Boghall appoints Bradley Parker pipe-sergeant; say farewell to Iain Simpson

The post-World’s transfer season started about a minute after the final results were announced at Glasgow Green, and Grade 1 Peoples Ford Boghall & Bathgate Caledonia got things started officially with the appointment of 29-year-old Bradley Parker as pipe-sergeant.

Parker becomes the first appointed pipe-sergeant for the band under Pipe-Major Calum Watson, who assumed his role after the 2024 competition season following the retirement of Ross Harvey.

Until now, Watson had gone with a team of people who took on the various functions of a pipe-sergeant role.

Originally from Portavogie, Northern Ireland, Parker was a Grade 1 Field Marshal Montgomery member from 2014 to 2020, winning three World Championships and many other championships with the band during that time. He moved to Scotland in 2021 to become head of the piping and drumming program at the High School of Glasgow.

The band also announced that long-serving piper Iain Simpson is retiring from band competition. Over several decades, Simpson has been a stalwart contributor to the famed Boghall & Bathgate teaching program and, for many years, piping instructor for George Watson’s College in Edinburgh. Simpson stood in the pipe-sergeant’s traditional left front corner spot with the band in 2025.

The band praised Simpson, wishing him a happy retirement and thanking him for his service. They highlighted his support of Calum Watson “from his first chanter lesson right through to his first year as a Grade 1 pipe-major.”

In recent years, Simpson rediscovered competitive solo piping and learned his first piobaireachds. He competes successfully in Scotland and Canada, often with his son, Jonathon Simpson, one of the world’s top solo pipers and also a member of the band.

Peoples Ford Boghall & Bathgate Caledonia enjoyed a successful 2025 season in Watson’s first year as pipe-major, placing second at the UK Championships, third at the European, sixth at the World’s and tied third in the overall Champion of Champions table.