Tom Connelly informs me of the passing of his great 214 friend Robert Limond yesterday, 10th August 2021.

Robert would be 82 or 83 and was a great swimmer in his days with the company. He also played the side drum in the band along with George Seymour.

He served his apprenticeship building gymnastic equipment as a Joiner, though Tom assures me he never built the 214BB Parallel Bars.

We send our 214 condolences to his wife Christine at this sad time.

(I will advise regarding funeral arrangements once known.)

I am sorry to advise that Ronnie Elmslie (71) passed away on the 17th March 2021, at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow.

Ronnie was the youngest of the Elmslie brothers, Jim the eldest advises he had been receiving treatment at the hospital lately. Dougie the middle brother passed away in 2015.

I have been advised that the three Elmslie brothers all played for ‘The Muirheads’ at various times, though not all at the same time.

We would all like to pass on our condolences to Ronnie’s wife Katherine and son Stuart and the rest of the family at this sad time.

What can I say about last Friday evening’s gathering, other than what a great success it was.

I am only repeating what everyone has said to me.

It was great seeing over 30 Ex-Members online at one point. Tuning in to see how everyone was surviving through these hard times.

The ironic thing was, it was more the younger membership that was lacking in their attendance than the elder. So technology transcends all ages, better to have tried and failed than not try at all.

The membership was tuning in from all across the Globe and the UK.

With some new video footage and ‘Memories’ being the main theme of the evening, a lot of brains were trawled to great effect. The hilarity of some of these recollections was priceless.

Covid-19 and Government guidelines has made the last year very hard for a lot of people.

It was mentioned that this had been one of the best nights in for some, in quite some time.

I personally loved seeing the reactions on everyone’s faces while they watched footage of the 214 pipe bands of the 60’s and 70’s, Lifeboys at Croy Bay, Centenary footage at Ibrox and Inspections at St Tams, featuring PT, Vaulting, Pyramids, Indian Clubs and Presentation of prizes to name a few. All accompanied by relevant MacIver or 214 related music.

Please remember I also announced an appeal for all bandsmen to complete a questionnaire. This is regarding their pipe band career after they left the 214.

If anyone is struggling to access the questionnaire, please contact me and full instructions will be forwarded to you.

The history needs recorded and the only way we can do this is with your help.

I have a funny feeling there may possibly be another online gathering, prior to our delayed annual reunion in October.

It’s up to you.

This Friday night we are having our online gathering.

Thank you to those who have replied.

What a great chance of catching up with others from around the World.

Are you attending?

See previous News item for details.

All Ex Members should now have received an email from the Secretary inviting them to our Online Gathering with all the details.

If you have not received your invite please contact the Secretary.

We would like to wish you and yours a Happy and Healthy New Year.

We hope you are all keeping well and hopefully we can all meet up in person, later in the year.

The Committee are currently investigating opportunities, that would allow Ex Members to have a safe catch up in March.

Keep watching this space.

Sure & Stedfast

I am sorry to announce that Robin Tedford passed away on Boxing Day, after a short illness at the age of 87.

Robin who lived in Prestwick was a well known 214 face over the years.

Robin was in the band during the WW2 years and was given the charge of looking after Donnie MacIver’s pipes while he was away during National Service.

After leaving the 214 Robin served in the Merchant Navy as an engineer for some years. He then became a draughtsman and project engineer during his later employment.

We all send our condolences to his wife of 59 years Margaret and all the rest of the family at this sad and difficult time.

Two new Photo Galleries have been added to the site find them under the Photos Tab.

or click these links

Band 1960’s

General Gallery

More detail is required to be added to some of the photos, if you have sent me details of these I thank you I just haven’t got round to marking them up yet.

I must thank Willie Ellis who spent many hours with me, going through these a while back.

If you know the order of the people in the photos email me the names in order and I’ll update when I can, please note the photo number that is in (Brackets).

I have many more photos to sort and put up in Galleries which takes time as you can imagine, there is no point putting up photos with no detail. Also as you can see a lot of the photos are not picture perfect and clear. Donnie MacIver who took most of these had loads of blurry pics so I need to try and edit them to clean them up.

The next priority project is the Christmas Cards, so if you moved home please make sure we have your up to date address.

Keep safe all.

As we fight our own war against a virus, remember all who never returned from all conflicts.

At the 11th hour we will remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice.

We give our thanks to those who never came back, those who came back broken physically and mentally, and we thank those who continue to serve.

Lest we forget.

105 years ago, there was a cease-fire in the trenches of WW1, and soldiers on all sides found that they had more in common with their enemies than they realized…. As Christmas approaches, may we all be reminded to show love and warmth to our fellow men, and focus on the things that truly matter.

Angus as known by his family or as a lot of you will remember him, “Big Gus the Bass Drummer” was born in Alderney the third largest inhabited of the Channel Islands, (It is only 3 square miles), on the 26th August 1926.

Growing up on Alderney was a world away from life in Glasgow.

The German occupation of the Channel Islands was nearing and Gus at the age of 13 was evacuated on Sunday 23 June 1940. They arrived on the South coast of England and were placed onto trains to be sent across Great Britain for a safer life.

Gus along with his family and the other islanders, approximately 1500, were originally being sent to London, but there was a mix up with the trains and they all ended up in Glasgow.

Arriving in Glasgow the refugees were sent to various places to be allocated a place to stay, Gus was sent to Whiteinch and Gordon Park Church Hall.

It was there that he was to meet one of his life long friends Tom McColl (The Secretary’s father). Tom said that he saw Gus wearing this unusual belt, it had a big shiny Alderney Crest on it and he asked Gus about it, they were friends ever since that moment.

Needless to say Gus joined the 214 BB and that’s where a great friendship was also formed with Willie McDonald.

Gus, Tom and Willie (The Three Amigos) were all members of the ARP (Air Raid Precautions) part of the Home Guard Civil Defence. (As described in Tom McColl’s article ‘The War in Japan Part 3‘)

After leaving the BB Gus much to the horror of his Father and Grandfather, joined the ‘Red Coats’ The Scots Guards. (Up to this point the family had been in the Royal Artillery)

On the 15 March 1945 he joined the Scots Guards and was sent to Caterham, Surrey. Where he joined the 1st Battalion on 19 March 1945 as Drummer 2704401

In May 1945 Gus was posted to Rossetti Barracks, Trieste in North East Italy.

Trieste in May 1945 was a chaotic city filled with cornered German, Croatian and Italian soldiers who continued to fight despite Italy’s capitulation in 1943.

The city was the focal point of a bitter territorial dispute between Italy and Yugoslavia. The Yugoslavs had hoped to strengthen their post-war claims to Trieste by being first to liberate it and then putting in place their own military administration.

The Western Allies, however, had planned that the city should come under Allied Military Government like other parts of liberated Italy, pending a final peace settlement.

For some weeks, Trieste was under an uneasy dual occupation. The problem was resolved diplomatically at the highest Allied levels, with the Yugoslavs reluctantly withdrawing from the city in mid-June.

Gus enjoyed his time in Trieste, much of his time being spent on riot duty.

As well as being a drummer in the 1st Battalion Pipe Band, he was also a Battalion Buglar.

In October 1947 he was posted to Pirbright with duties in Chelsea Barracks, Buckingham Palace and the Tower of London.

Although his family had returned to the Channel Islands at the end of the German occupation, on demob, Gus decided to remain in Glasgow.

Gordon Park had a lot to answer for, as it was through the church that he met his wife Grace via a friend Doreen Black. They were married by Rev Harry L Thomson in May 1951 and Tom McColl was their Best Man. They lived for a short time on Jersey where their daughter Grace was born in 1952. Living on a rural farm (and no doubt after just having a baby), had made Grace very homesick and later that year they decided to return to Glasgow.

On their return Grace took not well with TB and was hospitalised. Thankfully ‘Streptomycin’ had just been discovered as a wonder drug and she recovered. On her release from hospital they moved into their newly built house in Drumchapel, thereafter moving to Kingsway, closer to work and overlooked the Clyde from the 18th floor of their high rise flat.

Gus was Head Timekeeper at Charles Connell’s Shipyard in Scotstoun for many years and took no prisoners if a worker challenged his pay packet at the end of the week.

He played the Bass Drum in the Rutherglen Pipe Band, along with Alex MacIver and Willie McDonald as shown here at Cowal Games in 1972.

Gus was never a man for smiling in a photograph as can be seen here at the 2004 BB Reunion at the OTC in Glasgow University in 2004. The three Amigos are on the left Tom McColl, Gus McDonald and Willie McDonald.

Gus passed away on 7th April 2007 aged 80.

We would like to thank Gus’ daughter Grace for supplying the material for this post.