| Seaforth Highlanders | |
|---|---|
 Cap badge of the Seaforth Highlanders. | |
| Active | 1881–1961 |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  British Army |
| Type | Line Infantry |
| Part of | Highland Brigade |
| Garrison/HQ | Fort George,Inverness |
| Motto | Cuidich 'n Righ (Aid the King) |
| Battle honours | See below |
| Commanders | |
| Colonel of the Regiment | Edward, Prince of Wales (1920–36) |
| Insignia | |
| Tartan (Mackenzie) | _tartan.png) |
TheSeaforth Highlanders (Ross-shire Buffs, the Duke of Albany's) was aline infantryregiment of theBritish Army, mainly associated with large areas of the northern Highlands ofScotland. The regiment existed from 1881 to 1961, and saw service inWorld War I andWorld War II, along with many smaller conflicts. In 1961 the regiment was amalgamated with theQueen's Own Cameron Highlanders to form theQueen's Own Highlanders (Seaforth and Camerons), which merged, in 1994, with theGordon Highlanders to form theHighlanders (Seaforth, Gordons and Camerons). This later joined theRoyal Scots Borderers, theBlack Watch, theRoyal Highland Fusiliers and theArgyll and Sutherland Highlanders to create the presentRoyal Regiment of Scotland.
The regiment was created in 1881 through the amalgamation of the72nd (Duke of Albany's Own Highlanders) Regiment of Foot and the78th (Highlanders) (Ross-shire Buffs) Regiment of Foot, which became the 1st and 2nd battalions of the new regiment, and was part of theChilders Reforms of the British Army.[1] It was named afterKenneth Mackenzie, 1st Earl of Seaforth, and his cousinFrancis Mackenzie, 1st Baron Seaforth, who originally raised respectively the 72nd[2] and 78th regiments.[3] Originally named "Seaforth Highlanders (Ross-shire Buffs)", on 22 November 1881Queen Victoria approved the regiment's style as "Seaforth Highlanders (Ross-shire Buffs, The Duke of Albany's)".[4]
The 1st battalion saw action at theBattle of Tel el-Kebir in September 1882 during theAnglo-Egyptian War.[5] After returning home, the battalion again went abroad in 1896, taking part in theInternational Occupation of Crete in 1897[6] and thereconquest of the Sudan, being present at theBattle of Atbara in April[7] and theBattle of Omdurman in September 1898.[8] It then moved toCairo,[9] and from late 1902 was posted to India, where it was stationed atNasirabad, Ajmer.[10]
In 1881, the 2nd battalion was stationed in India. It saw service on theNorth West Frontier, taking part in theHazara Expeditions in the summer 1888 and the spring of 1891,[11] and theChitral Expedition in spring 1895.[12] Returning home in 1897, the outbreak of theSecond Boer War saw the 2nd Battalion travel to South Africa in November 1899, suffering heavy losses at theBattle of Magersfontein in December 1899 and at theBattle of Paardeberg in February 1900.[13] They stayed in South Africa throughout the war, which ended in June 1902. 420 officers and men of the battalion returned home on the SSLake Manitoba in February 1903.[14]
The 3rd,Militia battalion (formerly the Highland Rifle Militia), was embodied in late 1899, and embarked in February 1900 for service inEgypt alongside the 1st battalion.[15]
In 1908, theVolunteer Force and Militia were reorganised nationally, with the former becoming theTerritorial Force and the latter theSpecial Reserve;[16] the regiment now had one Reserve and three Territorial battalions.[17][1] In 1909, a former member Clement Mitchell was tried in Bradford for fraud and desertion.[18] Mitchell appeared in court in women's clothing and had been living as a woman after leaving the army.[18]
Commanded byArchibald Ritchie, the 1st Battalion, which had been serving inIndia, landed atMarseille as part of the Dehra Dun Brigade in theMeerut Division in October 1914 for service on theWestern Front.[19] It saw action at theBattle of Aubers Ridge in May 1915.[20] The battalion then moved toMesopotamia in December 1915, where it took part in theSiege of Kut later that month and theFall of Baghdad in March 1917, before moving toPalestine in January 1918.[19]
The 2nd Battalion, which had been stationed atShorncliffe Camp, landed atBoulogne-sur-Mer as part of the10th Brigade in the4th Division in August 1914.[19] It took part in the retreat fromLe Cateau later that month, theBattle of the Marne in September 1914, theBattle of the Aisne also in September 1914 and theBattle of Messines in October 1914.[21] It went on to fight in theSecond Battle of Ypres in April 1915, theBattle of the Somme in Autumn 1916 and theBattle of Arras in April 1917.[21] The battalion also saw action at theBattle of Passchendaele in Autumn 1917, theBattle of the Lys in April 1918, the battles of theHindenburg Line and the final advance in Picardy.[21]
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The 1/4th (Ross Highland) Battalion landed atLe Havre as part of the152nd Brigade in the51st (Highland) Division in November 1914. The 1/5th (Sutherland and Caithness) Battalion and the 1/6th (Morayshire) Battalion both landed in France as part of the 152nd Brigade in the 51st (Highland) Division in May 1915. All three battalions continued to serve on the Western Front until the end of the war.[19]
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The 7th (Service) Battalion landed at Boulogne-sur-Mer as part of the26th Brigade in the9th (Scottish) Division in May 1915.[19] The 8th (Service) Battalion landed at Boulogne-sur-Mer as part of the44th Brigade in the15th (Scottish) Division in July 1915.[19] The 9th (Service) Battalion landed at Boulogne-sur-Mer as part of the pioneer battalion for the9th (Scottish) Division in May 1915. All three battalions continued to serve on the Western Front until the end of the war.[19]
The 1st Garrison Battalion landed inSalonika as part of the228th Brigade in the28th Division in August 1916 for service on theSalonika front.[19]
The 1st Battalion returned from Egypt in 1919,[22] and in 1921 was deployed toCowdenbeath and toBridge of Allan to maintain order during strike action by the miners.[23] It moved to Palestine in 1933 and toHong Kong in 1937.[24] In March 1938, the 1st Battalion was deployed toShanghai.[25] Meanwhile, the 2nd Battalion went to India in 1918 and saw action on theNorth-West Frontier in 1930–31 before moving to Palestine in 1932 and returning to Britain in 1934.[24]
In 1921, the Seaforth's contribution to theTerritorial Army was reorganised to comprise a now amalgamated 4/5 battalion, and the 6th battalion. The increase in the size of the Territorials in 1939 led to an expansion to four Seaforth units – the 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th Territorial battalions.[26]
The 1st Battalion, which was stationed in Shanghai when war broke out, was deployed toMalaya in November 1940, and then to India. It joined the1st Indian Brigade in the23rd Indian Division in May 1942, and served in theBurma Campaign until 1945.[24]
The 2nd Battalion went to France as part of the152nd Brigade in the 51st Highland Division with theBritish Expeditionary Force (BEF) in October 1939 but was captured atSaint-Valery-en-Caux during theBattle of France in June 1940.[24] The 2nd Battalion was reconstituted, as part of the reconstituted 152nd Brigade, 51st (Highland) Infantry Division, and served in the Middle East, fighting in theSecond Battle of El Alamein, and the subsequentTunisia Campaign, and in theAllied invasion of Sicily.[24] In late 1943 the 51st (Highland) Infantry Division returned to the United Kingdom and then took part inOperation Overlord, theAlliedinvasion of Normandy, taking part inOperation Totalize andOperation Astonia, the capture of the French port ofLe Havre.[24] The battalion later participated inOperation Veritable,Operation Plunder and theinvasion of Germany.[27]
The 4th Battalion also went to France as part of the 152nd Brigade in the 51st Highland Infantry Division with the BEF in January 1940 and was captured at Saint-Valery-en-Caux in June 1940.[28]
After home service with the9th (Highland) Infantry Division,[29] in 1940 the 5th Battalion joined the reconstituted 152nd Brigade, 51st Highland Division,[30] and served in the Middle East, in the Allied invasion of Sicily in July 1943, in the Allied invasion of Italy in September 1943 and then in North-West Europe.[31]
The 6th Battalion was a 2nd Line TA unit that was transferred to the17th Infantry Brigade, part of the5th Infantry Division. It served with the division throughout the war in Sicily, Italy, and finally in Northwest Europe.[32]
The 7th Battalion was a 2nd Line TA unit that originally served with the26th Infantry Brigade, part of the 9th (Highland) Infantry Division, and later transferred to the46th (Highland) Infantry Brigade in the15th (Scottish) Infantry Division and deployed to France in June 1944: it saw action inOperation Epsom and then served in North-West Europe.[33]
The 8th and 9th battalions were raised early in the war, and served in a home defence and reserve role. In December 1941, the 8th was redesignated the 30th battalion, Seaforth Highlanders.[34]
After the end of war, the 1st battalion served inJava before moving to Malaya where, from 1948 until 1951, it took part in internal security operations during theMalayan Emergency. The battalion's postings then included Edinburgh (1951–2), Germany (1952–4), Suez Canal Zone, then Aden (1954–5), Gibraltar (1955–7), and Germany (1957–61).[35]
In 1946 the 2nd battalion moved from Germany to England, where in 1948 it was disbanded, its personnel joining the 1st Battalion.[36]
Post-war, the regiment had one Territorial Army (TA) unit – the 11th battalion, Seaforth Highlanders.[37]
The 1st battalions of the Seaforth andQueen's Own Cameron Highlanders were amalgamated on 7 February 1961 atRedford Barracks to form the 1st battalionQueen's Own Highlanders (Seaforth and Camerons).[38] The TA battalions of both regiments amalgamated in 1967 to form the 3rd (Territorial) battalion Queen's Own Highlanders.[39]
These are thebattle honours awarded to the Seaforth Highlanders, together with those of the72nd and78th Highlanders. Those borne on theColours are in bold type.[40]
The following servicemen from the Seaforth Highlanders were awarded theVictoria Cross:[41]
78th Highlanders
72nd Duke of Albany's Own Highlanders
Seaforth Highlanders
Colonels-in-chief of the Regiment were:[1]
Colonels of the Regiment were:[1]
