Corporal/Pipe Sergeant: Olde 78th Fraser Highlander Regiment
From the summer of 1995 until the fall of 1998, I enjoyed working as a Bagpiper/Re-enactor with the Olde 78th Fraser Highlanders. During the summer months, the regiment made up of students from as far away as Germany, came together and put on daily performances for the general public. After two years as a Private, I was promoted to the Rank of Corporal and also given the title and duties of Pipe Sergeant. At the end of the 1997 summer season I was honored with the title of "Best Piper".
History of the 78th Frasers: Of Norman ancestry, the "frasiers", or strawberry farmers emigrated to Scotland and became the Fraser clan. In 1757, members of the clan formed the 78th Fraser Highlanders regiment to serve King George II in North America during the Seven Years' War (1757-1763). They played a major role in this conflict between France and England, from the siege of Louisbourg in 1758 to the battle of the Plains of Abraham in 1759. Disbanded in 1763, many of the soldiers married into French Canadian families and settled along the shores of the St. Lawrence where many of their descendants still live today.
Re-enactments of this variant force in Canadian history continue to be portrayed to this very day. Since 1965, to the haunting skirl of the pipes and the beating of the drums, the Olde 78th Fraser Highlanders add another historic dimension to live events held at Ile Sainte-Hélène's Old Fort, located directly across the St. Lawrence River from downtown Montreal.
The David M. Stewart Museum, Fort, Ile Sainte-Hélène: Built in 1824, this military complex is the home of The Stewart Museum dedicated to the discovery and the exploration of New France and North America. On display, unique artifacts take you back to the life and times of another era, when bold new discoveries were opening vast new frontiers and changing the face of the world. The collections include artifacts, from kitchen utensils to firearms, ancient maps, scientific instruments, navigational aids and historic documents. A varied program of exhibitions and living history interpretations put on at the Fort throughout the year, helps to bring this period to life.
For further information, check out these links: The David M. Stewart Museum, Canada: A People's History
Pipe Major Neil Foster (right) and Corporal/Pipe Sergeant Graham Batty.
Three different ranks of soldiers posing with their regiment's Colors.
Innocent young soldiers anxiously preparing for battle.
Corporal Batty proudly carrying the regiment's Colors.