THE HISTORY OF MID ARGYLL PIPE BAND Nowhere in the world can lay a greater claim to having the earliest known Pipe Band than Mid Argyll. 1920's The Mid Argyll Piper's Society first recruited drummers in the 1920's. They aimed to promote Highland Bagpipe music and to encourage young people to learn the skill. In the 1930's and 1940's no records were retained until 1946 when the band, then known as Lochgilphead and District Pipe Band, recorded the setting up of a management committee. Jock Graham-Campbell (known locally as Jock Shirvan) himself a well known piper and composer of tunes such as 'The Barley Mow' was President and Neil Crawford was Pipe Major. Committee members included Archie Kenneth, himself the son in law of Jock Shirvan. 1940's Money was obviously very tight at that time as band members were allowed to wear their own kilts of whatever tartan they had. Billy McIver who first started in the Band in the 1940's, and had links teaching tenor and bass drumming up to his passing in 2007, remembered that most members were able to get hold of kilts in Ancient Sutherland tartan. The Band did, however, purchase some items of uniform, such as battledress tops and balmorals. Presumably through the prestige of many of the playing members and committee the Band was able to forge links with Willie Ross of the Scots Guards. 1950's During the 1950's it is understood that the Band struggled at times to keep going. In the early 1960's Billy McIver returned to Lochgilphead and along with a number of others, such as Lachie MacCallum, managed to get the Band going again. In around 1962 the Band got a great lift with a donation of £1,000 from the Round Table organised by Neil MacNeill of Killinochonoch. This was used to purchase uniforms. 1970's In 1972 the Band decided to purchase kilts, again in Ancient Sutherland and in 1975 under Henry MacGuiness aimed to start competing. 1980's Although the Band did a little competing in the 70's the heyday of competition success came after Craig Campbell (now Pipe Major of Pheonix Honda Glasgow Skye Association Pipe Band) became Pipe Major in 1984. In 1987 the Band won a number of competitions in Grade 4 and was promoted to Grade 3. As well Craig and his brother Iain, the Band at that time included Stuart Liddell who was then a young piper but went on to win the Gold medals at Inverness and Oban and have Pipe Band success at the World Championships with Simon Fraser University Pipe Band.
