John W. Patterson

This is a personal account on my trip to the Culloden Battle Field and visitor centre. I visited Culloden on August 12th of this year. For those who have never visited, it is a very solemn place.

Culloden is a historical site managed by the National Trust for Scotland. On 16 April 1746 a fierce and bloody battle took place on this spot near Inverness between the Jacobite army of Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Royal Troops of George II led by The Duke of Cumberland. This was the last stand of Charles Edward Stuart, commonly known as “Bonnie Prince Charlie” or “the Young Pretender”.  Bonnie Prince Charlie and his sympathisers wanted the Stuarts on the throne rather than the Hanoverians.

There were 7,000 in the Jacobite army and 8,000 in the royal army. It is thought that around 1,500 to 2,000 Jacobites were killed or wounded in what was a terrible defeat for Bonnie Prince Charlie and his army which was made up of mostly highlanders who were volunteers rather than soldiers.  Clans fought on both sides.  On the Government side the losses and injuries were a lot lighter at around 300.  The battle was over in less than an hour, it was a slaughter. This was the last pitched battle on British soil.

Leaving opinions aside and the circumstances that led up to the battle I would like to focus on my experience. When you arrive at the visitors centre and leave your car your experience begins as you start walking up a sidewalk adorned with Clan names, those that were involved in the battle, alongside their names are their clan crests. When you enter the visitor centre the cafe is to the left, which I found to be excellent and the gift shop. Walking straight ahead you begin the indoor portion of the tour.

Photo’s by John W. Patterson

Upon entering the tour you find large displays on both walls and many interactive displays. There are many exhibits of actual articles from the times with explanations of their significance. I found this to be a great addition to the experience and helps you connect with that awful day and the life the soldiers led. You are free to explore the exhibition in any way, and are not forced down one route, so the narrative is pieced together as you see fit. On one side of the exhibition is the Government side and the other for the Jacobite side. This is interesting as the exhibition does give you both sides of the story and it is up to you what you want to make of it. You start with the lead up to the battle, on one side the events of the Jacobites and the other the Loyalists. So you do end up seeing both sides, there isn’t a bias.

At the end of this part of the exhibition you enter a room with large screens on all four walls. It puts you in the middle of a re-enactment of the battle, you are charged at from one wall and muskets fire from another. The sound is amazing and really gives you the feel of being there. When you exit you see names of known Clansmen who fell during the battle. For me, I saw many Farquharson names and it really brought it home to me and gave me a personal connection to this event and an insight into my family and how brave they were. When you exit the hall you enter into another interactive room with a large animated map of the battle and many hands on displays.

The Walk outside

When you begin the outside portion of the tour you are given a headset with a GPS device. When you walk outside the GPS begins to give you information about the day. As you walk to points the GPS will chime and tell you about the point you are standing and gives you further information on specific people or a side note of the day by a touch on the screen. You immediately get the feeling of the day and as you walk the paths the battlefield the solemnity falls on you.

You can see blue flags that mark the Jacobite line and red flags the mark the Government side. Paths take you to each point and you pass various Clan Stones, these stones commemorate the members of the different branches of the Clan who fought and died on that fateful day in 1746. As well as specific Clan Stones there was also one labelled “Mixed Clans” for all those not listed. You walk by many markers of where certain Clans would have been lined or where certain people would have been standing that day.

In the end I want to say the National Trust for Scotland has done an amazing job with the centre. It should be noted that Culloden is a burial site for many who fell that day and the most respect should be given while walking the field. The feeling you get while walking the field is hard to describe, you are standing on the ground of a battle that had consequences for so many, some very harsh. History could have sent us in quite a different direction if Bonnie Prince Charlie had been successful in restoring the House of Stuart to the British throne.

John W. Patterson is the Editor of the Lion’s Face, Clan Farquharson UK

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Cabin crew sport tartan scarves in front of easyJet’s new tartan-clad plane

A distinctive orange and black tartan-clad aircraft has been unveiled to mark a new early morning flight from Inverness to London Gatwick. Budget airline EasyJet launched the tartan today entitled “Highland aircraft” on its Airbus A319 aircraft, alongside a kilt and scarf sported by cabin crew on its inaugural 6:40am service.

However the kilt is not set to become part of regular cabin crew uniforms, and will only be used for special occasions. The design is the first tartan to be officially registered by the Scottish Register of Tartans since records began six years ago.

Reaction to the tartan has been mixed, with some design experts calling the launch an appropriate way for the airline to mark its commitment to Scotland. Design expert Susanna Freedman, head of brand at design firm Emperor said: “Tartan is such an iconic textile, and employed with consideration – as part of an overall design scheme – can add real impact and authenticity.

“I hope we see a ‘less is more’ approach – or innovative execution in its use – that fits with easyJet’s brand positioning, rather than it appearing as a superficial ‘bolt on’ to current easyJet apparel.”

Richard Havers, a former British Caledonian general manager for Europe, admires easyJet’s idea but not its design. Tartan-clad cabin crew is most famously associated with now-defunct British Caledonian and its predecessor Caledonia Airways. Staff wore a range of tartans from the 1960s until its takeover by British Airways in 1988.

He said: “It’s quite a clever idea, but a bit of a dubious tartan. Making up a tartan is a cheap trick. Sir Adam Thomson [British Caledonian’s founder and chairman] would be turning in his grave.

“British Caledonian used about 30 tartans, but none were designed for the airline, that would have been against its ethos. It would have felt it was not the right thing to do.”

Mr Havers said both cabin crew and check-in staff had chosen which tartan to wear.

He added: “Most based their choice on their hair colour, with blondes picking green tartans and those with dark hair going for red ones.”

The former airline executive said tartan had been part of British Caledonian’s brand image, which was the “total antithesis” to easyJet’s. He said: “It was an era when flying was more glamorous – passengers wore jackets and ties.”

Mr Havers said it was a “pity” easyJet appeared to be using the tartan as a publicity stunt.

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The Elephant Sessions performing at Northern Roots 2013. Photo by Roddy Mackenzie.

Hailing from Inverness, The Elephant Sessions are an upcoming act set to make waves on the traditional Scottish music scene this summer. I caught them last year at a gig in Edinburgh, where they blasted through a set of the grooviest folk music I’ve ever heard. They’re currently recording their debut album off the back of a successful online fundraising campaign, so I recently caught up with guitarist Mark Bruce to find out more:

Describe the members of the Elephant Sessions and the instruments you play:
The Elephant Sessions are:

• Euan Smillie – Fiddle
• Greg Barry – Drums
• Alasdair Taylor – Mandolin
• Seth Tinsley – Double bass
• Mark Bruce – Guitars.

Where are you from and how did you guys meet?
We met through a mutual love of traditional music and the fact we have similar ideas of how the folk/traditional genre can be pushed by adding influences from other genres. Four of us hail from the Highlands of Scotland, and Seth is from Northumberland.

You’re all excellent musicians – I was wondering how long you’ve been playing and how you got into this type of music?
We have all been playing traditional music for many years, we all got into it through things such as the Feisan movement and through traditional music groups in school. We are very lucky in the Highlands of Scotland that we are so immersed in traditional melodies and culture.

The thing that struck me the most about your band is the way you combine traditional folk music with contemporary genres such as funk – what makes your music so unique, and what kinds of things is the band influenced by?
I think what may potentially make our music a bit different is the fact the we self write all our melodies and we aren’t afraid to try and push the boundaries of where we can take it – I think not being afraid to fail is very important when you’re trying to do something a bit unique. We take influences from a wide range of music, everything from Gaelic singer Julie Fowlis to the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

I saw you perform last year in Edinburgh, and you definitely got the crowd moving for a subdued Wednesday night! Is this what usually happens at an Elephant Sessions gig?
Yeah, we usually try and noise the crowd up a bit. Basically, whether its an 11am or an 11pm festival slot we will try and give it all we have and hopefully we get everyone dancing

What’s been your standout gig so far?
I think our highlight so far has probably been opening up for the Peatbog Faeries at The 02 Academy in Newcastle. They have been a band we have all looked up to from early on in our musical lives and it was an honour to get the chance to do that.

I’m a complete newbie to traditional folk music – can you explain to me what it’s called when a song suddenly changes halfway through? Is this a round? Set? Jig? Help!
Erm, the best way to maybe explain this is usually a ‘set’ comprises of more than one tune. We try and arrange the tunes so there is a tempo change, it can be fast or slow depending on where we are trying to take the listener. A classic traditional music change would be something like a Strathspey into a reel, effectively this doubles the beat. The difference between a jig and a reel is, in a jig the notes are grouped in 3 and in a reel notes are grouped in 4. We hope this makes a little bit of sense.

The Elephant Sessions

You’ve just finished a successful Kickstarter campaign for the funding of your debut album – how did it go?
Kickstarter is a company that allows you to set up a page where the public can donate money to help fund a project. We plan to record our debut album with the money we raise from it, we are very excited!

Comparing the music that you’re currently performing with the music available on your EP, do you think it’s different at all? Where do you hope to take the band?
I think we ‘grew up’ a bit from what we were playing on the EP to what we are playing now, we have become more confident in our ideas and we think we are writing better material. We hope!

What’s the most exciting thing happening in Scottish folk at the moment?
We all really love Adam Holmes’ debut album ‘Heirs and Graces’. He is writing some beautiful songs and he has an amazing band. Definitely worth checking out.

Finally, what are your plans for 2014?
To release our album and hopefully do some festivals in the summer and tour Britain in October.

You can hear more by the Elephant Sessions at www.elephantsessions.com or check them out on Facebook.

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