By Andrea McCallum
SOLDIERS gathered at Edinburgh Castle yesterday (Friday) to mark the end of two decades in their history.
The Royal Highland Fusiliers, 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, laid their old colours to rest within the Scottish National War Memorial.
Drum Major Matt Smith of Pipes and Drums prepared the colours – two flags carried by infantry regiments in the British army – before entering the memorial.
The memorial commemorates more than 250,000 Scottish war casualties and is located in Crown Square at the very top rock on which Edinburgh castle stands.
Every 20 years the regiment receives new colours which display their honours and the old colours are stored in a historic site.
As the heart and soul of every regiment, the flags include a Queen’s Colour – a Union flag with the regiment’s name inscribed – and a plain flag in the traditional colour of the regiment representing the Regimental Colour.
The Royal Highland Fusiliers – based at Glencorse Barracks, Penicuik – was formed in January 1959 and was a regular Scottish line infantry regiment of the British Army.
The regiment was fused with the other regiments of the Scottish Division to become part of the Royal Regiment of Scotland in March 2006.
The Battalion – which has recently returned from Afghanistan where they were serving as part of 16 Air Assault Brigade – is currently in training to fulfil the same role next year.
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