War Pipes: Abridged Edition

Abridged Edition

A tale of a special breed of warriors, bagpipers, who lead from the front as the British Empire ruled the waves and became the empire the sun never set on.

Historical fiction - 1900 South Africa - The Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders face off with the Boers in the 2nd Boer War. Twin brothers from Pitlochry, Scotland pipe the Highland Brigade to battle. Their story, what it takes to be a piper, and how it turns out is a fascinating tale of adventure, daring, whisky, and lasses.

Written by a piper with over 25 years experience playing in two different pipe bands all over Texas and Oklahoma. Tutored along the way by several St. Thomas Alumni Pipers. Thoroughly researched with trips to locales in Scotland, including the Edinburgh Military Tattoo, Winter Storm in Kansas City, visit to J.Scott Skinner museum in Aberdeen, museums all over Inverness, Edinburgh .and many others.

Little known true histories of battles, piping, pipers, clans, bagpipes, Scotland, South Africa, Cuba, and New Mexico,

Story takes place from 1895 to 1900, the pinnacle of the British Empire. Hard lessons are learned by the British military as new technology changes military tactics.

The twins, their family, and their upbringing run from Scotland to New Mexico to Cuba to South Africa. Along the way there are appearances of the likes of a young Teddy Roosevelt, a young Winston Churchill, General Sir Hector MacDonald, J. Scott Skinner (famous Scottish fiddler and composer), Major Frederick Russell Burnham (founder of the Boy Scouts and Chief of Scouts for General Lord Kitchener) Cecil Rhodes and others.

Pipe competitions in Crieff and The Northern Meeting in Inverness.

All woven into a history worth knowing and a tale worth reading.