Reiver2, If the soldier was wearing a full length of plaid, with part of it wrapped as a kilt and the remainder of it slung over his shoulder, he certainly could have waved the upper part to his sweetheart without "flashing" the lower part.

Mudcats, I came to this thread because I heard The Gallant Forty Twa performed this evening along with another set of lyrics called The American Land to the same tune. And I also recognized the tune as the one used for Sink the Bismarck! I was wondering to myself how many different song lyrics are set to this catchy tune, and thought I'd ask the Mudcats!