1st Battalion Regimental Colour 1881

The crown and VR cypher date this Regimental Colour before 1901, and the lack of a small Union in the upper left corner places it after 1881 when the last changes were made during Queen Victoria's reign. Where the Union used to be there is a Roman numeral I to indicate the 1st Battalion. The regulations of 1881 ordered that the regimental battle honours be arranged in a circular shape around the centre. But here 23 battle honours are placed in straight columns either side. Eleven are on the left and 12 on the right with the sphinx of EGYPT below the centre. A scroll at the top may be a battle honour but the lettering is unreadable. The last battle honours to be awarded the regiment in the Queen's reign were for the Second China War of 1857-60, so the 25 honours for the Royal Scots at this time were:
EGYPT
BLENHEIM
RAMILLIES
OUDENARDE
MALPLAQUET
LOUISBURG
ST LUCIA
EGMONT-OP-ZEE
CORUNNA
BUSACO
SALAMANCA
VITTORIA
ST SEBASTIAN
NIVE
PENINSULA
NIAGRA
WATERLOO
NAGPORE
MAHEIDPORE
AVA
ALMA
INKERMAN
SEVASTOPOL
TAKU FORTS
PEKIN 1860

The honours for Tangier and Namur were not granted until 1910. The uneven placing of 11 on one side and 12 on the other is bad design, and unnecessary since there are 25 battles on the list, 12 on each side plus EGYPT. The scroll at the top looks wrong. It cannot be the regimental motto as this appears in three corners on green circles with red centres. The rest of the Colour consists of the red centre with THE ROYAL SCOTS. LOTHIAN REGIMENT inscribed around the cypher. Around that is the green and gold collar of the Order of the Thistle, and outside of that is the Union wreath.
Queen's Colour
Each battalion had a Queen's Colour which is the Union throughout, with the territorial name LOTHIAN REGIMENT in gold letters on a crimson circle. In the middle were the words ROYAL SCOTS, and above the circle was the Queen's crown. No battle honours appeared on the Queen's Colour at this time.

Regimental Details | Colours