This painting by Robert McClevesly shows officers of the 79th Cameron Highlanders holding the Regimental and the Queen’s Colour during a route march. These would have been the third stand of Colours presented to the regiment on 18 June 1928 by Lady Neil Douglas in Canada. The preparation of the Colours was financed by their Colonel, Sir Ronald Ferguson, who took over the post from Sir Alan Cameron after his death in that year. The first stand of Colours had been presented at Stirling in 1794, the second stand was taken into service in Paris in 1815. Both these stands are kept at Fort George.
Since 1768, the size of the Colours was 6 foot tall (on the pike) and 6’ 6” broad (flying) The pike itself had been 9’ 10” long since the Royal Warrant of 1747. The green Colour on the left was the Regimental Colour, with a small Union flag in the top canton and battle honours. The battle honours were displayed on both the Regimental and the Queen’s Colours which at that time were:
EGYPT and the SPHINX (awarded 6 Jul 1802)
PENINSULA (awarded 6 Apr 1815)
WATERLOO (awarded 8 Dec 1815)
TOULOUSE (awarded 9 Jul 1816)
FUENTES D’ONOR (awarded 16 Apr 1818)
SALAMANCA (awarded 16 Apr 1818)
PYRENEES (awarded 16 Apr 1818)
NIVELLE (awarded 16 Apr 1818)
NIVE (awarded 16 Apr 1818)
EGMONT-OP-ZEE (awarded 2 Oct 1818)
The central device is not clear but up until 1839 the regimental number 79 would have been displayed in Arabic numerals. The centre looks like a gold circle within a gold wreath of thistles and Royal Hanoverian crown above. In 1844 it was decreed that the Queen’s Colour was to have no battle honours, but the Colours seen here were not replaced until 1854. The ensigns holding the Colours have black shoulder belts to support the Colour on the march. These Colours were laid up in St Giles Cathedral, Edinburgh where they remained until 1982 (probably now at Fort George).
