A salute to the Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders on the eve of their amalgamation with the Seaforth Highlanders was the keynote of the 1960 annual gathering of the Clan Donald Society of Edinburgh.
Clanranald, himself a captain in the Cameron Highlanders was among the 100 guests who assembled to “the Pibroch of Donald Dhu,” the march of the regiment.
Major-General J.F.M. Macdonald, Commanding the Lowland Division, proposed a toast to the Cameron Highlanders.
Major-General Douglas N. Wimberley, Colonel of the Regiment, in reply referred to the strong link between Clan Donald and the Cameron Highlanders. No less than 108 Macdonalds had served as officers alone since the regiment was raised and the total number of the Clan who had worn the Erracht tartan in the ranks must have numbered thousands. Except for Clan Cameron, which has had 144 officers, Clan Donald had provided more officers than any other clan in all the Highlands.
“There can be few branches of the great house of Somerled who have not served with us,” declared General Wimberley. “The present Lord Macdonald of Macdonald was in our regiment, as was his brother who was killed at Alamein, while their uncle, their father, and one of their grandfathers all held commissions in the Camerons.
“Clanranald too, as you know, is a Cameron Highlander. A Macdonell of Lochgarry, my friend, passed out at Sandhurst with me to die at Loos. Glengarry, Keppoch, Glenaladale – all the Skye families – Armadale, Waternish, Glenmore, Skaebost, Viewfield, Redcliffe and Tote-Blaran, Dalchonzie, Glenturret and Morar – all these Macdonald families and others have in their time served with us. Then we have the link with you of our tartan based on your basic Macdonald tartan.”