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Vancouver Police Pipe Band

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Members of the pipe band outside Buckingham Palace, June 2014.

The Vancouver Police Pipe Band is a Canadian pipe band based in Vancouver, British Columbia. It is the official police band of the Vancouver Police Department and is considered to be the official band of the City of Vancouver. It performs for all citywide, provincial, national and international events available to them. Like many pipe bands in the British and Canadian Army, they performs in full highland dress which includes a feather bonnet. It is the oldest non-military pipe band in British Columbia and ranks amongst the most senior police pipe bands in Canada.[1][2] In its international visits, it has performed in countries such as Singapore, Japan, and the United States.

History

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Unit history

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The band's foundation in June 1914[3] occurred at the opening of the new police station on Cordova Street, during which a handful of pipers within the department were mobilized to play for the opening ceremonies. As a result, Chief Constable Malcolm MacLennan authorized the formation of a departmental pipe band.[4][5] At the time, it was one of a handful of police musical units in the world.[6] In its history, it has recorded three compilations including The Pipe Band (1978), Music in Motion (1983), and 90 Years on the Beat (2004).

Performance timeline

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The band during the Rogers Santa Claus Parade in 2011.
The band in police coats during parade in 2012.

The Queens New Guard

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In January 2018, a film covering the pipe band was released titled The Queens New Guard. Premiering at the Vancouver International Film Centre, it focused on the band's visit to London in 2014. The Vancouver Police Foundation made a large contribution to the creation of the documentary and was also funded through contributions on Kickstarter.[20] Proceeds went to the Gordon Sinclair Fund, a charity set up in memory of band member Gordon Sinclair who was killed in 1955.[21]

Awards and honours

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The following is a list of awards and honours by the band:[22]

  • Stewart Trophy (six times)
  • Best Pipe Band Trophy at the Scottish Festival
  • Silver Star (November 1963)

Notable members

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  • Staff Sergeant Jim McWilliams – A former Pipe Major of the band who was also associated with the Calgary Boy Scout Pipe Band and the Pipes and Drums of The North Saskatchewan Regiment[23]
  • Hugh Peden – Member of the band in from 1990 up until he became acting director in early 2006. He would later become pipe major of the RCMP "E" Division Pipe Band.[24]
  • Andrew Perrie – Pipe Major from 1967 to 1984 and band member from 1951 to 2011.[25]
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Sources

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  1. ^ "Vancouver Police Pipe Band". Total Entertainment Network BC.
  2. ^ "Performance: Band concert: The Vancouver Police Pipe Band".
  3. ^ Walker, Erin F. (January 2015). The Scottish Pipe Band in North America: Tradition, Transformation, and Transnational Identity (PhD dissertation). University of Kentucky.
  4. ^ "Vancouver Police Pipe Band | HISTORY".
  5. ^ Mackie, John (March 19, 2014). "Vancouver Police Pipe Band honours their fallen founder" – via National Post.
  6. ^ "Vancouver Police Pipe Band". vanhattan-ent.
  7. ^ Garrett, George (March 2, 2019). George Garrett: Intrepid Reporter. Harbour Publishing. ISBN 9781550178678 – via Google Books.
  8. ^ "Vancouver Police Pipe Band | 1991 – Hawaii".
  9. ^ "Marine Corps Forces, Pacific Band performs in Military Tattoo". Marine Corps Base Hawaii.
  10. ^ "Vancouver Police Band performing changing of the guard ceremonies in England".
  11. ^ "Vancouver Police Pipe Band off to Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle".
  12. ^ Burke, David. "Squamish bagpiper takes his pipes to Buckingham Palace". Squamish Chief.
  13. ^ "Vancouver Police Pipe Band off to Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle". The Globe and Mail. 26 May 2014.
  14. ^ "Washington bagpipers join pipe and drum band to perform at Buckingham Palace". oregonlive. July 6, 2014.
  15. ^ Parakala, Vangmayi (April 11, 2019). "From Canada, a pipe band makes a cultural connect". The Hindu – via www.thehindu.com.
  16. ^ Parakala, Vangmayi (April 11, 2019). "The police, pipes, and memory". The Hindu – via www.thehindu.com.
  17. ^ "A Cultural Connect: Vancouver Police Pipe Band On Tour Punjab To Mark Jallianwala Bagh Massacre". darpanmagazine.com.
  18. ^ Mall, Rattan (14 April 2019). "Vancouver Police Pipe Band visits Golden Temple, performs in Amritsar | Indo-Canadian Voice".
  19. ^ Pioneer, The. "Police Pipe Band from Canada performs in Chandigarh". The Pioneer.
  20. ^ "Hollywood comes to Vancouver « Vancouver Police Foundation".
  21. ^ "Makers need $ for pipe band film". www.pipesdrums.com.
  22. ^ Vancouver, City of. "Vancouver Police Pipe Band". vancouver.ca.
  23. ^ "Pipe Major James L. McWilliams, piper, composer, arranger and educator to generations of piping students". www.jameslmcwilliams.com.
  24. ^ "RCMP "E" Division Pipe Band". rcmppipeband.com.
  25. ^ MacNeil, Robert (September 10, 2015). "The passing of Pipe Major Andy Perrie, Vancouver Police Pipe Band".