HISTORY
Since he was a seven year old Boy Scout in Scotland, eagerly seeking a musician’s arm badge, Pipe Major Waterton-Anderson has been honing his skills with the Scottish bagpipes and through many years in both pipe band work and playing solo, he possesses a wealth of experience upon which he can draw.
By the mid 1970’s,David was among the ranks of the ‘Pontefract & District Caledonian Society Pipe Band, eventually becoming the band Secretary and Quartermaster. In 1983, he took part in a series of Military Tattoos in Denmark where both ‘Pontefract’ & ‘City of Newcastle’ bands played alongside the pipes & drums of the ‘King’s Own Scottish Borderers,’ and the ‘Black Watch.’ As the band climbed the competition ladder, he was part of the winning team that achieved a rise from ‘grade 4’ to ‘grade 3’ whilst also winning prizes in ‘grade 2.’ For a most successful visit in 1996 to Swabisch Gemund in Germany, he was appointed ‘Acting Pipe Major’ of the band, an office which he now currently holds.
His musical abilities with the Scottish bagpipes have been used in several drama productions, in videos, film & television and not only has he found himself playing for Royal occasions (in 1983, for Queen Margeritha of Denmark at Rosenburg Palace, Copenhagen), he became personal piper to His Grace The Duke of Hamilton & Brandon in 1996. In October 2005, he was under the spotlight of the world’s media when he played at the wedding of the daughter of the Ukrainian Prime Minister in Kiev. More recently he was invited to play for HRH The Duke of Kent (Colonel in Chief of the Scots Guards) at an unveiling ceremony at Allerton Castle in North Yorkshire.
University life also brought David contact with The Scottish Regimental Association of Yorkshire Pipe Band (the ‘Yorkshire Jocks’), some members of which were looking to form a new band. Involvement in those early days was as a Highland dancer with the newly
When playing solo, David wears his own private family tartan, known as “Anderson of Kinneddar” (see to the left of the page) and when playing with the Clan Lachlan Pipe Band, he wears “MacLachlan” tartan. Piping has been instrumental in taking him all around the world and he has an impressive list of cultural exchange visits including France, Germany, Spain, Belgium, Holland, Denmark, Poland, Russia, Ukraine & America.
In his days at boarding school, he was fortunate enough to have an English Master who was an ex-Captain in the Royal Highlanders, The Black Watch, who lost no time in finding a set of bagpipes for David to play in the school Corps. Later at university, he met with a mentor and piping expert Willie MacKenzie, who took him for instruction. William Iain Mackenzie had been Piper & First Footman to the Marchioness of Londonderry for twelve years prior to World War II and was a winner several times over of the Gold Medal, Silver Medal & Clasp at both the Northern Meeting and the Argyllshire Gathering, being a very prolific winner at many other gatherings also.
formed “City of Leeds Pipe Band” where he took further instruction from Pipe Major Jeff Nixon, before becoming a piper in the ranks of the newly formed band. He became Pipe Corporal and was among the ranks of pipers when the band lifted the coveted grade 4 championship at the Cowal Highland Gathering in 1969.
His sense of dignity and occasion will lend itself to any formal event where the day needs to be “right.”
In October 2006, he was knighted by His Holiness the Supreme Pontif, Pope Benedict XVI, as a Knight of St. Gregory the Great (Civil Division).
HISTORY