International praise for Nazi monument investigation

 My blogs about the NAZI SS monument in the Scottish Borders and its recent removal following public pressure have made headlines in Moldovia.

Glad journos there are on the ball unlike their counterparts in the UK sad to say. I wonder if I'll be invited over for some gigs? Hope so, my wife and I would love to go.

Keep on keeping on brothers and sisters.

Slainte Mhor for peace!

https://x.com/McraeJimi/status/2107916593804235164?s=20

NAZI insignia removed from WW2 monument in the Scottish Borders after public outrage.

 WW2 NAZI insignia has been removed from a monument in the Scottish Borders following acts of public 'vandalism' and hostility.

The monument, which stands outside a former POW chapel at Hallmuir near Lockerbie recently received "a total facelift" following anger in the local community and at least one act of vandalism which resulted in a man being arrested and taken to court. 

Public ire appears to have been directed at the presence on the monument of the regimental insignia of the 14^th Waffen SS Galician Division.

The SS Galician Division (or Galizien, historians use both spellings) was made up of Ukrainian speaking volunteers during WW2 and has long been linked with documented cases of atrocities against civilians on the Eastern Front during WW2.

For more information on how around 450 former members of the SS Galician came to the Lockerbie area at the end of WW2, the site at Hallmuir - a former POW camp - and details of some of the atrocities associated with the regiment, including eye witness statements, please refer to my blog from December 2023 here: http://www.jimithepiper.co.uk/2023/12/waffen-ss-ww2-memorial-standing-proud.html

A follow-up blog with more info from January 2025 may also be of interest. Read it here: http://www.jimithepiper.co.uk/2025/01/waffen-ss-memorial-in-scotland.html

The picture below is from Dec 2023. It shows the controversial monument with the SS NAZI insignia still on it. (on the right)

In August this year a new monument was officially unveiled - same stone, different make up. The SS Galician regimental badge and other symbols were now gone and a Ukrainian trident with the words "Glory to Ukraine, Glory to the Heroes" in Ukrainian had been carved on the stone instead.

 In an article in the Dumfries and Galloway Standard dated August 21, a man called Peter Kormylo described as "a Dumfries based academic and retired head-teacher who is the official archivist of the Friends of the Ukrainian Chapel" committee said: "the stone we unveiled symbolises Ukrainian fortitude and tenacity" adding it emphasised the ongoing duty to preserve historical memory for future generations".

Mr Kormylo speaking at the unveiling of the new stone

No mention was made in the article of the stone's previous incarnation, or, indeed, previous incarnations! Photographs posted online and dated to 2013/14 clearly show a completely different monument with zero Waffen SS symbolism (more on this later)

In April 2026 my attention was drawn to a post on the Facebook page of 'Ukrainian POW Chapel Lockerbie'. Entitled 'a word from Chairman Ellen. It read as follows:

I was very busy with work, family and musical commitments  for all of April. However, by mid-May I finally found the time to make the 180 miles (290KM) round trip from my home near Edinburgh down to Lockerbie. Upon arrival it became clear that the SS Galician insignia had been removed from the monument,  possibly forcibly. 

The remainder of May and the first weeks of June were again very busy for myself.  Fortunately, by the end of June I had just enough time spare to begin my investigations again.

In the first week of September a second email to the Procurator Fiscal's office in Dumfries proved fruitful. I was very grateful. PFs are very busy and important people after all.  The reply stated:

Pled guilty and sentence deferred for one year for good behaviour? I'm no legal expert but my understanding is that a sentence deferred for one year for good behaviour usually results in an admonishment or less severe sentence, so long as an individual has demonstrated good behaviour and positive life choices.....

I headed down to Lockerbie once more on September 21, primarily to check out the new monument but also to chat to a couple of contacts in the local community. Hopefully to add more details to the story, perhaps more information or even a name for the individual who had been arrested.

"His name was Boris and he was German" said my first contact, a local businessman who asked not to be named. "He was aged between 65 and 70, stood well over six feet tall and was a bit of a tinker or gentleman of the road as folk used to say.

"He drove a clapped out motor loaded to the gunnels with junk and had a trailer hitched too. He claimed not to speak much English but I tell you he wasnae daft. Camped out for two or three weeks at the site before being arrested, and that was in March mind when the nichts are still gui' cold".

My contact revealed that when members of  the 'Friends of Ukraine' first confronted 'Boris' on the day of his arrest, Boris began "singing Russian songs in Russian at them. Mad!"

After pleading guilty in Dumfries court, Boris returned to the site at Hallmuir to pick up his stuff and eventually moved on.

"I've no idea where he is now" added my contact. "Hopefully he's keeping out of trouble and behaving himself like the Sheriff advised him. Who knows where he came from? He said a few things about the south coast of England so maybe he's headed back doon there."

The incident involving Boris was by no means the first time Police had been called upon to intervene in a dispute over the monument, according to my contact.

"There was another one, a guy from Greta, aged early 60s I'd say. He had a bad opinion of public money being granted to the committee for improvement work on the chapel when there was a big stone with SS insignia standing right outside and when there were many more deserving things locally, he said, which the money should be spent on.

"He made utterances about burning the place down and stood outside Tescos supermarket down the road in Lockerbie handing out leaflets which detailed his complaints. He was an angry man and the police were asked to have a word."

Photographs taken by myself during various visits to the monument also indicate that the stone was targeted with graffiti at some point. Pics dated November 2024 show fading but still visible 'SS' and 'Nazis' written beside the SS-Galician insignia with what looks like black marker pen or a sharpy. The 'SS' is above and 'Nazis' is to the right in this pic.

As stated earlier, the memorial stone has undergone several facelifts since atleast 2013. Here's a pic I found online of what it looked like then.

There appears to be zero Waffen SS insignia on the memorial. Instead we have the Cross of St Andrew (Scotland's National flag) on one right, a Ukrainian Trident on the left, a Christian Cross in the background which is no longer there and in the centre of the stone a plaque which stated:

This next photo found on line and dated to 2020 shows the plaque still there but the St Andrew's Cross removed and replaced with the Nazi SS Galician insignia.

 

My second contact in the Lockerbie area, an individual with close ties to at least one member of the 'Lockerbie Friends Of  Ukraine' management committee said there had been disagreements and "some quite big fall oots" over what the stone looked like "certainly in recent years".

He added: "As with any committee there are always disagreements and sometimes heated discussions. Some folk want to do it one way. Other folk another. The bigger, shouty ones sometimes win. This time though the stone may have been finally done right for good. The committee can kick on and finish improvements to the site's visitor hub. The chapel is all done. The monument might remain like it is now for good or it might change again. Who knows?"

Above pic is of the chapel is from my visit on September 21. The next pic is one found on the internet, dated Spring of this year which seems to show Ukrainian refugees, mainly women and children currently living in the Lockerbie area, attending a mass in the chapel. A priest of the Greek Orthodox faith travelled down from Glasgow to conduct proceedings especially.

I sincerely hope the former POW chapel site has a bright future without the presence of Waffen SS insignia outside and I wish it all the best from the bottom of my heart, truly. 

The Ukrainian refugees have been busy planting flowers outside and the ladies have launched a support hub for people whose lives have been affected by war.  This operates from the 'visitor hut' next door to the chapel.  A chess club has also started there, meeting monthly with new members welcome.

A potentially offensive sign which once stood outside the chapel and perhaps glorified the men of the 14th Waffen SS Galician Division is now gone, replaced instead by this simple but effective note in the chapel door window:

Worth checking out if you're down Lockerbie way perhaps, certainly for those of us with an interest in history, WW2 and 20th Century history in particular. Chapel services seem to be be conducted fairly regularly. 

The management committee also hold 'open weekends' when members are on hand to chat and show around visitors. The site is signposted and located quite close to the  M74 motorway so not too hard to find.

Committee members also run a Facebook page called 'Ukrainian POW Chapel Lockerbie' where info about forthcoming events gets posted. Worth having a look before planning a visit perhaps.

That's me done, for now. Meantime, if you happen to chance upon a tall German called Boris aged 65-70, on his travels with a "clapped out motor loaded to the gunnels with  junk" and a trailer attached, remind him to behave himself! 

Slainte Mhor!

Honoured to be piping at Hope Over Fear Rally on Sept 12.

 Hi, I'm really honoured to be piping at this year's Hope Over Fear rally for Scottish Independence on Saturday September 12.

Organisers have asked me to do a half hour 'electric' set with backing tracks and I'm really looking forward to it.

This year's rally will be in the large beer garden at the Eagle Inn in Coatbridge as renovations in Glasgow's George Square are still ongoing. The Eagle Inn is a great venue and my good pal Edinburgh singer/songwriter Kevin Gore is just one of a cracking list of musicians who will be performing on the day.

Top quality speakers will be taking part too, including Alex Salmond's niece Christina Hendry - a very impressive young woman who currently works as a child psychologist in the Scottish Borders and is definitely one to watch out for in the future. 

Proceedings start at 1pm and it should be a great day. Maybe see you there...

I'm also posting few pics from a busy summer of piping with engagements, weddings and bookings from the Isle of Skye to the Lothians. September and October are shaping up to be busy months too. Thank you everyone for the work and support.

Just a gentle reminder, if I may, to anyone thinking about booking me for functions in 2027, to 'get in quick' as the work diary is already filling up and I hate letting potential clients down. Thank you.

All the best and I hope you enjoy the pics. Slainte Mhor!

New video for most streamed Jimi track around the world.

 

'Ancient Pibroch Medley' from Jimi's album 'Global Gathering - the music of clan Macrae' (McRaeMusic002) is his most streamed and downloaded track in countries around the world.

One of Jimi's online music distributors - a Dubai based company - invited Jimi to produce a music video for the track to help promote it further.

"They asked for a rollicking, no holds barred, Highland adventure with castles, mountains, motor bikes and great scenery" said Jimi. "They seem happy with what I've come up with."

Now Jimi will produce more vids for the track with the end credits in Mandarin, Russian, Turkish, Persian, Arabic, Japanese and Spanish so distributors in Dubai can target specific audiences. 

"Google translate is obviously a big help with a task like this" added Jimi. "It should hopefully only take a few hours to complete, fingers crossed.

"Many people in the English speaking world listen to music via Spotify. These folk will no doubt be aware that Spotify is making it easier for artists to post videos to accompany tracks. Well, other streaming sites catering for different countries, languages and cultures are doing exactly the same".

'Ancient Pibroch Medley' features an arrangement of  traditional Highland Pibrochs 'Duncan Macrae of Kintail's Lament', 'Blind Piper's Obstinacy' and 'The Battle of Sheriffmuir'.

During recordings Jimi added harmonies and also arranged for the medley to be performed in 4/4 time.

"I wanted the track to have a pipe band feel to it" he said. "I was really keen to bring my pal and sometimes collaborator Eric Clark in on the drum kit. Eric was performing with a decent metal band around Scotland at the time and his drumming was really on it. Most impressive."

Another one of Jimi's pals Crispin Caunter was called upon to provide some 'deep bass' didgeridoo. The result is a track which 'The Scotsman' newspaper described as "a very satisfying listening experience".

"I think it's great that the track has remained popular" added Jimi. "I know there are a lot of artists who moan about music streaming and the lack of recompense to performers, but, I'm just grateful people are listening to my music and if many of these listeners are in far off lands and from different cultures, well, that's quite interesting I think." 

Jimi would like to thank the owners of Eilean Donan Castle for permission to film there. "I have done a fair bit of piping at Eilean Donan over the years for the Clan Macrae Society - the castle is regarded by many as the clan's ancestral home. 

"Some say the Pibroch 'Duncan Macrae of Kintail' was composed in honour of a legendary Macrae warrior who single handedly saw off an attempt by raiding Macdonalds to capture Eilean Donan, so perhaps it is appropriate that some of the filming took place there"

Jimi is currently working his way through another busy year of  engagements, bookings and live performances around Scotland and overseas. For regular updates keep checking this site. Slainte!

 

Jimi visits the land of 'The Wickerman'!

Here's a short music video from Jimi's recent visit to Southern Scotland and Dumfries and Galloway.

During the trip, Jimi visited a once important hill fort on the Solway Firth where the most southern Pictish carvings ever found are on display.

He also performed a pibroch recital beside the magnificent Neolithic era standing stones and chambered cairns at Cairn holy, overlooking Wigtown Bay.

On the journey to Cairn holy Jimi chanced upon a "10 meter high scarecrow made from wicker" standing in a field. "It was a quite remarkable sight to say the least" said Jimi. 

He added: "However, given that much of the classic 1970's horror movie 'The Wicker Man' starring Christopher Lee and Edward Woodward was filmed at places along the Solway coast perhaps the presence of such a structure is not too surprising!"

Surprising or totally normal? Judge for yourself by clicking on the link below to the vid. If you enjoy please remember to like and subscribe to Jimi's YouTube channel.

Music is a version of the classic Celtic air 'Theid Mi Dhachaid 'Chro Chinn T-Saille' with didgeridoo accompaniment from Jimi's album 'Global Gathering - the music of clan Macrae'. Available for download and streaming at all good music stores. 

Slainte! 

 

                                                                      https://youtu.be/5yrgXQpPkVE?is=lBa2PXjcRjU2AxMs

 

 

Pskov International History and Culture Forum.

 

Please find a link below to video footage of Jimi's performance at a very special 'chamber concert' in the Pokrovskaya Tower, Pskov during the annual Pskov International History & Culture Forum, held between June 10 and 15, 2026.

In the clip Jimi performs versions of well known Russian classical and folk melodies - 'Slav'sya' (Glory to the Tsar) 'Pol'ushko Polie' (Song of the Plains) 'Korobeiniki'(Tetrus theme) 'Pri Linka' (Cossack dance) and Kalinka.

This year's International History and Culture Forum was attended by musicians and academics from many countries including India, Italy, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, China, Canada, the UK and Russia. 

Jimi was very honoured to be invited to perform at such a prestigious event. He appeared in three concerts in Pskov and also two sold out shows in the towns of Pechory and Opochka.

A week of healthy discussion and music culminated at the sell out Pokrovskaya Tower concert when Jimi performed alongside top musical acts from India, Italy and China. 

Pokrovskaya Tower itself is a grand structure towering over the banks of the Velikaya River. It is widely considered to be one of the most impressive monuments of military defensive architecture in Russia, Europe and probably the world.

Its base diameter is about 28 metres and it's total height is 40m. At its base the thickness of its oval walls reach 6m. At its top the thickness is 3.5m.

Built in 1470 the tower witnessed fierce battles against invading armies, none more so than during the Polish invasion of Russia in 1581 which saw the tower play a key role in the defence of the city.

Today the tower has been made suitable for concerts and public events. It provides a classic atmosphere and is a truly amazing, historic venue.

"It was a huge privilege and honour to be invited to play my pipes there" said Jimi. "The acoustics were amazing and, as always in Russia, the audience were very knowledgeable and appreciative. I'd like to say a big thank you to everybody." 

https://youtu.be/Wu0QxiCvaYo?is=IIMUez3Q1xt8xIVA

 

                   

A visit to Mousa Broch - the best preserved Iron Age tower house in existence

 

Hi, hope all good. I was absolutely delighted to realise a lifetime's ambition by visiting Mousa broch during a recent trip to the Shetland Isles.

 Mousa Broch is the best preserved Iron Age tower in existence. Visitors can still climb the staircase to marvel at the commanding view and workmanship of this 2000 year-old building.

 Music is an arrangement of the classic pipe tune or piobaireachd 'An Daorach Bheag' (The Wee Spree) arranged and performed by myself (including vocals) from my album 'The Last King Of Pictland', which is available to stream and download at all online music sites.

Standing over 13.3 metres (44 ft) high on the now uninhabited isle of Mousa, the broch is still over 95 per cent complete - unlike all other brochs in Scotland where most of the original stonework has been removed over the years for reuse in other buildings and drystane dikes. Mousa broch features in a couple of the old Norse Sagas as a place of captivity and hiding, and in comparatively more recent times as the secret store for smugglers.

The island of Mousa is now an RSPB Nature Reserve and home to many breeding wildlife colonies of seals and birds. Through spring and summer, Mousa hums with populations, such as Black Guillemots and Arctic Terns, Harbour Seals, Great Skuas, Snipe, Ringed Plover, Redshank, Oystercatcher and Dunlin.

The RSPB have been studying Storm Petrels, Arctic Terns and Arctic and Great Skuas on Mousa since the early 1980s. Today, they also monitor Red-throated Divers, waders, Shags and Harbour and Grey Seals. Sheep and Shetland ponies also live on the island.

Big shout out to everyone at Mousa Boat Tours which sail from historic Sandsayre pier with trips operates daily (except Saturday) from late April to September. Sailings are all dependent on weather, so please check their website in advance. (https://www.mousa.co.uk/)

I hope you enjoy the music and video. Slainte Mhor!