Pipes and Drums

The Pipes and Drums were first formed in Paderborn on the 17th march 1973 for St. Patrick's Day as a joint brain child of the then Commanding Officer Lt Col BR O'Rorke and Lord St Oswald, himself an EX 8th Hussar. The pipes and drums performed for the first time on St Patrick's Day of that year. Unfortunately due to the increased level of work at Regimental duty the pipes and drums slowly declined, to be rejuvenated by a subsequent Commanding Officer Lt Col Sir Charles Lowther Bt, in 1987.

The pipe band originally consisted of just two pipers but no drums, the uniform was a saffron kilt with a green piper's jacket, after two years the band grew by adding four Drummers and were now in a position to carry out more challenging engagements.

By the end of the 1970's and the start of the 1980's the pipe band received its first Pipe Major, Pipe Major Jimmy Walker, which in turn helped to improve the musical talents within the pipe band and to perform at the Royal Tournament in London was one of the main driving focus's at the time. Sadly this was not achieved until 1996 Under Pipe Major Walker's Successor, Pipe Major David Johnson who joined the Regiment and the Pipe Band from the Irish Guards in Munster in 1988.

Once the Pipe Band achieved it's goal of playing at London the Military School of Piping in Scotland then started to use the Pipes and Drums more frequently thus helping the Pipe Band immensely because a young Trooper from the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards joined the Regiment and the Pipe Band in 1991 to help and encourage the younger members of the band. He is now our current Pipe Major and his name is Pipe Major Graeme Massie.

Under Pipe Major Massie in 1999 the Pipe Band was requested to appear at the Royal Tournament and the Edinburgh Tattoo, he also changed the Uniforms of the Pipe Band to a Saffron Kilt with a green but gold braided Pipers jacket and a garter blue and green shawl with the White Horse of Hannover as a brooch, the drummers wearing traditional Hussars ceremonial dress.

Some of our recent engagements have included the south of France and South Africa supporting the Army Sales team, we are also sending Pipers to Brazil and Korea.

All the Soldiers currently serving in the Pipe Band are not just Pipers and Drummers but are also full crewmen of the regimental workhorse "the Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank" and are always ready to deploy with the Regiment on any operational Duties.

There has been no formal adoption of pipe music by the regiment, but the pipe tunes have become very much a part of Regimental Parades, the following tunes have become part of the Regiment's Music.

KILLALOE Composed by Robert Martin in 1887 as part of the show "Miss Esmeralda".

THE MINSTRAL BOY The original words were composed by Thomas Moore, set to an old traditional Irish air originally named "The Moreen".

HIGHLAND CATHEDRAL A Modern slow melody composed by M Korb for bagpipes, it is a haunting tune used as a slow march.

ST PATRICK'S DAY Played by the Irish Pipes at the battle of Fontenoy in 1745, though it has long been a popular patriotic Irish song.

REGIMENTAL MUSIC