| Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment) | |
|---|---|
 Cap badge | |
| Active | 1633–2006 |
| Country |  Kingdom 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) |
| Branch |  British Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Role | Line infantry |
| Part of | Scottish Division |
| Garrison/HQ | Edinburgh |
| Nickname(s) | Pontius Pilate's Bodyguard |
| Patron | HRH Mary, Princess Royal (1918) HRH Anne, Princess Royal (1983) |
| Motto(s) | Nemo me impune lacessit Latin: "Nobody harms me with impunity" |
| March | Quick March:Dumbarton's Drums Slow March: Garb of Old Gaul |
| Engagements | SeeBattle honours list |
| 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 line of 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 Borderers to 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 Highlanders to form theRoyal Regiment of Scotland.
In April 1633,Sir John Hepburn was granted awarrant byCharles I to 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 nearDouai in 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]
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In 1660,Charles II was 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 Parliament quickly disbanded theNew Model Army but refused to fund replacements.[7] It remained in France until 1679, apart from a period during the 1664-67Second Anglo-Dutch War when it was based at the naval dockyard ofChatham. The diaristPepys met 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 Medway and 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 theRhineland throughout theFranco-Dutch War, even after the Anglo-Dutch war ended in February 1674; it became theRégiment de Dumbarton in 1675, after George Douglas was made Earl of Dumbarton.[11] The 1678Treaties of Nijmegen required 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 France before 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]
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The regiment was listed on the English military establishment as theFirst Foot or Royal Scots, a temporary measure during theExclusion Crisis of 1679–1681. Four of its twenty-one companies joined theTangier Garrison in April 1680, with another twelve in September.[13] It was awarded abattle honour for '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 Foot in June 1684.[15] WhenJames II succeeded Charles in 1685, the regiment fought at the decisiveBattle of Sedgemoor that 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 fromIpswich toFlanders, 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 Douglas commanded the first battalion at theBattle of Walcourt in 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 Steenkerque in 1692, where Sir Robert was killed. They then fought at theBattle of Landen in 1693 and at theSiege of Namur. When theTreaty of Ryswick ended the war in 1697, it was transferred to Ireland.[20]
During theWar of the Spanish Succession, the regiment served underMarlborough atSchellenberg,Blenheim,Ramillies andOudenarde.[21] AtMalplaquet in 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 inFlanders during theWar of the Austrian Succession, where it fought atFontenoy in 1745.[23] After returning fromPuerto Bello in 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' War in 1756, the 2nd Battalion moved toNova Scotia in 1757, fighting atLouisburg,Guadeloupe andHavana, then returning home in 1764.[24]
UntilAmerican War began in 1775, both served as garrisons in theMediterranean, the 1st inGibraltar,[23] the 2nd inMinorca.[24] Sent to theWest Indies in 1781, the 1st Battalion helped captureSt Eustatius; it surrendered atSt. Kitts in January 1782 but was later exchanged.[23]
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 Zee in the 1799Anglo-Russian invasion of Holland, before fighting in the 1801 Egyptian campaign at theBattle of Aboukir and 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 Thomas in 1801, fought at the capture ofSaint Lucia, as well as ofDemerara andEssequibo in 1803, and the capture ofGuadeloupe in 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 Harbor andBuffalo & Black Rock, as well as thecapture of Fort Niagara (1813), the battles ofLongwoods,Chippawa, andLundy's Lane, along with theSiege of Fort Erie and 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]
Two new battalions were raised in late 1804, atHamilton, the 3rd and 4th Battalions. The 3rd served in thePeninsular War from 1808 to 1809, fighting at theBattle of Corunna in 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,Salamanca andBurgos (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]
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 War of 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 ofAlma andInkerman (1854), and both fighting in theSiege of Sevastopol (1854–55),[21] where the regiment's firstVC was 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 Reforms were 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 Borderers on 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 theBechuanaland campaign, 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, includingPoona until late 1902 when it moved toKamptee.[37]
In 1908, the Volunteers and Militia were reorganised nationally, with the former becoming theTerritorial Force and 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]
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 Army were 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 battalion was 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]
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 Ypres in 1915, before the division was withdrawn and moved toSalonika in November, where it spent the rest of the war It was sent toGeorgia in 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 Force to 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 Gallipoli before being moved toEgypt in 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 acadre in 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 Hislop who 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. The1/6th had 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 atHaddington in 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) Division as the divisionalpioneers, and disbanded in March 1919 at Haddington[49] The1/9th mobilised 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) Division in March 1916, with whom they fought for two years, then to the61st (2nd South Midland) Division and15th (Scottish) Division in 1918.[50]
The 11th, 12th and 13th were raised in August 1914 in Edinburgh, with the 11th and 12th allocated to9th (Scottish) Division and 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 Division and 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 Campaign until 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]
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 Force was reconstituted as theTerritorial Army in 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 Reserve battalion, 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 Engineers and 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 Artillery in August 1940 as the 52nd (Queen's Edinburgh, Royal Scots) Searchlight Regiment, Royal Artillery.[56]
The 1st Battalion moved from Rangoon toSecunderabad in 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, thenLahore in 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]
At the outbreak of theSecond World War on 3 September 1939, the 1st Battalion, Royal Scots was at Aldershot as part of4th Infantry Brigade, alongside the 1stBorder Regiment and 2ndRoyal Norfolk Regiment,2nd Infantry Division;[60] accordingly, it deployed to France with theBritish Expeditionary Force (BEF). It moved toLecelles in September, and in May 1940 moved intoBelgium during 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 India in April 1942 to train forjungle warfare.[65]
The twoTerritorial Army units, 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 Division before 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]
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 Kong began 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 Kohima in 1944 and theBattle of Mandalay in 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 Campaign and 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 Regiment and 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 Zone in 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 warfare and airlanding operations, but was never used in this way. In October 1944 they moved to theNetherlands, fighting in theBattle of the Scheldt as part of theFirst Canadian Army, where the 52nd Division served with distinction, and then participating inOperation Blackcock and the advance to the Rhine; it crossed the Rhine in March 1945 and advanced to Bremen by the end of the war.[53]
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 Fusiliers and 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 Normandy as part ofOperation Overlord and fought in theBattle for Caen inOperation Epsom and later at theSecond Battle of the Odon andOperation 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 Rhine in March 1945 and advanced to Hamburg by the end of the war.[53]
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]
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 War in 1953, as part of29th Infantry Brigade; after a brief spell in Egypt, they deployed toCyprus from 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]
1970 to 1974 was spent in Britain as part of theAllied Command Europe Mobile 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,Turkey invaded 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 Akrotiri and 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 toMünster in 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 Brigade in 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 Gulf in 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 ofSFOR in September 2002 for six months prior to their deployment in November 2003 toIraq as part ofOperation Telic for six months, returning to Iraq again in January 2006.[70]
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 Fusiliers andThe King's Own Scottish Borderers. When five Scottish regiments were amalgamated to form theRoyal Regiment of Scotland on 28 March 2006, the Royal Scots Battalion and theKing's Own Scottish Borderers Battalion initially maintained their identities as separate battalions.[72]
However almost immediately theMinistry of Defence moved 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 Change review, 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]
The Museum of the Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment) and the Royal Regiment of Scotland is 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]
The regiment's battle honours were as follows:[66]
The Colonels-in-Chief of the regiment were:[78]
Colonels of the Regiment were:[78]
Victoria Crosses awarded to the regiment are:
The regiment is known by the nicknamePontius Pilate's Bodyguard which apparently was the result of a 17th-century boasting contest with the FrenchRégiment de Picardie regarding the respective seniority of each regiment.[99][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.[100] 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.[101]
The 2nd Battalion was sardonically referred to asThe First to Foot It during theBattle of Hong Kong.[102]
Thefootball team of the 1st Battalion was a member of theIrish Football League for the1899–1900 season, while deployed inVictoria Barracks, Belfast.[103][104]
The 2nd Battalion team won several competitions in the 1890s, including the Surrey Cup, Malta Cup, Secunderabad Cup, Harris Cup, and Bombay Rovers Cup.[105]
Whitefacings on 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 infantry regiments was retained until "Lowland" dress was adopted in 1881.[106] For the Royal Scots this included a scarletdoublet, tartantrews and (from 1904) a dark blueKilmarnock bonnet with diced band, scarlettoorie and black-cock feather.[106] This continued as the regimentalfull dress uniform until 1939, although worn only to a limited extent after 1914. TheNo. 1 Dress worn 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.[107]
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