The pipes and drums of the Queen’s Own Highlanders (Seaforths and Camerons) march down Broad Street, Kirkwall on Orkney Island. The photo was published in Regiment magazine (Sept 1999). The Pipe Major, nearest the camera, has an embroidered regimental badge at the top of his sleeve, a piper’s badge below that, and rank insignia of a Queen’s crown and four gold chevrons. The silver ornaments on his black leather shoulder-belt differ from those of the other pipers; a circular wreath with regimental stag’s head and crowned thistle, and a buckle that is different from the others. They all wear green no.1 dress doublets with Inverness skirts. The Pipe Major has gold lace on his cuffs and skirts but the collar looks as if it is edged with gold braid instead of lace. He also has gold laced shoulder wings while the others have white laced wings.
The dirks worn by the pipers also indicate the Pipe Major’s status as his is the only dirk that has a knife and fork in the scabbard. His sporran cantle is the special pattern for his rank, with silver decoration all around the edge. He has a sergeant’s crimson sash worn on the left shoulder, under the plaid which wraps under his right arm secured to the trailing plaid on his left shoulder with a pipe-major’s brooch. The pipe banner has a Union flag in the top corner of the buff side. The reverse (blue) side of the banner does not have this and the other pipers show the buff side without the Union flag, only the embroidered regimental badge. The pipers’ hose are in the Cameron Highlanders pattern of green and red. This compares with the Seaforth white and red pattern worn by the drummers and the rest of the regiment. Skean dhus are tucked into the pipers’ hose.
