The 67th Battalion CEF Pipe Band. Pipe Major “Billy “Wishart, front row, second from left.

Pipes, Frost, a Search and a Discovery

Judging from the popularity of the 231st Battalion CEF Pipe Band blog I felt a slight need for an encore presentation. So there I sat, chin in hand with a look of perplexity upon my face, where to turn? It is all well and good to think about a follow-up but seldom is it really that easy. Nevertheless I pick the unit, the 67th Battalion CEF (The Western Scots) who served on the Western Front as a pioneer battalion with the Fourth Canadian Division, men with picks and shovels, and they did have a pipe band!

Once again we turn to the resources – two soft-covered publications about the 67th are sure to have Pipe Band images in them! Yes they do; same picture in each volume and not a name to one of those pictured! It’s natural. Everyone in the band knew who each other was so if they bought the souvenir publications they could easily name all their fellows and point out themselves!

I am not making light of the Pipe Band just that this is another challenge requiring considerable ferreting skills to come up with something to write about. And oh yes there will indeed be something.  Firstly maybe we can at least find the name of the Pipe Major and so off to the C.E.F. nominal rolls and there he is – wonderful. Pipe Major William John Wishart. Excellent at least one name to the band and so what is next?

I know a visit to the Daily Colonist online newspaper site and indeed there we have it, not a list of names or a picture of the band all identified. No – does not seem meant to be, however, we have a story about the 67th raising money to replace their damaged pipes and a project led by none other than Pipe Major “Billy” Wishart himself.

The 67th was raised in Victoria, B.C. and had an interesting time trying to acquire quality pipes. Sadly those that they then managed to acquire suffered terribly due to bad weather, specifically frost.  In a Daily Colonist article from February 1916, it is recorded that Imperial Bands were provided for by government grants and by officer subscriptions. This however was not the case for the 67th Battalion who instead relied on their own initiative, and the Pipe Band Committee, to solve their dilemma.

 “…the recent hard weather, with its big changes of temperature, was guaranteed to split any but the finest kind of pipes, particularly after they got wet or frozen. One very badly cracked set of pipes has been exhibited in town [at the Colonial Office] by way of convincing the skeptical. The chanter in these pipes has been practically ruined. It is privately owned, and cost $15. Think of this, and you must realize the unselfish zeal of the piper who sacrifices his personal property for the regiment, and still wished to stay with the band”. (Daily Colonist, February 27, 1916, page. 10)

Now time to find the date of this quote and page number! Good grief and there at the top of the page before my eyes, a picture of the 67th Pipe Band, not the same picture shown above but another, too poor to copy but…but…but with a list of names and once again ferreting proves to be rather clever. A bonus has been revealed and this special extra appears at the bottom of this writing, a nominal roll of known Pipers in the 67th. It does not get much better than this.

Returning to the replacement of the damaged pipes, $200 was raised at a concert February 23, 1916 when the 67th Pipe Band organized a program presented at the old Victoria Theatre. The premises were loaned for the occasion by David Spencer Ltd. and no seat was left empty providing for a fine and delightful Scottish program of entertainment. No details of other fundraisers have currently been discovered though Pipe Major Wishart was pleased with the total raised although an additional $400 was required to fully replace the frost damaged pipes.

67th Western Scots Publication.

Roll of 67th Battalion Pipers

Piper John Low
102672
Born ______, Scotland
Trade or Calling: Carpenter
Prior Service 50th Regiment (Gordon Highlanders)

Other choice
102453 John Ramsay Low

Piper A. Ferguson (Alexander Balfour Matthewson Ferguson)
103278
Born: Buleshire, Scotland
Trade or Calling: Farmer
Prior Service: 102nd Regiment (Rocky Mountain Rangers)

Piper Donald Ferguson
103388
Born: Buteshire, Scotland
Trade or Calling: Farmer
Prior service:
2 weeks 102nd Regiment (Rocky Mountain Rangers)
2 years Artillery Volunteers Scotland

Piper John Craigmyle
103074
Born: Aberdeen, Scotland
Trade or Calling: Stone Cutter
Prior Service: 3 months 54th Kootenay Battalion

Pipe Major “Billy” William John Wishart
102529
Born: Aberdeenshire, Scotland
Trade or Calling: Construction Foreman
Prior Service:
50th Regiment Gordon Highlanders
1 year 8 months ____ of Canada
5 Years 3rd Battalion Gordon Highlanders (Aberdeenshire, Scotland)

Piper George Leslie
103242
Born: Aberdeenshire, Scotland
Trade or Calling: Rancher
Prior service: 9 years 80 days 1st Battalion Gordon Highlanders

Piper Colin Campbell
103274
Born: Island of Jure, Scotland
Trade or Calling: Carpenter
Prior service: Nil

Piper John MacLeod
103327
Born: Stormway, Scotland
Trade or Calling: Waiter
Prior Service: 4 1/2 years with 7th Scottish and 9 months 50th Regiment (Gordon Highlanders)

Piper Alexander Chisholm
102676
Born: Inverness, Scotland
Trade or Calling: Not readable
Prior Service: 1 month 50th Regiment (Gordon Highlanders)

Piper Alexander Logie
102374
Born: Morayshire, North Scotland
Trade or Calling: Motorman
Prior Service: 3 weeks 50th Regiment (Gordon Highlanders)

Piper John Chalmers
103276
Attestation Papers not Available

Piper James Wallace
102666
Born: Ricarton, Ayrshire, Scotland
Trade or Calling: Miner
Prior Service: Royal Scots Fusiliers

Piper D. Campbell
Believed to be Duncan Campbell
102675
Born: Campbelton, Scotland
Trade of Calling: Clerk
Prior Service: 10 months 50th Regiment (Gordon Highlanders)

or
Donald MacSporran Campbell
103014
Born: Campbelton, Scotlnad
Trade or Calling: Carpenter
Prior Service: 3 years with Volunteers, Scotland

Other possibility
103237 Daniel Campbell

Piper J. Brown
Believed to be John Brown (no second initial provided)
102455
Born: Morayshire, Scotland
Trade or Calling: Teamster
Prior Service: 4 years 3rd Battalion Seaforth Highlanders (Volunteers)

Other choices
102406 James Murray Brown (Scottish born)
102965 James Arthur Brown (Canadian born)

Did you know?

Two officer’s names are recorded as associated with the Pipe Band Committee, Major Stuart Armour (President) and Lieutenant J. Perks (Secretary)

In 1919 upon the 67th’s return to Victoria Pipe Major Wishart led the Pipe Band and the veterans to the Comrades Club located at the corner of Douglas and Courtenay Street.

Tags: 67th Battalion C.E.F., Comrades Club, David Spencer Ltd., Old Victoria Theatre, Pipe Bands, Pipe Major "Billy" Wishart, Western Scots

This entry was posted by pferguson on Sunday, August 10th, 2014 at 8:10 pm and is filed under Pipers of War. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.