Seumas Richmond gives a short account of the Wylam Branch Burns Supper earlier this year.

On Sunday 25th January, the Wylam Branch held a Burns Supper. It was hosted by Don Anderson and his wife Eileen and held at their home - Dilston Plains, Corbridge. We commenced arriving about 2pm, and during the afternoon various pipes and other instru- ments were played. These included Northumbrian small pipes, Scottish small pipes, Lowland pipes, fiddles, whistles, guitars and a flute, some were played solo and others in ensembles. About 5.30 pm the supper commenced. The Haggis was brought in by Don Anderson, led by John Burke on the Border pipes. The haggis was addressed by Seumas Richmond, after which to the toast ‘To the Immortal Memory - Robbie Burns’ we all had a dram. The piper led out the haggis which was then brought back and served to the guests who numbered about 15. Mary Green recited ‘Grace before Meat’, and then we helped ourselves to tatties and neeps, and commenced supper.

At the end of the first course, all the guests, in turn, read a verse of ‘Death and Doctor Hornbook’, which took some time as we grappled with the pronunciation and the spelling of some of the Scot’s dialect words. At another interval, Seumas Richmond recited ‘John Barleycorn, A Balled’. We also had a part recitation of ‘Tam O’ Shanter’ by Ed Charles.

After supper, we returned to the drawing room, for further entertainment by the pipers and other instrumentalists - including Ed Charles, who put away his whistles and got out his Uillean pipes - all of which went on to a late hour. All in all, it was great event, and we are indebted to Don and Eileen Anderson for making all the arrangements.

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LONDON MEETINGS

From January, for purely practical reasons, the London meetings could no longer take place at the Padenswick Road location. A welcome offer was made, and accepted, to hold future meetings at the Regimental Headquarters of the London Scottish. Very central (95 Horseferry Road, the nearest Tube being St James Park), it holds a fascinating museum of the Regimental history; has numerous rooms, nooks and crannies where small (and not so small!) pipers may tune their pipes; and there is a bar!

The meetings have been moved to the Third Thursday in every second month (July not included), which coincides with one of the Regimental Pipe Band practice nights - so all tastes are catered for.