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Pipe Major John McLellan DCM of Dunoon
was born in the lovely wee town of Dunoon, located on the Cowal Peninsula in Argyll, Scotland. UK.
Known to pipers as John McLellan, Dunoon. John, or Jock as he was known to his family & friends,
was a very talented musician, music composer, lyricist & poet who was born in Dunoon on the 8th of August, 1875.
He was the town's best known composer of pipe music and songs,
and is best remembered for writing the music to the very popular songs 'The Road to the Isles',
'Lochanside' and 'Freedom, Come All Ye' aka 'The Bloody Fields of Flanders'.
was born in the lovely wee town of Dunoon, located on the Cowal Peninsula in Argyll, Scotland. UK.
Known to pipers as John McLellan, Dunoon. John, or Jock as he was known to his family & friends,
was a very talented musician, music composer, lyricist & poet who was born in Dunoon on the 8th of August, 1875.
He was the town's best known composer of pipe music and songs,
and is best remembered for writing the music to the very popular songs 'The Road to the Isles',
'Lochanside' and 'Freedom, Come All Ye' aka 'The Bloody Fields of Flanders'.
Born in the town's St Andrew's Street, on August 8th 1875. John McLellan was one of a family of six children all born in Dunoon.
He had three sisters & two brothers. His parents were Neil McLellan & Mary Darroch McLellan who hailed from the islands of
Islay and Jura respectively.
They came to the Scottish mainland to find work in 1869, and after marrying in Greenock, they decided to settle in Dunoon.
Unfortunately, when John was only 8 years old, his father became seriously ill and tragically died of pneumonia,
while still in his early 40's.
After that terrible event John's mother decided it was best for them to return to her native Jura
and remain there for a period of time, before eventually returning to Dunoon.
John spent his formative years growing up in Dunoon and on the Isle of Jura with his family,
and these are the places where he learned to play the bagpipes, and perhaps a few other musical instruments too.
He also learned to read music, though there aren't any records from that time to tell us who taught him,
or indeed who helped him develop this amazing talent.
Recent evidence has emerged which shows that John's mother, Mary Darroch was the most likely person to have had
a very big influence on his early musical development, and may also have had a hand in his early music education
as she was a talented pianist herself who also liked to compose tunes.
Her most famous composition is a melodic slow air titled 'Bonnie Isle of Jura'.
(Please click on the tunes title to listen to a music sample @ Pipe Tunes.)
John grew up to be a multi-talented individual who enjoyed playing the piano,
the penny whistle, the fiddle and of course the bagpipes. All to a very high standard!
His time spent growing up in Dunoon and the enchanting Isle of Jura
really made a very big impression on him, because on reaching his teen years
he started composing a number of memorable tunes named after various places
in Argyll especially on the Cowal Peninsula, and the Isle of Jura too.
Some of those tunes are titled: 'The Bens of Jura,' 'Bonnie Dunoon' 'The Shores of Argyll',
'The Paps of Jura' 'Men of Argyll', 'The Holy Loch'
and 'The Maids of Jura'.
the penny whistle, the fiddle and of course the bagpipes. All to a very high standard!
His time spent growing up in Dunoon and the enchanting Isle of Jura
really made a very big impression on him, because on reaching his teen years
he started composing a number of memorable tunes named after various places
in Argyll especially on the Cowal Peninsula, and the Isle of Jura too.
Some of those tunes are titled: 'The Bens of Jura,' 'Bonnie Dunoon' 'The Shores of Argyll',
'The Paps of Jura' 'Men of Argyll', 'The Holy Loch'
and 'The Maids of Jura'.
In 1892, John turned 17 years old, and it was then that he decided to join the army.
He travelled up to Glasgow and signed up with the Highland Light Infantry (HLI)
which was a light infantry regiment of the British army, and after a few years of training
at various places around the UK, he was sent overseas to Malta.
According to archive records, the H.L.I. did service in a number of countries. After Malta they were posted to Crete
to help quell disturbances there, before moving on to Egypt.
John's most famous melody at that time was entitled 'The Burning Sands of Egypt',
also known as 'The Bens of Jura' though today that tune is known as 'The Road to the Isles'.
According to archive records, the H.L.I. did service in a number of countries. After Malta they were posted to Crete
to help quell disturbances there, before moving on to Egypt.
John's most famous melody at that time was entitled 'The Burning Sands of Egypt',
also known as 'The Bens of Jura' though today that tune is known as 'The Road to the Isles'.
*In 1899, the 1st battalion of the HLI was bound for the South African War as one of the units of the Highland Brigade.
The 2nd Anglo-Boer War lasted four years and the Highland Brigade was in the thick of the fighting.
*In 1899, the 1st battalion of the HLI was bound for the South African War as one of the units of the Highland Brigade.
The 2nd Anglo-Boer War lasted four years and the Highland Brigade was in the thick of the fighting.
It was at one of these early battles that John won the Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM) for bravery.
It's said that he took a bullet in the ankle while playing the bagpipes on the battlefield.
While badly injured he continued to rally the troupes by playing his pipes and motivating them onwards.
Later, he composed the famous and well-loved Retreat Air 'The Highland Brigade at Magersfontein'
to commemorate the battle.
Jock can be seen standing with his pipes under his arm on the left in this photo
John left the army in 1903 and after his return to Scotland he joined the Govan Police Pipe Band.
Later this band became the City of Glasgow Police Pipe Band and eventually the Strathclyde Police Pipe Band.*
It appears that Jock only played with the Govan Police Pipe Band till 1904, after which time he returned to Dunoon
where he became a teacher of the bagpipes and continued to compose his tunes and songs, many of which he contributed
to the premiere edition of 'The Cowal Collection of Modern Highland Bagpipe Music' a popular tune-book published in 1905.
Later this band became the City of Glasgow Police Pipe Band and eventually the Strathclyde Police Pipe Band.*
It appears that Jock only played with the Govan Police Pipe Band till 1904, after which time he returned to Dunoon
where he became a teacher of the bagpipes and continued to compose his tunes and songs, many of which he contributed
to the premiere edition of 'The Cowal Collection of Modern Highland Bagpipe Music' a popular tune-book published in 1905.
Jock's brother Neil McLellan was also a very talented piper, and between 1901 and 1903 he won
the prestigious Burgh Cup Solo Piping Competition on 3 occasions at The Cowal Highland Gathering.
After his return to Dunoon, P/M John McLellan DCM also competed in this competition,
and he followed on from his brothers triple success by winning the trophy in 1904 and 1905.
The original Burgh Cup |
John & Neil's names etched on the Burgh Cup from 1901-1905 |
In 1912, Jock joined the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders (A&SH) Territorial Army Unit,
and at the start of the Great War in 1914, the unit was mobilized and sent to fight in France.
In 1915, Jock was once again wounded while fighting on the battlefield, this time he was in the trenches
of Laventie located in north western France.
Not much is known about the severity of his injury, but it has been said
that he was away from the regiment for quite some time.
In 1919, piper John McLellan DCM was appointed Pipe Major of the 8th Argyll's Pipes & Drums
a post he relished until his retirement in 1930.
A year before the end of Great War, John McLellan DCM's tune titled 'The Bens Of Jura' was published
in a local Argyll tune book collection titled 'Songs of the Hebrides Vol. 2', and its inclusion into this tune book series
may have helped make the tune even more popular with the public.
In 1926, 'The Bens of Jura' re-appeared on the music scene but it had a different song title and lyrics had been added to Jock's melody.
The tune was re-titled 'The Road To The Isles' and in the UK, it was on the B side of Sir Harry Lauder's
very popular song 'Keep Right On To The End of The Road' which was a major hit in the UK and around the world.
If you look closely at the labels on each disc, there's no mention of P/M John McLellan DCM's name as the tunes composer,
which is a wee bit strange! Please visit 'The Road To The Isles' page in this website where more will be revealed about that topic!
When Sir Harry's 78 rpm disc was released in Canada, 'The Road To The Isles' was the main song on Side A,
with 'Keep Right On To The End of The Road' on the B side.
That could have been one of the reasons that 'The Road to the Isles'
became almost as popular & successful around the world.
In the photo above:
P/M John McLellan DCM can be seen on the left hand side,
marching down Argyll street in Dunoon with the 8th Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders Pipes & Drums,
after the band competed at the Cowal Highland Gathering of 1929.
The photo was taken by Neil Gallagher, Jock's nephew who was an aspiring photographer at that time.
P/M John McLellan DCM can be seen on the left hand side,
marching down Argyll street in Dunoon with the 8th Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders Pipes & Drums,
after the band competed at the Cowal Highland Gathering of 1929.
The photo was taken by Neil Gallagher, Jock's nephew who was an aspiring photographer at that time.
Jock retired from the army in 1930, after which time he returned to Dunoon
where he continued to compose pipe tunes, paint water colors, write poetry and also teach the bagpipes
to various family members and students at Dunoon Grammar School.
where he continued to compose pipe tunes, paint water colors, write poetry and also teach the bagpipes
to various family members and students at Dunoon Grammar School.
Jock never married, he was a ‘gentleman bachelor’ who came from a large family,
and over the years his many relatives have thrived in the piping world,
and they continue to be involved in piping to this day.
P/M John McLellan DCM of Dunoon died on July 31st, 1949 after a short illness and was buried
with Full Military Honours at Dunoon Cemetery.
Over a decade after John McLellan DCM's passing, another Scottish poet and songwriter, namely
Hamish Henderson wrote and added his lyrics to Jock's popular tune titled
‘The Bloody Fields of Flanders’,
and that song quickly became popular in certain circles in Scotland and abroad at the time.
Hamish named his song ‘Freedom, Come All Ye’ and he recorded an acapella version of it,
sung in the Scots language. He apparently wrote the song for the peace marchers at the Holy Loch
during the early 1960s.
A few decades later, 'Freedom, Come all Ye' was put forward within the halls of Scottish government
as being a possible contender to take the place of 'Flower of Scotland' as Scotland's unofficial national anthem.
Jock's popular tune 'The Bloody Fields of Flanders' was originally composed for the bagpipes
during the First World War, it's been said that while serving abroad with the army in WWII,
Mr. Henderson heard the tune being played by a military pipe band and he liked it a lot.
'Freedom, Come All Ye' aka 'The Bloody Fields of Flanders' has made quite a big impact here in Scotland
since first being released all those years ago, and over the decades it has been
recorded by many famous singers and groups.
The tune also continues to be popular with pipers and pipe bands at Highland Games events.
There are in fact more than 20 versions of the song/tune currently online.
You can listen to all the different versions right now at Spotify!
During the early 1970's a Memorial plaque (below) was dedicated to the memory of Pipe Major John McLellan DCM,
and placed at Dunoon's Castle House Gardens by the local Council, his relatives and many friends.
It can be seen there to this day!
If you'd like to know a wee bit more about Pipe Major John McLellan DCM of Dunoon,
please visit Jock's Music Legacy & YouTube page in this website
and watch the very entertaining YouTube video of 'The Cowal Virtual Highland Gathering 2020'.
Pipe Major Jim McLellan
It features Jock's nephew, the celebrated pipe teacher & Pipe Major Jim Henderson
in front of the camera reminiscing about the man,
and the 'Lads of Argyll' a group of world class pipers from around Argyll playing Jock's tunes!
in front of the camera reminiscing about the man,
and the 'Lads of Argyll' a group of world class pipers from around Argyll playing Jock's tunes!
Photo and Video credits & acknowledgements can now be found inside the Home Page of this website!
