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1st Battalion The Highlanders Army Cadets

Welcome to the official website of 1st Battalion The Highlanders ACF. Home to almost 600 cadets and 120 dedicated adult volunteers across 34 detachments covering the Scottish Highlands & Islands.

Battalion HQ

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Col Michael Anderson Commandant

Maintaining Golden Thread

Our five Companies are badged under the Royal Regiment of Scotland, and proudly wear the distinctive blue hackle of The Highlanders (4 Scots), and our Battery have their cadets proudly badged under the Lovat Scouts.

The 34 detachments are organised as follows:

Caithness Company has its Headquarters based in the ACF Centre, Princes Street in Thurso. There are 6 detachments within the company covering the Caithness and Sutherland areas.

Inverness Company has its Headquarters based in the Battalion's Headquarters at Gordonville Road in Inverness. There are 6 detachments within the company, mainly around the Inverness area but also have detachments as far down as Aviemore and Fort William.

Western Isles Company has its Headquarters based at the Army Reserve Centre on Church Street in Stornoway, Isle of Lewis. There are 6 detachments within the company, all between, Lewis, Harris and the Uists.

Moray Company has its Headquarters based at the Army Reserve Centre on Edgar Road in Elgin. There are 6 detachments within the company, including the battalion's Pipes and Drums detachment, stretching from Culloden over to Elgin.

Ross Company has its Headquarters based at the Battalion's Cadet Training Centre in Dingwall. There are 6 detachments within the company from Dornoch, down to Dingwall and across to Portree on the Isle of Skye

Orkney & Shetland Battery has 4 detachments within the battery across the Orkney and Shetland Isles.

All detachments within the Battalion parade between 1900 and 2130 hours on one evening a week.

Part of the community

Records held go back to 1942 with the then Northern Counties Army Cadet Force. When there were six separate Counties, with Cadets badged and uniformed to represent their regimental Recruiting Areas, which were;

Seaforth, which covered Moray, Ross & Cromarty and Lewis
5 Seaforth, which covered Caithness and Sutherland
Camerons, which covered Inverness, Harris & Uist

Each County had its own County Cadet Commandant until 1962, when they were formed into one Battalion under one Commandant.

The changeover of Secretariats in 1968 led shortly afterwards to the Battalion being re-badged under the Queen's Own Highlanders and re-designated North Highland Army Cadet Force.

In 1975 the Battalion were designated to the title 1st Cadet Battalion Queen's Own Highlanders Army Cadet Force. With effect the 1st of April 1982, we were again re-designated to Queen's Own Highlanders Battalion Army Cadet Force.

On 16 September 1999 the Battalion was re-badged under The Highlanders (Seaforth, Gordon’s & Cameron's) and renamed to 1st Battalion The Highlanders Army Cadet Force. Our title now is 1st Battalion The Highlanders Army Cadet Force (The Royal Regiment of Scotland) and we were re-badged on 12 May 2007 at Cameron Barracks, Inverness when we also presented with our new Banner.

As of 1 January 2018 the Battalion was amalgamated with the Orkney Independent Cadet Battery Army Cadet Force (The Lovat Scouts) and the Shetland Independent Cadet Battery Army Cadet Force, with the two cadet batteries being incorporated as battalion's sixth company called the Orkney & Shetland Battery, with their cadets retaining the capbadge of the Lovat Scouts, forming now the Army Cadet Force's largest Cadet County. The battalion still retains the title of 1st Battalion The Highlanders Army Cadet Force (The Royal Regiment of Scotland).

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Open to Young People

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE) is one of the world's most popular development programmes for young people aged 14-25

The Award includes four categories of highly practical, cultural and adventurous activities. Most of these are cross-related with the ACF activities our cadets already do within the APC Syllabus. So whilst you're training for first aid, drill, target shooting and expeditions, you could also be working towards your DofE Award. The Awards are well regarded and recognised by universities and employers.

There are three levels of Award: Bronze, Silver and Gold. For each level you need to complete four sections: Volunteering; Physical; Skills; and Expedition. To achieve a Gold Award, you also have to complete a Residential section.

Dof E Badges

DofE in The Battalion

Under the Command of our Battalion DofE Officer, Capt Catherine Browne, each Company or Battery has a DofE Representative that is responsible for delivering the award to their cadets

Kirkwall

Capt Catherine Browne DofE Officer

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Easy as 1, 2, 3

To be enrolled on the award there is a small cost to be paid, dependent on the level you choose to do. These are £24 for Bronze or Silver and £29 for Gold.

Contact Us

HRFCA Sub Office
Gordonville Road
Inverness
Highland
IV2 4SU