THE SERGEANTS' MESS

An interesting and unique point about the Queen's Own Highlanders and The Highlanders is that they do not have a Warrant Officers' and Sergeants' Mess, only a Sergeants' Mess.  This is, so the tale goes, because in 1778 or thereabouts so many people wanted to join Seaforth's Highlanders that he ran out of commissions to sell to gentlemen so sold them Sergeants' Stripes! 

 

As the Sergeants were therefore gentlemen of breeding they couldn't possibly be allowed to share rooms with the enlisted men so they were allowed to set up their own Mess, hence the Sergeants' Mess, which is also the oldest in the British Army and therefore the world.

 

And I would hasten to add that the current members are still gentlemen of breeding today.....honest!

 

The Sergeants' Mess has been likened to an exclusive club; in many ways this is true.  The food is generally better because the cook has only 80 odd to worry about not 500, the accommodation is better because we pay more for it, and the bulk of the Regimental history, silver and pictures are displayed in the Sergeants' Mess. As Kipling said - "the backbone of the Army is the Non-Commissioned man!"

Here is a picture of all those present on the last day of the Sergeants' Mess 1st Battalion Queen's Own Highlanders.  It was a good party that day!

LAST DAY of 1 QO HLDRS SGTS' MESS PICTURE

Here are pictures of the 1 QO HLDRS Sgts' Mess in 1986 at Fort George and 1994 at Edinburgh Castle