Charles Davidson Dunbar Charles Davidson Dunbar , DCM , ( 17 July 1870 – 25 January 1939 ) was an orphan who grew up to become the first pipe major in Britain and the Empire to be commissioned as a pipe officer . He emigrated from Scotland to Canada , where he came to be called “ Canada ’ s greatest military piper ” . Background . According to the official record of his birth , he was born 17 July 1870 , to an unmarried needlewoman : Alexandrina Leith Miller , who lived on Bridge Street in the Caithness village of Halkirk , in northern Scotland . His father was Charles Dunbar of Halkirk ( known from a family letter ) . Though Alexandrina Miller was poor , she was sufficiently educated to teach Charles to read , and she made sure he attended the Parish School . In later records , he used the name Charles Dunbar and , subsequently , Charles Davidson Dunbar , perhaps to honor his half - brother , Alexander Davidson . He gave his father ’ s name as William Dunbar on both his entrance records to industrial school and his marriage license . Only one William Dunbar appears to have lived in Halkirk at the time of Charles ’ birth , the lessee of Braal “ Brawl ” Castle . But there are no documents that directly link this William Dunbar with Alexandrina Miller or her son Charles . No baptismal record has been found and William Dunbar ’ s will does not mention Charles or his mother . When Alexandrina Miller died on 8 September 1876 , in Halkirk , she was identified as a single woman aged 48 . Her parents were James Miller , a crofter , and Margaret , whose maiden name was Henderson . The cause of her death , certified by John Craven , physician and surgeon , was : phthisis pulmonary ( tuberculosis ) , seven months , and chronic rheumatism . Her daughter , Charles ’ half - sister , Margaret H . Budge , was present at her death . Charles was then just six years old , and the only child still living with his mother . It appears he then stayed with at least one of his half - siblings in Halkirk for several years before being taken to Edinburgh and registered at the original Ragged School by his half - brother , Alexander Davidson , who had recently become a policeman in Edinburgh . He entered the school on 13 September 1879 . He was then nine and a half and , according to the school ’ s records , he could read but could not write . He was to be detained at the school until he was turned 16 . The Rev . Dr Thomas Guthrie ’ s original Ragged School — later called the " Industrial School " — had been established in 1847 in Ramsay Lane as an orphanage , primarily for boys . The building still exists , in the tiny street at the top of Castlehill on the Royal Mile , near Edinburgh Castle , and is now part of the Camera Obscura attraction . Thomas Guthrie , a preacher and reformer , had been a leader in the formation of the Free Church of Scotland and a keen advocate of " Ragged Schools " . His Edinburgh school educated , fed and provided a home for 45 of the Old Town ' s most destitute children . Boys were also taught how to make shoes and clothes ; the girls , to be ' thrifty wives for working men ” . Here , Charles Dunbar learned to write and was trained as a carpenter and it appears that it was during his time at the school that he learned to play the Bagpipes . Not all of the school ’ s records are available for public review and it is not known whether the school provided piping tuition . Perhaps some benevolent piper took the young orphan under his wing and taught him to play . British Army . Discharged from the school on 1 May 1886 , two months before his 16th birthday , Charles Dunbar set his sights on joining the military . He enlisted with the Seaforth Highlanders as a piper on 6 October 1886 . He stood only 5 feet 3 inches tall — probably the result of a scanty diet during his childhood — but it was often said of him that he appeared taller than he was because of his stature , stance and demeanor . Fraser ’ s Scottish Annual records that “ he was fortunate that the commander of the Seaforth Highlanders at that time was Colonel Guinness , an officer who took exceptional pride in the efficiency of his pipe band . “ Colonel Guinness saw at once that here was a keen , ambitious , stripling of parts , and , although scarcely the age for enlistment , Dunbar being just 16 , he was allowed to try the piping tests , and although these were fairly hard , set as they were for men of from 18 to 21 years of age , Dunbar passed very creditably and was taken on the strength of the regiment and posted to the pipe band . It was a proud day for the slim , fair - haired boy when he went through the ‘ piper ’ s initiation ’ , and was fitted out with a uniform and kit , and a full sized bagpipe and the ivory - mounted ‘ feadan ’ ( chanter ) placed in his hands by a kindly pipe sergeant with the words : ‘ Ye ken , my lad , the auld word , ‘ learn young , learn fair . Ye ’ re young enough , in all conscience , but gin ye wish to gang far , ye ’ ll hae to wark hard and keep at it . Guid luck tae ye , my boy ‘ . ” This was an inspiring time for a young lad to enter the army as a piper , and William Dunbar took full advantage of the opportunity . After service in Scotland and Ireland , he transferred to the 3rd Royal Scots on 1 January 1894 . And , after just a year ’ s service with his new regiment , he became a candidate for the pipe major ’ s position with the 2 Battalion , Gordon Highlanders . Selection was by competition — open to Army pipers and outsiders . William Dunbar won in a keen contest and , on 11 February 1895 , formally joined the 2 Gordon Highlanders . He was promoted to sergeant piper and assumed the duties of pipe major on 3 March . The regiment was quartered at Maryhill Barracks and was commanded by Colonel Oxley , who was succeeded by Colonel Dick Cunningham , VC . According to the historian Robert Fraser : “ This promotion was recognition of his stature within the army as a piper . Already in 1893 he was performing full pipe programmes of marches , strathspeys , and reels . That year he established himself as a piper of the first rank , at Inverness . He had acquired a reputation as an obliging , trustworthy , honest , and able soldier . In May 1895 , he completed his second class Army Certificate which gave him a good elementary education He was stationed in Scotland in 1895 and 1896 . ” While his regiment was in Scotland , he met Margaret Dolina Murray , affectionately called “ Maggie ” . They were married on 39 April 1896 , in Edinburgh . Their marriage certificate identifies Charles Dunbar as “ Pipe Major , Guard in Highlanders , bachelor ” ; and Margaret Murray as a domestic servant and spinster . The document also lists Charles ’ father as William Dunbar , general merchant , deceased , and his mother as Alexandrina Dunbar ( Miller ) , deceased ; witnessed by William A . Murray ( Margaret ' s brother ) and his fiancé Mary Hill . Soon afterwards , the 2 Gordon Highlanders was moved to Aldershot where Margaret gave birth to the couple ’ s first son – William Charles Dunbar — on 8 May 1897 . That same year , Charles Dunbar played for Queen Victoria when she visited the camp to inspect the Highlanders . Boer War . Within two years , the new family was on board ship with the regiment to India — where a second son , Colin Murray Dunbar , was born on 3 January 1900 but not before Pipe Major Charles Dunbar was posted away to South Africa to serve in the Boer War , his first experience in action . The 2 Gordon Highlanders was one of the first units ordered to South Africa , where the Battalion won numerous battle honours . At the Battle of Elandslaagte on 21 October 1899 , Charles Dunbar piped the Gordon ’ s into battle . He was wounded in the head but continued to lead the troops onwards : conduct under fire for which he was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal ( DCM ) , a decoration for valor second only to the Victoria Cross . On three further occasions he was cited for bravery , including at the celebrated Relief of Ladysmith on 28 February 1900 . In South Africa , he transferred to 3 Battalion Gordon Highlanders on 23 July 1901 . Constantly in action , he earned six clasps for the ribbon of his South Africa medal , each representing a significant battle . At Pretoria , with other Highland pipers , he also won a prize for piping , presented to him by Earl Kitchener . As souvenirs , Charles Dunbar took back to his family two Z Afrik Republic 1 silver shilling coins dated 1894 . Following the war , the Gordons returned to Scotland and Charles Dunbar and his family took up life in Aberdeen . His reputation as a piper steadily grew . He was an instructor for the Aberdeen Amateur Piper ’ s Society and often played at for parades and marches , and at Highland games . He won the Beatty silver cup , a competition open to pipers of the Highland regiments , and , in 1905 , was awarded Good Conduct and Long Service Medals . It was during his time in Aberdeen that he was given the set of silver - mounted pipes which had been bought for him by Colonel Dick - Cunningham , of the Gordons , who had been killed in South Africa . ( These pipes , along with their original leather case , and his entire regalia including his uniform , kilt , medals and photos , were deposited on permanent loan with the Argyll and Sutherland Regimental Museum in Hamilton on 7 May 2000 , by descendents of Charles Dunbar ; one of whom is the writer of this article . ) Two more sons were born to Charles and Maggie Dunbar in Aberdeen : George , on 8 January 1906 , and Percy Gordon , their last , on 10 January 1909 . Canada . Meanwhile , Charles Dunbar was still corresponding with Canadians he had met and served with in South Africa , at their urging , he decided to leave the Army after 24 years of service and emigrate to Canada which had a reputation as a land of opportunity . In 1911 , the family arrived in Hamilton , Ontario , where , shortly afterwards , their last child , a daughter they named Margaret ( “ Peggy ” ) was born . Charles Dunbar joined a cartage business owned by one of Hamilton ’ s leading families , Hendrie and Company , as a clerk . The company was a pickup and delivery service using Clydesdale horses pulling flat , platform wagons that collected shipments at the railways and delivered supplies and freight to the surrounding communities . Charles Dunbar was regarded as a loyal and valued employee . The Dunbars lived at 18 Hilton Street in Hamilton . Small by today ’ s standards for a family of seven , it was a home that remained in the family ’ s ownership until a few years before their daughter Margaret ’ s death in 2004 . A piper of Charles Dunbar ’ s renown could not help but come to the attention of the 91st ( later the Argyll and Sutherland ) Highlanders of Canada , Princess Louise ’ s . He was asked by senior officers of the regiment to join them and on 15 September 1913 , he enlisted as pipe major . It is reported that he was also solicited by the 48th Highlanders of Toronto but Charles Dunbar was unwilling to supplant James Fraser who was the regiment ’ s serving pipe major . Charles Dunbar taught his sons to play the pipes , though none attained his mastery of the instrument . They knew their father as a man of discipline . They were held to high standards of conduct and became known for their honesty , trustworthiness , respectfulness and hard work . Maggie Dunbar was an excellent mother and household manager . She found time to become active in the Red Cross and church activities at St . Paul ’ s Presbyterian Church . Charles Dunbar ’ s life revolved around his work , his family , the regiment and the pipe band . He had high standards and was an excellent teacher although it is reported that many of his piping students had a difficult time meeting his exacting standards . Sydney Featherstone and John Knox Cairns were two of his students who did excel , and they went on to succeed him . World War I . At the outbreak of the First World War , Sergeant Dunbar was one of the first to enlist — on 24 September 1914 , as a staff sergeant . He traveled to Valcartier , Quebec , and , on his arrival there , wired his wife to let her know what had transpired and have her send on his belongings . He went to France with Colonel William Hendrie who was in command of the Canadian remount depot . From France , Charles Dunbar he did a tour of duty in England , during which — on 15 September 1919 — he secured a transfer to the 19 Battalion ( 91st unit ) C . E . F . , commanded by Colonel John I . McLaren , as pipe - major and immediately took command of the pipe band . Again , he volunteered to pipe the troops into battle . The advent of trench warfare and the machine gun made charges led by pipers nothing less than suicidal . In Belgium and France , he and his corps piped their battalion along the weary roads than ran to Ypres and to the battlefront of the Somme . During the Battle of the Somme , fighting at Courcelette on 14 September 1916 , Pipe Major Dunbar was seriously wounded in the stomach and left leg by shrapnel . After many months of recuperation in England , he returned to Hamilton on 4 July 1917 , and immediately rejoined the 91st Canadian Highlanders . While he had been stationed in at Salisbury Plains in England , on 6 January 1915 , Charles Dunbar had been recommended for an officer ’ s commission . On 7 November 1917 , he was commissioned as a lieutenant . His commission was unique ; he was the first pipe - major in the history of British and Canadian forces to hold a commission while retaining command of a pipe band . He held his position as pipe - officer of the regimental pipe band until his retirement in 1937 . Under his leadership , the band gained an international reputation and won many awards . Charles Dunbar oversaw the recruitment , training and outfitting of his pipers . He was known for his devotion to duty and his influence in shaping young soldiers in the traditions of duty and service . He also won numerous prizes and medals for his piping and his dancing during the 1920s — in Canada , Britain and the United States . At Pictou , Nova Scotia , in 1923 , he won three championship prizes at events commemorating the 150th anniversary of the landing of the first Highlanders . He won premier honours at Buffalo , New York and Toronto ; and , at the first Highland games held at Banff , Alberta , he carried off the gold medal for piobaireachd and the Ian Beattie Silver Cup , along with $ 100 in prize money . His most outstanding successes included winning the strathspey and reel competitions at Oban and Inverness in Scotland . At Banff , Alberta , in Canada , he won a gold medal for piobaireachd . Back home in Hamilton , he commanded the band that played for the Duke of Windsor , the future King Edward the VIII , when he visited the city as Prince of Wales in 1919 . He also was one of the pipers selected to play for the Governor General of Canada , Viscount Byng of Vimy , at a special dinner on 15 April 1925 . His last parade was in 1936 . His list of medals included the Distinguished Conduct Medal , the Volunteer Decoration , the Victory Medal , the South Africa 1899 - 1901 Medal , the Mons Star 1914 - 1915 , Service Medal 1914 - 1918 , Allies Medal , King George V Jubilee Medal , Efficiency Decoration , Imperial Long Service Decoration and the Canadian Long Service Decoration . Upon his retirement as pipe - officer in 1937 , Charles Dunbar was honoured by the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders ( P . L . ) with a banquet at which he was presented with a silver tea set as a token of appreciation for his years of service . At his retirement , he referred to Colonel John I . McLaren , the late Lieutenant - Colonel W . W . Stewart and to Colonel James Chisholm as having persuaded him to move to Canada and join the regiment . Speeches were made by Lieutenant - Colonel McLaren , his Officer Commanding in France ; Colonel James Chisholm , who termed him “ the successor to the MacCrimmons of Skye ” ; Colonel C . W . Gibson and many other officers who commended his example , in obedience to the call of duty , as a characteristic that had been the making of the British Empire . He was described as a “ a soldier and a Highland gentleman in the highest terms . ” Captain William Hendrie , who was at the retirement function , recounted how , when Charles Dunbar was wounded at the Somme , a silver plate from the bass drone of his pipes was lost . Years later , when Charles Dunbar went to the French river , to visit the summer home of the Hendries , the local station master asked if Lieutenant Dunbar was with them , and handed him the silver plate , picked up by his son on the battlefield . William Hendrie also said Charles Dunbar had been a piper for the Duke of Connaught when he was Governor - General of Canada , and played for him on many occasions in Hamilton and Toronto . “ His Royal Highness liked to hear some of the old marches which he had heard in the Army , such as Benachie , Dumbarton ’ s Drums , The 74th ’ s Farewell to Edinburgh and The Barren Rocks of Aden . Charles Dunbar had been in poor health for some time but his death on 25 January 1939 , just two years after retiring from the regiment , was unexpected . At the time of his death he was known to be the only commissioned pipe major in the British Empire . In his lifetime his regiment , the Argylls , recognized his importance . One of his commanding officers called him “ as fine a type of officer as can be found in the Canadian Militia today ” ; another referred to him as “ one of the most important officers that this unit possesses . ” Major Archie Cairns recalled that the “ only time I ever saw my father weep , was when he first learned that his friend and mentor Charlie Dunbar was dead . ” His funeral service at St Paul ’ s Presbyterian Church in Hamilton was fitting for a pipe major . The church was filled to capacity , and a large crowd lined the streets to watch the cortege pass . Pipe Major Syd H . Featherstone played The Death of the Chief as the casket was borne from the church . The unusually large pipe band which followed the escort and the firing party consisted of the pipers of the 48th Highlanders of Toronto , the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders , the Toronto Scottish Regiment , the St . Catharine ’ s band , and the veterans of the 19th Battalion from Hamilton , Toronto and Brantford . Charles Dunbar was buried with full military honors at the family plot in Woodland Cemetery , Hamilton , Ontario , overlooking Lake Ontario . His casket was adorned with his officer ’ s bonnet and broadsword . At the cemetery , the firing party fired three volleys over the grave , the pipers of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders playing the Church Call between each volley . The lament he had so often played in honour of departed comrades now sounded for him . An Ontario Heritage Plaque dedicated in his honour was unveiled on 18 September 1983 at a ceremony at Dundurn Castle in Hamilton and later affixed to the wall of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada Armoury at 200 James Street North . Memorial . A plaque commemorating Lieutenant Pipe Major Charles Dunbar , DCM , 1870 - 1939 is displayed on the wall of the John Weir Foote VCA Armouries on the east side of James Street North in Hamilton , Canada . " An internationally renowned piper , Dunbar was born in Halkirk , Scotland . In 1886 he joined the British Army , embarking upon a distinguished career as a military piper . During the Boer War , Dunbar was wounded while piping troops into battle . For his gallantry he was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal . In 1911 he emigrated to Hamilton where he soon joined the 91st ( later the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada ( Princess Louise ' s ) . As pipe - major of the 19th Battalion , he saw action during the First World War . Widely respected for his devotion to duty and gentlemanly demeanour and acclaimed as a musician and bandsman , Dunbar received many honours . Unique among them was his appointment as lieutenant in 1917 , the first pipe - major to become a pipe - officer in the history of Canadian and British forces . "