The 2nd Battalion of the Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders dates from March 1897 when the regiment was given authority to raise the battalion. Colours were presented to them on 29 Oct 1898 at Balmoral, by Queen Victoria. The photo was taken at Balmoral, posed by the two officers who received the Colours, wearing white leather Colour belts on the left shoulder, and the Colour Sergeants providing the escort.
The 1881 reorganisation of the Army meant that the Line regiments all had two battalions, except for the Cameron Highlanders who held out until 1897 when they finally conformed to the two-battalion organisation. The 1881 reforms also stipulated that all the battle honours accrued by both battalions should be emblazoned on the Regimental Colours of both the 1st and the 2nd Battalions. As the 2nd Battalion Camerons was newly raised, they had no battle honours of their own so the honours shown on their Colour were the same as those on the 1st Battalion Colours. The 1881 order also demanded that the honours be displayed on a wreath in a circular pattern around the central device. The Regimental Colour, on the left, is blue with a gold 2 in Roman numerals in the top canton. There was no small Union flag as borne on the pre-1881 Colours. The central device had the crowned thistle, and no regimental number 79. The Queen’s Colour was simply a Union flag with the Regimental badge in the centre.
