The Royal Victoria Regiment Battle honours Awarded The Cape Town Highlanders Regiment has the following battle honours on its regimental colours: Bechuanaland 1896–97, *South Africa 1899–1902, South West Africa 1915, Gazala, Alem Hamza, Best Post, Alamein Box, Alamein Defence. Alem el Halfa, Battle of El Alamein, Western Desert 1941–43, Cassino II, Paliano, Chiusi, Florence, Gothic Line, The Greve, Monte Stanco, Monte Pezza, Sole/Caprara, Po Valley, Italy 1944–45 The "Lost" colours The South African Union Defence Act of 1914 prohibited the deployment of South African troops beyond the borders of the South Africa and its immediate neighbouring territories. To send troops to Europe to support the Commonwealth in World War I, Generals Botha and Smuts created the South African Overseas Expeditionary Force. However, because of the limitations of the Defence Act, they issued a General Order (Order 672 of 1915) which stated that The South African Overseas Expeditionary Force will be Imperial and have the status of regular British Troops. "Status" was meant to imply administrative purposes, as Britain was paying for the maintenance of the force in the field for the sake of local political sensitivities. On 8 June 1916 the Adjutant General's office at Defence Headquarters issued a note stating: As such, the below colours were awarded to the Unit, but because of the unit being an "Imperial Unit" at the stage of award, the right to bear the colours lapsed at the end of hostilities. The fifteen "missing" battle honours awarded for service in France and Flanders to the 4th South African Infantry (South African Scottish) battalion include some of the most famous in South Africa's military history: Egypt 1916, Somme 1916, Delville Wood, Arras 1917, Ypres 1917, Menin Road, Messines 1918, Hindenburg Line, Cambrai 1918, Pursuit to Mons, France and Flanders 1918, Le Transloy, Scarpe 1917, Kemmel, Lys Leadership Notes References External links Cape Town Highlanders Website Highland regiments Infantry regiments of South Africa Military history of South Africa Military units and formations in Cape Town Military units and formations established in 1885 Military units and formations of the Second Boer War Military units and formations of the British Empire Military units and formations of South Africa in World War I Military units and formations of South Africa in World War II Military units and formations of South Africa in the Border War Pages with Battle Honours