Pipe-Major John Gillies, MSM - One blue card 'Birks' box marked "J, Gillies Piobaireachd 3rd" in pen containing one cast bronze medal (Highland Gathering and Scottish Music Festival Banff") engraved Bagpipe Competition Piobaireachd Open 1928." The ribbon is maroon coloured. A series of music and folk arts festivals held 1927-31 under the auspices of the Canadian Pacific Railway and organized by the railway's publicity agent, John Murray Gibbon, to explore the variety of Canada's cultural resources. The festivals were of particular significance in the evolution of music in Canada, representing as they did an early and happy instance of support for the arts by a major corporation, an early attempt to promote serious composition by Canadians, taking into account, moreover, the folk material of the country as a source for such composition, and one of the early concerted attempts to acquaint Canada's many different musical communities and audiences with each other. The festivals, whose activities were centred in CPR hotels in Banff, Calgary, Quebec City, Regina, Toronto, Vancouver, Victoria, and Winnipeg, also used Darke Hall in Regina, the Walker Theatre in Winnipeg, and the Basilica and the Auditorium in Quebec City for some of the concerts. The dates for the Games were: Sept 2-5, 1927; Aug 31 – Sept 3, 1928; Aug 30 – Sept 2, 1929; Aug 29 – Sept 1, 1930; and Aug 27 – 30, 1931 The Games were held at the Banff Springs Hotel. This was a 3 day event at the end of August including Scottish concerts and special Scottish meals at the hotel as well as standard events. There was always a church service conducted in the open air at the Devil’s Cauldron conducted by Ralph Connor (Dr. C.W. Gordon). These were big events in all aspects. Pipers came from across the country and even a few from Scotland. So too with dancers, travelling long distance by train to attend these gatherings. Up to 8000 people flocked to the town of Banff and the Hotel to be a part of this festival, among the most highly acclaimed North American Highland Games in those years. Pipe Major John Gilles started his military career in the Scots Guards on 11 June 1892. He served in England and Ireland as well as in the South African War, 1899 - 1902. He left the British Army in 1912 and emigrated to Canada where he joined the 72nd Regiment, Seaforth Highlanders of Canada. He enlisted in the 72nd Battalion in World War I and served as the Pipe Major for the duration of the war. He died at a regimental dinner in April, 1944.