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COMMENT(S): P-M Willie Ross, MBE: photos of greatness
Published: January 01, 2008
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| A great article, the pictures are a plus. Thanks to those who made the article available. My father, P/M Roland Hill would tell me stories about his experience having to go to Edinburgh to pass his Pipe Majors certificate under P/M Willie Ross. This was at the castle just prior to WW.11. My Dad said that Pipe Major Willie Ross was one of the finnest Pipers/Composers he had the pleasure to meet. I wonder if there are any records available that would show just how many famous Pipers Willie Ross influenced when he was Principal at the Army School of Piping. |
Published: January 01, 2008
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| I thoroughly enjoyed reading the article and looking at the photos. I find a couple of the dates you put on the photos rather suspect, though. You say that the photo of the 2nd battalion pipe band probably dates from around 1910. According to the "Scots Guards Standard Settings", vol. 1, however, Willie Ross became P/M of the 2nd battalion in 1905. Since he appears in the photo as a corporal and is clearly not the P/M, the photo must pre-date 1905. Also, the autographed photo bears the date "21-7-09". I would argue that this represents 21 July, 1909 rather than 9 July, 1921. The normal British order for abbreviated dates is traditionally day-month-year, not year-month-day. The latter order is a fairly recent innovation. Also, had Ross meant 9 July, he would almost certainly have written "7-9", without the zero. Although in Ross's day, the zero would not normally have been written to indicate the day, it would always have been written to abbreviate years below ten. |
Published: January 01, 2008
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| Overall a really interesting article. Really neat to get a glimps at past piping "idols". So much history of piping that has occured as recently at the 20th century is lost, it's nice to get a chance to see some of the faces behind the tunes.
I wonder if we could use some of these photos to start a trading cards line; just imagine "UpperDeck Platinum Greatest Pipers of all Time". Then i could trade a JDB for a Willie McCallum or even a Wm. Ross. That would be great in a uber nerd sort of way. |
Published: January 01, 2008
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| Okay, here's a mystery for you. If you look near the end of the photo section in William Donaldson's book "Pipers," you'll see exactly the same 1909 portrait of Willie Ross, but for one thing: he has a moustache. So, which is the real Willie Ross?? Did someone add the moustache in or take it out? My guess is that someone added it in. It would be interesting to find out where Dr. Donaldson got his photo. I suspect Lesley's is the more accurate.
One other point, the date on the photo is probably not the date the photo was taken. As anyone who has ever autographed a photo for someone can attest, if you write the date under your autograph you write the current date, not the date the photo was taken. I suspect that is what was done here.
Cheers,
Jim |
Published: January 01, 2008
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| A bit more on the phantom moustache -- having had a closer look at the big photo, along with a couple other people, it's pretty 'clear' by the looks of Willie's blurry/fuzzy/altered upper lip that the moustache has been removed in this photo.
In addition, I don't think I've ever seen a photo of Willie Ross from this era without a moutstache. In fact, if you go to my biography of P/M Willie Ross on pipetunes.ca, you'll see the more accurate photo *with* the moustache, along with a 1910 photo and a 1912 photo with a clearly moustachioed Pipe Major. The biography is here:
http://www.pipetunes.ca/composers.asp?pg=Details&composerID=22
Lesley Ross Alexander will be the first to admit that she doesn't have the technical wherewithall to Photoshop facial hair out of existence. Perhaps she got the photo from someone else...?
JM |
Published: January 01, 2008
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| I note that The Style Guy has a few thoughts on hair in his latest installment. Just click on the "Fun" button on the navigational bar above. |
Published: January 01, 2008
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| Andrew,
Is the original photo of the awards dinner w/ the pipers still on the website? If not could you republish it?
Great stuff. |
Published: January 01, 2008
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| It is indeed, Kent. Just search "willie ross" or paste in this address: http://www.pipesdrums.com/Contents.aspx?M=&AT=Features&AID=8722
It's also linked in the new Ross photos article.
Actually, all editorial content ever posted (barring the odd April Fools story) since 1999 or so is in the archive. That comprises more than 3000 pieces. | |
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