Letter: Scots Wha Hae

Lawrence Fraser (Letters, 27 May) wonders whether singing Flower of Scotland might become a hate crime as it recalls a battle which nobody now alive fought in.

Personally, I prefer Scots Wha Hae as Scotland's anthem. It also recalls the Battle of Bannockburn, but uses a tune in use in 1314 and has words of more historical relevance. I hope we continue to use both.

Usually I wear a kilt in Culloden tartan, the pattern taken from a coat left on that battlefield in 1746. Recently I discussed this with a tartan shop proprietor on the Royal Mile. He asked me: "Were you at the battle?" I replied: "Possibly, in a previous life."

This may suggest a need for better teaching of Scottish history. I wonder what the Kirk of Scotland General Assembly might have to say about possible previous lives.

David Stevenson

Blacket Place

Edinburgh