The Royal Regiment of Scotland

Infantry Regiment

Image right - Fair use, Wiki Commons

The purpose of this project is to be a guide to the Royal Regiment of Scotland with links to projects where profiles of those who served in them can be added. Because the history and Ancestry is so complicated the following may change to cover as many historic names etc.

Sub-Projects

Alphabetical list

The Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders 8.1.5.1.

The Black Watch 8.1.3. (prior to 2006)

Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) 8.1.6.4.

The Gordon Highlanders 8.1.4.2.

Highland Light Infantry (City of Glasgow Regiment) 8.1.2.2.

King's Own Scottish Borderers 8.1.6.1c.

Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders 8.1.7.1.1.

The Royal Scots Fusiliers 8.1.2.1.

The Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment) 8.1.6.2.

The Seaforth Highlanders (Ross-shire Buffs, The Duke of Albany's) 8.1.7.1.1.

Go to linked Projects

Except for people who served in the Royal Regiment of Scotland from 28 March 2006

Please add only people who served in the following to this project:

Key: - *** established 2006

Royal Regiment of Scotland***

Including

Royal Scots Borderers, 1st Battalion Royal Regiment*** 1SCOTS

Royal Highland Fusiliers (Princess Margaret's Own Glasgow and Ayrshire Regiment)] 'The RHF' *** 2SCOTS

The Black Watch*** 3SCOTS (Post March 2006) - see also sub-project for prior years)

The Highlanders (Seaforth, Gordons and Camerons)*** 4SCOTS

The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders,*** 5SCOTS (Post March 2006) - see also sub-project for prior years)

52nd Lowland, 6th Battalion the Royal Regiment of Scotland*** 6SCOTS

51st Highland, 7th Battalion the Royal Regiment of Scotland*** 7SCOTS

The Royal Regiment of Scotland (from 28 March 2006), is the senior and only Scottish line infantry regiment of the British Army Infantry. It consists of four regular and two reserve battalions, plus an incremental company, each formerly an individual regiment (with the exception of the first battalion, which is an amalgamation of two regiments). Each battalion maintains its former regimental Pipes & Drums to carry on the traditions of their antecedent regiments.

The regiment consists of a total of seven battalions: one was formed by the amalgamation of the Royal Scots and King's Own Scottish Borderers; the others are each formed from one of the remaining single-battalion regiments of the Scottish Division. It is, with the Rifles, currently the largest infantry regiment in the British Army. Of all of the new regiments formed following the announcement of 16 December 2004, the Royal Regiment of Scotland is the only one where the former regimental titles have been prominently retained with the new numbered battalion designations as subtitles.

8.1 The Royal Regiment of Scotland***

All battalions in the Royal Regiment of Scotland took the name of their former individual regiments. The following is the order of battle:

Regular battalions

• 8.1.1 8.1.1.The Royal Scots Borderers***, 1st Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland - operates in a light infantry role under 38th (Irish) Brigade. Personnel are based at Palace Barracks in Belfast.

The Battalion was formed on 1 August 2006 when it's antecedent Regiments - the Royal Scots Battalion and the King's Own Scottish Borderers - amalgamated as part of the formation of the Royal Regiment of Scotland.

• 8.1.2 8.1.2 The Royal Highland Fusiliers***, 2nd Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland - operates in the light protected mobility role under 51st Infantry Brigade and Headquarters Scotland. Personnel are based at Glencorse Barracks in Edinburgh.

Before 28 March 2006, the Royal Highland Fusiliers*** was an infantry regiment in its own right, created by the amalgamation of the The Royal Scots Fusiliers with the Highland Light Infantry (City of Glasgow Regiment) in January 1959. The regiment was formed on 20 January 1959 by the amalgamation of the Royal Scots Fusiliers with the Highland Light Infantry (City of Glasgow Regiment). The Royal Highland Fusiliers remained an infantry regiment in its own right; the Royal Highland Fusiliers (Princess Margaret's Own Glasgow and Ayrshire Regiment)] was part of the Scottish Division, and abbreviated as 'The RHF'

• 8.1.3 8.1.3. The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland which operates in the light protected mobility role under 51st Infantry Brigade and Headquarters Scotland. Personnel are based at Fort George.
  

Before 28 March 2006, the Black Watch was an infantry regiment – The Black Watch (Royal Highlanders) from 1881 to 1931 and The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) from 1931 to 2006. Part of the Scottish Division, it was the senior regiment of Highlanders.

• 8.1.4 8.1.4. The Highlanders (Seaforth, Gordons and Camerons), 4th Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland which operates in the heavy protected mobility role under 20th Armoured Infantry Brigade. Personnel are based at Catterick Garrison.
  

Before 28 March 2006, the Highlanders was an infantry regiment in its own right; The Highlanders (Seaforth, Gordons and Camerons), part of the Scottish Division. The regiment was the only one in the British Army with a Gaelic motto - Cuidich 'n Righ which means "Help the King" It was formed on 17 September 1994 as part of the Options for Change defence review, by the amalgamation of the Queen's Own Highlanders (Seaforth and Camerons), and The Gordon Highlanders.

• 8.1.5 8.1.5. Balaklava Company, 5th Battalion - (Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders)
  

The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (Princess Louise's) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that existed from 1881 until amalgamation into the Royal Regiment of Scotland in March 2006. The regiment was created under the Childers Reforms in 1881, as the Princess Louise's (Sutherland and Argyll Highlanders), by the amalgamation of the 91st (Argyllshire Highlanders) Regiment of Foot and 93rd (Sutherland Highlanders) Regiment of Foot, amended the following year to reverse the order of the “Argyll” and “Sutherland” sub-titles.The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders was expanded to fifteen battalions during the First World War (1914–1918) and nine during the Second World War (1939–1945). The 1st Battalion served in the 1st Commonwealth Division in the Korean War and gained a high public profile for its role in Aden during 1967.

Reserve battalions

The 51st Highland Volunteers and 52nd Lowland Volunteers were unique in that each of their companies was officially the reserve element of a regular infantry regiment in the Scottish Division.

• 8.1.6 8.1.6. 52nd Lowland***, 6th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland - operates in a light infantry role under 51st Infantry Brigade and Headquarters Scotland. Personnel are based in Glasgow.
  

The 52nd Lowland forms the 6th Battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, also known as 6 SCOTS. Associated with the 1st Regiment of Foot, it is the senior Territorial line infantry battalion in the British Army. The Regiment was originally formed as the 52nd Lowland Volunteers in 1967, as a result of the amalgamation of Territorial Battalions within the infantry Regiments of the Lowland Brigade, the name commemorated the 52nd (Lowland) Division of the Territorial Force, within which many of the Regiment's antecedent Territorial Battalions served during the First and Second World Wars. WIKI 52nd Lowland Regiment

• 8.1.7 8.1.7. 51st Highland, 7th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland - operates in a light infantry role under 51st Infantry Brigade and Headquarters Scotland. Personnel are based in Perth.
  

The 51st Highland *** Volunteers was a regiment, now a battalion, in the British Army's Army Reserve or reserve force in the Scottish Highlands, forming the 7th Battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, also known as 7 SCOTS. It consists of a number of infantry companies located throughout the various regions of the Highlands. Formed in 1967 from the amalgamation of territorial battalions of regiments in the Highland Brigade. In 1999, the regiment was re-organized and became the 51st Highland Regiment. The name commemorated that of the 51st Highland Division, which consisted of the Regiment's antecedent Territorial Battalions, and fought during the First and Second World Wars. WIKI 51st Highland Volunteers

See linked Sub Projects for Full Ancestry and Timelines

1. Lowland Brigade Regiments

Combination in 1958 of -

1.1 The Royal Highland Fusiliers*** in Lowland Bde.

Formed in 1958/9 by amalgamation of

1.1.1. Royal Scots Fusiliers

and

1.1.2. Highland Light Infantry (City of Glasgow Regiment)

1.2. The Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment)

1.3. King's Own Scottish Borderers 1c below

1.4. Cameronian Highlanders Disbanded 1968

1969 - Reorganisation...

... the Territorial Army was disbanded and the Territorial & Army Volunteer Reserve (TAVR) was formed on 1 April 1967. The role of the new TAVR was to provide smaller sub-unit-sized reinforcements for the Regular Army.

The Territorial Battalions within the four regiments of the Lowland Brigade were significantly reduced from full Battalions to Company strength cadres, with three new reserve Battalions raised to incorporate them.

1. Lowland Brigade Regiments

1969 Split into ...

1a. The Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment) see above (sub-project)

1b. The Royal Highland Fusiliers*** (Princess Margaret's own Glasgow & Ayrshire Regiment)

1c. The King's Own Scottish Borderers

1d. The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) - Disbanded 1968

2. Highland Brigade Regiments

Amalgamation of ...

2.1. Queen's Own Highlanders (Seaforth and Cameron) Regiment in Highland Bde.

Formed in 1958/61 by amalgamation of ...

2.1.1. Seaforth Highlanders, (Ross-shire Buffs) (Duke of Albany's)

2.1.2. Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders

2.2. The Gordon Highlanders

2.3. The Black Watch Previous to 2006

2.4. The Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders

1969 - Division

2. Highland Brigade Regiments

Split into ...

2a - Queen's Own Highlanders (Seaforth and Cameron)***

2b - The Gordon Highlanders

These two were amalgamated in 1994 to form ...

2a+2b The Highlanders (Seaforth, Gordons and Camerons)***

2c - The Black Watch

2d - The Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders

References and Further Reading

• Brereton, J M A Guide to the regiments and Corps of the British Army on the Regular Establishment (Bodley Head) 1985
• Griffin, P D Encyclopedia of Modern British Army Regiments (Sutton Publishers) 2006
• Lumley, Goff Amalgamations in the British Army 1660-2008 (Partizan Press 2009)
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Regiment_of_Scotland