Edinburgh Tattoo: Tributes to Major Brian Leishman, key figure in event's global success

Tributes have been paid to Major Brian Leishman, a key figure in building the success of The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, who has died at the age of 87.

The former Army officer served as business manager and director of the Tattoo for more than two decades and helped to turn it into the globally successful multi-million-pound enterprise it is today. He passed away peacefully surrounded by his family at home in Edinburgh on May 30, 2024.

Major Brian Leishman was business manager and director of the Tattoo for 20 years. | supplied

Former Edinburgh Lord Provost Lesley Hinds, who was chair of the Tattoo Board, said Major Leishman had for many years been “Mr Tattoo”. She said: “He was a great character, had a huge commitment to making that Tattoo the best it could possibly be and was always a friendly figure who got on well with all those he came into contact with.”

Brian Archibald Scott Leishman was born in Dundee in September 1936, three years before the outbreak of the Second World War. He was educated at Edinburgh’s Fettes College and commissioned into the British Army in 1954 where he served for more than 20 years and held postings in the UK, the Arabian Gulf, East Africa, Germany and Italy, where he became Assistant Defence Attaché to the British Embassy in Rome.

In 1961, he married Renata Zini in Milan. Their daughter Alison was born in 1963 and their son Robin in 1965.

Then in 1978 Major Leishman was appointed by The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo as its business manager, where he helped build an enduring entertainment brand that continues to stand the test of time.

He stepped down in 1998 having witnessed every 25-night performance over two decades and could boast that there was not one task within the administrative operation that he had not at some stage tackled, from taking telephone calls to selling tickets at the box office counter.

In 1996 he had received the Scottish Thistle Award for his outstanding contribution to Scottish tourism. In December 1997, he was awarded an MBE in recognition of his services to tourism in Edinburgh.

And there followed a Lifetime Achievement Award from New York-based Box Office Management International, recognising his remarkable input into the industry,

After his retirement, Major Leishman continued his involvement with the Tattoo team, continuing to organise the Edinburgh Festival Cavalcade, which featured performances from the cast of the Tattoo. He was also a former board member and chairman of the Edinburgh International Jazz Festival, and board member of Edinburgh and Lothians Tourist Board.

Alan Smith, who worked closely with Major Leishman as Tattoo marketing manager, said: “Brian helped transform the Tattoo from what he originally described as ‘a cosy, comfortable cottage industry’ to the sophisticated, globally renowned, sold-out spectacular, which now contributes more than £100 million to the Scottish economy each year.

“He will continue to be remembered as the man who beat the drum so compellingly around the world on so many levels for both Edinburgh’s world-famous Tattoo and for his homeland.”

Major Leishman’s funeral took place on June 13 at Warriston Crematorium. He is survived by his children, Alison and Robin, their mother Renata, his partner Gillian, and grandchildren Josh, Grace and Eddie.