1st Battalion The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders   Presentation of New Colours 1996

 All photographs are the property of RHQ Argylls and may not be reproduced or copied without permission from RHQ Argylls.

            As her first public engagement in Royal Week 1996, The Colonel-in-Chief drove to Redford Barracks from the Palace of Holyrood to present New Colours to the 1st Battalion. This was the third occasion that The Colonel-in-Chief had presented New Colours to the Battalion and tradition was broken, with the Parade taking place inside the Barracks the Battalion's home, rather than in Holyrood Park. While the setting may have been less public and less spectacular, the occasion lost nothing in terms of atmosphere, warmth and pride by taking place in the more confined, but therefore much more intimate surroundings of the newly refurbished Infantry Barracks. 

            For the Jocks on parade the day began with a brief session of PT under the tutelage of two cheerleaders from the Scottish Claymores American Football Club. Despite rather changeable weather this double act set the day off on a positive note and any doubts that it would be a day to remember were quickly dispelled as the first comers arrived more than an hour before the Parade. The stream of guests that poured into the Barracks brought home to everyone on parade that this was a special occasion and by 9.45am the stands were full and eager for the Parade to begin.

            For the Scottish battalions the inheritors of the traditions embodied in the old Regimental Bands are the Highland and Lowland Bands of the Scottish Division and the Highland Band, led by Captain David Thompson, played a selection of marches and arrangements composed by past Argyll Bandmasters, before the Pipes and Drums led the Battalion onto Parade. The Order of Ceremony explains the Parade fully but there were some features of the occasion that deserve particular mention. The presence on Parade of so many Argyll members of the Queens Bodyguard for Scotland (Royal Company of Archers), commanded by Lord Younger was a source of great pride and much comment. It was also Cruachan III's first big public occasion and his first meeting with The Colonel-in-Chief. Cruachan distinguished himself by bidding farewell to the Old Colours with a whinny as they were marched off parade for the last time to the tune of Auld Lang Syne played by a solitary piper and then behaved impeccably as he was introduced to Her Majesty.  L/Cpl Moonan, the Pony Major, deserves great credit for bringing Cruachan on to such a standard and engineering such a transformation in a pony who had spent the first six years of his life under the Ochil Hills and who shied at the sight of a soldier when he first arrived in October 1995. 

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            However, the aspect of the Parade that seems to have caught the eye of all who were present, and this despite the downpour which accompanied The Colonel-in-Chief through her inspection of the Battalion, was the smartness of the turnout, the crispness of the rifle and foot drill and the absolute steadiness of every man on parade. That is a tribute to the example and motivational skills of the Regimental Sergeant Major, the Warrant Officers, SNCOs and JNCOs and to the hard work, pride and will of the Jocks. The preparation for the Parade was achieved in only 6 full days on the square and the Battalion certainly 'peaked' at the right moment.

            While the Presentation Ceremony and the Parade were the focal point of the occasion, much remained to be done to ensure that Her Majesty's visit to the 1st Battalion was a complete success. Having met a selection of Argylls who had not been on parade and of attached personnel from the Royal Logistic Corps and Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, as well as two Argylls serving with 22 SAS at Hereford, Her Majesty walked through the Barracks to the newly refurbished Band Block where three groups of Argylls were assembled to be presented. First, a number of private soldiers, L/Cpls, Cpls, and SNCOs who had been on Parade were presented to Her Majesty, each man had been chosen for different reasons but a feature of the representative group was how many had fathers, brothers, cousins and other relations in the Regiment. The occasion also gave the Colonel-in-Chief the opportunity to be the first to congratulate Cpl Watson on his promotion to Sgt, something of which he was not aware before being presented to Her Majesty. Moving from the present and future to the past and present, The Colonel-in-Chief then met a number of representatives from the Regimental Dinner Club, presented by Lieutenant General Boswell, before moving to the final group made up of committee members and members of the various branches of the Regimental Association and the staff from Regimental Headquarters. Her Majesty spoke to everyone presented and clearly enjoyed the family atmosphere of the occasion.

            The penultimate leg of the visit was for The Colonel-in-Chief to join all ranks serving with the 1st Battalion for a group photograph. The setting for the photograph, a stand ten tiers high in front of the new B and D Company blocks was impressive and the result is outstanding. The photographer and the RQMS having been presented to The Colonel-in-Chief, she then moved by car to the Officers' Mess for lunch, the smallest of the 5 lunches taking place simultaneously inside the Barracks. 

            With Her Majesty due to open the new Scottish Office building in Leith at 2.45pm the end of lunch saw families and guests massed on the square with the Battalion drawn up along Her Majesty's departure route, with all those who had been on parade in Number 1 Dress lining Colinton Road outside the Barrack gates. Having walked through the crowd and met a number of the families, Her Majesty was presented with a bouquet of flowers by Emma Ballantyne, daughter of W01 (RSM) Ballantyne, before bidding farewell to the Colonel of the Regiment. As Her Majesty's car led by the Pipes and Drums, drove along the route the Officers and SNCOs who had been on Parade fell in behind the car and were joined by the Jocks lining the route as the car passed them. The Colonel-in-Chief's view as she drove away was of 'Her Highlanders' giving three cheers for their Colonel-in-Chief before turning about, forming 8 columns and marching back up the road and into barracks to the sound of The Black Bear.

            Although the departure of The Colonel-in-Chief brought the official part of the day to an end, the celebrations of a splendid and memorable occasion were not over.   Old friends and acquaintances remained in all the Messes and the spirit of the Regimental family was certainly thoroughly alive until the small hours. The letters of congratulations and praise sent to the Battalion have been a source of great pride to us all and I am very grateful to everyone who wrote so kindly and none more so than our Colonel-in-Chief who wrote, "I was very proud of my Highlanders today".

ON PARADE

 Commanding Officer

Lieutenant Colonel A J N Graham MBE

Second in Command

Major R N H A de V Wade

Adjutant

Captain M P Hay

Regimental Sergeant Major

Warrant Officer Class 1 H Ballantyne

Field Officers handing over Colours to Her Majesty

Major R N H A de V Wade     Major N J Storey

Quartermaster              Major J V G Bain

                Number 1 Guard                               Number 2 Guard                                    Number 3 Guard                                  Number 4 Guard

THE BANDS

The Pipes and Drums of The 1st Battalion The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (Princess Louise's)

                                                                                Pipe Major                  Pipe Major J C W Motherwell BEM

                                                                                Drum Major                Drum Major A Barclay

The Highland Band

                                                                                Director of Music        Captain D Thomson

                                                                                Bandmaster                 Warrant Officer Class 1 J Ridgway

THE CLERGY

                                                                                Chaplain General         The Reverend Dr V Dobbin MBE QHC

                                                                                Attended by                The Right Reverend Monsignor S H Louden VG BG DipTh MTh

                                                       The Reverend J M Shields MBE CF

                                                       The Reverend D V F Kingston CF

ORDER OF CEREMONY

The Military Band and Ground Keepers march onto the Parade Ground.

"Holyrood"                                            Quick March

"Stirling Castle"                                      Quick March

"Pentland Hills"                                     Quick Marc

"Burns on the March"                            Selection

The Battalion marches on, escorting the Colours.

Pipes and Drums                                  "The Atholl Highlanders"

The Colonel of the Regiment arrives and is received by a General Salute.

Pipes and Drums                                  "Loch Leven Castle"

The Bands play a Slow Troop followed by a Quick Troop.

Slow Troop                                           "Road to the Isles"

Quick Troop                                        "The Green Hills of Tyrol"

The Old Colours are trooped through the Battalion.

Military Band                                        "Garb of Old Gaul"

Pipes and Drums                                  "Mist Covered Mountains"

Queens Bodyguard for Scotland (Royal Company of Archers) march on Parade.

Military Band                                        "Scotland the Brave"

Her Majesty the Queen arrives and is received with a Royal Salute

The National Anthem

Her Majesty inspects the Battalion.

Pipes and Drums                                  "Cruachan"

Military Band                                        "Highland Airs"

Pipes and Drums                                  "Longstop Hill"

Drums are piled and new Colours placed on the Drums.

The Service of Consecration

Her Majesty presents the New Colours.

Her Majesty addresses the Battalion.

The Commanding Officer replies.

Her Majesty returns to the Saluting Dais; the Drums are unpiled.

Military Band                                        "Pentland Hills"

The Colours are received with a Royal Salute.

Pipes and Drums                                  "St Andrews Cross"

The Battalion marches past in Quick Time.

Military Band                                        "Great Little Army"

Pipes and Drums                                  "Brownhaired Maiden"

"Glendaruel Highlanders"

"MacDonald's Awa tae the Wars"

"Dornoch Links"

"Highland Brigade at Wadi Akarit"

The Battalion advances in Review Order and gives a Royal Salute to Her Majesty.

Pipes and Drums                                  "Scotland the Brave"

The National Anthem

The Battalion gives three cheers for Her Majesty.

The Battalion marches off Parade.

Pipes and Drums                                  "Highland Laddie"

"The Campbells are coming"

 Military Band                                        "The Thin Red Line"

Her Majesty leaves the Dais and drives to the front of the Barracks.

Laying up of Old Colours

Edinburgh 1995 - 2001

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Updated: 11 October 2014