The 2nd Battalion were the foreign service battalion from 1935, first serving in Palestine during the Arab Revolt and from December 1936 were stationed in Cairo. This photo was taken soon after their arrival in Egypt. The uniform is service dress but with the lightweight foreign service tunics, a lighter colour than the khaki barathea service dress. This is worn with kilts and undress sporrans, and the Sam Browne belt. The three officers sitting in the middle have tartan breeches and riding boots with spurs.
They all hold foreign service Wolseley helmets which are adorned by a white hackle and a strip of regimental tartan. The custom of wearing a small white hackle on foreign service helmets is said to have started in the 1870s. But this changed in 1939 when the 1st Battalion was inspected by King George VI on the Belgian border, where the CO, Lt-Col Wimberley asked if the regiment could have a more distinctive regimental hackle to compensate for complying with a War Office order for Highland regiments to discontinue wearing the kilt. The King agreed to the Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders adopting the Royal Blue hackle which was first worn at Arras on 11 Feb 1940 and has survived two amalgamations to be worn by The Highlanders in the 21st century.
