at the last second. I must say in all sincerity that I am so glad we
turned down the opportunity to play at the race in Charlotte Memorial Day
weekend. The reasons are two fold. First I personally had a couple of great
experiences during the day. Second with gas prices the way they are we would
have lost money and been dead tired for Monday.
This was the first time I participated in the Virginia War Memorial and on top of it, this was the
first time my brother was going to be playing with us on drum. Scott and I
arrived early and there were a couple of gentlemen at the memorial as well.
At different points both men came up to me and thanked me for us playing
there. They both loved the pipes and think we are a highlight of the event.
In the course of talking to them they shared some of their life stories with
me. It was amazing to hear their stories and realize what they had truly
sacrificed in service to their county. One of the gentlemen didn’t even serve
but had lost his father, a brother and in a round about way his mother due to
his family’s service for our county. With these gentlemen’s stories fresh in
my mind I listened to the ceremony with a new light and understanding. I
can’t comprehend war not even for a second, and even though I have always
honored and supported our troops, I think I now have an even deeper
understanding and appreciation for the sacrifices made even though I never
asked.
To top it off that day Scott was “forced” into service
as the only bass drum we had. He was supposed to leave with me after
the War Memorial and come over to my in-laws
for the family cook out but didn’t want the band to be without a drum. While
we missed him at the cook out I was proud of him for stepping up. From what I
heard at the Memorial and from other members he did a great job throughout
the day. While relating all of the days events to my father in law who is a
veteran of the Corps him self, he told me of some of his exploits. I have
always liked my father in law. He’s a quite honest man that is always busy
with something at home, but yet again I was amazed by this unassuming man and
his life. The fact that he is struggling with his health and doesn’t get
around like he’s used to only hammered home the events of the day. As much as
I would have liked to participated in the other events I was where I needed
to be with family. I can only imagine the thrill of playing for Christopher’s
Dad. While it’s great to give back to the community to give back to our own
is even more important and special. I can’t say I’ll always be at all the events
on Memorial Day but I will always be at the War Memorial as long as we do it.
That said I turn to the
Céilidh. What a great time and setting. Wonderful food, friends and pipes,
does it get any better? Thank you so much to Tom and Annette for having us
all over. I think a great time was had by all the weather stayed away but put
on quite a show for us. Tom said he talked to the big guy earlier that day
maybe there is something to all that Carolina Blue stuff she’s always
spouting off about.
A real quick note on an
upcoming event; since the next newsletter might be a little late to tell you
about it. On July 4th we will playing at a fund raiser for the
Family’s of the Wounded Fund http://www.fotwf.org/fourth.asp
Please tell everyone you can about this very worth while cause and plan to be
there your self. It sounds like a great time and is a great cause. Please
submit any articles for the July newsletter by June 25th Enjoy and
Remember… By the Center!!
Upcoming Events
|
June
|
|
S
|
M
|
T
|
W
|
T
|
F
|
S
|
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
5
|
6
|
7
|
|
8
|
9
|
10
|
11
|
12
|
13
|
14
|
|
15
|
16
|
17
|
18
|
19
|
20
|
21
|
|
22
|
23
|
24
|
25
|
26
|
27
|
28
|
|
29
|
30
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
All Events, Times and Dress are subject to change.
June 7th
– Jeff Davis Memorial
June 7th
– Fallen Firefighters Memorial
June 8th – First Baptist
Church
www.fbcrichmond.org
June 14th – Private Wedding in Georgetown
June 15th – Father’s Day
June 20th – Rivah Fest
http://www.rivahfest/rivah5.htm
Perfect Attendance
|
Tim
Batten
Chris
Fox
Chris
Lainhart
|
Don
Milliagan
Robin
Hale Cooper
Keith
Lainhart
|
Fay
King
Scott
Elder
Derek
Lainhart
|
A Wee Bit of History – via Jeff Anderson
Scottish Borders History
William Wallace
The Borders Connection in the Wars to retain Independence
In March 1296, Edward I of England, crossed the
Tweed, devastated Berwick and defeated a Scots army at Dunbar.
He marched unopposed as far as Elgin
and deposed John Balliol on the way. He made all important Scots swear
allegiance to him on the document known as The Ragman’s Roll and thought that
Scotland
was conquered at last.
He reckoned without the tenacity of the Scots to
retain their independence. In 1297, an uprising under the leadership of
William Wallace achieved a victory at Stirling Bridge
despite the previous capitulation of the Scots nobility. It was a fluke and
the ever superior English forces routed the Scots the following year at Falkirk.
However the spirit of freedom burned bright in Scots hearts. Guerilla
warfare was conducted by Wallace and his followers from the comparative
safety of Ettrick
Forest and other wild
places. Even the capture and execution of Wallace in 1305, did not quench the
desire to retain their independence.
Robert the Bruce reaped the benefit of the seed
of freedom sown by Wallace and his followers.
Places
with Wallace connections
The Auld Kirk in Selkirk
In early 1298, Wallace was
proclaimed Guardian of Scotland at the ‘Forest Kyrk’.
Tradition and history places this as Selkirk whose early spellings of
Scheleschirche means the Kirk in the Forest.
Selkirk was the capital of Ettrick
Forest and the one
place of importance in Scots hands at the time. At this time Wallace and his
band were using Ettrick Forest to harry the English garrisons holding
Roxburgh and Jedburgh Castles.
Selkirk had been a seat of the Kings of Scots and
Scots parliaments and had been held there for two hundred years.
In historical fairness, one or two historians
reckon that the Forest Kirk could have been at St Mary’s of the Lowes, the
foundations of which can be seen near St Mary’s
Loch in the Yarrow
Valley.
Wallace’s
Trench in the Yarrow Valley
In July 1297, Edward’s Treasurer in Scotland records that Wallace was in Ettrick Forest with ‘a graunt compaigne’. For
those with a stout heart and strong boots, a hike from Yarrowford (NT 408300)
two miles up the ancient road called The Minchmoor, leads to the
entrenchments reputedly made by Wallace’s ‘gruant compaigne’ before they went
to defeat the English at Stirling Bridge on 11th September 1297. NB - It is a steep two miles but worth it for the
view alone.
The
Wallace Statue at Drygrange
Commissioned by, David Stuart Erskine, the Eleventh Earl of Buchan
and unveiled on 22nd September 1814, this was the first
monument to be erected in Scotland to the great Scottish patriot
and, fittingly, looks towards Ettrick
Forest. It was the work
of a local sculptor, John Smith of Darnick.
The imposing 31-foot, red sandstone statue depicts Wallace, Scotland’s
national hero, dressed in ancient Scottish armour, resting on his sword and
with his huge shield at his side.
The 10-foot pedestal of
the statue is inscribed:
Wallace, great patriot hero
ill
requited chief
MDCCCXIV
The statue was restored in 1991 by the Saltire Society with over
£20,000 being raised by public subscription and The William Wallace Trust,
c/o Curle, Muir & Co. (Solicitors), Royal Bank Chambers, Melrose, was formed to look after it.
Close by the statue is a
sculpted urn bearing the inscription:
Peerless Knight of Elderslie
Who
wav’d on Ayr’s romantic shore
The
beamy torch of liberty,
And
roaming round from sea to sea
From
glade obscure of gloomy rock
His
bold companion call’d to free
The
realm from Edward’s iron yoke.
Scottish Borders
Tourist Board, Shepherd’s Mill, Whinfield
Road, Selkirk TD7 5DT.
The Royal Regiment of Scotland
6th Battalion – 52nd Lowland Regiment
|
|
The 52nd
Lowland Regiment now forms the 6th Battalion of The Royal Regiment
of Scotland, also known as 6 SCOTS.
It is the senior Territorial line infantry battalion in the British Army.
As part of the Delivering Security in a Changing World Review of the Armed
Forces, the 52nd Lowland Regiment was amalgamated with the other Regiments
of the Scottish Division to become the 6th Battalion, The Royal Regiment of
Scotland, which was formed on March 28, 2006. There was also further
consolidation, with D (King's Own Scottish Borderers) Company, based in
Galashiels, amalgamating with A (Royal Scots) Company, to reflect theormation
of the regular Royal Scots Borderers.
|
Regimental Heritage
The current Battalion traces
its lineage back to the Battalions of the former 52nd Lowland Division that
was formed as part of the 1907 Haldane Reforms of the Volunteer Army, which
formed the Territorial Force and fought in the First World War at
Gallipoli, in the Middle East (Sinai and Palestine)
and on the Western Front in France.
After the Armisitice, the Territorial Force and it's formations were
disbanded. The Territorial Army was re-established in 1920 however, and the
52nd Lowland Division became the only completely Territorial Division to
fight in the Second World War, although other Lowland Territorial units
also fought with the newly re-formed 15th (Scottish) Division. 52nd Lowland
Division was initially part of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF). It
later trained as a mountain and airborne Division fighting with distinction
in Holland and Germany
as part of the First Allied Airborne Army, including the Battle
of the Scheldt and Operation Blackcock.
After VJ Day, the 52nd Lowland Division's Battalions were returned from
regular service to the Territorial Army order of battle.
Fewer Battalions were required in peace than in war so in 1948 the
52nd Lowland Division was amalgamated with 51st (Highland)
Division to become the 51st/52nd Scottish Division. As a result of the 1966
Defense White Paper however, a major reorganization of the Army took place,
brought about in part by the end of National Service, with the Territorial
Army being disbanded and the Territorial & Army Volunteer Reserve
(TAVR) formed. Instead of forming large reserve formations, the role of the
new TAVR was to provide smaller unit-sized reinforcements for the Regular
Army via a multi-tier system established to meet the NATO reserve (TAVR II)
and Home Defense (TAVR III) requirements. The reserve Battalions within the
four regiments of the Lowland Brigade were reduced to Company strength
cadres, which included the Glasgow Highlanders Battalion of the Highland
Light Infantry, 4th/5th Battalion of the Royal Scots Fusiliers and the
5th/6th Battalion of the Highland Light Infantry, which had all been part
of The Royal Highland Fusiliers since 1959. The 8th/9th Battalion of the
Royal Scots, 4th/5th Battalion of the King's Own Scottish Borderers and
6th/7th Battalion of the Cameronians were also included, and three separate
new reserve Battalions were subsequently raised to incorporate them, The
52nd Lowland Volunteers, which was a TAVR II unit with a NATO reserve role
and both the 3rd (Territorial) Battalion, The Royal Highland Fusiliers and
The Royal Scots and Cameronians Territorials, which were TAVR III units
with responsibility for Home Defence. After the TAVR structure was
established, the 51st/52nd Scottish Division was split into two Brigade
sized formations and 52nd Lowland Volunteers, the 3rd (Territorial)
Battalion, The Royal Highland Fusiliers and The Royal Scots and Cameronians
Territorials came under the command of what would become 52nd Lowland
Brigade.
The TAVR III units were disbanded in 1969, with the two Battalions
being reduced to Section-sized "cadres". The cadres became part
of the 52nd Lowland Volunteers, although continuing to wear the badges and
perpetuating the traditions of their forebears. An increase in the size of
the TAVR in 1971 lead to an expansion in the size the Royal Scots and
Cameronians Territorials and the 3rd (Territorial) Battalion, The Royal
Highland Fusiliers cadres, which were amalgamated and became the 2nd
Battalion, 52nd Lowland Volunteers in 1971. Throughout the remainder of the
Cold War, the 1st Battalion of 52nd Lowland Volunteers, based in Glasgow
and the West of Scotland, and the 2nd Battalion, based in Edinburgh, the
Lothians and Borders, trained primarily for the NATO reinforcement role. In
1984 however, the 1st Battalion raised two Home Service Force Companies and
the 2nd Battalion raised one, which trained exclusively for the home
defence role, they were eventually disbanded in 1992 as part of Options for
Change. The 1st Battalion also had it's D (Cameronians) Company disbanded
and the 2nd Battalion had it's No.1 (Royal Scots) Company disbanded.
Following the Front Line First reforms of the British Army in
1994, the 1st Battalion, 52nd Lowland Volunteers was incorporated into the
Royal Highland Fusiliers and as a result, was retitled the 3rd (Volunteer)
Battalion, The Royal Highland Fusiliers in 1995. The 2nd Battalion, remained
a standalone multi cap-badged Battalion, and was known as The Lowland
Volunteers, until 1999, when as a result of the Strategic Defence Review of
Britain's reserve forces, the two Battalions were transferred under the
operational command of the 51st (Scottish) Brigade and re-amalgamated to
take the name and single battalion form of The 52nd Lowland Regiment. This
saw an overall reduction in strength from eight companies in two Battalions
to five companies in one battalion, although the unit continues to maintain
the Colors of both the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 52nd Lowland
Volunteers.
As part of the Delivering Security in a Changing World Review of
the Armed Forces, the 52nd Lowland Regiment was amalgamated with the other
Regiments of the Scottish Division to become the 6th Battalion, The Royal
Regiment of Scotland, which was formed on March 28, 2006. There was also
further consolidation, with D (King's Own Scottish Borderers) Company,
based in Galashiels, amalgamating with A (Royal Scots) Company, to reflect
the formation of the regular Royal Scots Borderers.
Locations
and operations
The Battalion Headquarters is
based at Walcheren Barracks in Maryhill, Glasgow and the Battalion
currently has one Support Company and three Rifle Companies with various Support
Weapons platoons based throughout the Scottish Lowlands:
- HQ Company is based in Glasgow and
consists of the various departments responsible for commanding and
supporting the Battalion, this includes the Commanding Officer, 2IC,
Adjutant and RSM, it also includes elements of the RLC, RAMC, AGC and
a REME Light Aid Detachment (LAD) as well as the Battalion's Motor
Transport and Signals Platoons and the Pipes and Drums.
- A Company has it's Headquarters, a
Rifle Platoon and the Military Band based in Edinburgh, an
Anti-Tank/STA/Recce Platoon and Rifle Platoon in Galashiels and a
Machine Gun Platoon in Bathgate.
- B Company have the Company
Headquarters and two Rifle Platoons based in Ayr, with a Mortar
Platoon in Dumfries.
- C Company has it's Company
Headquarters and a Rifle Platoon based in Glasgow with the Battalion's Assault
Pioneer Platoon in Motherwell
The Companies maintain their separate affiliations to The Royal
Scots Borderers (A Company) and The Royal Highland Fusiliers (HQ, B and C
Company), which now form the regular 1st and 2nd Battalions of The Royal
Regiment of Scotland and cover the same recruiting areas. In recognition of
this, its members wear a black or white hackle on their Tam o' Shanters,
the same as those worn by the 1st and 2nd Battalions respectively. In the
past, Headquarter Company of the 1st Battalion, 52nd Lowland Volunteers
maintained an affiliation to the Glasgow Highlanders but converted to the
Royal Highland Fusiliers in 1973. D Company of the Lowland Volunteers also
maintained an affiliation with The Cameronians, however it changed it's
affiliation to the King's Own Scottish Borderers in 1997. 52nd Lowland,
though, has its own identity in the British Army's order of battle and its
members are recognised primarily as 52nd Lowlanders.
In ceremonial duties, the Battalion has a military band, The
Lowland Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, formerly the Royal Scots
Territorial Band, which is also an asset of 52nd Lowland Brigade but
continues to be administered by the Battalion, both the band and 52nd
Lowland Pipes and Drums take part in military and civilian events all over
the UK and the world on behalf of the Battalion, the Regiment and 52nd
Lowland Brigade, including the Battalion's annual Beating Retreat and
Remembrance Day ceremonies in George Square, the World Pipe Band
Championships, the Edinburgh Military Tattoo and the Opening of the
Scottish Parliament.
|
Say What?
Gary Owen
The origins of Garryowen are unclear, but it
emerged in the late eighteenth century, when it was a drinking song of rich
young roisters in Limerick. It obtained
immediate popularity in the British Army through the 5th (Royal Irish)
Lancers, who were garrisoned in Limerick and
was played throughout the Napoleonic War, becoming the regimental march of
the 18th Foot (The Royal Irish Regiment).
A very early reference to the tune appears in The
Life of the Duke of Wellington by Jocquim Hayward Stocqueler, published
in 1853. He describes the defense of the town of Tarifa in late December 1811, during the
Peninsular War. General H. Gough, later Field Marshall Hugh Gough, 1st
Viscount Gough, commanding officer of the 87th Regiment (at that time known
as the Royal Irish Fusiliers), after repulsing an attack by French Grenadiers
"...was not, however, merely satisfied with resistance. When the enemy,
scared, ran from the walls, he drew his sword, made the band strike up 'Garry
Owen', and followed the fugitives for two or three hundred yards."
Garryowen was also a favorite in the Crimean War. The
tune has also been associated with a number of British military units, and is
the authorized regimental march of The Irish Regiment of Canada. It was the
regimental march of the Liverpool Irish, British Army. It is the regimental
march of the London Irish Rifles (now part of The London Regiment (TA)). It
was also the regimental march of the 50th (The Queen's Own) Foot (later The
Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment) until 1869.
Garryowen became the marching tune for the 69th
Infantry Regiment, New York Militia, (the famed "Fighting 69th") in
the mid-1800s. The "Fighting 69th" adopted Garry Owen before the
Civil War and recently brought it back to combat in Operation Iraqi Freedom
It later became the marching tune for the US
7th Cavalry Regiment during the late 1800s. The tune was a favorite of
General George Armstrong Custer and became the official air of the Regiment
in 1867. According to legend it was the last tune played before the Battle of the Little
Bighorn.
The name of the tune has become a part of the regiment,
the words Garry Owen are part of the regimental crest, and there is a
Camp Garry Owen, north of Seoul,
Korea, which
houses part of the 4th Squadron of the regiment. The Seventh Cavalry regiment
became a part of the US
1st Cavalry Division in 1921, and "Garryowen" became the official
tune of the division in 1981.
The word garryowen is derived from Irish, the proper name Eóghan
("born of the yew tree") and the word for garden garrai -
thus "Eóghan's Garden". The term refers to an area of the town of Limerick, Ireland.
Lyrics
Let Bacchus' sons be not dismayed
But join with me, each jovial blade
Come, drink and sing and lend your aid
To help me with the chorus:
Chorus:
Instead of spa, we'll drink brown ale
And pay the reckoning on the nail;
No man for debt shall go to jail
From Garryowen in glory.
We are the boys who take delight
In smashing Limerick
lamps at night,
And through the street like sportsters
fight,
Tearing all before us.
Chorus
We'll break the windows, we'll break
down doors,
The watch knock down by threes and
fours,
And let the doctors work their cures,
And tinker up our bruised
Chorus
We'll beat the bailiffs out of fun,
We'll make the mayor and sheriffs run
We are the boys no man dares dun
If he regards a whole skin. .
Chorus
Our hearts so stout have got us fame
For soon 'tis known from whence we came
Where'er we go they fear the name
Of Garryowen in glory.
Chorus
Celtic Market
FOR SALE
Black, hard side bagpipe case, for sale.
This case is in excellent condition. I am asking $65 (new was $105).
Contact: Mike Hohman at: m.hohmans4@verizon.net
FOR SALE
|
|
I'm
putting my lightly used Gibson Fireside Small Pipes up for sale. I
purchased these last August directly from Gibson. They are coca
bola wood with brass mounts. The blowstick and chanter are polypenco.
The Gibson soft carrying case is also included.
http://www.gibsonpipes.com/fireside.html
They sound great, and they are a lot of fun, but they take too much
time away from my GHBs.
I paid $650, and I'm offering them for $500 or best offer.
Contact:
Christopher Fox at: Neural@mac.com
|
Shenanigans
1. Light travels faster than sound.
This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.
2. Change is inevitable, except
from a vending machine
3. Those who live by the sword get
shot by those who don't.
4. Nothing is foolproof to a
sufficiently talented fool.
5. The 50-50-90 rule: Anytime you
have a 50-50 chance of getting something right, there's a 90% probability
you'll get it wrong.
6. If you lined up all the cars
in the world end to end, someone would be stupid enough to try to pass them,
five or six at a time, on a hill, in the fog.
7. The things that come to those
who wait will be the scraggly junk left by those who got there first.
8. The shin bone is a device for
finding furniture in a dark room.
9. A fine is a tax for doing
wrong. A tax is a fine for doing well.
10. When you go into court, you
are putting yourself into the hands of twelve people who weren't smart enough
to get out of jury duty.
(Thanks to Carol Rasnic and the
IAS Newsletter)
About Town
|
6/5, 6/12, 6/19, 6/26
|
Turf Fire – IAS
Members Mary Smith & John Robison at Dublin’s Irish Pub 7526
Mechanicsville Tpk. Mechanicsville 23111 Phone 804-723-5582
|
|
6/7
|
The Havers*** –
9:30 pm Dublin’s
Irish Pub - Mechanicsville
|
|
|
IAS Summer Picnic www.richmondias.org
|
|
6/14
|
Potomac Celtic
Festival Leesburg, VA, Morven Park http://www.potomaccelticfest.org/
|
|
6/21
|
Press Gang ** ** 7 pm – 9:30 Dublin’s Irish Pub –
Mechanicsville
|
Contact Us
Our Web Site:
www.salpd.com
For Performances and events
please Contact:
Tim Lewis Batten - Pipe Major and President
Phone: (804) 559-7046
Cell: (804) 502-7046
pipemajor@standrewslegion.org
For lessons or to join:
Practices are held every Monday night at Westhampton United Methodist
Church starting at
6:00pm. Feel free to stop in, look around, listen and learn. Structured
individual instruction is also available, just ask. Arrangements can be made
to suit almost any schedule. We always welcome new members!
|
