A pipe banner is a decorative flag for the Scottish Highland

bagpipes Bagpipes are a woodwind instrument using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. The Great Highland bagpipes are well known, but people have played bagpipes for centuries throughout large parts of Europe, ...

. It is used when a piper performs at high-profile or State occasions where the pipe banner will be tied to the bass

drone Drone most commonly refers to: * Drone (bee), a male bee, from an unfertilized egg * Unmanned aerial vehicle * Unmanned surface vehicle, watercraft * Unmanned underwater vehicle or underwater drone Drone, drones or The Drones may also refer to: ...

of her or his bagpipes. It is a rather expensive handmade item embroidered with

bullion Bullion is non-ferrous metal that has been refined to a high standard of elemental purity. The term is ordinarily applied to bulk metal used in the production of coins and especially to precious metals such as gold and silver. It comes fro ...

threads. Although pipe banners are widely used by

pipe bands A pipe band is a musical ensemble consisting of pipers and drummers. The term pipes and drums, used by military pipe bands is also common. The most common form of pipe band consists of a section of pipers playing the Great Highland bagpipe, a ...

of military , uniformed and even civilian origins around the world, they are most commonly displayed in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

and

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

countries. For a civilian pipe band, its pipe banners would normally feature the crest or

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...

of a Scottish clan to which the band is affiliated. For military or para-military pipe bands, their banners usually feature different combinations of the following: * The crest of the regiment or police force to which the band belongs * For bands in the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurkha ...

, a small Scottish or perhaps

Union flag The Union Jack, or Union Flag, is the ''de facto'' national flag of the United Kingdom. Although no law has been passed making the Union Flag the official national flag of the United Kingdom, it has effectively become such through precedent. ...

at the corner of the pipe banner * Crests of predecessor regiments that form the present regiment to which the band now belongs *

Battle honour A battle honour is an award of a right by a government or sovereign to a military unit to emblazon the name of a battle or operation on its flags ("colours"), uniforms or other accessories where ornamentation is possible. In European military t ...

crests, for instance, the crest of an elephant denotes a regiment's service at the

Battle of Assaye The Battle of Assaye was a major battle of the Second Anglo-Maratha War fought between the Maratha Empire and the British East India Company. It occurred on 23 September 1803 near Assaye in western India. An outnumbered Indian and British f ...

in 1803 * The coat of arms of the town and/or city in which the regiment takes residence * Coats of Arms of cities and towns that have granted the regiment the

Freedom of the City The Freedom of the City (or Borough in some parts of the UK) is an honour bestowed by a municipality upon a valued member of the community, or upon a visiting celebrity or dignitary. Arising from the medieval practice of granting respected ...

. That is, the regiment has the right to march in those cities with arms and bayonets fixed. LCol Bud Walsh Presents Pipe banner to Pipe-Major Alan Clark - 20 Oct 2007

LCol Bud Walsh Presents Pipe banner to Pipe-Major Alan Clark - 20 Oct 2007

In addition, pipe bands of Scottish regiments in the British Army usually have designated pipers for each individual

company A company, abbreviated as co., is a legal entity representing an association of people, whether natural, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common purpose and unite to achieve specific, declared ...

in the regiments. In such case, there will also be company pipe banners that feature each infantry company's badge and these banners are only carried by the companies' pipers. Such regimental banners follow heraldic custom and practice in accordance with the regulations laid down by the Lord Lyon King of Arms in Scotland. Furthermore, a

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions ...

's Commanding Officer may have his own piper as well, and in this case, there might also be a special pipe banner for this piper. In some regiments, it is customary for officers to donate pipe banners to their regiment's pipers at the time of their retirement. Pipe banners may also be presented to a pipe band at a special occasion. For instance, it is not uncommon that a sponsor or dignitary would present a special pipe banner to a regiment or police force on its centenary celebration. While pipe banners are not accorded the same status in the military as regimental or King's or Queen's colours, they are, however, considered to be important due to their historical values and their associations with authoritative establishments as well as in heraldic law. Some regiments would even keep their pipe banners in their officers messes alongside their colours when the banners are not in use.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pipe Banner Scottish music Bagpiping Musical instrument parts and accessories British Army equipment Military insignia