Captain Craig-Brown
(The story behind the tune)
The Man
Ernest Craig-Brown was born in Selkirk in 1871. He was educated at Merchiston Castle School in Edinburgh. In 1895 he was commissioned into the West India Regiment, Afro-Caribbean soldiers with British Officers. Excellent fighting troops, they were deployed in West Africa, being resistant to the many local diseases. In 1898 an attempt to impose a Hut Tax on the people of Sierra Leone led to an armed insurrection. During the subsequent fighting Craig-Brown was severely wounded, but came out alive with a campaign medal plus a battle clasp.
He transferred to the Cameron highlanders later that year and fought in the Boer War, where he picked up Queen Victoria’s South African medal with three battle clasps and King Edward VII’s with two. His rapid promotion to Captain was the result of the raising by the Camerons of a 2nd Battalion between 1897-99. After qualifying at the Staff College, he served with the 1st Camerons from 1905-08, at the War Office from 1908-1912 and with the 1st Camerons from 1912-14. Like several other officers, Craig-Brown was a very keen piper, presumably having learned at school, and was also a member of the Royal Scottish Pipers Society.
The Composer
Charles Cameron was the son of P/M John Cameron of the 3rd Battalion Cameron Highlanders. The 3rd was the Militia Battalion, liable for Home Defence only. Most of the men were crofter/fisherman from Skye and the Outer Isles. The working language of the Battalion was Gaelic, in which all the Permanent Staff instructors had to be fluent. Every year the Battalion was embodied for 28 days training in camp at Fort George, but otherwise did no training. This represented a month’s paid holiday on the mainland plus a bounty so the 3rd Camerons were rarely short of men. John Cameron was a Gaelic speaker from Cromdale in Strathspey. A pupil of Donald MacKay, grandson of John MacKay (Raasay, father of the famed Angus MacKay, first Sovereign’s Piper) and also of Sandy Cameron, son of Donald Cameron (another of history’s great pipers) he had won the Oban Gold Medal in 1885, the Inverness Gold Medal in 1892 and the Gold Clasp in 1899. His Pipe Sergeant was the famous Lachie ‘Ban’ MacCormick of Benbecula.
P/M John Cameron was the composer of ‘The Highland Brigade at Tel el Kebir’ the battle fought in Egypt in 1882. At the time he had been a piper in the 2nd Battalion Highland Light Infantry. He was a well-known ‘character’ and a popular man, if somewhat eccentric. As with all pipers of his generation, he had been taught piobaireachd in the traditional style. When requested to play a certain piobaireachd at the Skye Games he retorted ‘Am I to play it the correct way or the Piobaireachd Society way?’ He died in 1908 after a short illness, while still serving, and was buried with full military honours. Because the 3rd Battalion was not embodied at the time, his old regiment, the 1st H.L.I. from Fort George provided the pipe band and bearer party. His four sons all enlisted in the Cameron Highlanders, Charlie in 1908. He soon became an NCO, featuring regularly in the piping and dancing prize lists at the Regimental Games, although the best piper with the 1st Camerons at the time was Sandy Thomson.
Charlie was therefore serving with the 1st Battalion when Captain Craig-Brown re-joined in 1913. He was a piper to ‘A’ Company, of which Craig-Brown took command. Those were still the marching days, so when ‘A’ company marched to the rifle range or anywhere else, it would be with Charlie Cameron playing at its head, followed by Craig-Brown. The tune must therefore date from 1913, as Craig-Brown was posted from the 1st Camerons back to the General Staff early in 1914.
The Great War broke out on 4th August 1914. The Regular Army suffered severe casualties in the opening weeks and Craig-Brown was recalled in haste from the War Office to the 1st Camerons and promoted Major. He was soon awarded the Distinguished Service Order. He commanded the 1st Camerons from early 1915 until 1917, including the Battles of Loos and the Somme. In 1917 he was promoted Brigadier General. Charlie Cameron also served with the 1st Camerons throughout the Great War, the P/M from 1915 being Willie Cruickshank. Charlie was later lent as P/M to the 10th H.L.I., his father’s old regiment.
After the Great War
In 1921, Craig-Brown became Commanding Officer of the 1st Camerons then serving in India. When Willie Cruickshank retired in 1922 Craig-Brown appointed Charlie Cameron to the post, which he held until 1928, thereafter becoming the P/M of the Depot at Inverness. On taking over command Craig-Brown had ordered all officers to learn to play the pipes, and of an evening they could be seen sitting on the steps of the bungalows solemnly blowing away at their chanters. Craig-Brown (‘The Fizzer’ to the officers and ‘Auld Craigie’ or ‘Craigie-Broon’ to the troops) also forbade the Military Band to play anything other than Scottish tunes on the march. This disgusted the Battalion and the route marches became tedious indeed with the military Band plodding through ‘Duncan Gray’ and ‘Bonnie Mary of Argyll’ instead of ‘Colonel Bogie’ and the like. Craig-Brown retired in 1925. Forthwith the officers stopped blowing their chanters and the band dusted down their march library.
Ernest Craig-Brown was born in Selkirk in 1871. He was educated at Merchiston Castle School in Edinburgh. In 1895 he was commissioned into the West India Regiment, Afro-Caribbean soldiers with British Officers. Excellent fighting troops, they were deployed in West Africa, being resistant to the many local diseases. In 1898 an attempt to impose a Hut Tax on the people of Sierra Leone led to an armed insurrection. During the subsequent fighting Craig-Brown was severely wounded, but came out alive with a campaign medal plus a battle clasp.
He transferred to the Cameron highlanders later that year and fought in the Boer War, where he picked up Queen Victoria’s South African medal with three battle clasps and King Edward VII’s with two. His rapid promotion to Captain was the result of the raising by the Camerons of a 2nd Battalion between 1897-99. After qualifying at the Staff College, he served with the 1st Camerons from 1905-08, at the War Office from 1908-1912 and with the 1st Camerons from 1912-14. Like several other officers, Craig-Brown was a very keen piper, presumably having learned at school, and was also a member of the Royal Scottish Pipers Society.
The Composer
Charles Cameron was the son of P/M John Cameron of the 3rd Battalion Cameron Highlanders. The 3rd was the Militia Battalion, liable for Home Defence only. Most of the men were crofter/fisherman from Skye and the Outer Isles. The working language of the Battalion was Gaelic, in which all the Permanent Staff instructors had to be fluent. Every year the Battalion was embodied for 28 days training in camp at Fort George, but otherwise did no training. This represented a month’s paid holiday on the mainland plus a bounty so the 3rd Camerons were rarely short of men. John Cameron was a Gaelic speaker from Cromdale in Strathspey. A pupil of Donald MacKay, grandson of John MacKay (Raasay, father of the famed Angus MacKay, first Sovereign’s Piper) and also of Sandy Cameron, son of Donald Cameron (another of history’s great pipers) he had won the Oban Gold Medal in 1885, the Inverness Gold Medal in 1892 and the Gold Clasp in 1899. His Pipe Sergeant was the famous Lachie ‘Ban’ MacCormick of Benbecula.
P/M John Cameron was the composer of ‘The Highland Brigade at Tel el Kebir’ the battle fought in Egypt in 1882. At the time he had been a piper in the 2nd Battalion Highland Light Infantry. He was a well-known ‘character’ and a popular man, if somewhat eccentric. As with all pipers of his generation, he had been taught piobaireachd in the traditional style. When requested to play a certain piobaireachd at the Skye Games he retorted ‘Am I to play it the correct way or the Piobaireachd Society way?’ He died in 1908 after a short illness, while still serving, and was buried with full military honours. Because the 3rd Battalion was not embodied at the time, his old regiment, the 1st H.L.I. from Fort George provided the pipe band and bearer party. His four sons all enlisted in the Cameron Highlanders, Charlie in 1908. He soon became an NCO, featuring regularly in the piping and dancing prize lists at the Regimental Games, although the best piper with the 1st Camerons at the time was Sandy Thomson.
Charlie was therefore serving with the 1st Battalion when Captain Craig-Brown re-joined in 1913. He was a piper to ‘A’ Company, of which Craig-Brown took command. Those were still the marching days, so when ‘A’ company marched to the rifle range or anywhere else, it would be with Charlie Cameron playing at its head, followed by Craig-Brown. The tune must therefore date from 1913, as Craig-Brown was posted from the 1st Camerons back to the General Staff early in 1914.
The Great War broke out on 4th August 1914. The Regular Army suffered severe casualties in the opening weeks and Craig-Brown was recalled in haste from the War Office to the 1st Camerons and promoted Major. He was soon awarded the Distinguished Service Order. He commanded the 1st Camerons from early 1915 until 1917, including the Battles of Loos and the Somme. In 1917 he was promoted Brigadier General. Charlie Cameron also served with the 1st Camerons throughout the Great War, the P/M from 1915 being Willie Cruickshank. Charlie was later lent as P/M to the 10th H.L.I., his father’s old regiment.
After the Great War
In 1921, Craig-Brown became Commanding Officer of the 1st Camerons then serving in India. When Willie Cruickshank retired in 1922 Craig-Brown appointed Charlie Cameron to the post, which he held until 1928, thereafter becoming the P/M of the Depot at Inverness. On taking over command Craig-Brown had ordered all officers to learn to play the pipes, and of an evening they could be seen sitting on the steps of the bungalows solemnly blowing away at their chanters. Craig-Brown (‘The Fizzer’ to the officers and ‘Auld Craigie’ or ‘Craigie-Broon’ to the troops) also forbade the Military Band to play anything other than Scottish tunes on the march. This disgusted the Battalion and the route marches became tedious indeed with the military Band plodding through ‘Duncan Gray’ and ‘Bonnie Mary of Argyll’ instead of ‘Colonel Bogie’ and the like. Craig-Brown retired in 1925. Forthwith the officers stopped blowing their chanters and the band dusted down their march library.
As always the tune appears under various titles including ‘Captain Craig-Brown’, ‘Lieutenant Colonel Craig-Brown DSO’ and ‘Lieutenant Colonel Craig-Brown DSO’s Farewell to the 79th’ Unusually it was originally written as a three part tune. A fourth part exists in the Queen’s Own Highlanders Standard Settings but the Simon Fraser University Pipe Band have a rather better fourth part on their CD ‘Live at Carnegie Hall’.
Charlie Cameron retired as P/M of the Cameron Highlanders Depot at Inverness in 1933. He then became tutor and P/M of the Dagenham Girl Pipers He died in 1943, still a young man, like so many other Great War veterans. Craig-Brown was luckier, attending the Royal Scottish Pipers Society practice meetings until he was well over eighty, marching up and down the drill hall at York Place, his back ramrod straight, bass drone slanted at the regimental angle. Promptly at 9pm a taxi called to take him home and the others present played “The Pibroch o’ Donuil Dubh’, the marchpast of the Cameron Highlanders, after which the old General went home to bed. He died in 1966, just short of his 96th birthday. His pipes he left to the regiment for the use of any young officer learning to play.
Charlie Cameron retired as P/M of the Cameron Highlanders Depot at Inverness in 1933. He then became tutor and P/M of the Dagenham Girl Pipers He died in 1943, still a young man, like so many other Great War veterans. Craig-Brown was luckier, attending the Royal Scottish Pipers Society practice meetings until he was well over eighty, marching up and down the drill hall at York Place, his back ramrod straight, bass drone slanted at the regimental angle. Promptly at 9pm a taxi called to take him home and the others present played “The Pibroch o’ Donuil Dubh’, the marchpast of the Cameron Highlanders, after which the old General went home to bed. He died in 1966, just short of his 96th birthday. His pipes he left to the regiment for the use of any young officer learning to play.