Royal Regiment of Scotland

The Royal Regiment of Scotland is the senior and only Scottish line infantry regiment of the British Army Infantry. It consists of three regular (formerly five) and two reserve battalions, plus an incremental company, each formerly an individual regiment (with the exception of the former first battalion (now disbanded and reformed into the 1st Bn Rangers based in Northern Ireland), which is an amalgamation of two regiments). However, three regular battalions maintain their former regimental pipes and drums to carry on the traditions of their antecedent regiments.

Not to be confused with Scots Guards and Royal Scots Dragoon Guards.

Royal Regiment of Scotland
Cap badge
Active28 March 2006 – present
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
BranchBritish Army
TypeInfantry
Role
2nd Battalion: Light Infantry
3rd Battalion: Light Mechanised Infantry
4th Battalion: Strike Mechanised Infantry
Balaklava Coy: Public duties
6th Battalion: Army Reserve
7th Battalion: Army Reserve
SizeFive battalions
One reinforced company
Part ofScottish, Welsh and Irish Division
Garrison/HQ
RHQ: Edinburgh Castle
2nd Battalion: Edinburgh
3rd Battalion: Fort George
4th Battalion Catterick
Balaklava Company: Edinburgh
6th Battalion: Glasgow
7th Battalion: Perth
Nickname(s)"Scots"
"The Jocks"
Motto(s)"Nemo Me Impune Lacessit"
(Latin)
"No One Provokes Me With Impunity"
MarchQuick: Scotland the Brave
Slow: Royal Regiment of Scotland Slow March
Mascot(s)Cruachan IV (Shetland pony)
EngagementsOperation Telic
Operation Herrick
Websitewww.army.mod.uk/who-we-are/corps-regiments-and-units/infantry/royal-regiment-of-scotland/
Commanders
Colonel-in-ChiefThe King
Colonel of
the Regiment		Lieutenant-General Nick Borton
Insignia
TartanGovernment 1A
HackleBlackcock Feathers
From the Royal Scots and King's Own Scottish Borderers
AbbreviationSCOTS
Regimental flag of the SCOTS

History

As part of restructuring in the British Army, the Royal Regiment of Scotland's creation was announced by the Secretary of State for Defence, Geoff Hoon in the House of Commons on 16 December 2004, after the merger of several regiments and the reduction in total regular infantry battalions from 40 to 36 was outlined in the defence white paper, Delivering Security in a Changing World, several months earlier.[1]

The regiment consisted originally of a total of seven battalions: one of these was formed by the amalgamation of the Royal Scots and King's Own Scottish Borderers, while the others are each formed from one of the remaining single-battalion regiments of the Scottish Division. 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. There is however a common regimental cap badge, tactical recognition flash (TRF), tartan, stable belt and Glengarry headdress but distinctively coloured hackles are also worn by each separate battalion on the Tam o' Shanter headdress to maintain their individual identity and the pipes and drums of each battalion continue to wear the ceremonial uniforms and tartans of their former regiments.[2]

Along with the Rifles, the Royal Regiment of Scotland is also one of only two line infantry regiments to maintain its own regular military band within the Royal Corps of Army Music, which was formed through the amalgamation of the Highland band and Lowland band of the Scottish Division. In addition, there are two Territorial bands, the Highland Band and the Lowland Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, which are administered by the regiment's two Territorial battalions. The regiment also has previously had its own Parachute Display Team, the Golden Lions (disbanded in 2011)[3] and shinty team, the Scots Shinty Club.[4]

In 1948, every regiment of line infantry was reduced to a single battalion. The subsequent process of reducing the overall number of infantry regiments in the Army through disbandment or amalgamation of the traditional county regiments that were formalised in the Childers Reforms of 1881 to form larger multi-battalion regiments, has continued to affect most of the British Army Infantry since the 1957 Defence White Paper outlined the first mergers. The creation of the Royal Regiment of Scotland encountered considerable opposition amongst former soldiers, and nationalist groups.[5]

The new regiment is also primarily a kilted one and there are concerns that the much older Lowland units, which traditionally wore trews, will be effectively absorbed into a Highland tradition. However, the Ministry of Defence's case that change was necessary to enhance operational efficiency through economies of scale, improve and create more flexible conditions of service and to resolve chronic recruiting and retention problems amongst the eight single-battalion Scottish regiments was endorsed by the then Chief of the General Staff, Sir Mike Jackson. Jackson delegated the decision on how the reduction of battalions would be achieved to the Council of Scottish Colonels. The Council recommended that the Royal Scots should be amalgamated with the King's Own Scottish Borderers reflecting the former regiment's long term poor recruiting record and high reliance on Commonwealth recruits.[6]

The status of the Black Watch was particularly controversial. When the confirmed plan to amalgamate the regiments was announced, 1st Battalion The Black Watch was deployed away from Basra at Camp Dogwood in a relatively dangerous region of Iraq. Hoon was accused by the SNP of "stabbing the soldiers in the back" and being motivated purely by political and administrative concerns, with little regard to the effect on morale. This controversy was further exacerbated in the minds of some by the fact that the Colonel of the Black Watch, Lieutenant-General Alistair Irwin, was a member of the Army Board at the time that the options to change the size and structure of the infantry by forming large regiments, including to amalgamate regiments of the Scottish Division into a single regiment, were being considered in the Ministry of Defence and final decisions taken.[6]

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 Army 2020 programme, it was announced that the 5th Battalion, while not losing its name, connection and history as the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, would be reduced to the status of an incremental company, similar to the three companies in the Guards Division, and be transferred to become a permanent public duties unit in Scotland.[8]

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
Traditional recruiting districts of the five active regular battalions, a system originally introduced by the Cardwell Reforms in 1871

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]

The Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland at Edinburgh Castle

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 colonel-in-chief was Queen Elizabeth II, who was replaced by King Charles III.[28][29] The Princess Royal is the regiment's deputy colonel-in-chief.[29] The colonels-in-chief of the constituent regiments making up the new regiment have become the Royal Colonels of their representative battalions:

  • 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

^1 The position is vacant following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022.

^2 The position is now vacant since Prince Philip's death in April 2021.

Uniform and dress
A Sentry of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, in No. 1 Dress, posted on the Esplanade at the entrance to Edinburgh Castle
Drum major from the Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland inside Edinburgh Castle
Musician from the Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland in Full Dress uniform in Kuala Lumpur

Cap badge and motto

In August 2005, the new regimental cap badge was unveiled at the Edinburgh Military Tattoo. The design was the result of a collaborative effort, led by Brigadier Andrew Mackay, along with other serving and retired officers and Regimental Sergeant Majors, with advice from the Lord Lyon King of Arms. The new cap badge incorporates the Saltire of St Andrew and the Lion Rampant of the Royal Standard of Scotland, which are two prominent national symbols. The cap badge is surmounted by a crown, in this case the Crown of Scotland. The regiment's motto is 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]

Hackles

While in PCS combat dress, each battalion wears its own unique coloured hackle on the 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]

Alliances

Historic alliances are as follows:

The Royal Highland Fusiliers
The Black Watch
The Highlanders
The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders

Lineage
1880[35]1881 Childers Reforms[35]1921 Name changes1957 Defence White Paper1966 Defence White Paper1990 Options for Change2003 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 Borderers
renamed in 1887:
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
renamed in 1923:
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)
renamed on 22 November 1881:
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 (Sutherland and Argyll Highlanders)
renamed on 2 June 1882:
Princess Louise's (Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders)[37]		 The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (Princess Louise's)
93rd (Sutherland Highlanders) Regiment of Foot

See also

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. Chappell, Mike (1987). The British Soldier in the 20th Century Part 2, Field Service Head Dress 1902 to the present day. Wessex Publishing. 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. "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. "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. "Royal Regiment of Scotland". www.army.mod.uk. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  16. "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. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  23. 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. "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).
  34. "Our Mascot". The Royal Regiment of Scotland. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  35. The London Gazette, Page 3300-3301 (1 July 1881). "Childers Reform". No. 24992. Government of the United Kingdom. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
  36. The London Gazette, Page 5713 (22 November 1881). "War Office Memorandum". No. 25040. Government of the United Kingdom. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
  37. The London Gazette, Page 2590 (2 June 1882). "War Office, Pall Mall". No. 25114. Government of the United Kingdom. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
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