A Glover family memory was recently brought back to life – 50 years later and this time, in colour.
Trail-raised piper David Glover was only a wee lad the first time he visited Edinburgh Castle in Scotland. The year was 1967 and back then cameras were loaded with black and white film – the medium Edward Glover use to snap a photo of his son looking mesmerized by the red coat and bearskins (hat) of a Queen’s Guard.
Now a member of the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) Pipe Band, Dave returned to Scotland earlier this month to be part of the country’s Royal Military Tattoo – and the old black and white went with him at his dad’s request.
“I was going through pictures and I knew he was going to Edinburgh for a second time,” says Edward (Ed). “I sent him this picture and said that I wanted the same picture of you, 50 years later.”
And that’s exactly what Dave did – minutes before his Tattoo performance he stood in the same spot as all those years ago, but this time a guardsman snapped the shot.
But it didn’t end there – soon after the recreated image went viral, garnering a number of U.K. front pages and well over 9,000 hits on Facebook.
“(I was) totally surprised how fast this photo got around social media and the reaction it has had,” says Dave. “We had never thought the photo would be so popular.”
Internet craze aside, Dave says the photo holds an especially dear place in the Glover family. Ed is also an accomplished piper and was a member of the Trail Pipe Band for 37 years. And Dave’s grandfather, Charles Glover, was a drummer in the Trail Pipe Band for 40 years.
“My mom and dad were so pleased to see the old and new photo side by side,” he shared. “I was just so happy that I could do this for my dad, then the photo went crazy on social media- mom and dad are so proud and myself, thrilled, to get this done for my parents.”
The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo is an annual series of military performances by British Armed Forces, Commonwealth and International military bands, and display teams on the esplanade of Edinburgh Castle in the Scottish capital of Edinburgh. The event takes place annually throughout August as part of the wider Edinburgh Festival, a collective name for many independent festivals and events held in the city during the month.
Dave, a former Trail Pipe Band member, performs one show daily from Monday to Friday, two on Saturdays, and next week (Aug. 21) he’ll be marching in the very popular Treaty of Perth Parade. (This year marks the 750th anniversary of the Treaty of Perth between Norway and Scotland)
Though he performed for the Tattoo in 1999, being part of the event this year is a particular honour not only because of his own 50-year Edinburgh commemoration but the Tattoo is paying special tribute to Queen Elizabeth’s 90th birthday.
“The Vancouver Police Pipe Band has given me the opportunity to see the world,” Dave said. “If it wasn’t for this band the photo would have never transpired. I’m am just so fortunate to play with one of the best bands in the world.”
When he’s not touring, Dave lives in Pitt Meadows. His parents, Edward and Joy Glover, still live in Trail.
And they couldn’t be more proud of his accomplishments.
“I have a cousin who lives in Paisley (Scotland) and he gets the paper,” Ed chuckled. “When he first saw this picture he didn’t put it together, but after reading the paper he went back to the front page and realized this was his cousin’s son.”
While Ed waits for his cousin to mail him the actual Scottish newspaper as a keepsake, the photo has continued to circulate in Canada on television screens including CTV and The National.
