Royal Regiment of Scotland

The Royal Regiment of Scotland (SCOTS) is the

History

As part of restructuring in the

The regiment was initially formed of six regular and two territorial battalions on 28 March 2006. On 1 August 2006, the Royal Scots Battalion and King's Own Scottish Borderers Battalion were amalgamated into the 1st Battalion, Royal Scots Borderers, leaving the final regular roll of five regular battalions.^[7]

In 2012, as part of the

On 1 December 2021, as part of the Future Soldier programme, the 1st Battalion (Royal Scots Borderers), was disbanded and subsequently reformed as part of the new Ranger Regiment and based in Northern Ireland.^[9]

Organisation

All battalions in the Royal Regiment of Scotland, to preserve regional ties and former regimental identities, took the name of their former individual regiments. The order of battle is as follows:^[10][11]

• Regimental Headquarters Staff
  • Regimental Headquarters, Royal Regiment of Scotland, at Edinburgh Castle^[12][13]
    • 2 SCOTS Home HQ, at
      Penicuik, Midlothian
    • 3 SCOTS Home HQ, at Queen's Barracks, Perth
    • 4 SCOTS Home HQ, at Cameron Barracks, Inverness
    • 5 SCOTS Home HQ, at Forthside Barracks, Stirling
• Regular Battalions/Company
  • 4th Infantry Brigade and Headquarters North East
  • Black Watch, 3rd Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland, at Fort George, Inverness^[14][16] (Light Mechanised Infantry)^[17] – 51st Infantry Brigade and Headquarters Scotland
  • Highlanders, 4th Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland, at Bourlon Barracks, Catterick Garrison^[18][19] (Mechanised Infantry)^[20][21] – 1st Armoured Infantry Brigade
  • Balaklava Company, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders 5th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, at Redford Barracks, Edinburgh^[14][16] (Public duties)^[22] – 51st Infantry Brigade and Headquarters Scotland
• Reserve Battalions
  • 52nd Lowland Volunteers, 6th Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland (AR), at Walcheren Barracks, Glasgow^[14][23] (Light Infantry) — paired with 2 SCOTS^[23] – 4th Infantry Brigade and Headquarters North East
  • 51st Highland Volunteers, 7th Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland (AR), at Queen's Barracks, Perth^[14][16] (Light Infantry) — paired with 3 SCOTS^[24] – 51st Infantry Brigade and Headquarters Scotland

The regiment also currently has three military bands and four pipes and drums:^[25]

• Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, at Dreghorn Barracks, Edinburgh
• Lowland Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland (Reserve) – Part of 6 SCOTS at East Claremont Street drill hall, Edinburgh
• Highland Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland (Reserve) – Part of 7 SCOTS at Queen's Barracks, Perth
• Pipe Bands:
  • Pipes and Drums of the Royal Highland Fusiliers, 2nd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland
  • Pipes and Drums of The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland
  • Pipes and Drums of The Highlanders, 4th Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland
  • Pipes and Drums of 51st Highland, 7th Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland (Reserve)
• At the creation of the Regiment in 2006 there were five additional pipes and drums:
  • Pipes and Drums of 52nd Lowland, 6th Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland (Reserve). Disbanded in 2007.
  • Pipes and Drums of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, 5th Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland. Disbanded in 2013, with the reduction of the 5th Battalion to Balaklava Company.
  • Pipes and Drums of the Royal Scots Borderers, 1st Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland. Disbanded February 2021.^[26]
    • Pipes and Drums of the Royal Scots, disbanded in August 2006 following merger into Royal Scots Borderers
    • Pipes and Drums of the King's Own Scottish Borderers, disbanded in August 2006 following merger into Royal Scots Borderers

The Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland falls within the Royal Corps of Army Music. The reserve bands are administered by the Royal Corps of Army Music, though fall under the command of their respective battalions.

Regimental museum

The Museum of the Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment) and the Royal Regiment of Scotland is located in Edinburgh 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 up to contemporary Army life.^[27]

Colonel-in-chief

The regiment's

• 2nd Battalion: vacant^1
• 3rd Battalion: The King
• 4th Battalion: vacant^2
• 5th Battalion: vacant^1
• 6th Battalion: The Princess Royal
• 7th Battalion: The King

in September 2022.

Prince Philip

's death in April 2021.

Uniform and dress

Cap badge and motto

In August 2005, the new regimental

Nemo Me Impune Lacessit (No One Assails Me With Impunity)—which is the motto of the Order of the Thistle, Scotland's highest order of chivalry, and was also the motto of four of the pre-existing Scottish regiments.^[30]

Dress

The new regiment's various

Dress Uniforms incorporate a number of "golden threads" from the antecedent regiments. Some of the most prominent include:^[31]

• All battalions wear the Lowland pattern Glengarry, this pattern was in fact also common to the Seaforth Highlanders and Gordon Highlanders, as well as the Lowland Royal Highland Fusiliers, Royal Scots and King's Own Scottish Borderers regiments.
• In No. 1 and No. 2 pattern dress, all battalions wear
  Blackcock
  tail feathers attached to the Glengarry in a tradition taken from the Royal Scots and King's Own Scottish Borderers.
• The regimental motto of the Highlanders, Cuidich 'n Righ (Aid the King), has been incorporated into the Royal Scots Thistle pattern collar dogs worn on the No.1 and No.2 pattern doublet or Service Dress jacket.
• The tartan adopted by the new regiment is Government 1A (sometimes known as Sutherland), a version of the Government (Black Watch) tartan worn by the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders.^[32]
• The Pipes and Drums of each battalion preserve the ceremonial dress of the antecedent regiments. Thus 2 SCOTS pipers and drummers wear Government no 11 tartan, Red Erskine, 3 SCOTS drummers wear no 1, Black Watch, and pipers wear Royal Stewart, 4 SCOTS pipers and drummers wear no 4, Cameron of Erracht, and 7 SCOTS pipers wear Royal Stewart (see Government tartans).^[33]
• The kilt is sewn in a box pleat style, as worn by the 2nd Battalion Black Watch, Seaforth Highlanders, Queen's Own Highlanders (Seaforth and Camerons) and the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. The Sporran is in the horsehair style worn by the Seaforth Highlanders and Gordon Highlanders, with a brass Black Watch cantle.
• The Black and Red diced
  Brogues, are in a style worn by the Gordon Highlanders
  , with a point to the rear, as worn by the Black Watch.
• The Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland wears the Feather bonnet with a red over white hackle and scarlet Doublet in Full Dress Uniform.

Hackles

While in PCS combat dress, each battalion wears its own unique coloured

Tam O'Shanter

:

• Members of the Regiment serving in an appointment outside of regimental duty (also formerly the hackle of the former 1st Battalion): Black
• 2nd Battalion: White
• 3rd Battalion: Red
• 4th Battalion: Blue
• 5th Battalion: Green
• 6th Battalion: Black (was Grey)
• 7th Battalion: Black (was Purple)

Mascot

The official mascot is a Shetland pony named Cruachan. He was originally the regimental mascot of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders prior to the amalgamation. The first pony mascot was presented to the Argylls in 1929 by Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll and named after Ben Cruachan, a mountain in the Argylls' namesake lieutenancy, and the war cry of Clan Campbell, of whom the Duke of Argyll was chief. The current mascot is Cruachan IV who was presented in late 2012.^[34]

Order of precedence

Preceded by Welsh Guards

Infantry Order of Precedence

Succeeded by Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment

Alliances

Historic alliances are as follows:

The Royal Highland Fusiliers

•  
  The Royal Highland Fusiliers of Canada
•  New Zealand: The Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment
•  Pakistan: 11th Battalion, The Baloch Regiment
•  South Africa: Chief Maqoma Regiment

The Black Watch

•  
  The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada
•  Canada: 42nd Field Artillery Regiment (Lanark and Renfrew Scottish), RCA
•  
  The Prince Edward Island Regiment (RCAC)
•  Australia: The Royal Queensland Regiment
•  Australia: The Royal New South Wales Regiment
•  South Africa: Solomon Mahlangu Regiment
•  New Zealand: New Zealand Scottish Regiment
•  Royal Navy: HMS Montrose

The Highlanders

•  
  The Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa (Duke of Edinburgh's Own)
•  Canada: The 48th Highlanders of Canada
•  
  The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada
•  
  The Seaforth Highlanders of Canada
•  
  The Toronto Scottish Regiment (Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother's Own)
•  Australia: 7th Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment
•  Australia: 5th/6th Battalion, Royal Victoria Regiment (formerly 5th Battalion, The Victorian Scottish Regiment)
•  Australia: The Royal South Australia Regiment
•  Australia: 16th Battalion, The Royal Western Australia Regiment (formerly 16th Battalion, The Cameron Highlanders of Western Australia)
•  New Zealand: The Otago and Southland Regiment
•  New Zealand: The Wellington (City of Wellington's Own) and Hawke's Bay Regiment
•  
  Gonnema Regiment
•  Royal Navy: HMS Sutherland
•  Royal Navy: HMS Victorious

The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders

•  
  Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada
  (Princess Louise's)
•  
  The Calgary Highlanders
•  Australia: The Royal Queensland Regiment
•  Australia: The Royal New South Wales Regiment
•  Pakistan: 1st Battalion (Scinde), The Frontier Force Regiment
•  Royal Navy: HMS Argyll

Lineage

1880[35]	1881 Childers Reforms[35]	1921 Name changes	1957 Defence White Paper	1966 Defence White Paper	1990 Options for Change	2003 Delivering Security in a Changing World
1st (The Royal Scots) Regiment of Foot	The Royal Scots (Lothian Regiment)	The Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment)				The Royal Regiment of Scotland
25th (King's Own Borderers) Regiment of Foot	The King's Own Scottish Borderers
21st (Royal Scots Fusiliers) Regiment of Foot	The Royal Scots Fusiliers		The Royal Highland Fusiliers (Princess Margaret's Own Glasgow and Ayrshire Regiment)
71st (Highland) (Light Infantry) Regiment of Foot	The Highland Light Infantry (City of Glasgow Regiment)
74th (Highlanders) Regiment of Foot
42nd (Royal Highland, The Black Watch) Regiment of Foot	The Black Watch (Royal Highlanders)
73rd (Perthshire) Regiment of Foot
72nd (Duke of Albany's Own Highlanders) Regiment of Foot	Seaforth Highlanders (Ross–shire Buffs, The Duke of Albany's)[36]		The Queen's Own Highlanders (Seaforth and Camerons)		The Highlanders (Seaforth, Gordons and Camerons)
78th (Highlanders) (Ross-shire Buffs) Regiment of Foot
79th (Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders) Regiment of Foot	The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders
75th (Stirlingshire) Regiment of Foot	The Gordon Highlanders
92nd (Gordon Highlanders) Regiment of Foot
91st (Princess Louise's Argyllshire Highlanders) Regiment of Foot	Princess Louise's (Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders)[37]	The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (Princess Louise's)
93rd (Sutherland Highlanders) Regiment of Foot

See also

• Armed forces in Scotland
• Military history of Scotland

• Units of the British Army and the 2004 restructuring
• Scots Guards
• Royal Scots Dragoon Guards

References

1. ^ "Delivering Security in a Changing World" (PDF). Ministry of Defence. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 October 2012. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
2. ISBN 978-1870498012
   .
3. ^ "A jump into history | National Museums Scotland Blog". blog.nms.ac.uk. 4 April 2011. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
4. ^ "Shinty in the Armed Forces". Shinty. 20 March 2014. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
5. ^ "Outrage at plans to disband three Scots infantry regiments Axe hangs over the Royal Scots, Black Watch and King's Own Scottish Borderers". Herald Scotland. 24 November 2003. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
6. ^ ^{a b} "Why the Royal Scots can no longer hold the line". The Daily Telegraph. 10 October 2004. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
7. ^ "Royal Regiment of Scotland". British Army units 1945 on. Retrieved 25 May 2014.
8. ^ "Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders downgraded in MoD cuts plan". BBC News. 5 July 2012. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
9. ^ "Goodbye to the Royal Scots Borderers". UK Defence Journal. 10 December 2021. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
10. ^ "Transforming the British Army: An update" (PDF). Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
11. ^ "2020 Structure" (PDF).
12. ^ "Information regarding the location of the Regimental Headquarters for the British Army's Infantry Branch" (PDF). What do they know. 30 October 2020. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
13. ^ "House of Commons Hansard Ministerial Statements for 10 May 2006 (pt 0001)". publications.parliament.uk. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
14. ^ ^{a b c d e} "Army, Question for Ministry of Defence — current Order of Battle by manpower and basing locations for the corps". United Kingdom Parliament — Written questions, answers, and statements. 22 November 2018. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
15. ^ ^{a b} "Royal Regiment of Scotland". www.army.mod.uk. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
16. ^ ^{a b c} "Written Question for the Ministry of Defence regarding Army basing and personnel". Parliamentary Replies. 22 November 2018. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
17. ^ Ministry, of Defence (July 2013). "Transforming the British Army an Update" (PDF). Parliamentary Publishments. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
18. ^ The Red Hackle November 2012 Archived May 7, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
19. ^ "Yesterday, soldiers from 4th Battalion @The_SCOTS spoke with Defence Secretary @BWallaceMP on his visit to Catterick Garrison". British Army — Twitter. 20 February 2021. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
20. ^ Fallon, Michael (15 December 2016). "Strategic Defence and Security Review – Army: Written statement – HCWS367". Hansard. Retrieved 16 December 2016.
21. ^ Hannah King, 4 SCOTS Return to Work in Catterick after Afghanistan Deployment 3 December 2020. Forces News. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
22. ^ Tom Sables (20 October 2020). "Is Your Military Base Closing? Read The Full List Of Sites Shutting". Forces Network. Archived from the original on 5 August 2021. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
23. ^ ^{a b} Ministry, of Defence (July 2013). "Transforming the British Army an Update" (PDF). Parliamentary Publishments. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
24. ^ Ministry, of Defence (July 2013). "Transforming the British Army an Update" (PDF). Parliamentary Publishments. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
25. ^ "Royal Corps of Army Music". www.army.mod.uk. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
26. ^ Thornton, Lance. "PIPES AND DRUMS 1 SCOTS – The King's Own Scottish Borderers". Retrieved 13 April 2021.
27. ^ "Museum of the Royal Scots and the Royal Regiment of Scotland". The Royal Scots. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
28. ^ "Queen presents new colours to Royal Regiment of Scotland". The Daily Telegraph. 2 July 2011. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
29. ^ ^{a b} "Further Military Appointments for Members of the Royal Family". The Royal Family. 11 August 2023. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
30. ^ "New Cap Badge for Royal Regiment of Scotland". British Armed Forces. 17 August 2005. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
31. ^ "Royal Regiment of Scotland Dress Regulations" (PDF). Royal Regiment of Scotland. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
32. ^ "The Royal Regiment of Scotland 2006". Scottish Military Articles. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
33. ^ "The Royal Regiment of Scotland DRess Regulations Part 2" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 April 2021. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
34. ^ "Our Mascot". The Royal Regiment of Scotland. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
35. ^ ^{a b} The London Gazette, Page 3300-3301 (1 July 1881). "Childers Reform". No. 24992. Government of the United Kingdom. Retrieved 27 October 2016.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
36. ^ The London Gazette, Page 5713 (22 November 1881). "War Office Memorandum". No. 25040. Government of the United Kingdom. Retrieved 27 October 2016.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
37. ^ The London Gazette, Page 2590 (2 June 1882). "War Office, Pall Mall". No. 25114. Government of the United Kingdom. Retrieved 27 October 2016.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Royal Regiment of Scotland.

• Official website
• MoD press release; Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon announces the regimental changes
• Defence News: Royal Regiment of Scotland officially formed
• The Royal Regiment of Scotland and its Predecessors