Neil Henderson new Wallacestone Pipe-Major

Neil Henderson of Falkirk, Scotland, has been appointed Pipe-Major of the Grade  4A Wallacestone & District Pipe Band, following the group’s search for a successor to Tam Anderson who was pipe-major of the band for nearly 40 years.

Henderson expressed his interest in the position after reading about Wallacestone’s search on pipes|drums.

A member of the Grade 1 Robert Wiseman Dairies-Vale of Atholl Pipe Band for the last four years, the 29 year-old Neil Henderson has also been a member of Drambuie-Kirkliston, Scottish Gas and Boghall & Bathgate, where he started his band career under the late Pipe-Major Bob Martin. Henderson was initially taught by his uncle, Jim Henderson, who was Pipe-Major for many years of top-grade pipe bands, including the now defunct Babcock-Renfrew in Grade 1.

The band has also made a change in Leading-Drummer, with Stewart Gardiner taking over the position. Gardiner succeeds his son, Fraser, who will remain with the corps, but lighten his responsibilities to concentrate on studying music at university. Stewart Gardiner played with Wallacestone for 13 years under Leading-Drummer Ewan McMillan and then Peter Anderson, before joining the Lothian & Borders Pipe Band in 1985 where he was Leading-Drummer between 1995 and 1999.

Wallacestone & District is one of the world’s oldest civilian pipe bands, founded in 1886. The band is located in Falkirk.