This photo shows the commanding officer, Lieutenant-Colonel John Macdonald Leith, sitting on the left and his Adjutant, Captain Kenneth Schlach Baynes, who was appointed Adjutant on 2 Nov 1880 and Garrison Adjutant at Cairo on arrival in Egypt.
These officers are dressed for mounted duty on campaign in Egypt, wearing tartan breeches, boots and spurs. Colonel Leith has regulation boots but Baynes has leather leggings or gaiters. They have different jackets; the Adjutant wears a scarlet undress frock with blue collar and cuffs. This is the Highland version of the infantry officer’s undress frock, having gauntlet style cuffs and pocket flaps with buttons and braid. The shoulder straps are scarlet with white edging and badges of rank. Colonel Leith has a darker jacket which is regimental, having Cameron Highlanders collar badges of the crowned thistle, also worn by the other officer. The dark colour may indicate that this is a blue jacket, but the blue patrol jacket in the 1881 Dress Regulations describes black flat mohair edging and across the chest with drop loops.
They carry infantry swords which are slung in different ways. Adjutant Baynes has his in a frog attached to his Sam Browne belt. He also has a pistol holster on the other side with a lanyard for the pistol around his neck. He has a strap on his right shoulder for a binoculars case, and another leather strap on the left shoulder which seems to be part of his Sam Browne belt. Colonel Leith also has two shoulder straps but is not wearing a Sam Browne belt. His waist-belt supports his sword on slings while the shoulder straps are for binoculars on one side and, presumably, a bag for maps and paperwork on the other.
They both wear foreign service helmets which, in dress uniform were white with a gilt spike on top, but for campaign, were buff coloured without the spike, but retaining the gilt badge on the front.
