On a rainswept barracks square the soldiers formed up in combat dress with Glengarry's sporting the badge of a regiment enlisted 317 years ago, they marched off with a new headdress bearing the cap badge of the new infant battalion.
And in between, as the pipes and drums sounded out "Blue Bonnets o'er the Border" to the lowering of the battalion flag, there were lumps in the throat and a tear in the eye of many at this passing of one of Scotland's oldest regiments whose battle honours stretch from Minden to Martinique …. from Aden to Arnhem.
It was one of several "badging" parades held by Scottish regiments wherever they are serving throughout the world.
Under army streamlining plans the six Scottish infantry battalions are being moulded into one super regiment which will be reduced to five battalions in August when the KOSB and the Royal Scots amalgamate under the flag of the Royal Scots Borderers - this despite a campaign by KOSB veterans to retain the identity.
The ceremony took place at the Lisanelly Barracks at Omagh where the King's Own Scottish Borders have been based for the past two years.
The commanding officer, Lt Col Rob Jefferies, described it as a day of mixed emotions; "Inevitably there's a large amount of sadness as we remove our proud cap badges for the final time and everything that's associated with it ….. 317 years and ten days of regimental history all of a sudden removed.
"But as well as a sadness there's a pride in everything that the King's Own Scottish Borderers have achieved in their long and distinguished history."
He went on to say: As well as that there's a real sense of optimism for the future and a sense of pride in the new Royal Regiment of Scotland ….. we must equally be as proud of our new cap badge as we have been of our old cap badge."
Brigadier Andrew Jackson, who himself is a former commanding officer, addressed the parade as deputy Colonel of the Regiment with the Colonel, Major General John Cooper in Iraq, admitting that the emotions of the day were very strong.
The Bridgadier, whose family has been serving with the KOSB for three generations on the trot said: "When your life and your family history is bound up like that emotions are bound to be strong.
"But talking to the soldiers there's a mood of optimism which I think is really encouraging - a lot of the changes are changes for the better and not for the worse and there are real opportunities here."
Brigadier Jackson is head of army recruitment and said that in the past year they had recruited a thousand more soldiers into the army than they did last year.
And he added: "This would appear to fly slightly in the face of what people are saying so the evidence is that although it's a time of change and people are uncertain, people are still joining the army and willing to serve."
The Brigadier will become the representative Colonel of the new unified battalion when the merger with the Royal Scots takes place and he said: "I will be looking first and foremost for it to come together successfully and that the interests of those who are serving at the moment are met and I am very encouraged by everything I've heard on that front.
"Most importantly it is to make sure that the new battalion lives up to the high standards of its predecessors and that we build a battalion that is part of a strong regiment that represents Scotland that is held in affection and pride by all of Scotland."
A final farewell to the regiment will come within the next two months with wreath laying ceremonies, civic receptions and parades in several of the towns of which the regiment had been granted the freedom.
Major Dougie Cochrane, one of those organising the "farewell" ceremonies stressed that they had hoped to parade through all the towns in which they had been granted the "freedom", but the time element had made this impossible.
But he stressed: "Those from the towns we are not visiting are very welcome to come to the nearest place the ceremonies are taking place."
They kick off on May 24 at Stranraer, and go on to Newton Stewart, Kirkcudbright, Dumfries, Sanquhar, Lanark, Motherwell, Hamilton, Melrose, Hawick, Duns, Kelso and Berwick.
And there will also be a "drumhead" service at Holyrood Palace with a final farewell in Edinburgh in mid June.