With the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo 2019 well underway, children in the ESMS Tattoo Choir are becoming more and more aware of the significance some of the formal aspects of the Tattoo hold to many members of the audience. This is perhaps most poignant as the choir sing ‘Be Still My Soul’ for the fallen each night, followed by the haunting lament of the Lone Piper.
Having a child as a member of the Tattoo choir is particularly meaningful for three ESMS families.
Jamie F’s great great uncle, Hugh Johnstone, a Major in the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, was awarded the Croix de Guerre for his bravery on the beaches of Normandy in 1944 but was killed a short time later and is remembered through a photograph in the Imperial War Museum. Amy M is actually a third generation Tattoo cast member, as her Grandad was a team leader for the RAF demonstration dog team in the 1951 Tattoo, and her great grandad also took part on horseback in an even earlier Tattoo! Not to be outdone, Alannah W’s great grandad, William James Macleod, was the regimental piper for the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders and had the honour of becoming the Lone Piper at Edinburgh Castle during the second World War.
Performing in the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo is an exciting and memorable experience for all of our Choir and we hope that the children, and their proud families, enjoy their final week of performing on the Castle Esplanade.
