The 1st Canadian Army parade in Brussels, Belgium, 11-06-1945

11-06-1945: Parade with 16 bands on the Grand Place, Brussels

P.M. Edmund Esson masterfully leads the Countering by the whole Canadian 1st. Army Massed Pipes and Drums. Note the photographer in front!

Parade at the Parc du Cinquantenaire, outside the centre of Brussels. Notice P.M. Edmund Esson on the far left giving a signal to the massed band

The above two photographs are courtesy of John Wharton
Some more photographs taken at the Parc du Cinquantenaire.
Left: P.M. Esson leading the Massed Pipes & Drums. Could the photographer on the left be the same one as shown on the photograph two places upward from here?
Right: drummers taking a rest. Left to right: a Canadian Scottish side-drummer, the 48th. highlanders of Canada's bass drummer and an Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders of Canada snare drummer.

And after the Parade: Party time . . . prelude to the Farewell Banquet for the Pipe Majors that night. On those photos, do note the red/white "raspberry" effect on the
Pipe Majors' foreheads, caused by sunburn. Especially on the next one, the slanted dividing line does clearly show where the sun has been shielded off by the Glengarry cap
during all the hours of piping, exposed to the sun.
Sgt. Armstrong, who did take piobaireachd lessons from Willie Ross together with Ed Esson, his P.M., is standing on the extreme right of the back row,
and also second left in the back row on the next photograph, below here.

Pipe Major Edmund Esson (seated at the head of the table) drinks up courage . . .

Some time later: - Yes, the beard is off ! "It was a bet" (P.M. Bob Stocker of the Essex Scottish holds on to his). Not to get shavings on their kilts, both Ed Esson, still with moustache (3rd. from the left, front row) and his former pupil James Watt, seated next to him, had changed into battle dress trousers for the job.