Former Scots Guards Pipe MajorWins OurTune Competition forWW2 Hero
BY PIPING TIMES REPORTERS
MacInnes, formerly of the Scots Guards. There were dozens of high quality entries for the competition but Peter's tune emerged ahead of the pack in the opinion of the judges P/M Richard Parkes ofWorld Pipe Band Champions Field Marshal Montgomery, Major Steven Small, Director of Army Bagpipe Music and Robert Wallace, Principal of the College of Piping and Editor of the PipingTimes. Other tunes which made the short leet came, as would be expected, from some of piping’s most gifted composers: Trevor Dear, Blue MacMurchie, Angus Lawrie and BruceThomson. But in the final analysis it was felt that Peter’s 3/4 retreat march had a strong melody and perfectly captured the spirit of sacrifice embodied in CaptainYoung’s valiant stand. Taking the advice of Lt Col David
T
Murray, who wrote extensively in a previous PT about Captain Young (pictured above) and the Battle of Kohima (at which he himself saw
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HE winner of the Captain Jock Young composing competition is P/M Peter
action), the tune will be called ‘Captain Jock Young, Assam Regiment’. Major Small has also considered the military protocol involved and endorsed Lt Col Murray’s suggestion. On hearing of his success P/M
MacInnes, who was mentioned in dispatches for his bravery during the Falklands War 30 years ago, said: ‘This is a great honour for me. Soldiers such as CaptainYoung deserve to be remembered and if my little tune helps then so much the better.’ A ceremony
will be held in Glasgow later this year at which the tune will be played and framed copies of the music handed over to the Army School of Bagpipe Music, the Argylls Museum,
Stirling Castle, (Captain was seconded to the Assam Regiment from the Argylls) and to representatives of his family.The Piping Times will make a suitable donation to the Help for Heroes forces charity. There was no prize offered for the winning composer merely the distinction of being associated with a genuine, but until lately unsung, Scottish hero.