Duke of Atholl returns from his Scottish visit

The Duke and Duchess of Atholl returned to their home in Makhado (Louis Trichardt) some three weeks ago, following a trip to Blair Castle in Scotland during which the Duke officially opened the annual Atholl Gathering.

The 12th Duke of Atholl, Bruce Murray, described this year’s event as very pleasant, especially seeing that the weather played along and the sun shone on Blair Castle when Europe’s only private army underwent its annual inspection. This is a task Bruce, as colonel-in-chief, has to perform every year.

Two of the Murray sons, David and Michael, formed part of the procession. Both joined this 175-year-old regiment a few years ago.

The regiment was formed after Lord Glenlyon first took a bodyguard of men to a medieval tournament at Eglinton in Ayrshire in 1839. Five years later, the Atholl Highlanders mounted guard for Queen Victoria’s stay at Blair Castle and were granted the queen’s colours. They also were granted the right to legally bear arms as a private force — an honour that remains in place today.

This year’s parade attracted widespread interest and the media houses that attended the event included the world’s second largest newspaper, Asahi Shimbun from Japan and the French daily newspaper, Le Figaro.

Saturday’s parade was followed by a day of sport on Sunday as the Atholl Highlanders officially opened the Highland Games to massed pipes and drums. Events included solo piping, tossing the caber, throwing the hammer, highland dancing and the heavy-weights competition.

On his return to Makhado (Louis Trichardt), we asked the Duke of Atholl about the uniforms the soldiers wear and also about the significance of the insignia and golden eagle feather worn by the colonel-in-chief.

“The soldiers, NCOs and officers all wear a sprig of juniper in their hats, called a Glen Garry [The Garry is a river that runs through the Atholl estate]. In the old days, before metal badges, each clan used a plant for a badge and, typically, it would have been endemic to their turf and easily recognizable by their fellow soldiers. This system of identification was crucial in battles where there was little other uniform,” he explained.

It is customary for the commander to wear a feather that makes him stand out from the rest of the soldiers. “Interestingly, in Canada, where I have a lieutenant to represent me at Highland functions, a citizen may not own an eagle’s feather,” he says.

Another interesting piece of clothing worn by the regiment is the plaid, which resembles a beautifully coloured blanket. This is different from the more common kilts worn by the Scottish.

“Kilts are a relatively modern invention – before that the Highlanders only wore a ‘blanket’ or more correctly a plaid. This would be ditched before battle for the obvious reason that it would seriously hinder free movement. That Highlanders went naked into battle may also explain why potential invaders of Scotland were terrified of doing hand to hand combat with the Scots,” Duke Murray explains.

News - Date: 12 June 2014

Anton van Zyl

Anton van Zyl has been with the Zoutpansberger and Limpopo Mirror since 1990. He graduated from the Rand Afrikaans University (now University of Johannesburg) and obtained a BA Communications degree. He is a founder member of the Association of Independent Publishers.

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