Tartan Tales of Clan Colquhoun

Throughout July we have been celebrating all things Clan Colquhoun. We have met some famous faces, visited many sites, and gained great insight into the history of this ancient clan. Finally, we called upon the valued Clan members to share their stories and we have had lots of great stories; read the blog to find out more!

Sir Iain Colquhoun | Helensburgh Heritage Trust

John sent us lots of fantastic information, so grab your favourite drink and enjoy the read!

Sir Iain Colquhoun during the Great War 
"I don't honestly know the truth of some of the stories my Mother shared with me and my siblings when we were growing up. According to her stories, he kept a pet lion in the trenches, bludgeoned four Bavarian soldiers to death with a club during one engagement, in another engagement he deflected a bullet from a German officer with the hilt of his broadsword, then shot the German with his revolver. He was, of course, court-martialled for agreeing to a very brief (45 minutes?) local truce on Christmas of 1915, so that the dead and wounded could be evacuated from no-man's-land by both sides. (Although he was not acquitted, he was sentenced to only a reprimand, and Gen Sir Douglas Haig set the sentence aside, returning Sir Iain to full duty immediately.) In his diary, he recorded:

A German officer came forward and asked me for a truce for Xmas. I replied that this was impossible. He then asked for ¾ hour (three-quarters of an hour) to bury his dead. I agreed. The Germans then started burying their dead and we did the same. This was finished in ½ hrs time. Our men and the Germans then talked and exchanged cigars, cigarettes etc for ¼ of an hour and when the time was up I blew a whistle and both sides returned to their trenches.

For the rest of the day the Germans walked about and sat on their parapets. Our men did much the same but remained in their trenches. Not a shot was fired. At night the Germans put up Fairy lights on their parapets and their trenches were outlined for miles on either side. It was a mild looking night with clouds and a full moon and the prettiest sight I have ever seen. Our machine guns played on them and the lights were removed. Our guns shelled heavily all night at intervals of ½ an hour and the Germans retaliated on Sunken Road. I had to leave my dug-out five times during the night owing to shells."

[You can also read about Sir Iain Colquhoun in our Famous Faces of Clan Colquhoun blog here]

John's nephew Taylor Scot Bigley in Colquhoun tartan kilt

John's Clan Colquhoun Family
"I am also attaching a photo of my nephew, Taylor Scot Bigley (grandson of Claire Calhoun Locks), ready to celebrate Burns Night 2026 in a Colquhoun tartan kilt in modern colours. (I imagine you know that in Virginia, the name is most often spelled "Calhoun" rather than "Colquhoun"? No one seems to know why.)

John's nephew, brother-in-law, sister and John himself off to the Games

The next attached photo is of one of my nephews, my brother-in-Law, my sister, and me, on our way to the highland games in Richmond, Virginia. As a bit of background, I should mention that several years ago a nephew stumbled upon a trove of British military insignia in a small antiques shop, and that inspired us to "invent" a fictitious highland unit, which we dubbed "The Colquhoun Rifles." As history buffs, we decided to outfit ourselves with kit that would have been in service from the end of the Boer War to nearly the start of WWI. 

So far as I know, there was never a regiment that wore Colquhoun tartan, but we decided we were less concerned over strict historical accuracy, and more concerned over having a bit of fun. We do draw compliments, and questions, at highland games, and we always say we are a volunteer Home Guard unit. Since each man outfits himself, the only three standard items are the tunics, the Colquhoun tartan kilts, in the ancient colours, and the Sam Browne belts. Anyone is welcome to join the regiment if they have the desire to do so! (Gentlemen of good character, please.)

Finally, Burns Night is definitely an occasion for which a gentleman needs a kilt! Like me, both my sons and half of my nephews now have quality woollen tartans from ScotlandShop, in the Colquhoun tartan, in either the ancient or modern colours. All the men in the family have neckties in the Colquhoun tartan, from the same merchant, and for our daughter’s wedding several of us wore Colquhoun tartan cummerbunds under our tuxedoes. Burns night is not the only time to wear tartan! 

I don't seem to have any additional photos that clearly show off the Colquhoun tartan. The cummerbund, in modern colours, that I wore with my tuxedo as Father of the Bride for our daughter's wedding really looked great, dark enough to not be "flashy" but it added a bit of colour. Her twin brother and several cousins did the same thing; none were groomsmen, so we didn't intrude upon the groom's preferences for his groomsmen's attire, but it created a nice bit of understated family unity." 

Thank you, John, for this wonderful account! A joy to read.

Next up we received this wonderful photo from Jamie who says, "Here is a photo of me, kilted in the Colquhoun tartan, piping at the annual flag raising ceremony at the Chester River Yacht and Country Club in Chestertown, Maryland."

Jamie piping at Chester River Yacht and Country Club

Chris from Saint Paul, Minnesota sent us some great pictures from his visit to Luss, Scotland, October 2025, as well as Wedding photos in Colquhoun tartan kilt, May 2026, at Ham Lake, Minnesota.

Loch Lomond Arms

Inside Loch Lomond Arms

The Story of Luss - Clan Colquhoun information board

John Colquhoun Author and Naturalist

Sir John Colquhoun, 2nd Baron of Luss

Colquhoun stain glass window

Chris in Colquhoun Ancient kilt

Chris in Colquhoun Ancient kilt

Stephanie shared this great photo with us in the Clan Colquhoun Society of the United Kingdom Facebook group (do join the group if you're a Colquhoun!) of her with Clan Chief Sir Malcolm Colquhoun of Luss (left).

Stephanie with Clan Chief Sir Malcolm Colquhoun of Luss (left)

We love this photo Monica shared with us. She says, "We were at the Capitol Games in Altamont...Albany, NY. Always Labor Day weekend." Monica also told us she loves the Colquhoun Ancient tartan, the green in it stands out!

Monica in her fabulous Colquhoun Ancient creation (middle)

Finally, we received a couple of photos from Emma, who says "Here is a photo of 3 generations of Clan Colquhoun celebrating Burns night this year (in Dorset), plus me with my bagpipes and my brother (no idea what the joke was!!)".

Emma also told us that her father (seen in the picture) sadly passed away recently, and is touched to have this as a lovely tribute to him. Our thoughts are with you and your family, Emma. 

Emma with three generations of Colquhouns, her late father in the middle

Emma with her bagpipes next to her brother

A big thank you to everyone who contributed to our Clan Colquhoun stories blog!

 

Unfortunately July has come to an end, that certainly doesn't mean our love for Clan Colquhoun is over, so be sure to get in touch with us if you fancy chatting all things Colquhoun!