Queen's Own Highlanders (Seaforth and Camerons)

The Queen's Own Highlanders (Seaforth and Camerons), officially abbreviated "QO HLDRS," was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Scottish Division. It was formed on 7 February 1961 at Redford Barracks, Edinburgh, with the amalgamation of 1st Battalion, Seaforth Highlanders and 1st Battalion, Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders. Due to the Options for Change defence review, however, 1st Battalion, Queen's Own Highlanders was further amalgamated with 1st Battalion, Gordon Highlanders on 17 September 1994 to form 1st Battalion, Highlanders (Seaforth, Gordons and Camerons).

The regiment wore the MacKenzie tartan kilt and Cameron trews, with the reverse for the bandmembers.

1st Battalion Queen's Own Highlanders posting locations 1961–1994

• 1961–1962 – Singapore
• 1962–1963 – Brunei/North Borneo (Brunei Rebellion)
• March–June 1964 – Edinburgh
• 1964–1968 – West Germany
• 1968–1971 – Edinburgh
• 1969–1970 – Sharjah
• 1971–1976 – West Germany/Northern Ireland
• 1976–1980 – Edinburgh/Belize/Northern Ireland
• 1980–1981 – Hong Kong
• 1981–1982 – Tidworth
• April–December 1982– Falkland Islands
• 1982–1983 – Tidworth
• 1983–1985 – Northern Ireland
• 1985–1988 – Newly refurbished Fort George, Highland
• 1987– Six month tour of Belize
• 1988– 1993 – Münster, Germany
• 1990– Tour in Northern Ireland
• 1991– Operation Granby – Liberation of Kuwait. Battalion split up. Three soldiers killed by friendly fire whilst attached to 3rd Bn Royal Regiment of Fusiliers
• 1992–1993 – Six month tour in Northern Ireland
• 1993–1994 – Newly refurbished Dreghorn Barracks, Edinburgh

Affiliated regiment

• 7th Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles

Allied regiments

• United Kingdom
  • 1st Battalion, The Liverpool Scottish
  • B (Queen's Own Highlanders) Company, 2nd Battalion 51st Highland Volunteers
  • C (Queen's Own Highlanders) Company, 2nd Battalion 51st Highland Volunteers
• Canada
  • The Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa (Duke of Edinburgh's Own)
  • The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada
  • The Seaforth Highlanders of Canada
• Australia
  • The Royal Western Australia Regiment
  • The Royal South Australia Regiment
• New Zealand
  • 4th (Otago and Southland) Battalion, The Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment
  • 7th (Wellington and Hawkes Bay) Battalion, The Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment

Further reading

• Regimental H.Q., Queen's Own Highlanders. Queen's Own Highlanders: A Short History. Inverness: Highland Printers, 1961.
• Regimental H.Q., Queen's Own Highlanders. Queen's Own Highlanders 1961–1971. Inverness: A. Learmonth & Son, 1971.
• Lieutenant Colonel Fairrie, Angus. "Cuidich'n Righ": A History of the Queen's Own Highlanders (Seaforth and Camerons). Inverness: Regimental H.Q., Queen's Own Highlanders, 1983.

External links

• Queen's Own Highlanders Association
• Queen's Own Highlanders Regimental Association (Strathclyde Branch)
• The Highlanders Museum (Queen's Own Highlanders Collection)