History of the London Scottish Regiment

 

1859 - 1899

The Highland Armed Association of London and The Loyal North Britons had been raised in 1793 and 1803 as part of the country's Volunteer Forces ready to repel Napoleon's threatened invasion of England. These formations were later disbanded and it was not until after the Crimean War that the country's security seemed again to be in danger.

So, in 1859, sponsored by The Highland Society of London and The Caledonian Society of London, a group of individual Scots raised The London Scottish Rifle Volunteers under the command of Lt Col Lord Elcho, later The Earl of Wemyss and March. He decided to clothe the Regiment in Hodden Grey, the homespun cloth known throughout Scotland. 

This avoided all interclan feeling on the subject of tartan and, as Lord Elcho said "A soldier is a man hunter. As a deer stalker chooses the least visible of colours, so ought a soldier to be clad." The only regiments wearing Hodden Grey are The London Scottish and The Toronto Scottish. The first Honorary Colonel of the Regiment was Field Marshall Lord Clyde (Sir Colin Campbell). Lord Elcho commanded the Regiment for 19 years and then became Honorary Colonel from 1878 to 1900.

 

 

1900 - 1902

During the South African War the Regiment supplied contingents of volunteers who served with The Gordon Highlanders, The City Imperial Volunteers and others. The battle honour "SOUTH AFRICA 1900 - 1902" is carried on the Regimental Colour and on all London Scottish badges.

These contingents took part in the engagements at Houtnek Poort, Doornkop and the Battle of Diamond Hill and were present as part of the column of 2/Gordons at Lydenburg. The links formed with The Gordon Highlanders in South Africa survive to this day.

 

1903 - 1913

In 1908, the Volunteer Force ceased to exist as such, and became the Territorial Force. The 7th Middlesex (London Scottish) Volunteer Rifles Corps changed its title to The 14th (County of London) Battalion, The London Regiment (London Scottish). Colours were presented to the Regiment by King Edward VII in 1909.

 

1914 - 1919

Battle of Messines 1914The 1st Battalion was mobilised at once and, at Messines on Hallowe'en 31st October, 1914, was the first Territorial infantry battalion in action against the Germans. The Battalion continued to serve in France and Flanders throughout the war and took part in all the major offensives including the last advance through Belgium to become part of the Army of Occupation on the Rhine at Cologne.

The 2nd Battalion, raised at the outbreak of war, went overseas in June, 1916, and served in France, the Balkans and Palestine, where it took part in the Capture of Jerusalem, and later returned to France. The 3rd Battalion was raised in 1914 as a Reserve Bn and supplied drafts to the two battalions overseas.

Two VCs and 19 DSOs were awarded to members of the Regiment and the total fatal casualties amounted to 1542. There are Three War Memorials in the Drill Hall, The South African Memorial shows all who served there and the other two list all who died in the two World Wars. It is the Regimental Custom to stand to attention for a moment, facing the 1914 - 1918 Memorial, when entering and leaving the building as a gesture of respect to those who died in the three wars.

 

1920 - 1939

Rifle inspection - Worthing Camp 1935In 1920 the 1st Battalion was raised again on a peacetime basis and, besides taking part in all the usual Territorial Army military and sporting activities, was represented at many ceremonial functions. Field Marshall Earl Haig was Honorary Colonel from 1919 to 1928 and was succeeded in 1935 by HRH The Duchess of York, now HM Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother.

In 1924 the Regimental War Memorial at Messines was unveiled by His Majesty Albert King of the Belgians. It stands beside the road on the ridge just north of the town where the London Scottish took its place in the front line on Hallowe'en 1914.

In 1936 the Regiment appeared in the Army List as a Territorial Battalion of the Gordon Highlanders. After Munich, in September, 1938, a 2nd Battalion was recruited to peacetime establishment within 17 days, the first battalion of all the duplicated Territorial units to achieve this. In recognition of this distinction the Regiment was priviledged to provide the Sovereign's Guard of Honour at the Royal Review in Hyde Park in June, 1939. Permission was granted to raise a 3rd Battalion from those on the waiting list for the 2nd Battalion provided it was a Heavy Anti-Aircraft unit, and accordingly 97th HAA Regiment RA, TA (The London Scottish) was formed. A National Defence Company 100 strong was also formed from Old Comrades of the Regiment.

 

1939 - 1945

For the first two years of the war all three battalions were engaged in training and defence duties, the most satisfying service falling to the 3rd Bn which was in action throughout the Battle of Britain and subsequently air offensives as part of the AA defences of London.

The 1st Bn went overseas in August, 1942, as part of 56th (London) Division and joined the Persia and Iraq Force in the area of Kirkuk. The Battalion, as part of 168 Brigade, joined the 50th (Northumbrian) Division for the invasion of Sicily and remained with them throughout this campaign. After the invasion of Italy, they rejoined 56th Division and served with them in both the 5th (American) and 8th Armies during the Italian campaign. They fought in all the major battles from the River Volturno to the crossing of the River Garigliano, the Anzio Bridgehead, the breaking of the Gothic Line and the subsequent fighting on the banks of the River Po. After crossing the Po, they formed part of the force which chased the remnants of the German army to Trieste where the Battalion became part of the Army of Occupation.

The 2nd Bn, after many disappointments, was denied active service as a unit although most of the personnel who served in it were drafted to the 1st Bn or to other units, often in the 51st Highland Division. In 1944, after D Day, it was organised as a reserve battalion in the 48th Reserve Division stationed at Thornhill in Dumfriesshire until the end of the war.

The 3rd Bn was converted from static to mobile HAA and left for Egypt in December, 1942. It subsequently fought through the Sicilian and Italian campaigns often being employed in a ground role instead of AA. It took part in the actions at Cassion, Poggibonsi, Arezzo and San Archangelo where 298 Battery was in direct support of the 1st Bn.

The NDC, although reorganised as No 1 (London Scottish) Company, 10th Bn, The Middlesex Regiment, stoutly maintained its individuality and wore Balmoral bonnets with London Scottish badges and flashes. It carried out various guard duties at vulnerable points around London.

One VC and three DSOs were awarded to members of the Regiment and the total fatal casualties amounted to 350 killed in one battalion alone. A large number of London Scots went on to take commissions in other Regiments, just as they had in World War 1.

 

1946 - 1967

By 1947 most units of the Regiment had gone into suspended animation but many officers and men were still serving at home and overseas and some sub-units such as guard companies were still holding together and wearing Regimental uniform. After several postponements authority was given to start recruitment for a new 1st Bn on a peacetime basis on 1st May 1947.

The reformed battalion consisted initially of an HQ Company, a Rifle Company and a Support Company and later, with a normal infantry battalion establishment, performed the role of a Territorial battalion, firstly in 44th (Home Counties) Division, and later in 56th (London) Division. This continued until 1967 when the Territorial Army was reorganised.

In the Regiment's Centenary year 1959, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother had presented new Colours to the Regiment at the Duke of York's HQ and the old Colours were laid up at St. Columbas Pont Street.

 

1967 - 1971

The new Reserve Army was renamed the Territorial and Army Volunteer Reserve and comprised of four elements: 

  • TAVR 1, 
  • TAVR 2, 
  • TAVR 3 and 
  • TAVR 4 

in descending order of commitment.

The London Scottish was split into two elements -  

TAVR 2 - G The London Scottish Company, 51st Highland Volunteers

The Highland Volunteers was created as a result of the reorganisation, which reduced most major units in the TA to minor unit status. Every Highland Regiment was represented by the Companies in the Highland Volunteers and The Lowland Volunteers was formed in the same way. The first Camp was at Sennybridge in July 1967. The London Scottish provided a Rifle Company and the Anti-Tank Platoon, with the addition of further Companies the unit became unwieldy and was eventually subdivided.

TAVR 3 - RHQ & C (London Scottish) Company, The London Yeomanry & Territorials

This unit had one camp at Bisley in 1967. In 1969 there was another reorganisation, the TAVR 3 Unit being reduced to a Cadre of three Officers and five ORs.

 

1971 - 1992

The beginning of the end for "G" CompanyIn 1971 "G" Coy became "G" (London Scottish) Coy, 1st Bn 51st Highland Volunteers when that unit formed a 2nd Battalion. A 3rd Bn was formed later. The 1st Bn HQ was in Perth and the rest of the Bn consisted of A & K Black Watch Companies and V (Liverpool Scottish) Company. Regimental Cadres were discontinued in April 1975, and, in 1979, the Volunteers were renamed the Territorial Army.

The London Scottish also provided personnel for HQ Company and other sub units of the Bn e.g. Recce Pln, Anti-tank Pln and the Intelligence Section. Training was varied and because of the Role as a BAOR support Bn it was frequently in Germany, either as a company or as a complete Bn. On a number of occasions "G" Company was attached to the Gordon Highlanders for annual camp training.

In 1986 The Queen Mother presented Colours to the 1st Bn.

Training with 1/51 Highland Volunteers continued until 31st March 1992 and the last Bn event was held on the North Inch in Perth to mark the 25th Anniversary of the formation of the Highland Volunteers in 1967. A farewell parade was held in Otterburn in October 1992.

 

1992 to date

The reorganisation of the Armed Forces which derived from the "Options For Change" policy dictated that the London Scottish could not continue as part of the 51st Highland Volunteers on grounds of distance and cost. The same principle applied to other far flung sub-units, e.g. The Liverpool Scottish and the London Irish Rifles.

In London a solution was found in the formation of the only 4 company multi-capbadged Regiment in the Army, The London Regiment comprises:

The multi-capbadged HQ Company was initially largely derived from The Queen's Regiment TA. The Bn HQ is at St. John's Hill, Clapham. The sub units came together on 1st April 1992 by the attachment of the London Scottish and London Irish Rifles Companies to the 8th Volunteer Bn, The Queen's Fusiliers. The London Scottish Company wears the Regimental cap badge for the first time since 31st March 1967, a break of exactly 25 years.

The London Regiment, short title "The Londons" is a new regiment with its own place in the Army List and it was formed by the issue of a Royal Warrant on 20th April 1993 and an inauguration parade was held at the Duke of York's HQ on August 1st 1993. With the demise of the WRAC the New Regiment has women soldiers serving as members of its various sub units for the first time since AVR III.