| Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers and Greys) | |
|---|---|
 Cap badge of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards | |
| Active | 2 July 1971 – present |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Branch | British Army |
| Type | Dragoon Guards |
| Role | Light cavalry |
| Size | One regiment |
| Part of | Royal Armoured Corps |
| Garrison/HQ | Home HQ –Edinburgh Castle Regiment –Waterloo Lines, Leuchars Station[1][2][3] |
| Mottos | Nemo me impune lacessit (No one provokes me with impunity) Ich Dien (I Serve) Second to None |
| March | Quick (band) –The 3DGs; (pipes & drums) –Hielan' Laddie Slow (band) –The Garb of Old Gaul; (pipes & drums) –My Home |
| Mascot | Drum Horse (Talavera) |
| Anniversaries | 13 April (Nunshigum) 18 June (Waterloo) 25 October (Balaklava) |
| Website | www ,https://www.scotsdg.org.uk |
| Commanders | |
| Colonel-in-Chief | King Charles III |
| Deputy Colonel-in-Chief | Prince Edward, Duke of Kent |
| Colonel of the Regiment | Brigadier Ben Edwards |
| Regimental Sergeant Major | WO1 Cha Lang |
| Insignia | |
| Tactical Recognition Flash |  |
| Arm Badge | Prince of Wales's feathers from 3rd Dragoon Guards (Prince of Wales's) |
| Tartan | Royal Stewart (Pipers kilts and plaids) |
| Abbreviation | SCOTS DG |
TheRoyal Scots Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers and Greys) is a lightcavalry regiment of theBritish Army, and the seniorScottish regiment. The regiment, through the Royal Scots Greys, is the oldest survivingCavalry Regiment of the Line in the British Army. The regiment is based at Waterloo Lines,Leuchars Station, and forms part of the7th Light Mechanised Brigade Combat Team.
The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards were formed on 2 July 1971 atHolyrood, Edinburgh, by the amalgamation of the3rd Carabiniers (Prince of Wales's Dragoon Guards) (themselves the product of the amalgamation in 1922 of3rd Dragoon Guards (Prince of Wales's) and6th Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers), andThe Royal Scots Greys (2nd Dragoons).[4]
Soon after, the regiment deployed on four tours ofNorthern Ireland in 1972, 1974, 1976 and 1980, suffering one fatality in 1972, when Trooper Ian Hunter Caie was killed by a bomb in a beer barrel that exploded in the path of hisFerret scout car in Moybane, near CrossmaglenCounty Armagh.[5]
The regiment saw active service during theGulf War in 1991 deploying 57Challenger tanks[6] and inBosnia as part ofSFOR in 1996–97.[7] In 1998, it became the first regiment in the British Army to operate theChallenger 2main battle tank.[8] It deployed toKosovo, as part ofKFOR, in 2000.[9]
The regiment deployed to Iraq forOperation Telic, the British element of the2003 invasion of Iraq. The bulk of the regiment deployed as part of the Scots Dragoon Guards Battle Group with a single squadron (A Squadron) detached to the First Battalion The Black Watch Battle Group. All deployed elements of the regiment took part in the advance on Iraq's second largest city,Basra. Prior to reaching Basra, A Squadron fought in and around Az Zubayr and C Squadron was detached from the SCOTS DG BG to fight with3 Commando Brigade in actions south of Basra that included Britain's largest tank engagement since theGulf War, when 14 Challenger 2 tanks engaged and destroyed 14 Iraqi tanks (the so-called '14–0' engagement).[10]
The regiment saw more deployments to Iraq in 2006 and 2008, where it suffered two casualties, Lieutenant Richard Palmer[11] and Corporal Gordon Pritchard.[12][13] In 2008, 2011 and 2013/14 the regiment deployed to Afghanistan.[14] Thepipes and drums distinguished themselves, winning the award forAlbum of the Year at the 2009Classical Brits forSpirit of the Glen: Journey, recorded on active service.[15]
In November 2013, the unit was converted to a light cavalry unit, armed withJackal vehicles.[16] Under the Army 2020 plan, it was re-roled as a light cavalry unit, and moved toLeuchars Station in summer 2015.[17] On 29 September 2015, Queen Elizabeth II visited Leuchars, where she named the north part of the camp 'Waterloo Lines' in celebration of 200 years since theBattle of Waterloo.[1][2][3]
The Regiment deployed toCyprus with theUnited Nations onOperation TOSCA 27, where they conducted peace-keeping for six months from September 2017.[18]
The Regiment deployed to Poland in 2019 and 2020 on Operation CABRIT as part of theNATO Enhanced Forward Presence Poland Battlegroup on two separate six month deployments with the A Squadron lead contingent named "Dragoon Troop" and the C Squadron lead Contingent named "Balaklava Troop".[19]
Throughout theCOVID-19 pandemic, the unit deployed onOperation RESCRIPT where they assisted the NHS and local authorities across the UK.[20]
In 2022, the unit resubordinated to7th Light Mechanised Brigade Combat Team as part ofFuture Soldier and deployed toMali onOperation Newcombe.[21]
The regiment converted to the role oflight cavalry as part of restructuring in the army underArmy 2020. It is equipped withJackal armoured fighting vehicles.[16] The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards is paired with theScottish and North Irish Yeomanry, anArmy Reserve light cavalry regiment.[22]
The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards is broken into the following structure:[23]
In common with other cavalry regiments of the British Army, all soldiers with the rank ofOR-2 are called 'Troopers'.
TheRoyal Scots Dragoon Guards Museum is situated atEdinburgh Castle. Opened in 2006, the exhibits include uniforms, medals, weapons, regalia, music and theFrench Imperial Eagle that was captured by SergeantCharles Ewart of the Royal Scots Greys from the French45th Régiment d'Infanterie de Ligne at the Battle of Waterloo.[24]
The regiment's official abbreviation (as listed in Joint Service Publication 101 (Service Writing)) isSCOTS DG, the format of which follows the traditional Cavalry line.[25]
_2nd_Lt._Edward_Mitchell%2c_2nd_Lt._Alex_Stewart_and_Major_i.G.Christoph_Kahnert.jpg)
Thecap badge features an eagle, which represents the French Imperial Eagle that was captured by Sergeant Charles Ewart of the Royal Scots Greys from the French 45th Regiment of Foot at the Battle of Waterloo.[26] It is always worn with a black backing in mourning forTsar Nicholas II, the last Tsar ofRussia, who was theirColonel-in-Chief at the time of his execution. The cap badge also has the crossed carbines of the3rd Carabiniers at the rear of the eagle.[27]
The Plume of The Prince of Wales with its mottoIch Dien is worn by all members of the Regiment embroidered on the upper part of the left sleeve. The right to wear this badge was granted to the 3rd Dragoon Guards in 1765; it subsequently became the regiment's cap badge and later, with the crossed carabines, formed the badge of the3rd Carabiniers (Prince of Wales's).[28]
The distinctive yellow zigzag (or "vandyke") cap band was inherited from the Royal Scots Greys, who had worn it since the mid-19th century.[29]
As a royal regiment, the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards is permitted to wear theRoyal Stewart tartan, which was a privilege granted by King George VI, and is worn by the regiment's pipers.[30]
%2c_Regimental_Museum%2c_Edinburgh_Castle%2c_Scotland%2c_U.jpg)
The Loyal Toast is drunk at formal dinners in the Mess and is always taken seated, except when Royalty is present. On evenings when a military band is present, besides playingGod Save the King the band also plays "God Bless the Prince of Wales", an old 3rd Dragoon Guards custom, and the "Imperial Russian Anthem" in memory of TsarNicholas II, the Colonel-in-Chief of the Scots Greys, murdered with his family during theRussian Civil War (1918).[31]
| External videos | |
|---|---|
 "Amazing Grace" performed by the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards onYouTube |
The regiment has its ownpipe band, who were first formed in 1946 and tour widely, performing in competitions, concerts and parades. It was the first official organized pipes and drums in the history of the regiment.[32] Their most famous piece is "Amazing Grace", which reachednumber one in the charts in theUnited Kingdom,Ireland,Australia,New Zealand,Canada,[33] andSouth Africa in 1972. The track sold over seven million copies by mid 1977, and was awarded agold disc.[34] The track was also featured in the 1978 version ofInvasion of the Body Snatchers.[35] InCanada, the originating LP,Farewell To The Greys, was number nine for four weeks, beginning 24 June 1972.[36]
The band released a new CD in late November 2007 throughUniversal Music, featuring a number of classic pipe tunes along with some modern arrangements, which was recorded while the regiment was based in Iraq. The albumSpirit of the Glen was produced by Jon Cohen and released by Universal on 26 November 2007. It was a remake of their most popular song "Amazing Grace" and featured the Czech Film Orchestra.Spirit of the Glen was officially launched atEdinburgh Castle[37] and wonAlbum of the Year at the 2009Classical Brits.[15][38] They have also made regular appearances at theRoyal Edinburgh Military Tattoo over the years.[39][40]
The bass drummer parades with a distinctive white bearskin cap with red plume. Adopted in 1887 for the jubilee of Queen Victoria, it was originally worn by the mounted kettle drummer of the band. At some point, the cap passed to the pipes and drums of the regiment. Folklore has it that the white bearskin was presented to the regiment by Tsar Nicholas II, the Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Scots Greys, however this is incorrect according to the regimental history. Additionally, pictures exist of this cap in use by the regimental kettle drummer prior to 1894 when Tsar Nicholas II was crowned.[41][42][43]
Following the formation of the new regiment, the regimental bands of the 3rd Dragoon Guards and The Royal Scots Greys merged to form theBand of The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards. The band deployed with the regiment on all operations, including during theGulf War. Following significant reductions to the army in 1994, the band amalgamated with the Band of the Queen's Dragoon Guards and Band of the Royal Dragoon Guards to form the new, smaller, Band of the Dragoon Guards. The percussion section of the new band, as an ode to The Royal Scots Greys, worebearskins with a large crimson plume extending over the crest of the cap[44] and black pants lined with yellow stripes. This was a direct copy of The Royal Scots Greys band's old uniforms. In addition, the Drum Major's uniform consisted of a black bearskin with large crimson plume over the crest of the cap[44] and yellow pants, with the tunic of the Royal Dragoon Guards.[45][46][47][44]
In 2006, this band amalgamated with the Cambrai Band of the Royal Tank Regiment to form theHeavy Cavalry and Cambrai Band, maintaining the percussion uniforms of the old band. Following the formation of theBand of the Royal Armoured Corps, the bearskin cap was lost, but the black and yellow pants were carried over.[45][46]
The commanding officers have been:[48]
| Preceded by | Cavalry Order of Precedence | Succeeded by |
Australia –12th/16th Hunter River Lancers
Canada –The Windsor Regiment (RCAC)
South Africa –Ingobamakhosi Carbineers[49]
New Zealand – TheNew Zealand Scottish Regiment (disbanded in 2016)[50]The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (Carabiners and Greys) inherited all of its antecedent regiments' battle honours when it was formed in 1971. These consist of:
3rd Dragoon Guards (Prince of Wales's)[51]
Carabiniers (6th Dragoon Guards)[52]
3rd Carabiniers (Prince of Wales's Dragoon Guards)[53][a]
Royal Scots Greys (2nd Dragoons)[54]
Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers and Greys)
Colonels of the Regiment have been:[60]
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