DUMFRIES solider Lance Sergeant Jamie Bell says it was a “real honour” to perform a bagpipe solo at the Royal Edinburgh Royal Military Tattoo’s opening night in front of 8000 people.
Lance Sergeant Bell, of the 1st Battalion Scots Guards, is one of four military bagpipers who have the honour of performing the role of the lone piper, which brings the Tattoo to a poignant close each night.
Many Tattoo fans describe the Lone Piper performance as the most moving part of the show, and it is regarded as one of the greatest honours for a military piper.
Jamie said: “It’s a real honour to perform. When you are on the rampart you are looking down on the arena that is in complete darkness, and you can see the lights of Edinburgh around you.
“It’s a memory you cherish forever, there aren’t many pipers who get the opportunity.”
Jamie’s interest in the bagpipes came from family holidays in the Highlands.
The 31-year-old said: “I would see the bagpipers at the Highland Games, and something just clicked. I wanted to learn to play.”
He joined the Corberry Park Pipers based in Dumfries and went on to join the Dumfries Town Pipe Band.
It wasn’t until he started playing the bagpipes for the Scots Guards that he discovered his grandad was a base drummer in the Kings Own Scottish Borderers.
As well as performing the Lone Piper role, Jamie is also the Pipe Sergeant on parade. He is the second-in-charge after the Pipe Major, and it is his job to ensure the pipers of the Scots Guards have everything they need and are well practiced.
Later this year Jamie will be travelling to Italy to play the bagpipes at the British Embassy in Rome. It’s just one of the many countries he has played in, others include Japan, Belize, Mogadishu, and America.
Jamie said: “We went on a tour of America and played in 27 states. We played every night for two months. It was a phenomenal experience.
“I’ve played at a Remembrance Service in the jungles of Belize, and I played the bagpipes in Afghanistan, including when we arrived to take over patrol bases at the start of our tour. I also played at meetings with village elders who were fond of the pipes.”
He continued: “The tunes and sound are good for morale when far from home and I also like to play happy birthday for the lads to mark their special day.
“It’s something you don’t forget when you hear Happy Birthday on the bagpipes deep in the jungle.”
