British Officer’s Coatee

The Cameron Highlanders were one of the four Scottish regiments who were part of the Allied army during the Waterloo campaign. By 1815 they were tough and experienced soldiers, and the regiment had fought had in Holland, Egypt, and the Spanish Peninsula over the last 20 years. They were part of the Allied vanguard, and were amongst the first British troops to encounter the French at the Battle of Quatre Bras, two days before Waterloo. The Allied army at Quatre Bras was defeated and forced to retreat north, towards Waterloo. However, the 79th did manage to fight off a French cavalry charge before withdrawing, and Lieutenant Riach took a French sword as a memento of the battle.

The Cameron Highlanders fought bravely again at Waterloo, despite being exhausted after marching north from Quatre Bras. During some of the fiercest fighting of the day, the regiment was charged by the French cavalry, and had to move into a square formations, with their bayonets pointing outwards, to prevent the French from cutting them to pieces. Piper Kenneth MacKay stepped outside the safety of the square, and stood exposed to the sabres of the French cavalry while he played his bagpipes. His playing of the traditional Highland song Cogathd na Sithd (War or Peace, the Gathering of the Clans) inspired the other men of the 79th to stand their ground.