Donald MacKenzie transferred to the QO Cameron Highlanders in 1901. He had previously been Sgt Piper in the 1st Battalion Seaforth Highlanders, serving in Crete and Egypt. He had been in the Seaforths since 1893 when he joined at age 18. The photo was taken in 1903 when the 1st Battalion QO Cameron Highlanders were stationed at Fort George, Inverness. He was discharged in 1906.
The green doublet has gold lace on the collar and cuffs, and the four gold lace stripes on his sleeve do not have an embroidered crown that was worn after WW1 with the return to ceremonial uniform. It was around this time that wings were added to the shoulders, striped in gold for the sergeant piper, and white lace for the pipers.
He does not have the eagle feather in his cap which was worn when on parade with the commanding officer. He has medals for the Sudan campaign of 1897 and the South African war. The clap on his waist-belt is rectangular whereas the other pipers had an oval clasp. His officer-style dirk has a knife and fork and he has the special pattern cantle on his sporran, unique to sergeant pipers of the Cameron Highlanders. The photo is from the ambaile.org.uk website.
