In memory of James Clark Caution

Jim Caution was my tutor for the first few years after I moved to North London, and was instrumental in getting me to get in touch with the Scottish Piping Society of London. I'd not long come down from Aberdeen, and he told me to go to the Scottish Piping Society of London. I said I'd give it a go for an evening. Little did I know years later I'd end up being vice-president, spending all my spare hours working on the Society's events and competitions. Jim would no doubt have found it amusing how his seemingly innocent suggestion had led to a sometimes frantic life for me.

Jim as P/M of the RAMC Although known to many London based pipers as a tutor, Jim was a prize winning solo player in his day, after serving in WW2 he won several prizes in London comps. Apart from training the London Scottish (T.A.) P&D, Jim was also pipe major of the R.A.M.C. (T.A.) who took 1st at the London Open Pipe Band competition with Jim as P/M. One of Jim's proudest piping moments was beating the famous Pipe Major J. B. Robertson, M.B.E. in the piobaireachd event at the Harpenden Highland Gathering. The piobaireachd that Jim played on the day was, "I got a Kiss of the King's Hand".

After the piobaireachd event 'Robbie' (Pipe Major J.B. Robertson) shook Jim’s wife, Anna's hand.
"Hello Mrs Caution, Do you know your husband has just beaten the Great J.B. Robertson?".

Jim was a great tutor, always with a twinkle in his eye and a funny quip on his lips. His playing was of the most musical standard, with very light fingering. I remember going for my first lesson with him, and he asked me to play something. I played The 79th's Farewell to Gibralter. He sit and listened, then with a wee smile said. "Others have been teaching you how to play the bagpipe, I will teach you how to play music". He wasn't wrong.

I thought I’d be continuing with the 79^th’s but to my astonishment he produced the Kilberry book of Ceol Mor and we went through the ground of MacCrimmon’s Sweetheart. Jim was always extremely generous with his encouragement, and often an hour would stretch into two, with no extra charge, if he felt a pupil needed an extra bit of time on a particular point.

Apart from being a teacher and prize winning piper, in both the band and solo fields, Jim and Anna were committee members of the SPSL for a great number of years, and I don’t think that there was a piper in London who had not heard of him. He was the lone piper at Olympia and played at major events at all the big London hotels. He played on Sunday Night at the London Palladium with Bruce Forsyth, Britain's most popular television show in the 60's. Of course, Jim was no stranger to the spotlight, having appeared in the David Lean film 'Madeleine' in 1949.

As the internet came of age, Jim was often to be found on piping forums and in piping chatrooms using the handle of TOG (The Old Guy), and his warmth, wit, and friendly advice became welcome all over the piping world.

The Caution family stated that instead of flowers being sent to Jim’s funeral, they would prefer it if donations could be made to the Jim Caution memorial Trust Fund, which was set up by the Caution family to carry on Jim’s name and work with the bagpipe in the London Area. Such was Jim’s popularity, a sizeable sum was quickly reached.

The Jim Caution Memorial Quaich is to be awarded to the best overall juvenile piper at our annual member’s competition, and after the competition is over, we will be holding the Jim Caution Memorial Recital. We have one of the greatest pipers to ever emerge from Scotland, Pipe Major Gordon Walker, performing at the initial recital, and we’d love to see you there, enjoying the music and thinking of Jim.