sapdhistory

HISTORY OF PIPING IN MEDICINE HAT AREA
Revised 5 May 2008 Note: this history is still under construction and some details may be revised.

It is unknown who the first pipers in Medicine Hat might have been. There were pipers who worked for the Hudson's Bay Company and who travelled the rivers, possibly even the South Saskatchewan. The most famous, Colin Fraser, accompanied Gov. George Simpson on his travels. A Nova Scotia regiment was stationed in Medicine Hat during the Riel Rebellion (1884-85) and they may have had pipers. Highland regiments were quite popular and both British and Canadian armies had a number of such regiments. Donny White, Curator of the Medicine Hat Museum, has a letter from his grand-mother in which she described doing the sword dance at the old NWMP barracks on Police Point in the late 1880's.

The earliest (c. 1895) piper known by name in the district was James H. Wilson, who farmed north of Hatton in Saskatchewan. His wife apparently became fed up with the pipes and threw them in the wood stove, thus ending his musical career. Another early piper was "Happy Jack Hart" who operated the Elkwater coal mine and lived in a cottage near the lakeshore. He would play his pipes in the evening by the lake.

Kiltie Pipe Band of Medicine Hat practising, about 1912. (Source: Bonnie Fischer)

It is recorded in the minutes of the Legion that "The Medicine Hat Pipe Band" had been established in Medicine Hat in 1912. Pipe Major Alex Hosie, who haled from Forfar, Scotland, was probably the first Pipe Major. He was piping in Scotland by 1900 and served in the Highland Light Infantry. His brother Bill was one of the best pipers in Scotland. In Alex. Hosie's obituary, it is stated that he came to Medicine Hat in 1912 "on request of the Medicine Hat Kiltie Band, which he and a group of other men from their native land were asked to join. The Kiltie Band became famous throughout Canada and the United States...". This band became affiliated with the Canadian Legion of Medicine Hat in 1928, and was called "The Canadian Legion Pipe Band of Medicine Hat".

Alex and the other members of the band signed up in the 113th Battalion in Lethbridge in 1915. He saw service in Europe with the 17 Canadian Seaforth Highlanders and finished the war with the rank of Pipe Major. None of the other members of the Kiltie Band survived the war.

Alex was a champion piper, and also judged at piping competitions held at Banff and Seattle. Alex Hosie worked as a janitor at Elm Street School where chanter and pipe classes were held and he lived next to the school with his family, many of whom were involved with the band. He kept his gear in the boiler room and the band would march up and down in the basement. Pipe Major Hosie used to melt down silver spoons on the school boiler and cast them into ferrules to ornament pipe drones. He retired from the band shortly before 1960. Some of the earliest names in the band were pipers Alex Hosie, Bill Williamson (ice deliveryman), George McIntosh (policeman), Joe McQueen (Chief of police), and Don Grant (Sr.). Early drummers included lead side drummer George Goldie (worked at Olgivie Mill) and Davie Kerr (city worker), who was married to a daughter of Alex Hosie. The band wore full military uniform with the MacGregor tartan in honour of Alec MacGregor, City Solicitor, who had fought in the Boer War with the Seaforth Highlanders but who was not a piper himself.

The band plays for the King and Queen during their Royal Tour through Medicine Hat in 1939. (source: Bob Townsend)

In the 1930's, some more names of bandsmen included pipers Ian Fraser (whose father had Fraser's Plumbing), Charlie Bailey, Hector Smith, and Donny MacGregor, a nephew of Alec MacGregor. Bill MacGregor, Donny's brother became a drummer. In World War II, Bill Hosie (Alex's son), Bailey and the two MacGregors joined the Calgary Highlanders and saw action in Europe after D-Day. Bill Hosie died in France. Donny MacGregor who began piping in 1935, played again in the band in the 1950's and again in 2003-2004, a piping career of 70 years!

The Medicine Hat branch of the Royal Canadian Legion continued to sponsor a pipe band in the post war period under Pipe Major Alex Hosie. At this time, the band practices were held in the old Legion building, a former RCMP building moved over from Police Point. Donald Grant had an apartment in the building and supervised band practices in the early 1960's.

In about 1958 or 1959, Alex Hosie retired as the Pipe Major and Bill Cowan took over the position. Willy Cowan, as he was called by his father, began piping as a young man in his native Fife, Scotland, and played in competitive pipe bands from Dumferline and Kinross in Scotland before emigrating to Canada in 1957. He acted as Pipe Major in the Medicine Hat Legion pipe band and the South Alberta Pipe Band until he retired from the position in 1978 after about 20 years although he stayed on as treasurer for a couple more years.

The South Alberta Pipe Band was founded in 1966 when several members left the Medicine Hat Legion band. The tartan and hat badge used were those of Clan MacDuff but only because of preference of the band members for that tartan. Full military tunic, plaid, glengarries and feathered bonnets, spats, horsehair sporrans composed part of the original uniform.

The Moose Girls' Pipe Band was formed about 1961 with Jim Kosmyck as Pipe Major. He had previously played pipes and drums with the Calgary Highlanders and when he moved to Medicine Hat, was a bass drummer in the Legion band going back into the Alex Hosie era. When Kosmyck had to leave town for work related reasons in 1968, piper Walter Hogg took over as Pipe Major and Jack Schweitzer as Drum Sergeant in 1969. After several more years, Hogg left in 1971 and since another Pipe Major could not be found, the Moose Girls' Pipe Band folded in 1972.

Moose Girls Pipe Band c. 1966 (source: Gwen Bollinger)

When Bill Cowan retired from the South Alberta Pipe Band, Fred Standing became Pipe Major in 1978, followed by Ron Shannon in 1979 (who started the school format as it is today) and then Fred Standing again in 1980 before the position was taken over by Eric Kean (who had joined the band in 1975) in 1981. Fred was in the Legion band and helped form the South Alberta Pipe Band. He lived in Red Deer from 1971-75 but rejoined the band upon his return to Medicine Hat. A highlight of Fred's career was being PM during the Alberta Winter Games, held in Medicine Hat in 1978, with a gala performance in the arena with the Armstrong Singers.

Ron Shannon began piping in 1954 and played with the Prescott Highland Pipe Band and the Brockville CNRA Highland Pipe Band. In1970, Ron was recruited to become Pipe Major of the Spencerville Legion Highland Pipe Band and retained this position for 5 years until moving to Medicine Hat in 1975, when he joined the SAPB. Ironically, his first parade with the SAPB was the last parade for PM Bill Cowan. In the SAPB, he became the Pipe Corporal and in the fall of 1979 became the Pipe Major of the SAPB. Unfortunately, for work related reasons, he stepped down in the fall of 1980 as Pipe Major.

Eric Kean was born and raised in Edinburgh (but was not a piper there) and came to Medicine Hat in 1975. Eric lived close to Ron Shannon and heard him play, which inspired him to take up the pipes. The band became a registered society in 1977 and during the 1980’s performed regularly, even participating in the organization of a Highland Games in Medicine Hat. During the late 1970's and 1980's, the band became very much of a family affair, with many pipers and drummers being children of adult band members. About 1980, the band switched to the current style of uniform with balmorals, Argyll jackets, plain leather sporrans but continued with the MacDuff tartan.

Echodale Opening 1980

	Not only has there been a pipe band in Medicine Hat continuously from about 1920, but there is also a pipe maker. Bob Colley joined the band in 1979, where he learned to play the pipes. About 1982, he turned his first wooden practice chanter and then went on to make a variety of small pipes, parlour pipes and even the Irish Uillean ("elbow") pipes. He has adorned some of his handiwork with antler, scrimshaw and brass.
News article about Bob Colley making pipes.		Unidentified piper wearing a fèileadh-mòr and playing a set of Bob Colley parlour pipes.

In the late 1990’s, band membership dwindled as the children grew up and moved away. The society was stricken from the corporate registry in 1997. New members joined several years later and in 2003, public band performances and parades were again undertaken. In 2004, a decision was made to again register as a society, this time as the South Alberta Pipes and Drums Society. The band plays throughout southern Alberta, south-western Saskatchewan and northern Montana. Eric Kean continues as Pipe Major, and the band now consists of a number of pipers and drummers.

Havre MT 2004

Note: The clan MacDuff (in the Gaelic MacDhuibh) is of ancient Pictish origin and the chief was Earl of Fife. In earlier times, the MacDuffs had the privilege of crowning the King of Scots and leading the Scottish army. The motto “Deus Juvat” means “God Assists” in Latin. (and some practice nights could be translated as “God help us!”)


Alex Hosie P/M	Bill Cowan P/M	Fred Standing P/M	Ron Shannon P/M	Eric Kean P/M