Ross Tollerton
No. 7281 Private Ross Tollerton, 1st Battalion, The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders. For most conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty on the 14th September, 1914, at the battle of the Aisne. He carried a wounded Officer under heavy fire as far as he was able into a place of greater safety then, although himself wounded in the head and hand, he struggled back to the firing line, where he remained till his Battalion retired, when he returned to the wounded Officer and lay beside him for three days, until they were both rescued. 14 September 1914, Battle of the Aisne, France.  LG 19/4/1915
James Dalgleish Pollock
No.12087 Corporal James Dalgleish Pollock, 5th Battalion, The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders.
For most conspicuous bravery near the Hohenzollern redoubt on 27th September, 1915. At about 12 noon, when the enemy's bombers in superior numbers were successfully working up the " Little Willie" trench towards Hohenzollern redoubt, Corporal Pollock, after obtaining permission, got out of the trench alone, walked along the top edge with the utmost coolness and disregard of danger and compelled the enemy's bombers to retire by bombing them from above. He was under heavy machine-gun fire the whole time, but continued to hold up the progress of the Germans for an hour, when he was at length wounded. 27 September 1915, Hohenzollern Redoubt, France  LG 18/11/1915
Angus Falconer Douglas-Hamilton
Major (temporary Lieutenant-Colonel-) Angus Falconer Douglas-Hamilton, Reserve of Officers, Commanding 6th Battalion, The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders.
    For most conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty when commanding his battalion during operations on 25th and 26th September, 1915, on Hill 70. On the 26th, when the battalions on his right and left had retired, he rallied his own battalion again and again, and led his men forward four times. The last time he led all that remained, consisting of about fifty men, in a most gallant manner and was killed at their head. It was mainly due to his bravery, untiring energy and splendid leadership that the line at this point was enabled to check the enemy's advance.  25/26 September 1915  Hill 70, France. LG 18/11/1915
 

Medals of the Regiments:
The Queen's Own
Cameron Highlanders

 
 
White-metal Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders bonnet badge Victorian Collar Badges.
Kipling and King 688 Churchill 1727

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The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders
1793 - 1961
 
 
Titles
pre 1881 post 1881
79th (The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders) Regiment of Foot The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders
   
 
Earliest recognised formation: 1793, when raised in Scotland as "The 79th (Highland Cameron Volunteers) Regiment of Foot", for service on the Irish Establishment.
 
Motto: ?
 
Regimental Journal:  The 79th News.
 
WWI: Battle Honours; 57 Victoria Crosses; 3 Died; 5930
WWII:    Battle Honours;  52 Victoria Crosses; 0 Died; ???
 
Amalgamated: 1961, with  the Seaforth Highlanders (Ross-shire Buffs, The Duke of Albany's), to form the Queen's Own Highlanders (Seaforth and Camerons)
 
 
A 2nd Battalion was operational 1804-15 but remained in Scotland. Disbanded 1815, the 2nd Battalion did not reform again until 1897.
 

Egypt Campaign 1801 (1st Battalion) and the Peninsula War 1808 - 1814   (1st Battalion)

Military General Service Medal.  1793 - 1814

 
clasp:

Egypt

Corunna

Talavera

Busaco

Fuentes d'Onor

Salamanca

  
number: 58146 12149 182175  
 
clasp:

Pyrenees

Nivelle

Nive

Toulouse

 Total Medals Max clasps  
number: 175142 142212 3609  
 

Battle Honours: Corunna, Busaco, Fuentes d'Onor, Salamanca,  Pyrenees, Nivelle, Toulouse, Peninsula;  and a Sphinx superscribed Egypt was permitted to be borne on the colours

 
 
 

Battle of Waterloo 1815 1st Battalion  (note: Battalion heavily involved at Quatre Bras on the 16th)

Waterloo Medal 1815 (names on roll, includes died, missing etc)

Number : 683
 
 

Casualties 16th, 17th & 18th June 1815 (extracted London Gazette 8/7/1815 & "Medals of the British Army and  how they were won" T. Carter 1861*)

Officers: 2 Lieutenants and 1 Staff killed; 1 Lt. Colonel, 2 Majors, 9 Captains, 12 Lieutenants and 3 Ensigns wounded.

*Sergeants, Trumpeters, Drummers, Farriers and Rank and File:

Wounded Missing
Died of wounds Suffered amputation Discharged Transferred to Veteran or Garrison Battalions Rejoined the Regiment Remaining in hospitals in April 1816 Total Rejoined the RegimentNot since heard of, supposed dead.
56 43 8 1 17 214 94 377 1 -
 
 

*Carter's figures are in turn extracted from the return prepared by the Adjutant-Generals office, 13th April 1816.

Battle Honour;  Waterloo.

 
 
 

Crimean War  1854 - 1856 

Crimea Medal 1854 -56

 
Clasp: →..none...

Alma

Balaklava

Inkermann

Sebastopol

 Total Medals 
Number: → ?805 3231* ?? 
 

*1124 Private Peter Wilson (no explanation on the roll)

 

Battle Casualties;

Action.KilledDied of Wounds'Wounded'Dangerously
Wounded 		Severely
Wounded		Slightly
Wounded 		MissingTotal
Battle of the Alma 2- 7- -- -9
First bombardment of Sebastopol, first battle of Inkermann and minor actions -- 1- -- -1
Battle of Inkermann -- -- -- --
Assault on the Quarries -- -- -- --
First Attack on the Redan -- -- -- --
Final Attack on the Redan 2- -4 -7 -13
2nd, 3rd, 4th, & 5th Bombardments of Sebastopol and Minor Actions. 4- -3 627 -40
Magazine explosion at the French Siege Train -- -- -- --

Grand Total:     

63
 

Men who served in the Crimea also eligible for:

Turkish Crimea Medal 1855

 
 

Battle Honours:  Alma; Sevastopol.

 
 
 

Indian Mutiny 1857-59 

India Mutiny Medal. 1857 -59

 
clasp:..none...

Lucknow

(total)
number: 123960 1083
 

Battle Honour:  Lucknow

 
 
 

Expedition against Sultan Muhammed Khan 1863 

India General Service Medal 1854 - 95

clasp:
North West Frontier
number : 131
 
 
 
 

Egypt Campaigns 1882-4, The Revolt of Arabi Pasha. 

Egypt and Sudan Medal 1882-89

  
clasp:...none...

Tel-el-Kebir
  28795
 
 

Recipients also entitled to a Khedive's Star dated 1882

 

Battle Honour:  Tel el Kebir; Egypt 1882

 
 

The Nile Expedition 1884-5 

Egypt and Sudan Medal 1882-89

 

clasp:
The Nile 1884 -85
 ...none...
number: ? ?
 

 

Recipients who had not received the star for the earlier campaign would be entitled to a Khedive's Star dated 1884-6

Battle Honour: Nile 1884 -85

 
2nd Battalion re-formed 1897
 

Reconquest of the Sudan 1896 - 98.  1st Battalion

Queen's Sudan Medal 1896 - 98

number: ?

Khedive's Sudan Medal 1896 - 1908

clasp :

The Atbara

Khartoum

number:??
 

Battle Honours: Atbara; Khartoum

 
 
 

Anglo - Boer War 1899 - 1902  1st Battalion  (March 1900 - end of the War)

Queen's South Africa Medal 1899-1902, with or without the King's South Africa Medal 1901 - 1902

Common clasps: Cape Colony, Orange Free State, Transvaal, South Africa 1901, South Africa 1902; also:

 
         
clasp:

Johannesburg

Diamond Hill

Wittebergen

 
number: ? ? ?  
         
 

 

Casualties:

Officers NCOs and Men
KIA & DOW/ DOD Wounded Missing / POW KIA & DOW Death from disease Wounded Missing / POW
 
3/- 8 1 22 33 65 5
 


VCs: 1  Farmer

 

Battle Honour: South Africa 1900-1902

 
 
 

The Great War 1914 - 1918  ( 13 battalions; 9 served overseas:- )

Generally awarded the British War Medal & Victory Medal, men overseas prior to 1/1/1916 also a 1914 or 1914-15 Star.

Battalion → 1  2* 1/4** 5 6 7 9 10*** 11****
Labour Lovat Scouts Garrison
date of first overseas service.
 (first theatre red x )		 4/8
1914		 20/12
1914		 20/2
1915		 10/5
1915		 10/7
1915		 9/7
1915		 6/9
1916		 27/9
1916		 10/6
1918
France & Flanders x x x x x x x x x
Gallipoli                  
Egypt & Palestine               x  
Mesopotamia                 
Macedonia   x           x  
South Russia   x              
India                  
Star
possible ? 		1914 or 1914-15 x                
or 1914-15 only   x x x x x      
VCs at a glance:            
died
Extracted from : "Soldiers / Officers Died in the Great War" (consider approximate - in addition the regiment as a whole lost an additional 112  officers who are recorded with 'battalion not shown'  or with battalions not shown here, or who we have  not yet allocated a battalion.)		 1619 428 300 1283 972 1004 1 58 27
transferred to labour corps 4/17
 

*2nd Battalion in India at the start, moved to the UK.       

**Absorbed by 1st Battalion 19/3/1916

*** Formed in Egypt from 1/1st and 1/2nd Lovat Scouts dismounted yeomanry.

**** Formed in France, "Garrison" title later dropped.

Regular Territorial Force New Armies Garrison.

 

Territorial Force War Medal 1914-19
5 officers and 51 men of The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders also qualified for this medal.

 


VCs: 3  Douglas-Hamilton   Pollock   Tollerton

 

Battle Honours:  Marne 1914, 1918; Aisne 1914; Ypres 1914, 1915, 1917, 1918; Neuve Chapelle; Loos; Somme 1916, 1918; Delville Wood; Arras 1917, 1918; Sambre; Macedonia 1915-18.  Retreat from Mons; Langemarck 1914; Gheluvelt; Nonne Bosschen; Givenchy 1914; Hill 60; Gravenstafel; St Julien; Frezenberg; Bellewaarde; Aubers; Festubert 1915; Albert 1916; Bazentin; Pozières; FlersCourcelette; Morval; Le Transloy; Ancre Heights; Scarpe 1917; Arleux; Pilckem; Menin Road; Polygon Wood; Poelcapelle; Passchendaele; St Quentin; Bapaume 1918; Lys; Estaires; Messines 1918; Kemmel; Béthune, SoissonaisOurcq; Drocourt-Quéant; Hindenburg Line; Epéhy; St Quentin Canal; Courtrai; Selle; France and Flanders 1914-18; Struma.

 
 
 

Jewish / Arab unrest, Palestine 1936 - 39 2nd Battalion

General Service Medal 1918 -62

clasp:

Palestine

numbers: ?
 
 
 
 
 

WW2 1939 - 1945  

Battalion → 1st 2nd 4th 5th 7th
campaign ↓          
France and Belgium 1940.
(Dunkirk )		 x   x    
North Africa & Middle East   x   x  
Burma x        
Sicily / Italy       x  
N.W. Europe       x x
 

Notes.
  5th Infantry Brigade
France and Belgium 24/9/39 - 30/5/40
Burma 30/3/44-25/4/45 		11th Indian Infantry Brigade, in Egypt at the start. Captured Tobruk 22/5/42. Reformed in the UK sent to Italy 19/1/44, (Greece 22/11/44-5/2/45) served 7th and 11th Indian Infantry Brigades. 152nd Infantry Brigade, 51st Highland Division, captured by the Germans St. Valery, 12th June 1940. 152nd Infantry Brigade,51st Highland Division (reformed): North Africa, Sicily, NW Europe. XXX Corps  El Alamein. 227th Infantry Brigade.
NW Europe D-Day+12
 
 
 

WW2 Stars common to the Battalion. (excluding 39-45 star )
 Key: A = Africa, P = Pacific, B =  Burma, I = Italy,  F&G = France and Germany
  B A, I - A, I, F&G. F&G
           
 
 

Most also entitled to the 1939-45 War Medal and many the Defence Medal

 

Battle Honours:  St Orner-La Bassée; Reichswald; Rhine; Keren; Sidi Barrani; El Alamein; Akarit; Gothic Line; Kohima; Mandalay.  Defence of Escaut; Somme 1940; St Valéry-enCaux; Falaise; Falaise Road; La Vie Crossing; Le Havre; Lower Maas; Venlo Pocket; Rhineland; Goch; North-West Europe 1940, 1944-5; Agordat; Abyssinia 1941; Tobruk 1941, 1942; Gubi II; Carmusa; Mareth; Wadi Zigzaou; Djebel Roumana; North Africa 1940-3; Francofonte; Adrano; Sferro Hills; Sicily 1943; Cassino I; Poggio del Grillo; Tavoleto; Coriano; Pian di Castello; Monte Reggiano; Rimini Line; San Marino; Italy 1944; Relief of Kohima; Naga Village; Aradura; Shwebo; Ava; Irrawaddy; Mt Popa; Burma 1944-5.

 
2nd Battalion Disbanded 1948
 
 
 

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Selected Links

The Regimental Museum. (Located in )   

 
 
 

Selected Bibliography;

 
Author Title Publisher
     
Capt. Robert Jameson Historical Record of The Seventy-Ninth Regiment of Foot, or Cameron Highlanders. 143 pp.  Edinburgh: William Blackwood & Sons, 1863
Compiled and edited by Capt. T. A. Mackenzie, Lieut. and Adjut. J. S. Ewart, and Lieut. C. Findlay, from the Orderly Room Records. Historical Records of the 79th Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders. 309 pp. London: Hamilton, Adams & Co.—Devonport: A. H. Swiss, 1887
James MacVeigh. The Historical Records of the 79th Highlanders (The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders), from 1793 to 1888. From Official and authentic sources. 148 pp. Dumfries: printed by J. Maxwell & Son 1888
Lieut.-Col. Percy Groves. Illustrated by Harry Payne. History of the 79th Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders, now the First Battalion Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders, 1794-1893.  30 pp.   Edinburgh: W. & A. K. Johnston, 1893.
Anon. Historical Records of the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders. 6 volumes. Edinburgh: William Blackwood & Sons, 1909; 31; 52.
Anon. ---- Vol. 7. 1949-1961. Contains Biographical Notes on all Officers from the formation.  616 pp. Edinburgh: William Blackwood & Sons, 1961
Lt.-Gen. Sir Spencer Ewart. Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders. A Short Regimental History for the Use of Recruits.  43 pp.  Inverness: printed by The Northern Counties Newspaper and Printing and Publishing Co. Ltd., 1927.
Capt. Douglas Wimberley Some Account of the Part taken by the 79th Regiment or Cameron Highlanders in the Indian Mutiny in 1858.  14 pp.  Inverness: printed at the " Northern Chronicle " Office, 1891
Capt. and Adjut, K. S. Baynes. Narrative of the Part taken by the 79th Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders in the Egyptian Campaign, 1882.. Printed for private circulation. 34 pp [London: printed by Henry Hansard & Son], 1883
Anon South African War Record of the 1st Battalion Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders, 1900-1-2.   258 pp. Inverness: The Northern Counties Printing and Publishing Co. Ltd., 1903.
 Henry Stooks Smith. An Alphabetical List of the Officers of the Seventy-Ninth Regiment or Cameron Highlanders, from 1800 to 1851. 44 pp. London: Simpkin, Marshall & Co., 1852
Compiled by Seymour Clarke, Major; with a Preface by Lieut.-Gen. Sir J. S. Ewart. Cameron Highlanders. Officers present at the various Campaigns, Battles, &c. in which the Regiment has taken part. Lists, with indices and appendices. 147 pp.  Edinburgh: William Blackwood & Sons, 1913.
Lauchlan Maclean Watt. The Cameron Highlanders.. 63 pp. Edinburgh: W. P. Nimmo, Hay & Mitchell [1916]
Capt. J. H. F. McEwen. The Fifth Camerons. 108 pp.
 		 Edinburgh: David Macdonald Ltd. [1938]
? Souvenir Booklet of the Sixth Cameron Highlanders.  61 pp.  London: Spottiswoode & Co. Ltd., 1916
By Col. J. W. Sandilands and Lt.-Col. Norman MacLeod. The History of the 7th Battalion Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders.  208 pp. Stirling: Eneas Mackay, 1922
     
     

 

Additional Bibliography for this Page.

 
Author/Compiler Title Publisher
Officers of the Regiment. Unpublished rolls in the care of the National Archives; WO 100/ etc. -
  Additional bibliography same as Northumberland Fusiliers page  
     
     
 

 

 

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