The change of facings from green to blue in 1873 meant that a blue Regimental Colour had to be made up to replace the green one presented by the Queen in April 1873. It is not clear when the regiment received its blue Colour, which would have had the same battle honours as the green one. The Regimental Colour in this illustration has three more battle honours which date the Colour as being post-1886. The honours were awarded after their tour of duty in Egypt and Sudan. EGYPT 1882 and TEL-EL-KEBIR were awarded in 1883, and NILE 1884-85 was awarded in 1886. The Colour pre-dated these honours so they must have been added in 1887.
The central device is a red circle inscribed The Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders, surrounded by a Union wreath and topped with the Queen’s crown. The central badge is the crowned thistle granted to the regiment in July 1873 when they became the Queen’s Own. The numeral LXXIX is below the thistle which indicates that the Colour pre-dates 1881 when the number 79 was dropped from the title.
