A piece from The London Scottish Gazette, written by Sandy's long time friend John Spoore -
Sandy Baigrie 1934 - 2007
Alexander James Baigrie was born in Dalkeith, Midlothian on 29th March 1934. His father was a train driver and no mean piper. Both of which Sandy was to follow. On leaving school Sandy initially worked for a short time in a shipyard in Leith, but after about a year, he started work on the steam engine footplate, as a fireman. Dr. Beeching in the mid 60’s, almost ended Sandy’s railway career and he was faced with the option of redundancy, or of travelling South as a trainee driver. He chose the latter and in 1967, he moved into digs in London. He made the move more permanent in 1969, when now a qualified driver, the rest of his family joined him, settling in Gillingham, Kent.
He continued working as a driver, then as Train Crew Supervisor until his initial retirement in 1993. He then did various lorry driving jobs finally retiring in 1998. Very soon afterwards, he and Eileen moved back North, to Lauder, Berwickshire. He continued to pursue his hobbies of gardening and piping. He joined the Stow Pipe Band and was soon one of the band characters, as he had been in the London Scottish P&D. He didn’t mind at all, the title given to him by some of the younger members of the band, in fact quite enjoyed being the “Grumpy Granddad”. The Grumpy Granddad never forgot a tune title in his father’s music book; - “The Cat Kittened in Charlie’s Wig”.
Sandy’s military service had begun with National Service with 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment 1952-54, continuing as a Training Corporal in 15th Para. (TA) 1954-58. He very nearly met a premature end in 1960, whilst on service in the Suez Crisis. He was on a training jump over the Suez when upon leaving the aircraft and his canopy starting to blossom, a colleague shot feet first through his rigging. The other’s chute then started to blossom, thus collapsing Sandy’s. This was the situation with alternate chutes blossoming and collapsing until terra firma was met at a rate far in excess to anything that they had trained for!
Sandy then joined G. Company and served with the Pipes & Drums and as a Company HGV driver. He became a TV star with a speaking part in an episode of the series “Churchill’s People”. He was urged to join as the piper, some of his clansmen in a move to The New World. Sandy’s line which I remember well was: “But I’ve nay sil’er”. Such fame!
He later toured and recorded with the Glasgow based heavy rock band “The Sensational Alex Harvey Band”, appearing at The London Palladium and at The Reading Pop Festival (both on three occasions) and at many other venues. Sandy was one of the quartet invited by Prince Aziz Sudari to Jeddah - Saudi Arabia, on the occasion of dining out Sir James Craig, the then retiring British Ambassador. Prince Sudari sent his private Citation 3 (7 seat jet) to Heathrow to pick us up! Sandy and I also spent ten days in Styr – Austria for a British Trade Fair.
I spoke to him just a few days before he died; he had not lost his sense of humour. Upon learning of his death on Monday 19th March, I contacted Stuart Robinson the Pipe Major of The Stow Pipe Band. Stuart said that he had visited Sandy only last Friday (16th) and he (Sandy) wanted to discuss with him, the pipe music for his funeral. Several of us Old and Bold awaited the funeral details, hoping to travel to Lauder to see him “Safely back to Barracks”, but the time was too short. He died on Monday 19th; the funeral was in the morning of Thursday 22nd March.
An amusing incident that sums up Sandy was once when in Norwich on the middle weekend day off from annual camp, he needed some cash from the bank cash machine. The machine delivered his cash, Sandy picked up the money and smartly transferred it into his Left hand, took one pace to the rear and made his declaration - “Pay and pay book correct Sir”, saluted smartly, did a right turn and following the regulation pause of “Two three”, marched away, to the bemusement of passers-by. This is the Sandy that we shall remember.
He is sadly missed by Eileen and by Allan, Graham and Rebecca and their families, as well as by all who were privileged to have known, served and worked with him.
John Spoore.