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Royal Scots

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For other uses, seeRoyal Scot (disambiguation).

Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment)
Cap badge
Active1633–2006
CountryKingdom of Scotland(1633–1678)
Kingdom of England(1678–1707)
Kingdom of Great Britain(c.1707–c.1800)
Kingdom of Ireland(c. 1775)[1]
United Kingdom(1801–2006)
BranchBritish Army
TypeInfantry
RoleLine infantry
Part ofScottish Division
Garrison/HQEdinburgh
Nickname(s)Pontius Pilate's Bodyguard
PatronHRH Mary, Princess Royal(1918)
HRH Anne, Princess Royal(1983)
Motto(s)Nemo me impune lacessit
Latin: "Nobody harms me with impunity"
MarchQuick March:Dumbarton's Drums
Slow March:Garb of Old Gaul
EngagementsSeeBattle honourslist
Insignia
Tactical recognition flash
Royal Scots regimental badge

TheRoyal Scots(The Royal Regiment), once known as theRoyal Regiment of Foot,was the oldest and most seniorinfantryregimentof the lineof theBritish Army,having been raised in 1633 during the reign ofCharles I.The regiment existed continuously until 2006, when it amalgamated with theKing's Own Scottish Borderersto become theRoyal Scots Borderers,which merged with theRoyal Highland Fusiliers (Princess Margaret's Own Glasgow and Ayrshire Regiment),theBlack Watch,theHighlanders (Seaforth, Gordons and Camerons)and theArgyll and Sutherland Highlandersto form theRoyal Regiment of Scotland.

History

[edit]

17th century

[edit]
Contemporary engraving of Scots mercenaries serving in theThirty Years War

In April 1633,Sir John Hepburnwas granted awarrantbyCharles Ito recruit 1200 Scots for service with the French army in the 1618–1648Thirty Years War.The nucleus came from Hepburn's previous regiment, which fought with the Swedes from 1625 until August 1632, when Hepburn quarrelled withGustavus Adolphus.[2]It absorbed other Scottish units in the Swedish army, as well as those already with the French and by 1635 totalled around 8,000 men.[3]

Sir John was killed in 1636 and succeeded as Colonel by his brother George, then, after his death in 1637,Lord James Douglas;following the custom of the time, the unit became known as theRégiment de Douglas.James died in a skirmish nearDouaiin 1645 and was replaced by his elder brotherArchibald Douglas, Earl of Angus,who remained in Scotland and had little contact with the regiment, other than supplying recruits.[4]In 1653, he assigned the Colonelcy to his younger half-brother,George Douglas, later Earl of Dumbarton.[5]

The Dutch raid on the Medway in 1667; the regiment was based nearby at theChathamnaval base

In 1660,Charles IIwas restored as king; in January 1661, Douglas's was sent to England in response toVenner's Rising,an attempted coup byFifth Monarchists.[6]The revolt was quickly crushed and it returned to France, since the recently electedCavalier Parliamentquickly disbanded theNew Model Armybut refused to fund replacements.[7]It remained in France until 1679, apart from a period during the 1664-67Second Anglo-Dutch Warwhen it was based at the naval dockyard ofChatham.The diaristPepysmet George Douglas in Rochester and recorded that "Here in the streets, I did hear the Scotch march beat by the drums before the soldiers, which is very odde."[8]In 1667, the regiment was accused of looting after theRaid on the Medwayand ordered back to France; while awaiting transport, over 700 of the 1,500 men deserted.[9]

During the 1672-74Third Anglo-Dutch War,Douglas's was part of the British Brigade that fought with the French, commanded by theDuke of Monmouth.[10]It served in theRhinelandthroughout theFranco-Dutch War,even after the Anglo-Dutch war ended in February 1674; it became theRégiment de Dumbartonin 1675, after George Douglas was made Earl of Dumbarton.[11]The 1678Treaties of Nijmegenrequired the repatriation of all Scots and English units from France; reluctant to lose veteran troops, this was made as hard as possible. Dumbarton's was posted to theDauphiné in Southern Francebefore being disbanded and its men prevented from travelling for 30 days thereafter; many chose to remain, while those who arrived in England did so without money or possessions.[12]

Tangierca 1670; the regiment was part of the Tangier Garrison, 1680–1684

The regiment was listed on the English military establishment as theFirst Foot or Royal Scots,a temporary measure during theExclusion Crisisof 1679–1681. Four of its twenty-one companies joined theTangier Garrisonin April 1680, with another twelve in September.[13]It was awarded abattle honourfor 'Tangier' in 1908, but the colony and its garrison was evacuated in 1684. A war diary for 1680 was kept by its commander, Sir James Halkett, allegedly one of the first examples to survive.[14]

On its return, the unit was renamedHis Majesty's Royal Regiment of Footin June 1684.[15]WhenJames IIsucceeded Charles in 1685, the regiment fought at the decisiveBattle of Sedgemoorthat ended the JuneMonmouth Rebellion;a second battalion was raised in March 1686 and posted to Scotland.[16]

It was the only unit where the majority remained loyal to James during the November 1688Glorious Revolution;Dumbarton followed him into exile and one of William's subordinates,Frederick Schomberg,was appointed Colonel.[17]While awaiting transport fromIpswichtoFlanders,it mutinied on 15 March 1689, a combination of not being paid and dislike at being commanded by a foreigner. However, the mutineers were treated with leniency and later agreed to the move.[18]

At the start of the 1688–1697Nine Years War,Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Robert Douglascommanded the first battalion at theBattle of Walcourtin 1689. After Schomberg was killed in Ireland, he was promoted Colonel in July 1690.[19]The second battalion arrived from Scotland in 1690 and both battalions fought at theBattle of Steenkerquein 1692, where Sir Robert was killed. They then fought at theBattle of Landenin 1693 and at theSiege of Namur.When theTreaty of Ryswickended the war in 1697, it was transferred to Ireland.[20]

18th century

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Soldier of the Royal Regiment of foot, 1742

During theWar of the Spanish Succession,the regiment served underMarlboroughatSchellenberg,Blenheim,RamilliesandOudenarde.[21]AtMalplaquetin 1709, its members includedWilliam Hiseland,an 89-year-old reputed to be the last serving veteran of theFirst English Civil War.[22]

Both battalions spent 1715 to 1742 in Ireland, but after this were normally separated.[3]The 1st was based inFlandersduring theWar of the Austrian Succession,where it fought atFontenoyin 1745.[23]After returning fromPuerto Belloin 1743, the 2nd helped suppress theJacobite rising of 1745,before being posted to Ireland once again.[24]

In the army reforms of 1751, the unit was ranked as the most senior infantry line regiment and titled the1st (Royal) Regiment of Foot.[25]On the outbreak of theSeven Years' Warin 1756, the 2nd Battalion moved toNova Scotiain 1757, fighting atLouisburg,GuadeloupeandHavana,then returning home in 1764.[24]

UntilAmerican Warbegan in 1775, both served as garrisons in theMediterranean,the 1st inGibraltar,[23]the 2nd inMinorca.[24]Sent to theWest Indiesin 1781, the 1st Battalion helped captureSt Eustatius;it surrendered atSt. Kittsin January 1782 but was later exchanged.[23]

French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars

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The 1st Battalion had returned to the West Indies as a garrison in 1790, and served there until 1797,[21]with a brief period of combat in theHaitian Revolution.[23]The West Indies were hotbeds of disease, and the battalion lost more than half its strength to disease in this period.[3]It was reformed from militia volunteers in Ireland in 1798: This year saw a major rebellion erupt in Ireland after years of simmering tension. The Lothian Fencibles fought with distinction at theBattle of Vinegar Hill,one of the more important engagements of the rebellion. Subsequently, the regiment gained a new regimental song:

Ye croppies of Wexford, I'd have ye be wise
and go not to meddle with Mid-Lothian Boys
For the Mid-Lothian Boys they vow and declare
They'll crop off your head as well as your hair
derry, down, down.
Remember at Ross and at Vinegar Hill
How your heads flew about like chaff in a mill
For the Mid-Lothian Boys when a croppy they see
they blow out his daylights and tip him cut three
derry, down, down.[26]

After the rebellion was over in Ireland they were used in minor raids on the coast of Spain in 1800.[23]Meanwhile, from 1793 to 1801, the 2nd Battalion was based in the Mediterranean.[21]It fought at theSiege of Toulon(1793) and the capture ofCorsica(1794),[24]returning briefly to Northern Europe for theBattle of Egmont op Zeein the 1799Anglo-Russian invasion of Holland,before fighting in the 1801 Egyptian campaign at theBattle of Aboukirand theBattle of Alexandria.[21]

Both battalions were subsequently dispatched to the West Indies, the 1st from 1801 to 1812, and the 2nd from 1803 to 1806. The 1st occupiedSaint Thomasin 1801, fought at the capture ofSaint Lucia,as well as ofDemeraraandEssequiboin 1803, and the capture ofGuadeloupein 1810. The 2nd then moved to India, where it would remain until 1826, whilst the 1st was sent to Quebec with the outbreak of theWar of 1812.[21]It fought in the battles ofSackett's HarborandBuffalo & Black Rock,as well as thecapture of Fort Niagara(1813), the battles ofLongwoods,Chippawa,andLundy's Lane,along with theSiege of Fort Erieand thebattle of Cook's Mills(1814).[27]In February 1812, the regiment was retitled as the1st Regiment of Foot (Royal Scots),the first official appearance of the popular name.[25]

The capture of San Sebastián, diorama in the Royal Scots Regimental Museum

Two new battalions were raised in late 1804, atHamilton,the 3rd and 4th Battalions. The 3rd served in thePeninsular Warfrom 1808 to 1809, fighting at theBattle of Corunnain 1809 before being withdrawn by sea and sent to theWalcheren Campaign[21]with the 1st Division.[28]It returned to Portugal in 1810 with the 5th Division,[29]fighting at theBattle of Buçaco(1810), theBattle of Fuentes de Onoro(1811), the battles ofBadajoz,SalamancaandBurgos(1812), theBattle of Vitoria,capture ofSan Sebastián,Battle of Nivelle,and theBattle of Nive(1813),[30]before advancing into France in 1814. It was sent to Belgium during theHundred Days,and fought in Picton's Division (the 5th) at theBattle of Waterloo(1815). After two years in the Army of Occupation, it was disbanded at Canterbury in 1817.[29]

The 4th was deployed to the Baltic in 1813, being involved with the recapture ofStralsund,and fought in the Netherlands in 1814, where it was captured and exchanged. It was then dispatched to Canada as part of theWar of 1812,where it served as a garrison. It was withdrawn to England with the end of the fighting and disbanded at Dover in 1816.[31]

19th century

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Regimental colours, 1847

The 1st battalion was sent to Ireland after the end of the Napoleonic wars, and stationed there from 1816 until 1825, when it was moved to the West Indies, where it remained until 1835. The 2nd battalion, however, had a more active time; based in India, it was involved in theThird Anglo-Maratha War,where it fought at the Battle of Nagpore (1817) andBattle of Mahidpur(1818), and in theFirst Anglo-Burmese Warof 1824–26. It moved to Scotland in 1830, and to Canada in 1836, where it was involved in theRebellions of 1837.[21]The regiment fought at theBattle of Saint-Denis (1837),but was running low on ammunition as the British officers had underestimated the amount of insurgents, and with the enemy beginning to flank, Colonel Charles Gore gave the order to withdraw.[32]A move to the West Indies in 1843 was complicated by half the regiment being shipwrecked and delayed several months, but was successful, and the regiment finally returned to Scotland in 1846.[24]

Both battalions saw active service in theCrimean War,with the 1st fighting at the battles ofAlmaandInkerman(1854), and both fighting in theSiege of Sevastopol(1854–55),[21]where the regiment's firstVCwas won.[33]After the war, the 1st battalion moved to Ceylon in 1857[23]and thence to India, returning home in 1870, whilst the 2nd battalion moved to Hong Kong, and saw action in theSecond Opium War,fighting at the capture of theTaku Forts(1858) andPekin(1860), and returning home in 1861.[21]

In 1881, following comprehensive reforms following the Crimean war (Cardwell Reforms of 1870), the ambitiousChilders Reformswere passed by the War Office. Among many changes was the merger of the many numbered regiments of foot into un-numbered 'county regiments'. Because the regiment already had two battalions, it fared much better than the many other regiments which lost their identities and merged into new two-battalion regiments. Under the February 1881 proposals, the regiment was due to be redesignated asThe Lothian Regiment (Royal Scots),however under the final July reform, the regiment becameThe Royal Scots (Lothian Regiment).[34]Under the previously mentioned reforms, the regiment became a county regiment, encompassing the following:City of Edinburgh(Midlothian),Haddingtonshire(East Lothian),Linlithgowshire(West Lothian), andBerwickshire(later transferred to theKing's Own Scottish Bordererson 1 May 1887). In addition to the two regular battalions and depot, the regiment now took control of the various militia and infantry (rifle) volunteers based in the above counties.[35]This left the regiment with the following structure:[36]

In 1881, the 1st was in the West Indies; it moved to South Africa in 1884, when it saw action in theBechuanalandcampaign, and remained there until 1891, when it moved back to the UK to serve as the depot battalion and the 2nd moved out to India. With the outbreak of theSecond Anglo-Boer War,the 1st was quickly earmarked for service in South Africa, and sailed in late 1899. It remained there until 1903, being joined by the 3rd from 1900 to 1902[21]– the first time a non-regular unit of the regiment had been activated. The bulk of the time in South Africa was spent patrolling and in mobile columns, with neither battalion engaged in any major battles.[3]The 2nd battalion was posted in India in 1891, and stayed there until 1909. The battalion had various postings around the sub-continent, includingPoonauntil late 1902 when it moved toKamptee.[37]

In 1908, the Volunteers and Militia were reorganised nationally, with the former becoming theTerritorial Forceand the latter theSpecial Reserve;[38]the regiment now had one Reserve and seven Territorial battalions.[39]The 1st moved back to India in 1909, relieving the 2nd, which moved back to the UK; they remained stationed there until 1914.[21]

First World War (1914–1919)

[edit]

At the outbreak of the First World War, the 1st was in India, and returned to the UK in November; the 2nd was immediately deployed with theBritish Expeditionary Force(BEF), arriving in France on 14 August[40]and seeing action on the afternoon of the 23rd.[41]The Special Reserve had been mobilised, with the 3rd Battalion activated at Weymouth, and all seven battalions of the Territorial Force had mobilised and raised an additional second-line battalion by the end of 1914.[42]A further seven battalions ofthe New Armywere formed in 1914, including twoPals battalions[43]By the end of 1914, the regiment stood at a strength of 24 battalions;[44]another six Territorial battalions and three New Army battalions (one ofbantams) were formed in 1915.[45]In 1916, one service and one reserve battalion were formed by merging depleted Territorial battalions,[46]and in 1917 alabour battalionwas formed.[47]In total, the Royal Scots raised some thirty-five battalions of infantry and over 100,000 men during the course of the First World War, of which fifteen battalions saw active service. 11,000 soldiers serving in the regiment were killed, and over 40,000 wounded.[3]Among other decorations and honours, the regiment won sixVictoria Crosses.[48]

A sergeant of 'D' Company, 1st Battalion, Royal Scots, using a trench periscope to observe German trenches near Kemmel in January 1915

The 1st, on returning from India, was placed in the27th Division,a division made up of regular units that had been recalled from garrison duty, and arrived in France in December 1914. It saw combat in the action of Saint-Éloi and throughout theSecond Battle of Ypresin 1915, before the division was withdrawn and moved toSalonikain November, where it spent the rest of the war It was sent toGeorgiain December 1918 for operations against theBolsheviks,and returned to Edinburgh in May 1919.[49]The 2nd was part of the3rd Division,one of the first units of theBritish Expeditionary Forceto be sent to France. It first saw action in theBattle of Mons,and thence at almost all of the major actions on theWestern Front,before returning to Scotland in 1919.[49]

The1/4th (Queen's Edinburgh Rifles)and 1/7th mobilised in Edinburgh in August 1914, and were assigned to the52nd (Lowland) Division.Whilst the division was mobilising, the 1/7th was involved in theQuintinshill rail crash,which killed 210 officers and men and wounded another 224.[50]They fought at theBattle of Gallipolibefore being moved toEgyptin 1916 and serving in theSinai and Palestine Campaign.They were sent to France in April 1918 for theSecond Battle of the Somme,and remained there until the end of the war. Both battalions were reduced to acadrein March 1919, and returned home to disband in May.[49]

The1/5th (Queen's Edinburgh Rifles)mobilised in Edinburgh in August 1914, and were assigned to the29th Division.A poignant Christmas card was produced by the Edinburgh artistWalter Balmer Hislopwho served with 'D' Company of the 5th (QER) Battalion. They fought at theBattle of Gallipoli,then to France via Egypt, and saw action on thefirst day on the Somme.The1/6thhad mobilised at the same time and been dispatched to Egypt in 1915 for theWestern Frontier Force;it too was withdrawn to France for the Somme. The two heavily depleted battalions were amalgamated in July 1916, and spent the remainder of war on the Western Front as the 5/6th. After the war, it remained in Belgium until January 1919 when it moved into Germany, and was reduced to a cadre in October 1919 and sent home to be disbanded.[49]

The 1/8th mobilised atHaddingtonin August 1914, and arrived in France in November – the first Scottish territorial unit to arrive in France[44]– with the7th Division,though they did not see action until theBattle of Neuve Chapelle.After theSecond Battle of Ypres,in August 1915, they were transferred to the51st (Highland) Divisionas the divisionalpioneers,and disbanded in March 1919 at Haddington[49]The1/9thmobilised at Edinburgh in August 1914, and moved to France in February 1915 with the27th Division;when this moved to Salonika in November they remained in France, transferring to the5th Division,and then to Third Army reserve. They were assigned to the51st (Highland) Divisionin March 1916, with whom they fought for two years, then to the61st (2nd South Midland) Divisionand15th (Scottish) Divisionin 1918.[50]

A raiding party of 11th Royal Scots preparing for action in July 1918

The 11th, 12th and 13th were raised in August 1914 in Edinburgh, with the 11th and 12th allocated to9th (Scottish) Divisionand the 13th to15th (Scottish) Division,and moved to France in mid-1915. They first saw action at theBattle of Loos,where the 11th was almost wiped out,[51]and spent the remainder of the war on the Western Front. The 11th and 12th moved to Germany after the armistice; the 12th was reduced to a cadre in April 1919 and disbanded in the UK in June, whilst the 11th was reduced to a cadre and disbanded at Cologne in November. The 13th remained in Belgium, being reduced to a cadre in March 1919 and disbanded in the UK in June.[49]

The 15th was raised in September 1914, the 16th (which came to be known asMcCrae's Battalion) in December 1914, and the 17th in February 1915, in Edinburgh. The 15th and 16th were assigned to the34th Divisionand the 17th to the35th Division,moved to France in early 1916, and first saw action at thefirst day on the Somme;all three spent the remainder of the war on the Western Front. The 15th and 16th were reduced to cadres in May 1918 and disbanded in August; the 17th was based in Belgium after the armistice, and provided internal security in France and Belgium in early 1919, before being reduced to a cadre in April and disbanded shortly afterward.[49]

The 2/10th was originally mobilised asbicycle infantry,but never served in this role. It was the only second-line battalion of the regiment to be sent overseas, moving to Archangel in August 1918, and serving in theNorth Russia Campaignuntil June 1919, when it returned to Scotland to disband.[49]The remaining battalions all remained in the UK on Home Service, and did not see active duty. However, six saw significant periods of service in Ireland, where they served as garrison units, and were often involved in local security – armed patrols, mobile columns to 'show the flag', and the like.[52]

Inter-war period (1919–1939)

[edit]

The regiment was reduced sharply in size following theArmistice;during 1919, the 3rd Battalion disbanded, as did all bar one of the Territorial battalions (the one exception being the 2/10th, which was finally disbanded in February 1920).[53]

In September 1919, the 1st Battalion again embarked for imperial service, taking up garrison duties inRangoon,and in August 1920 the 2nd Battalion was sent to Ireland for service in what would later become theAnglo-Irish War;they would remain there until January 1922.[53]

When theTerritorial Forcewas reconstituted as theTerritorial Armyin 1920, all seven Territorial battalions of the regiment were reconstituted. At the beginning of 1921, the regiment was formally retitledThe Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment),[25]and comprised two regular battalions, oneSupplementary Reservebattalion, and four battalions of the newly renamed Territorial Army, all four of which were activated during the 1921 coal strike. In January 1922, reductions in the military led to the amalgamation of the Territorial component into two battalions.[54]The three battalions not retained in 1921 were converted to support units outside the regimental structure.[55]The 4th/5th Battalion was later, in 1938, transferred to theRoyal Engineersand converted into an anti-aircraft role, becoming the 4th/5th Battalion, The Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment) (52nd Searchlight Regiment). It was later transferred to theRoyal Artilleryin August 1940 as the 52nd (Queen's Edinburgh, Royal Scots) Searchlight Regiment, Royal Artillery.[56]

The 1st Battalion moved from Rangoon toSecunderabadin 1922, then to Aden in 1925. They finally returned to the UK in 1926, barracked at Maryhill in Glasgow, where they saw duty in theGeneral Strike.Under the Cardwell system, it was common for one battalion to remain at home while the other one served overseas, and accordingly in January 1926 the 2nd Battalion moved to Egypt, then to China in 1928. In 1930, they moved toQuetta,thenLahorein 1934, and finally Hong Kong in January 1938. At the same time, the 1st Battalion was deployed to serve in the1936–39 Arab revolt in Palestine,where it would remain for a year, until January 1939, when it became part of the4th Infantry Brigade,2nd Infantry Division.[53]Some sources suggest the 1st Battalion was briefly reorganised as a machine-gun battalion during this period.[23]

With the re-armament program in the late 1930s, the Territorial component of the regiment was heavily altered; one of the two battalions was converted into an anti-aircraft role in 1938[57]whilst the other formed a duplicate 8th Battalion on 2 August[58]1939.[53][59]

Second World War (1939–1945)

[edit]

At the outbreak of theSecond World Waron 3 September 1939, the 1st Battalion, Royal Scots was at Aldershot as part of4th Infantry Brigade,alongside the 1stBorder Regimentand 2ndRoyal Norfolk Regiment,2nd Infantry Division;[60]accordingly, it deployed to France with theBritish Expeditionary Force(BEF). It moved toLecellesin September, and in May 1940 moved intoBelgiumduring theBattle of France.The BEF were heavily hit by theGerman Army's breakthrough, however, and fell back towards the coast; the battalion was deployed atLe Paradis,nearBéthune,on 25 May to protect the flanks of theDunkirk evacuation.[61]After being heavily hit by armoured attacks, the battalion ceased fighting on the afternoon of 27 May.[62]The adjacent unit, the 2nd Battalion, Royal Norfolks, had almost one hundred men taken prisoner and later shot by their captors in theLe Paradis massacre.[63]Recent research has suggested that around twenty Royal Scots suffered a similar fate.[64]The remnants of the battalion were reconstituted in Bradford in June.[53]After Dunkirk, the battalion spent nearly two years on home defence preparing for a potentialGerman invasion of the United Kingdom.The 1st Royal Scots, along with the rest of the 2nd Division, was sent toBritish Indiain April 1942 to train forjungle warfare.[65]

Men of the 1st Battalion, Royal Scots pose with a Japanese flag taken as a souvenir after clearing the Japanese from Payan, nearShwebo,January 1945

The twoTerritorial Armyunits, the 7th/9th, which was the 7th and 9th battalions merged, and 8th Battalions, mobilised in Scotland in September; the 7th/9th was briefly deployed to France with the155th Infantry Brigade,alongside the 4th and 5thKing's Own Scottish Borderers,of the52nd (Lowland) Infantry Divisionbefore the collapse of the French government, but was quickly withdrawn.[53]The regiment raised a fifth battalion in June 1940; it was created as the 50th (Holding) Battalion in June 1940 where it would 'hold' men who were medically unfit, temporarily homeless or on a course etc. but redesignated the 12th Battalion in October 1940. Also raised were the 10th and 11th (Home Defence) battalions, raised in late 1939 specifically for defensive duties in the United Kingdom. Both battalions, like most others of the same type, would have consisted mainly of older and less fit men, with previous military experience, together with younger soldiers. The 11th, however, was disbanded in 1940 and, in 1941, the 10th dropped the 'Home Defence' subtitle and was redesignated as the 30th Battalion but was disbanded in 1943.[66]

Infantry of the 8th Battalion, Royal Scots, serving as part of44th Brigadein15th (Scottish) Division,inKangaroo APCs,December 1944

Most of 1941 passed without active duty for the regiment, and with growing concerns about the stability of the Far East, the 2nd Battalion, still based atHong Kong,moved into defensive positions around the colony. On 8 December, theBattle of Hong Kongbegan a few hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor; after bitter fighting, the garrison surrendered on Christmas Day. The newly formed 12th Battalion was disbanded and reformed as the 2nd Battalion in May 1942.[53]

In April 1942 the 1st Battalion, Royal Scots was moved to Bombay, and then to Chittagong in December, still with2nd Infantry Division.It fought in theBurma Campaign,first seeing action in the Arakan operations from March to May 1943, and then withdrawing into India. It later saw action at theBattle of Kohimain 1944 and theBattle of Mandalayin 1945. It was withdrawn to India to rest and refit in April 1945, and moved to Singapore in December.[53]

The new 2nd Battalion was moved to Gibraltar in April 1943, and moved to Italy in July 1944, where it saw action in theItalian Campaign,in theAnzio Campaignand on theGothic Line,with the66th Infantry Brigade,which was part of the1st Infantry Division.The 2nd Royal Scots were serving in 66th Brigade alongside the 1stHertfordshire Regimentand 11thLancashire Fusiliers.In January 1945 it moved to Palestine with the rest of the 1st Infantry Division, where it was active in security duties in October and November, and was then redeployed to theSuez Canal Zonein December 1945.[53]

The 7th/9th Battalion was still part of the 155th Infantry Brigade and was attached to the 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division, which was trained formountain warfareand airlanding operations, but was never used in this way. In October 1944 they moved to theNetherlands,fighting in theBattle of the Scheldtas part of theFirst Canadian Army,where the 52nd Division served with distinction, and then participating inOperation Blackcockand the advance to the Rhine; it crossed the Rhine in March 1945 and advanced to Bremen by the end of the war.[53]

Universal Carriersand infantrymen of the 8th Battalion, Royal Scots pause during the attack by 15th (Scottish) Division onTilburg,27 October 1944

The 8th Battalion, Royal Scots was raised on 2 August 1939[67]as a 2nd Line duplicate of the 7th/9th Battalion. They remained in the United Kingdom as part of44th (Lowland) Infantry Brigade,alongside the 6thRoyal Scots Fusiliersand 6th King's Own Scottish Borderers. The brigade was a part of the15th (Scottish) Infantry Division,which would gain an excellent reputation in the campaign, and itself was formed a 2nd Line duplicate of the 1st Line 52nd Division. In June 1944, theylanded in Normandyas part ofOperation Overlordand fought in theBattle for CaeninOperation Epsomand later at theSecond Battle of the OdonandOperation Bluecoat.They then fought in theNorth West Europe Campaign,from Paris to the Rhine,until the end of the war; it entered Belgium in September,crossed the Rhinein March 1945 and advanced to Hamburg by the end of the war.[53]

Post-war period (1945–2004)

[edit]

In February 1949, the 2nd Battalion disbanded, leaving the regiment with only a single regular battalion for the first time since the 17th century.[68]

A piper of the Royal Scots in Korea after the Armistice, Christmas 1953

The 7th/9th (Highlanders) and 8th Battalions were reconstituted in the Territorial Army in 1947. Both battalions remained until 1961, when the latter was absorbed and the single battalion retitled the 8th/9th Battalion. In 1967 this was disbanded and reconstituted as two separate companies, A Company (The Royal Scots) of the52nd Lowland Volunteers,and A Company (8th/9th Royal Scots) of The Royal Scots and Cameronians Territorials. By 1971, both companies were in the battalions of the 52nd Lowland Volunteers, and though the Royal Scots name was retained in the title the regiment no longer had a Territorial Army element.[69]

The 1st Battalion briefly saw service in theKorean Warin 1953, as part of29th Infantry Brigade;after a brief spell in Egypt, they deployed toCyprusfrom June 1955 to February 1956. They then spent two years in England, two inBerlin,one in Scotland, two inLibya,and four in England. In 1964, they deployed toAden,then back to England and a three-year spell in Germany with theBritish Army of the Rhine.[70]

Royal Scots Regiment window in theCanongate Kirk

1970 to 1974 was spent in Britain as part of theAllied Command EuropeMobile Force, with the battalion undertaking two four-month tours of duty in Northern Ireland. The battalion was then posted to Cyprus in early 1974. Unfortunately,Turkeyinvaded the island and created the "Green Line", which still partitions the island. During the action of moving service families and holidaymakers to safety fromLimassol,Piper Malcolm Halliday played at the roadside becoming known as "The piper of Cyprus".[71]This had put the Regiment on a war footing and they were involved in riots attackingRAF Akrotiriand protection of theSovereign Area Base of Episkopi.They were relieved in early 1975 returning unexpectedly to Kirknewton near Edinburgh and did a further four-month tour of Northern Ireland, where three soldiers were lost in a roadside bomb attack. They moved toMünsterin mid-1976 as the Nuclear Convoy Battalion charged with the protection of 8 RegimentRCT.[70]In this role, the Battalion was equipped with Land Rovers, a change from the normal equipment used by previous and subsequent NCB units, which were armoured infantry battalions. Returning to Scotland in 1979, C Company was detached as 'C Battalion' providing administrative support to the Edinburgh Tattoo. In 1980, they undertook a two-month tour in Northern Ireland, and moved there under39th Infantry Brigadein 1981 for a two-year deployment. In 1983, they returned to Kirknewton for two years and during this time they were deployed to the Falkland Islands for four months. In 1985, they returned to Germany, deploying to thePersian Gulfin 1990 forOperation Desert Storm.[70]

In 1994, the battalion gained a company ofGurkhas,who were later transferred toThe Highlanders.Deployment in the 1990s included a further one-year tour to Northern Ireland. The Battalion was deployed to Bosnia for the first time as part ofSFORin September 2002 for six months prior to their deployment in November 2003 toIraqas part ofOperation Telicfor six months, returning to Iraq again in January 2006.[70]

Restructuring of the Infantry (2004–2006)

[edit]

Until 2004, the Royal Scots had been one of five line infantry regiments never to be amalgamated in its entire history, a claim shared byThe Green Howards,The Cheshire Regiment,The Royal Welch FusiliersandThe King's Own Scottish Borderers.When five Scottish regiments were amalgamated to form theRoyal Regiment of Scotlandon 28 March 2006, the Royal Scots Battalion and theKing's Own Scottish Borderers Battalioninitially maintained their identities as separate battalions.[72]

However almost immediately theMinistry of Defencemoved to amalgamate the two battalions. This was not a new idea: the origins of the combined entity,Royal Scots Borderers,dates from the 1990Options for Changereview, when it was initially announced that the Royal Scots and King's Own Scottish Borderers would amalgamate. That amalgamation was subsequently rescinded.[73]The Royal Scots Battalion and King's Own Scottish Borderers Battalion duly amalgamated on 1 August 2006 – upon their amalgamation, the new battalion took the name Royal Scots Borderers, 1st Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland.[74]

The remaining Territorial element of the Royal Scots, a rifle company of52nd Lowland Regiment,was likewise amalgamated, becoming A (Royal Scots Borderers) Company of 6th Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland.[75]

Regimental museum

[edit]

The Museum of the Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment) and the Royal Regiment of Scotlandis located inEdinburgh Castle.Operating as an independent museum, the exhibits include dioramas, uniforms, medals, weapons, drums, ceremonial regalia and silver. Displays focus on the regiment's activities since its founding in 1633 up to contemporary Army life.[76]

Alliances

[edit]

Battle honours

[edit]
Battle honours listed on the regimental memorial,Edinburgh

The regiment's battle honours were as follows:[66]

Colonels-in-Chief

[edit]

The Colonels-in-Chief of the regiment were:[78]

Regimental Colonels

[edit]

Colonels of the Regiment were:[78]

His Majesty's Royal Regiment of Foot (1684)
1st (Royal) Regiment of Foot (1751)
1st Regiment of Foot (Royal Scots) (1812)
The Royal Scots (Lothian Regiment) (1881)
The Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment) (1921)

Victoria Cross

[edit]

Victoria Crosses awarded to the regiment are:

Nicknames

[edit]

The regiment is known by the nicknamePontius Pilate's Bodyguardwhich apparently was the result of a 17th-century boasting contest with the FrenchRégiment de Picardieregarding the respective seniority of each regiment.[98][circular reference]

Picardie,the senior French infantry regiment, was formed in 1562, whereas the Scots had been raised in 1625 as Hepburn's Regiment and only entered French service in 1635 but, it is said, claimed a lineage from Scots in French service dating back to the C13th.[99]Versions of this tradition vary but the story turns on the existence of either one regiment or the other dating back to service under Pontius Pilate at the time of Christ's crucifixion. The most common version tells of the name 'Pontius Pilate's Bodyguard' being tossed by the French as a jibe against the Scots. They replied that if their regiment had been on guard the night of the Crucifixion, the Sepulchre would not have been empty the next morning.[100]

The 2nd Battalion was sardonically referred to asThe First to Foot Itduring theBattle of Hong Kong.[101]

Football

[edit]
2nd Battalion football team, 1894

Thefootball team of the 1st Battalionwas a member of theIrish Football Leaguefor the1899–1900season, while deployed inVictoria Barracks, Belfast.[102][103]

The 2nd Battalion team won several competitions in the 1890s, including the Surrey Cup, Malta Cup, Secunderabad Cup, Harris Cup, and Bombay Rovers Cup.[104]

Uniform

[edit]

Whitefacingson a red coat were worn until "royal blue" distinctions were adopted in the early 18th century. The Scottish thistle of St Andrew featured on belt-plates and other parts of the uniform. The standard red/scarlet and blue uniform of mostline infantryregiments was retained until "Lowland"dress was adopted in 1881.[105]For the Royal Scots this included a scarletdoublet,tartantrewsand (from 1904) a dark blueKilmarnock bonnetwith diced band, scarlettoorieand black-cock feather.[105]This continued as the regimentalfull dress uniformuntil 1939, although worn only to a limited extent after 1914. TheNo. 1 Dressworn during the final decades of the regiment's separate existence consisted of a dark blue bonnet with regimental dicing, dark blue doublet, and Hunting Stewart tartan trews.[106]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^1st Battalion was carried on the Irish Establishment at the time of the American Revolution. SeeThe Organization of the British Army in the American Revolution,Illustrative Appendices to Chapter I
  2. ^Offen, Lee."Dumbarton's Regiment".Historyreconsidered.net.Retrieved5 February2018.
  3. ^abcdeHistory of the Regiment
  4. ^abStevenson, David (2004). "Douglas, Archibald, styled earl of Angus and Ormond".Oxford Dictionary of National Biography(online ed.). Oxford University Press.doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/7869.(Subscription orUK public library membershiprequired.)
  5. ^abGlozier, MR (2004). "Douglas, George, first earl of Dumbarton".Oxford Dictionary of National Biography(online ed.). Oxford University Press.doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/7886.(Subscription orUK public library membershiprequired.)
  6. ^"Venner's Uprising 1661".BCW Project.Retrieved10 October2018.
  7. ^Childs 2014,p. 10.
  8. ^Diary of Samuel Pepys, 30 June 1667
  9. ^Childs 1984,pp. 384–397.
  10. ^Harris, Tim (2004). "Scott [formerly Crofts], James, duke of Monmouth and first Duke of Buccleuch (1649–1685)".Oxford Dictionary of National Biography(online ed.). Oxford University Press.doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/24879.(Subscription orUK public library membershiprequired.)
  11. ^Glozier 2004,Scottish soldiers in France in the reign of the Sun King,p. 2
  12. ^Childs 2014,pp. 20–21.
  13. ^Cannon,p. 55-58.
  14. ^McCance 1922,pp. 1–24.
  15. ^Cannon,p. 59.
  16. ^Offen, Lee."Dumbarton's Regiment".Historyreconsidered.net.Retrieved6 October2018.
  17. ^Cannon,p. 67.
  18. ^Manning 2006,pp. 368–369.
  19. ^Cannon,p. 80.
  20. ^Cannon,p. 76.
  21. ^abcdefghijkPaterson, vol I. Chronology,[page needed]
  22. ^William White, ed.,Notes and Queries,vol. 114 (Oxford University Press,1906), p. 82
  23. ^abcdefgRegiments.org, 1st Battalion page
  24. ^abcdeRegiments.org, 2nd Battalion page
  25. ^abcRegiments.org list of titles
  26. ^Bartlett and Jeffery, A Military History of Ireland, Chapter 12 pg 284
  27. ^Regiments.org, The American War (War of 1812) page
  28. ^Burnham
  29. ^abRegiments.org, 3rd Battalion page
  30. ^Regiments.org, Peninsular War 1808–1814 page
  31. ^Regiments.org, 4th Battalion page
  32. ^"Canada: A People's History Rebellion and Reform".IMDb.Retrieved4 February2018.
  33. ^History of the Regiment. It was awarded to PrivateJoseph Prosser.
  34. ^"Proposals for Regimental Mergers, 1881 [UK]".18 December 2007. Archived fromthe originalon 18 December 2007.Retrieved10 January2022.
  35. ^Mills, T. F."The Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment)".Land Forces of Britain, The Empire, and Commonwealth.Archived fromthe originalon 24 December 2007.Retrieved10 January2022.
  36. ^Frederick, pp. 298–301
  37. ^"Naval & Military intelligence - The Army in India".The Times.No. 36896. London. 11 October 1902. p. 12.
  38. ^"Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907".Parliamentary Debates (Hansard).31 March 1908.Retrieved20 June2017.
  39. ^These were the 3rd Battalion (Special Reserve), with the 4th and 5th (Queen's Edinburgh Rifles) Battalions atForrest Hillin Edinburgh, the6th BattalionatGilmore Placein Edinburgh, the 7th Battalion atDalmeny Streetin Leith, the 8th Battalion at Nungate in Haddington (since demolished), the 9th (Highlanders) Battalion atEast Claremont Streetin Edinburgh and the10th (Cyclist) Battalionat the High Street in Linlithgow (since demolished) (all Territorial Force). See Scottish Military History Society lineage pages
  40. ^Paterson, Vol I, p.242
  41. ^Paterson, Vol I, p.245
  42. ^Paterson, Vol I, p.243. The6thwas the one exception for second-line battalions; it did not raise a second battalion until 1915, whilst the 8th had already raised its third-line battalion in 1914
  43. ^Paterson, Vol I, Appendix 5. These battalions were the 11th, 12th, 13th,14th (Reserve),15th (1st City of Edinburgh) and 16th (2nd City of Edinburgh) Battalions. The latter two were the "Edinburgh City Pals" also known respectively asCranston'sBattalion andMcCrae's(or McRae's) Battalion. The 14th was later redesignated as the 54th Training Reserve Battalion
  44. ^abPaterson, Vol I, p.243
  45. ^Paterson, Vol I, Appendix 5. The Territorial units were the second-line2/6th,plus the third-line3/4th,3/5th,3/6th,3/7th and3/9th,battalions; the New Army units were the 17th, also known asRosebery'sBantams,the 18th Reserve (later transferred as the 77th Training Reserve Battalion), and the 1st Garrison battalions
  46. ^Paterson, Vol I, Appendix 5. The new units were the4th (Reserve)and5th/6thbattalions
  47. ^Ewing, Appendix III. This was the 19th Battalion, later transferred to theLabour Corpsas 1st and 2nd Labour Companies of 10th Labour Group
  48. ^Ewing, Appendix IV. These were PrivatesHH RobsonandH McIverof the 2nd Battalion, LieutenantDS McGregorof the 6th (attached to theMachine-Gun Corps), CorporalRE Elcockof the 11th, CaptainH Reynoldsof the 12th, and PrivateR Dunsireof the 13th. A seventh VC was won by Lance-CorporalW Angus,a member of theHighland Light Infantry,whilst serving with the 8th Royal Scots
  49. ^abcdefghPaterson, Vol I, Appendix 5.
  50. ^abThe Royal Scots (Lothian Regiment) in 1914–1918
  51. ^The 11th ran into a wire entanglement and was caught in crossfire. The commanding officer was killed, along with a sizeable proportion of the battalionBaker, Chris."The Battle of Loos".The Long, Long Trail.Retrieved7 January2016.
  52. ^Ewing, Appendix II. The battalions stationed in Ireland were the 3rd, 2/4th, 2/7th, 2/8th,2/9thand 1/10th. Additionally, the successor unit of the 14th (Reserve) Bn (now51st (Service) Bn Highland Light Infantry) was sent to Germany as an occupation unit, but not until after the armistice had been signed, whilst the 4th (Reserve) Bn spent February 1919 protecting key points in Glasgow against strike riots
  53. ^abcdefghijkPaterson, Vol II. Chronology
  54. ^Paterson, Vol II, p.10. The four territorial battalions originally retained were the 4th, 5th, 7th and9th;they were amalgamated into the4th/5th (Queen's Edinburgh Rifles)and the 7th/9th (Highlanders)
  55. ^The 6th and 8th battalions became batteries of57th (Lowland) Medium Brigadeof theRoyal Garrison Artillery;the 10th (Cyclist) Battalion briefly became the 1st (Linlithgow) Light Bridging Company,Royal Engineers,and was then absorbed as A Company into 4th/5th (Queen's Edinburgh) Battalion.
  56. ^"52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division"(PDF).British Military History. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 23 September 2015.Retrieved2 May2016.
  57. ^The 4th/5th (Queen's Edinburgh) Battalion, newly titled as 52nd Searchlight Regiment, and thecadreof the old 10th (Cyclists) Battalion forming the 14th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment. Both were transferred into theRoyal Artillery.
  58. ^"8th Battalion, The Royal Scots [UK]".Archived fromthe originalon 10 March 2006.Retrieved2 May2016.
  59. ^The 7th/9th (Highlanders) Battalion duplicated to form the 8th (Lothians and Peebleshire) Battalion
  60. ^Aldershot Command, 3 September 1939Archived3 November 2005 at theWayback Machine
  61. ^Major Jimmy Howe's Experience with 1st Battalion The Royal Scots holding the Dunkirk Perimeter at Le ParadisArchived20 February 2007 at theWayback Machine
  62. ^The War in France and Flanders 1939–40Archived9 February 2014 at theWayback Machine,Major L.F. Ellis
  63. ^"Private Pooley's Revenge".Archived fromthe originalon 28 April 2016.Retrieved2 May2016.
  64. ^Book reveals Nazi massacre of 21 Royal Scots.Edinburgh Evening News, 11 June 2007.Online copyArchived2 November 2007 at theWayback Machine
  65. ^Brander, p. 87
  66. ^ab"The Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment) [UK]".Archived fromthe originalon 9 January 2006.Retrieved2 May2016.
  67. ^"8th Battalion, The Royal Scots [UK]".Archived fromthe originalon 30 December 2005.Retrieved2 May2016.
  68. ^"2nd Battalion Royal Scots".Regiments.org. Archived from the original on 17 January 2006.Retrieved2 May2016.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  69. ^"Lineage of Scottish Territorial Infantry Battalions 1947–1967".Scottishmilitaryarticles.org.uk.Retrieved20 November2011.
  70. ^abcd"Royal Scots".British Army units 1945 on.Retrieved2 May2016.
  71. ^Henn, p. 519
  72. ^"Royal Regiment of Scotland".British Army units 1945 on.Retrieved25 May2014.
  73. ^Royal, Trevor (2011).The King's Own Scottish Borderers: A Concise History.Random House.ISBN9781780572505.
  74. ^"Why the Royal Scots can no longer hold the line".The Telegraph.10 October 2004.Archivedfrom the original on 12 January 2022.Retrieved26 April2014.
  75. ^"Lowland Volunteers".British army units 1945 on.Retrieved2 May2016.
  76. ^"Museum of the Royal Scots and the Royal Regiment of Scotland".The Royal Scots.Retrieved15 June2018.
  77. ^The Sphinx badge superscribed "Egypt".
  78. ^ab"The Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment)".regiments.org. Archived from the original on 30 December 2005.Retrieved27 February2017.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  79. ^Grosjean, JL (2004). "Hepburn, John [known as Sir John Hepburn]".Oxford Dictionary of National Biography(online ed.). Oxford University Press.doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/13005.(Subscription orUK public library membershiprequired.)
  80. ^Parrott, David (2004). "Hepburn (aka Hebron), James".Oxford Dictionary of National Biography(online ed.). Oxford University Press.doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/13003.(Subscription orUK public library membershiprequired.)
  81. ^Cannon,p. 267.
  82. ^Cannon,p. 268.
  83. ^Cannon, Richard (1846).Historical Record of the First, or Royal Regiment of Foot: Containing an Account of the Origin of the Regiment in the Reign of King James VI of Subsequent Services to 1846(2012 ed.). Forgotten Books. p. 80.
  84. ^Cannon,p. 271.
  85. ^Cannon,p. 272.
  86. ^"No. 7614".The London Gazette.28 June 1737. p. 2.a.
  87. ^abCannon,p. 273.
  88. ^Cannon,p. 274.
  89. ^Cannon,p. 275.
  90. ^Cannon,p. 279.
  91. ^Cannon,p. 280.
  92. ^Cannon,p. 286.
  93. ^Cannon,p. 289.
  94. ^"No. 52261".The London Gazette(Supplement). 4 September 1990. p. 14188.
  95. ^"No. 54192".The London Gazette(Supplement). 24 October 1995. p. 14330.
  96. ^"No. 57712".The London Gazette(Supplement). 26 July 2006. p. 9646.
  97. ^"No. 58264".The London Gazette(Supplement). 6 March 2007. p. 3235.
  98. ^fr:Régiment de Picardie
  99. ^Memoirs and adventures of Sir John Hepburn By James Grant, 1851 (p.236)
  100. ^"Dictionaries of the Scots Language:: SND:: pontius pilates bodyguard".
  101. ^Whiting,Poor Bloody Infantry
  102. ^"Northern Ireland - Final League Tables 1890-1998".RSSSF.
  103. ^"1st Bn, The Royal Scots: Deployments".Archived fromthe originalon 3 January 2006.Retrieved2 May2016.
  104. ^"The World of Sport".The Sketch.VIII(104): 641. 23 January 1895.Retrieved28 August2023– via Google Books.
  105. ^abCarman, W. Y.. (1985).Richard Simkin's Uniforms of the British Army. The Infantry Regiments.Webb & Bower.ISBN978-0-86350-031-2.
  106. ^Frank Wilson, p. 90, "Regiments at a Glance", Blackie & Son Ltd, London 1958

Sources

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