Death of former director of Army Bagpipe Music Major John Allan MBE (88) in Inverness
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A renowned piper who mentored hundreds of Army pipers and was involved in 24 Edinburgh Military Tattoos has died aged 88 years.
Major John MacKenzie Allan, of Croy, served with the Queen’s Own Highlanders and was also Director of Army Bagpipe Music based at Edinburgh Castle. He was awarded the MBE by the Queen in 1989.
Just the week before he died at Castlehill Care Home in Inverness, some his former graduates presented him with a specially-composed tune as a thank you.
He died the day before he and his wife, Jean, would have celebrated their 68th wedding anniversary. He also leaves two sons, John and Gary, four grandchildren, Robert, Paul, Mark and Laura, and two great grandchildren.
Major Allan was born at Drumchardine near Kirkhill and was the only son of John Cumming Allan and Mary Ann MacKenzie.
The family later moved to Inverness where he attended Central Primary School and the Technical High School where he met his future wife Jean Cameron.
After joining the Boys Brigade, he developed a passion for Scottish country dance music and piping, becoming proficient on the accordion and the pipes.
He left school aged 15 to become a plumber’s apprentice but continued with his music and was active with the Inverness British Legion Pipe Band.
He was called up for National Service in 1956 and intended to do two years but was told by a friend in the Scots Guards that he could qualify for an Army married quarter if he signed on as a three year regular - he finally retired from the Army 35 years later in 1990.
After his initial training, he moved to the 2nd Battalion based at Wellington Barracks in London on ceremonial duties.
When his eldest son, John William, was born in 1958 at St Georges Hospital in London, he was on a three-month tour of the United States with the 2nd Battalion Pipes Drums.
It took six weeks for the telegram to catch up with him to tell him the news and it was a further six weeks before he was home to meet his new son.
In 1962, the battalion was posted to Kenya but after a short time he was transferred as pipe major to the newly-formed 1st Battalion Queens Own Highlanders in Singapore.
After seeing active service in Brunei and Borneo, the battalion moved to Germany in 1964, firstly to Osnabruck then to Berlin before finally going to Redford Barracks in Edinburgh in 1968.
During his time in Osnabruck, his second son, Gary James, was born in 1965 at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness while he was taking part in the Edinburgh Military Tattoo.
He moved in 1969 to the Scottish Infantry Training Depot in Aberdeen where he taught junior soldier recruit pipers destined for the Scottish Division. The depot itself then relocated in 1971 to Dreghorn Camp in Edinburgh.
In 1972, he was posted to the Royal Electrical Mechanical Engineers (REME) Apprentice College at Aborfield, Reading, where piping was one of the recreational activities offered to the young recruits.
He was then promoted to Warrant Officer 1 and posted to the Army School of Piping at Edinburgh Castle where he became the chief instructor and senior pipe major of the British Army.
In 1979, he was commissioned with the Queens Own Highlanders and did an operational tour in Northern Ireland.
Two years later, he took over as Director of Army Bagpipe Music at Edinburgh Castle where he expanded the number of courses leading up to the full pipe majors course.
In 1990 he was responsible for directing the Beating Retreat by The Massed Bands of the Scottish Division on Horse Guards Parade in front of the Queen - his final parade before retiring later that year.
During his career, he was involved in 24 Edinburgh Military Tattoos as performer, pipe major or director of the pipes and drums.
Between 1990 and 2005, he was piping teacher at George Heriot’s School in Edinburgh.
Last month, seven former pipers from the Queen’s Own Highlanders visited Major Allan at Castlehill Care Home to present him with a new piobaireachd as a thank you for all that he did for those Army pipers who attended the various courses run at the Army School of Bagpipe Music
Entitled Salute to Major John M Allan MBE (1st Battalion The Queen’s Own Highlanders), it was composed by Niall Matheson, double gold medallist and a highly accomplished piper and composer.
The funeral service will be on Monday April 22 at 12.30pm, in the funeral home of John Fraser & Son, Chapel Street, Inverness, and afterwards at Kilvean Cemetery.
Donations can be given for the Intensive Care Unit at Raigmore Hospital.
