Named after one of the most powerful Highland clans of the time, the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders was formed during the French Revolutionary War. It was Queen Victoria who ordered it be known as the 'Queen's Own' in recognition of its courageous service record.
Origins
- It was raised as the 79th Regiment of Foot (Cameronian) Volunteers at the height of the French Revolutionary War by Alan Cameron of Erracht in 1793.
- The regiment fought in the Dutch Helder Campaign, the Napoleonic Wars, including the final battles of Quatre Bass and Waterloo, the Crimean War and the Indian Mutiny.
- Queen Victoria awarded the regiment new colours after its return from India in 1871, when it was renamed the 'Queen's Own'.
- The 79th Foot became the 1st Battalion of the Cameron Highlanders, the county regiment of Inverness-shire. Stationed in Gibraltar, it was sent to Egypt and took part in the invasion and occupation of the country, serving at the Battle of Tel-el-Kebir.
- The 2nd Battalion was formed in 1897 and fought in the Second Boer War, Malta, Crete, China and India.