Tradition has been broken at Ballater barracks after sleepy residents’ complaints forced morning pipes to be pushed back an hour.
A piper has woken troops at Victoria Barracks with a rendition of Johnny Cope at 6am for centuries.
However, a number of “somewhat polite” complaints made to personnel regarding the early hour has led Major Robert Weir to change the time to 7am on weekdays.
In a post on Facebook, Maj Weir said he made the decision in the “spirit of community” but did ask that the community refrain from swearing at his staff.
He added: “I hope this gesture demonstrates my desire to integrate with the local community at the expense of my own orders.”
Locals ‘very supportive’ of the pipes
The morning pipes at Ballater barracks last between 45 seconds and one minute, waking around 110 soldiers stationed there for the summer.
Along with changing the time for weekday piping, Maj Weir added that there would be no weekend pipe calls.
In an interview with BBC’s Good Morning Scotland, he said some of the complaints had come from tourists, as locals are mostly “very supportive” of the morning pipes.
“I’m not here to ruin people’s holidays,” he said.
“If you were on holiday and perhaps getting the bagpipes played outside your door at 6am it might not be quite as relaxing as you initially anticipated.”
Maj Weir explained that all infantry battalions across the UK sound reveille at 6am in their own ways, some with pipes and others with bugles.
Unfortunately for troops at the barracks, they will still be expected to report for duty at 6am “thanks to the modern creation of iPhones and alarm clocks”.
‘Ballater survives and thrives on traditions’
Though some might be happy about the later wake-up call, many are disappointed that an age-old tradition has been altered.
Commenting on Maj Weir’s Facebook post, locals shared their love for the morning pipes at Ballater barracks.
Pam Jarvis said: “Ballater survives and thrives on traditions. Keep by the regiment rules – the vast majority of Ballater embrace and are proud of it.”
Shaun Canniford added: “What a shame. Its another element that makes this village a special place to live in.”
Many urged Maj Weir not to listen to the voices of the complainants and instead to keep the tradition as it is.
Anne Reid said: “I was woken by the pipes a few days ago (I live close by) and it was fantastic, made me smile first thing in the morning and set me up for the day, I agree with the comments, don’t break tradition for complainants, they will find something else to complain about, they always do. Welcome (back) to Ballater.”
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