John Fitt

A Biography of John Fitt
Born in 1934 in central Birmingham with no previous cultural links to the instrument John took up piping at age 15 when he met Archie Scotland, who along with many of his countrymen had come to the Midlands for work following the war. Archie was a native of Stenhousemuir a good piper and teacher and was looking for local pupils to strengthen the local Birmingham Scottish Pipe Band. John quickly developed as a piper under Archie's tuition and in 1952 went to the Seaforth Highlanders for national service as a result of his piping skills and a recommendation to the colonel of the regiment by a former Sea forth within the band. This proved to be a highly beneficial move resulting in John further developing his piping under Pipe Major (Later Capt.) John MacLellan. Pipe Major Robert Kilgour and most notably Pipe Major Donald MacLeod, whom John kept supplied with tea laced with condensed milk. John recalls Donald as a kind and generous man who took the time to write to his first tutor Archie Scotland complementing him on his tuition standards. Donald was also prepared to canvass the opinions of his junior pipers on his new compositions and John ruefully recalls a number of possible greats ending up on the back of the fire following his typically direct opinion. On completion of national service in 1954 John returned to Birmingham where piping took a back seat to raising a family of four with his wife Valerie, until 1970 when working at Austin Rover John was persuaded to return to the Birmingham Scottish Pipe Band, eventually becoming Pipe Major following a second prize as Pipe Sergeant in the World Pipe Band Championships in Grade-4 resulting in an invitation to the Intercontinental Highland Gathering in Toronto. At the World Pipe Band Championships the band was first in piping by three clear points. Following upgrade and familiar recruiting and personal problems, John again hung up the pipes until 1992 when following a chance encounter with Wolverhampton pipe maker Bert Anderson John commissioned a new instrument and joined his old rivals the West Midlands Police Pipe Band with whom he remains. Following a period of Pipe Sergeant and corps Piper John retired from competition playing in 2003 around which time he developed an interest and ability in composition. John still lives in Birmingham, actively supports the band and enjoys visiting solo piping events across the country with his wife Val. John is a regular attendee at the Glenfiddich and Northern meeting. John's own instrument is a set of 1947 silver and ivory RG Lawrie bagpipes formerly owned by a fellow member of the Birmingham Scottish Pipe Band and from whose attic in Birmingham he recovered them. Other than his own, John's favourite band is St Lawrence O'Toole and his favourite soloist is Gordon Walker.

A number of John's compostions are available below

Anna Lawrie | Mrs Margaret Watters | Mrs Tracey Rischmiller | Neil Forrester | Pipe Major Andrew Hall | Taylor Rae Jones | The Ambassadors Club | Valerie Brookes | West Midlands Police in Frankfurt

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