The 52nd Lowland Volunteers (52 LOWLAND) is a

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions ...

in the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurkha ...

's Army Reserve or reserve force in the

Scottish Lowlands The Lowlands ( sco, Lallans or ; gd, a' Ghalldachd, , place of the foreigners, ) is a cultural and historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Lowlands and the Highlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lo ...

, forming the 6th Battalion of the

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 indiv ...

, also known as 6 SCOTS. Due to its erstwhile association with the 1st Regiment of Foot, it is the

senior Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to: * Senior (name), a surname ...

Reserve Reserve or reserves may refer to: Places * Reserve, Kansas, a US city * Reserve, Louisiana, a census-designated place in St. John the Baptist Parish * Reserve, Montana, a census-designated place in Sheridan County * Reserve, New Mexico, a US ...

line infantry Line infantry was the type of infantry that composed the basis of European land armies from the late 17th century to the mid-19th century. Maurice of Nassau and Gustavus Adolphus are generally regarded as its pioneers, while Turenne and Mon ...

in the

. It is one of two Reserve battalions in the Royal Regiment of Scotland, along with 51st Highland (7 SCOTS), a similar unit located in the

Scottish Highlands The Highlands ( sco, the Hielands; gd, a’ Ghàidhealtachd , 'the place of the Gaels') is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland S ...

. 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 The 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army that was originally formed as the Lowland Division, in 1908 as part of the Territorial Force. It later became the 52nd (Lowland) Division in 1915. The 52nd (Lowl ...

of the

Territorial Force The Territorial Force was a part-time volunteer component of the British Army, created in 1908 to augment British land forces without resorting to conscription. The new organisation consolidated the 19th-century Volunteer Force and yeomanry ...

, within which many of the Regiment's antecedent Territorial Battalions served during the First and

Second The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds ea ...

World Wars.

History

Origins and First World War

The current Battalion traces its lineage back to the reserve Rifle Volunteer units that were originally raised in the

as part of the Victorian Volunteer Force by

Lord Lieutenant A lord-lieutenant ( ) is the British monarch's personal representative in each lieutenancy area of the United Kingdom. Historically, each lieutenant was responsible for organising the county's militia. In 1871, the lieutenant's responsibilit ...

s in every

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

. These included: the Queens City of Edinburgh Rifle Volunteers, the Midlothian Rifle Volunteers, the Haddingtonshire Rifle Volunteers, the Linlithgowshire Rifle Volunteers, the Ayrshire Rifle Volunteers, the Roxburghshire and Selkirk (The Border) Rifle Volunteers, the Berwickshire Rifle Volunteers, the Dumfriesshire Rifle Volunteers, the Galloway Rifle Volunteers, and the Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers. The 1st Battalion of the

Lanarkshire Lanarkshire, also called the County of Lanark ( gd, Siorrachd Lannraig; sco, Lanrikshire), is a historic county, lieutenancy area and registration county in the central Lowlands of Scotland. Lanarkshire is the most populous county in Scotl ...

Rifle Volunteers were raised in 1860, and counted

Boys' Brigade The Boys' Brigade (BB) is an international interdenominational Christian youth organisation, conceived by the Scottish businessman Sir William Alexander Smith to combine drill and fun activities with Christian values. Following its inception ...

founder William Alexander Smith amongst its ranks. The 3rd Battalion of the Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers, raised in 1859, was also notable for its football team, which became the famous Third Lanark, and the 105th ( Glasgow Highlanders) Battalion of the Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers, which was raised in 1868, was one of several Volunteer Force units that first saw overseas service during the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the So ...

. The various county battalions of Rifle Volunteers first became affiliated to a newly designated local regular Line Infantry Regiment with the

Childers Reforms The Childers Reforms of 1881 reorganised the infantry regiments of the British Army. The reforms were done by Secretary of State for War Hugh Childers during 1881, and were a continuation of the earlier Cardwell Reforms. The reorganisation wa ...

of 1881. The current unit is the direct descendant of the infantry battalions that made up the 52nd Lowland Division, of which Lowland Rifle Volunteer units, including the Glasgow Highlanders et al, became a part. This division was formed as part of the

Haldane Reforms The Haldane Reforms were a series of far-ranging reforms of the British Army made from 1906 to 1912, and named after the Secretary of State for War, Richard Burdon Haldane. They were the first major reforms since the "Childers Reforms" of the e ...

, which integrated the Volunteer Force,

Militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

and the

Yeomanry Yeomanry is a designation used by a number of units or sub-units of the British Army Reserve, descended from volunteer cavalry regiments. Today, Yeomanry units serve in a variety of different military roles. History Origins In the 1790s, f ...

into the nascent

, created by the

Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907 The Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907 (''7 Edw. 7, c.9'') was an Acts of Parliament in the United Kingdom, Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed the auxiliary forces of the British Army by transferring existing Volunteer ...

. The local Regular Line Infantry Regiments at the time were: the

Royal Scots The Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment), once known as the Royal Regiment of Foot, was the oldest and most senior infantry regiment of the line of the British Army, having been raised in 1633 during the reign of Charles I of Scotland. The regime ...

(

Lothian Lothian (; sco, Lowden, Loudan, -en, -o(u)n; gd, Lodainn ) is a region of the Scottish Lowlands, lying between the southern shore of the Firth of Forth and the Lammermuir Hills and the Moorfoot Hills. The principal settlement is the Scott ...

), the

Royal Scots Fusiliers The Royal Scots Fusiliers was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that existed from 1678 until 1959 when it was amalgamated with the Highland Light Infantry (City of Glasgow Regiment) to form the Royal Highland Fusiliers (Princess Ma ...

(

Ayrshire Ayrshire ( gd, Siorrachd Inbhir Àir, ) is a historic county and registration county in south-west Scotland, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine and it borders the counties of ...

), the

Highland Light Infantry The Highland Light Infantry (HLI) was a light infantry regiment of the British Army formed in 1881. It took part in the First and Second World Wars, until it was amalgamated with the Royal Scots Fusiliers in 1959 to form the Royal Highland Fus ...

(

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popu ...

), the

King's Own Scottish Borderers The King's Own Scottish Borderers (KOSBs) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Scottish Division. On 28 March 2006 the regiment was amalgamated with the Royal Scots, the Royal Highland Fusiliers (Princess Margaret's O ...

(

Borders A border is a geographical boundary. Border, borders, The Border or The Borders may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * ''Border'' (1997 film), an Indian Hindi-language war film * ''Border'' (2018 Swedish film), ...

Dumfries and Galloway Dumfries and Galloway ( sco, Dumfries an Gallowa; gd, Dùn Phrìs is Gall-Ghaidhealaibh) is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland and is located in the western Southern Uplands. It covers the historic counties of Dumfriesshire, Kirkc ...

) and the Cameronians (

). At this time the various Volunteer Battalions were also reformed as fully integrated Territorial Battalions within their affiliated Lowland Infantry Regiments. Although the 7th Battalion, Royal Scots was severely depleted by the Quintinshill rail disaster, they and the other Territorial Battalions of the 52nd (Lowland) Division fought in the First World War at

Gallipoli The Gallipoli peninsula (; tr, Gelibolu Yarımadası; grc, Χερσόνησος της Καλλίπολης, ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles s ...

, in

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning the North Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via a land bridg ...

and Palestine as part of the

Egyptian Expeditionary Force The Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF) was a British Empire military formation, formed on 10 March 1916 under the command of General Archibald Murray from the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force and the Force in Egypt (1914–15), at the beginning o ...

, and on the

Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to: Military frontiers * Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (Russian Empire), a maj ...

in France, where it fought in the 2nd Battle of the Somme, the 2nd Battle of Arras and at the

Battle of the Hindenburg Line A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

during the

Hundred Days Offensive The Hundred Days Offensive (8 August to 11 November 1918) was a series of massive Allies of World War I, Allied offensives that ended the First World War. Beginning with the Battle of Amiens (1918), Battle of Amiens (8–12 August) on the Wester ...

. Notable 52nd Lowlanders who served during this period included footballer William Reid, motorcycle racer

Jimmie Guthrie James Guthrie (23 May 1897 – 8 August 1937) was a Scottish motorcycle racer. A motorcycle garage proprietor and professional motorcycle racer from Hawick Roxburghshire, Jimmie Guthrie was known as the “''Flying Scotsman'',” with a hard-c ...

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from ...

, who briefly commanded the 6th Battalion of the

in the "

New Army The New Armies ( Traditional Chinese: 新軍, Simplified Chinese: 新军; Pinyin: Xīnjūn, Manchu: ''Ice cooha''), more fully called the Newly Created Army ( ''Xinjian Lujun''Also translated as "Newly Established Army" ()), was the modernised ...

" and John Reith, who was a subaltern with the 5th Battalion of the

Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) was a rifle regiment of the British Army, the only regiment of rifles amongst the Scottish regiments of infantry. It was formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 26th Cameronian Re ...

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previousl ...

recipients John Brown Hamilton and David Ross Lauder served with the Glasgow Highlanders and the 4th RSF respectively. James Youll Turnbull served with the 17th (Chambers of Commerce) Battalion of the Highland Light Infantry, one of three HLI " Pals battalions" formed during the war. VC recipient and

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foo ...

player William Angus, also served with the antecedent 8th

, as part of the 7th Division.

Interwar period and Second World War

After the

Armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from the ...

, the Territorial Force and its formations were disbanded. It was re-established, by the Territorial Army and Militia Act 1921, as the Territorial Army however, and the original Lowland Territorial Battalions were reconstituted, although there were several amalgamations. In 1939 the 52nd (Lowland) Division was instructed to form a duplicate division as a second-line, as part of rearmament efforts. The duplicate division of the 52nd Lowland Division was entitled the

15th (Scottish) Division The 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army that served in the First World War. The 15th (Scottish) Division was formed from men volunteering for Kitchener's Army, and served from 1915 to 1918 on the West ...

and consisted of newly raised Lowland TA Infantry Battalions. Both Divisions were mobilised on the outbreak of the Second World War. The 52nd (Lowland) Division became the only completely

Territorial A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, particularly belonging or connected to a country, person, or animal. In international politics, a territory is usually either the total area from which a state may extract power resources or an ...

Division to fight in the Second World War. The Division was initially part of the ill-fated Second British Expeditionary Force (BEF) landed in France in June 1940 under

Field Marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army and as such few persons are appointed to it. It is considered as ...

Alan Brooke, later being evacuated from the continent during Operation Aerial. Members of the 52nd at the time included the future

Brigadier Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. ...

, Alastair Pearson. It subsequently trained as a

mountain warfare Mountain warfare (also known as alpine warfare) is warfare in mountains or similarly rough terrain. Mountain ranges are of strategic importance since they often act as a natural border, and may also be the origin of a water source (for example, ...

division in the Scottish Highlands under General Sir Neil Ritchie. As the

invasion of Normandy Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation was launched on 6 June 1944 (D-Day) with the Norm ...

approached, the 52nd (Lowland) Division were involved in an elaborate deception plan,

Operation Fortitude Operation Fortitude was the code name for a World War II military deception employed by the Allied nations as part of an overall deception strategy (code named ''Bodyguard'') during the build-up to the 1944 Normandy landings. Fortitude was di ...

, designed to deceive the Germans into believing that there would not be one invasion area but several, and that the 52nd would have formed the nexus of a strong force that was to be landed in Norway. As a mountain warfare formation, it had little heavy equipment and transport, and therefore was optimal for conversion to operations as an

Airborne force Airborne forces, airborne troops, or airborne infantry are ground combat units carried by aircraft and airdropped into battle zones, typically by parachute drop or air assault. Parachute-qualified infantry and support personnel serving in ai ...

, being assigned to the

First Allied Airborne Army The First Allied Airborne Army was an Allied formation formed on 2 August 1944 by the order of General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Supreme Allied Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force. The formation was part of the Allied Expeditionary For ...

. It was in this role that the division was anticipated to take part in

Operation Market Garden Operation Market Garden was an Allied military operation during the Second World War fought in the Netherlands from 17 to 27 September 1944. Its objective was to create a salient into German territory with a bridgehead over the River Rhine, ...

. Instead the division was reassigned to the

First Canadian Army The First Canadian Army (french: 1reArmée canadienne) was a field army and a formation of the Canadian Army in World War II in which most Canadian elements serving in North-West Europe were assigned. It served on the Western Front from July 1944 ...

, eventually landing at

Ostend Ostend ( nl, Oostende, ; french: link=no, Ostende ; german: link=no, Ostende ; vls, Ostende) is a coastal city and municipality, located in the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It comprises the boroughs of Mariakerk ...

in October 1944, as part of the wider

Allied advance from Paris to the Rhine The Allied advance from Paris to the Rhine, also known as the Siegfried Line campaign, was a phase in the Western European campaign of World War II. This phase spans from the end of the Battle of Normandy, or Operation Overlord, (25 August 19 ...

. They were ordered to capture the vital

Port of Antwerp The Port of Antwerp-Bruges is the port of the City of Antwerp. It is located in Flanders (Belgium), mainly in the province of Antwerp but also partially in the province of East Flanders. It is a seaport in the heart of Europe accessible to ...

and as a result were involved in the

Battle of the Scheldt The Battle of the Scheldt in World War II was a series of military operations led by the First Canadian Army, with Polish and British units attached, to open up the shipping route to Antwerp so that its port could be used to supply the Alli ...

in Belgium and the Netherlands, which included

Operation Vitality The Battle of the Scheldt in World War II was a series of military operations led by the First Canadian Army, with Polish and British units attached, to open up the shipping route to Antwerp so that its port could be used to supply the Allies ...

, Operation Infatuate and the ultimate capture of Walcheren Island, in order to open the mouth of the

Scheldt The Scheldt (french: Escaut ; nl, Schelde ) is a river that flows through northern France, western Belgium, and the southwestern part of the Netherlands, with its mouth at the North Sea. Its name is derived from an adjective corresponding to ...

estuary to Allied shipping. In January 1945 they participated in the Battle for the Roer Triangle, which involved the clearance of the area between the rivers

Meuse The Meuse ( , , , ; wa, Moûze ) or Maas ( , ; li, Maos or ) is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a ...

and Roer. It was during this operation that Dennis Donnini of the 4/5th Battalion, Royal Scots Fusiliers, was awarded the Victoria Cross, becoming the youngest winner of the VC during World War II. The division crossed the

River Rhine ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , source ...

Xanten Xanten (, Low Rhenish: ''Santen'') is a town in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the district of Wesel. Xanten is known for the Archaeological Park, one of the largest archaeological open air museums in the wo ...

on 24 March 1945, eventually advancing as far as

Bremen Bremen ( Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (german: Stadtgemeinde Bremen, ), is the capital of the German state Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (''Freie Hansestadt Bremen''), a two-city-state cons ...

, where it fought its last battle of the war.

Post-war restructuring and Cold War

In August 1946 the 52nd (Lowland) Division was disbanded at Oldenburg. Shortly afterwards however the formation was revived as part of the 51st/52nd (Scottish) Division, created via an amalgamation with the

51st (Highland) Division The 51st (Highland) Division was an infantry division of the British Army that fought on the Western Front in France during the First World War from 1915 to 1918. The division was raised in 1908, upon the creation of the Territorial Force, as ...

. They once again became a Territorial Division upon demobilisation in 1948. In 1950, the 51st/52nd (Scottish) Division was split, restoring the independence of the 52nd Lowland Division, which took regional command of Territorial Army units based in the Scottish Lowlands, including the TA infantry battalions of the Lowland Brigade regiments. British forces contracted dramatically as the end of

National Service National service is the system of voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939. The ...

took place in 1960, as announced in the

1957 Defence White Paper The 1957 White Paper on Defence (Cmnd. 124) was a British white paper issued in March 1957 setting forth the perceived future of the British military. It had profound effects on all aspects of the defence industry but probably the most affected w ...

. As a result, on 20 July 1960, a reorganisation of the TA was announced by the

War Office The War Office was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the new Ministry of Defence (MoD). This article contains text from ...

The 1966 Defence White Paper and after

This was followed by complete reorganisation as announced in the 1966 Defence White Paper. A comprehensive reorganisation of the reserve forces took place, with the Territorial Army being disbanded and the Territorial & Army Volunteer Reserve (TAVR) was formed on 1 April 1967. Instead of forming large reserve formations, the role of the new TAVR was to provide smaller sub-unit-sized reinforcements for the Regular Army via a multi-tier system established to meet the NATO reserve (TAVR II) and Home Defence (TAVR III) requirements. The Territorial Battalions within the four regiments of the Lowland Brigade were significantly reduced from full Battalions to

Company A company, abbreviated as co., is a legal entity representing an association of people, whether natural, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common purpose and unite to achieve specific, declared ...

strength

cadre Cadre may refer to: *Cadre (military), a group of officers or NCOs around whom a unit is formed, or a training staff *Cadre (politics) In political contexts a cadre (, , ) consists of a person recognized as a capable militant within a political ...

s, with three new reserve Battalions raised to incorporate them. These three units were; The 52nd Lowland Volunteers, which was a TAVR II unit with a

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two N ...

reserve role, and both the 3rd (Territorial) Battalion, The Royal Highland Fusiliers and The Royal Scots and Cameronians Territorials, which were TAVR III units with responsibility for Home Defence. The 52nd Lowland Division was also reduced to a brigade sized formation and the three new Lowland Territorial Battalions came under the command of what would become 52nd Lowland Brigade, within Scotland District (which was later absorbed into the 2nd Division in 1998). ;52nd Lowland Volunteers (TAVR II), c. 1967 *HQ (Glasgow Highlanders) Company at Maryhill in Glasgow *A (Royal Scots) Company at Edinburgh and Bathgate *B (Royal Scots Fusiliers) Company at Ayr *C (The Kings Own Scottish Borderers) Company at Dumfries and Galashiels *D (Cameronians) Company at Hamilton *E (Highland Light Infantry) Company at Maryhill in Glasgow ;3rd (Territorial) Battalion, The Royal Highland Fusiliers (TAVR III), c. 1967 *HQ (Royal Scots Fusiliers) Company at Ayr *A (Royal Scots Fusiliers) Company at Ayr *B (Highland Light Infantry) Company at Victoria Road, Pollokshaws in Glasgow *C (Glasgow Highlanders) Company at Maryhill, Glasgow ;The Royal Scots and Cameronians Territorials (TAVR III), c. 1967 *HQ (Royal Scots) Company at Edinburgh *A (Royal Scots) Company at Bathgate *B (Cameronians) Company at Hamilton The TAVR III units were effectively disbanded in 1969, with the two Battalions being reduced to

Section Section, Sectioning or Sectioned may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Section (music), a complete, but not independent, musical idea * Section (typography), a subdivision, especially of a chapter, in books and documents ** Section sig ...

-sized "cadres". The cadres became part of the 52nd Lowland Volunteers, although continuing to wear the badges and perpetuating the traditions of their forebears. An increase in the size of the TAVR in 1971 however lead to an expansion in the size of the Royal Scots and Cameronians Territorials and the 3rd (Territorial) Battalion, The Royal Highland Fusiliers cadres, which were amalgamated and became the separate 2nd Battalion, 52nd Lowland Volunteers (2/52 LOWLAND) in 1971. ;1st Battalion, 52nd Lowland Volunteers (1/52 LOWLAND), c. 1971 *HQ (Glasgow Highlanders) Company at Maryhill, Glasgow *A (Royal Scots) Company at Edinburgh and Bathgate (Transferred to 2/52 Lowland in 1982) *B (Royal Scots Fusiliers) Company at Ayr *C (The Kings Own Scottish Borderers) Company at Dumfries *D (Cameronians) Company at Hamilton *E (Highland Light Infantry) Company at Maryhill, Glasgow ;2nd Battalion, 52nd Lowland Volunteers (2/52 LOWLAND), c. 1971 *HQ (Royal Scots) Company at Edinburgh *No.1 (Royal Scots) Company at Penicuik *No.2 (Royal Highland Fusiliers) Company at Auldhouse Road, Pollokshaws (Assaye House at Shawfield, Rutherglen from 1982, becoming A Coy in 1/52 Lowland). *No.3 (Kings Own Scottish Borderers) at Galashiels *No.4 (Cameronians) Company at Motherwell In 1982, the TAVR reverted to the old title of the Territorial Army, with the Order of Battle being subject to minor reorganisation, with the 1st Battalion transferring A (Royal Scots) Company to the 2nd Battalion and the 2nd Battalion transferring its No.2 (Royal Highland Fusiliers) Company to the 1st Battalion. Throughout the remainder of the

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because t ...

, the 1st Battalion of 52nd Lowland Volunteers, now based entirely in Glasgow and the West of Scotland, and the 2nd Battalion, based primarily in Edinburgh, the

s and

, trained for the NATO reinforcement role, with 1/52 LOWLAND's

MILAN Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city ...

anti-tank missile platoon having a war role with the

British Army of the Rhine There have been two formations named British Army of the Rhine (BAOR). Both were originally occupation forces in Germany, one after the First World War and the other after the Second World War. Both formations had areas of responsibility located ...

in Germany. In 1984 however, the 1st Battalion also raised two

Home Service Force The Home Service Force was a Home Guard type force established in the United Kingdom in 1982. Each HSF unit was placed with either a Regular Army or Territorial Army regiment or battalion for administrative purposes and given that formation’s ...

companies and the 2nd Battalion raised a further one, which trained exclusively for the home defence role, they were eventually disbanded in 1992 as part of

Options for Change Options for Change was a restructuring of the British Armed Forces in summer 1990 after the end of the Cold War. Until this point, UK military strategy had been almost entirely focused on defending Western Europe against the Soviet Armed Forces, ...

. The 1st Battalion also had its D (Cameronians) Company disbanded and the 2nd Battalion had its No.1 (Royal Scots) Company disbanded.

Post-Cold War era

Following the

Front Line First Front Line First: The Defence Cost Study was a UK programme of defence cuts announced on 14 July 1994 by then Defence Secretary Malcolm Rifkind. Front Line First was announced four years after Options for Change, which was a military draw-down a ...

reforms of the British Army in 1994, the 1st Battalion, 52nd Lowland Volunteers was incorporated into the Royal Highland Fusiliers and as a result, was retitled the 3rd (Volunteer) Battalion,

The Royal Highland Fusiliers The Royal Highland Fusiliers, 2nd Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland (2 SCOTS) is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. Prior to 28 March 2006, the Royal Highland Fusiliers was an infantry regiment in its own right, c ...

(3 RHF) in 1995. The 2nd Battalion of 52nd Lowland Volunteers, remained a standalone multi cap-badged Battalion, and was simply known as The Lowland Volunteers (LOWLAND). 3rd (Volunteer) Battalion, The Royal Highland Fusiliers (3 RHF), c. 1995 *HQ Company at Maryhill, Glasgow *A Company at Rutherglen *B Company at Ayr *C Company at Maryhill, Glasgow The Lowland Volunteers (LOWLAND), c. 1995 *HQ (Royal Scots) Company at Edinburgh *B (Kings Own Scottish Borderers) Company at Galashiels *C (Kings Own Scottish Borderers) Company at Dumfries *D (Cameronians/Royal Scots) Company at Motherwell and Bathgate In 1999, as a result of the

Strategic Defence Review The Strategic Defence Review (SDR) was a British policy document produced in July 1998 by the Labour Government that had gained power a year previously. Then Secretary of State for Defence, George Robertson, set out the initial defence policy of ...

of Britain's armed forces, the two Battalions were re-amalgamated to take the name and single battalion form of The 52nd Lowland Regiment (52 LOWLAND). This saw an overall reduction in strength from eight companies in two battalions to five companies in one battalion, although the unit continued to maintain both stands of

Colours Color (American English) or colour (British English) is the visual perceptual property deriving from the spectrum of light interacting with the photoreceptor cells of the eyes. Color categories and physical specifications of color are associa ...

of the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 52nd Lowland Volunteers until July 2011. In 2002, the 52nd Lowland Regiment was transferred from the operational command of the 52nd Lowland Brigade to 51st (Scottish) Brigade, which took command of all Scottish TA units. 52nd Lowland Regiment (52 LOWLAND), c. 1999 *HQ (Royal Highland Fusiliers) Company at Maryhill, Glasgow *A (Royal Scots) Company at Edinburgh and Bathgate *B (Royal Highland Fusiliers) Company at Ayr *C (Royal Highland Fusiliers) Company at Maryhill, Glasgow and Motherwell *D (Kings Own Scottish Borderers) Company at Galashiels and Dumfries (Mortar Platoon at Dumfries transferred to B Coy in 2001, retaining KOSB affiliation) As part of the Delivering Security in a Changing World Review of the Armed Forces, the 52nd Lowland Regiment was amalgamated with the other Regiments of the

Scottish Division The Scottish Division was a British Army Infantry command, training and administrative apparatus designated for all Scottish line infantry units. It merged with the Prince of Wales' Division, to form the Scottish, Welsh and Irish Division in ...

to become 52nd Lowland, 6th Battalion, The

, which was formed on 28 March 2006. There was also further consolidation of sub-units, with D (King's Own Scottish Borderers) Company, based in Galashiels, amalgamating with A (Royal Scots) Company, to reflect the formation of the regular

Royal Scots Borderers The Royal Scots Borderers, 1st Battalion, the Royal Regiment of Scotland (1 SCOTS) was an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The battalion formed on 1 August 2006 when its antecedent regiments - the Royal Scots and the King's ...

Current locations and operations

Order of Battle

The Battalion

Headquarters Headquarters (commonly referred to as HQ) denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the to ...

is based at Walcheren Barracks in

Maryhill Maryhill ( gd, Cnoc Màiri) is an area of the City of Glasgow in Scotland. Maryhill is a former burgh. Maryhill stretches over along Maryhill Road. The far north west of the area is served by Maryhill railway station. History Hew Hill, ...

, Glasgow and the Battalion currently has one Support

and three Rifle Companies, which also incorporate various Support Weapons platoons, based throughout the

: 52nd Lowland, 6th Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland (6 SCOTS), c. 2020 *Battalion HQ & HQ Company based at Walcheren Barracks, Glasgow *A Company based in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

Galashiels Galashiels (; sco, Gallae, gd, An Geal Àth) is a town in the Scottish Borders with a population of around 12,600. Its name is often colloquially shortened to "Gala". The town is a major commercial centre for the Borders region with extensive ...

Bathgate Bathgate ( sco, Bathket or , gd, Both Chèit) is a town in West Lothian, Scotland, west of Livingston and adjacent to the M8 motorway. Nearby towns are Armadale, Blackburn, Linlithgow, Livingston, West Calder and Whitburn. Situated south ...

*B Company based in

Ayr Ayr (; sco, Ayr; gd, Inbhir Àir, "Mouth of the River Ayr") is a town situated on the southwest coast of Scotland. It is the administrative centre of the South Ayrshire council area and the historic county town of Ayrshire. With a population ...

Dumfries Dumfries ( ; sco, Dumfries; from gd, Dùn Phris ) is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is located near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth about by road from t ...

*C Company based in

Motherwell Motherwell ( sco, Mitherwall, gd, Tobar na Màthar) is a town and former burgh in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, United Kingdom, south east of Glasgow. It has a population of around 32,120. Historically in the parish of Dalziel and part of Lana ...

The Companies maintain their separate affiliations to The Royal Scots Borderers (A Company) and

(HQ, B and C Company), which now form the regular 1st and 2nd Battalions of The Royal Regiment of Scotland and cover the same recruiting areas. In recognition of this, its members formerly wore a black or white hackle on their Tam o' Shanters, the same as those worn by the 1st and 2nd Battalions respectively. In August 2010, the Battalion adopted a new grey hackle to distinguish it within the Royal Regiment of Scotland. In the past, Headquarter Company of the 1st Battalion, 52nd Lowland Volunteers maintained the direct lineage of the Glasgow Highlanders but rebadged as Royal Highland Fusiliers in 1973. D Company of the Lowland Volunteers also maintained the name and lineage of the Cameronians, however it changed its affiliation to the

in 1997.

Ceremonial

In ceremonial duties, the Battalion has a

military band A military band is a group of personnel that performs musical duties for military functions, usually for the armed forces. A typical military band consists mostly of wind and percussion instruments. The conductor of a band commonly bears the ti ...

, The

Lowland Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland The Lowland Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland is a military band in the Territorial Army and one of three military bands in the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The band is based at the East Claremont Street drill hall in Edinburgh and is adminis ...

, formerly the

Territorial Band. The 52nd Lowland Regiment also maintained a

Pipes and Drums A pipe band is a musical ensemble consisting of pipers and drummers. The term pipes and drums, used by military pipe bands is also common. The most common form of pipe band consists of a section of pipers playing the Great Highland bagpipe, a ...

, which from 2002 was under the direction of

Pipe Major The pipe major is the leading musician of a pipe band, whether military or civilian. Like the appointment of drum major, the position is derived from British Army traditions. During the early twentieth century, the term sergeant piper was used ...

Gordon Walker, who was formerly a regular piper in the Royal Highland Fusiliers and an instructor at both the

Army School of Bagpipe Music and Highland Drumming The Army School of Bagpipe Music and Highland Drumming is a British Army training establishment that provides instruction on Scottish pipe band music to military pipers and drummers. History Founded in 1910 as the Army School of Piping (later ...

and the College of Piping. The 52nd Lowland Pipes and Drums were very successful during a period of five years, becoming the best Pipe Band in the British Army at the time, reaching Grade Two of the

World Pipe Band Championships The World Pipe Band Championships is a pipe band competition held in Glasgow, Scotland. The World Pipe Band Championships as we currently know them have been staged since 1947 although the Grade 1 Pipe Band Competition winners at the annual Cowal ...

. In 2007, owing to administrative constraints, the band opted to move en masse into civilian ranks and are now known as The

Mauchline Mauchline (; gd, Maghlinn) is a town and civil parish in East Ayrshire, Scotland. In the 2001 census Mauchline had a recorded population of 4,105. It is home to the National Burns Memorial. Location The town lies by the Glasgow and South West ...

& District Caledonia Pipe Band. The Lowland Band continues to take part in military and civilian events all over the UK and the world on behalf of 6 SCOTS and the Royal Regiment of Scotland, including the Battalion's annual

Beating Retreat Beating Retreat is a military ceremony dating to 17th-century England and was first used to recall nearby patrolling units to their castle. History Originally it was known as watch setting and was initiated at sunset by the firing of a single ...

and

Remembrance Day Remembrance Day (also known as Poppy Day owing to the tradition of wearing a remembrance poppy) is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth member states since the end of the First World War to honour armed forces members who have died in t ...

ceremonies in

George Square George Square ( gd, Ceàrnag Sheòrais) is the principal civic square in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. It is one of six squares in the city centre, the others being Cathedral Square, St Andrew's Square, St Enoch Square, Royal Exchange S ...

, the

Edinburgh Military Tattoo The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo is an annual series of military tattoos performed by British Armed Forces, Commonwealth and international military bands, and artistic performance teams on the Esplanade of Edinburgh Castle in the capital of S ...

and the Opening of the Scottish Parliament. In August 2009 the Lowland Band was joined by the Combined Scottish Universities Officers Training Corps Pipes and Drums in an exercise to Ottawa, Canada where they participated in Fortissimo 2009 and the Changing the Guard by the Canadian Ceremonial Guard.

Training

The majority of soldiers and officers in the battalion are part-time members with other full-time civilian careers or are in

further Further or Furthur may refer to: * ''Furthur'' (bus), the Merry Pranksters' psychedelic bus * Further (band), a 1990s American indie rock band * Furthur (band), a band formed in 2009 by Bob Weir and Phil Lesh * ''Further'' (The Chemical Brothers a ...

or higher education. They train and acquire military skills in their spare-time during evening, weekend and holiday periods. Many members are entitled to special leave from their employer to train with the battalion. They are supported by a small number of full-time TA Non Regular Permanent Staff, regular army Permanent Staff Instructors and civilian administrative staff. Each member of the Battalion has a minimum commitment to serve 27 training days per annum, which normally includes a two-week-long annual camp in the UK or overseas, as well as regular weekly training evenings and monthly weekend training

exercises Exercise is a body activity that enhances or maintains physical fitness and overall health and wellness. It is performed for various reasons, to aid growth and improve strength, develop muscles and the cardiovascular system, hone athletic s ...

in locations throughout Scotland such as

Garelochhead Garelochhead ( sco, Garelochheid,
gd, Ceann a' Gheàr ...

, Barry Buddon and

Kirkcudbright Kirkcudbright ( ; sco, Kirkcoubrie; gd, Cille Chùithbeirt) is a town, parish and a Royal Burgh from 1455 in Kirkcudbrightshire, of which it is traditionally the county town, within Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. The town lies southwest of ...

. After the SDR New Chapter was published in 2001, the Battalion took on an additional formal domestic role as the mainstay of 51st (Scottish) Brigade's Civil Contingency Reaction Force (CCRF) in the Scottish Lowlands, which entails the provision of ad hoc support to the emergency services if required. The Battalion's Area of Responsibility is contiguous with that of the

Lothian and Borders Police Lothian and Borders Police was the territorial police force for the Scottish council areas of the City of Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian, Scottish Borders and West Lothian between 1975 and 2013. The force's headquarters were in Fettes ...

Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary was the territorial police force responsible for Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland until 1 April 2013. The police force was formed in 1948 as an amalgamation of the police forces of Dumfriesshire, Kirkcudbrightshi ...

and Southern divisions of

Strathclyde Police Strathclyde Police was the territorial police force responsible for the Scottish council areas of Argyll and Bute, City of Glasgow, East Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire, East Renfrewshire, Inverclyde, North Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire, Renfre ...

Operations

The Battalion's primary operational role is to provide reserve contingents to augment its two affiliated regular Battalions and the wider Royal Regiment of Scotland during any Large Scale Deliberate Intervention (LSDI) Operations. Many members routinely volunteer to serve individually alongside their affiliated regular Battalions or as part of Territorial composite sub-unit formations of up to company-sized strength on exercise and operations all over the world, including

Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ge ...

, Bosnia,

Kosovo Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

and, most recently, on

Operation Herrick Operation Herrick was the codename under which all British operations in the War in Afghanistan were conducted from 2002 to the end of combat operations in 2014. It consisted of the British contribution to the NATO-led International Security Ass ...

in Afghanistan and Operation Telic in Iraq, especially on TELIC II and TELIC IV, the former on which two fatalities were suffered in 2003, whilst attached to the

. 52nd Lowland Regiment was also noted for its involvement in the defence of CIMIC-House in Al Amarah during August 2004. Most operational deployments are for a fixed six-month

roulement Roulement is a term used by the British Army to signify major combat units (usually battalion strength) that are deployed on short tours of duty, normally for six months. It is also used in the wider British Military to mean the deployment of a s ...

, although when pre-deployment training and post operational leave are taken into account, members can be away from their work and families for up to ten months. Members of the TA can be mobilised for overseas operations in this way once every three years, although it is rarely more often than once every five years, under the terms of the

Reserve Forces Act 1996 {{Unreferenced, date=January 2022 The Reserve Forces Act 1996 is a piece of British legislation that provides for the maintenance and composition of the British military's Reserve Forces. Provisions of the Act to make ''"An Act to make provisi ...

. From August 2007 until February 2008, 52nd Lowland deployed Bremen

Platoon A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two or more squads, sections, or patrols. Platoon organization varies depending on the country and the branch, but a platoon can be composed of 50 people, although specific platoons may rang ...

, a composite

Force protection Force protection (FP) refers to the concept of protecting military personnel, family members, civilians, facilities, equipment and operations from threats or hazards in order to preserve operational effectiveness and contribute to mission succes ...

formation in support of 151st Transport Regiment, based at HQ

ISAF ' ps, کمک او همکاري ' , allies = Afghanistan , opponents = Taliban Al-Qaeda , commander1 = , commander1_label = Commander , commander2 = , commander2_label = , commander3 = , command ...

, in the

Kabul Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. Acco ...

area of Afghanistan, as part of Operation Herrick VII, on a 6-month

Roulement Roulement is a term used by the British Army to signify major combat units (usually battalion strength) that are deployed on short tours of duty, normally for six months. It is also used in the wider British Military to mean the deployment of a s ...

. This was the first complete 52nd Lowland sub-unit formation deployed since the Second World War and the platoon received a commendation from ISAF commander General McNeill. The battalion continues to contribute volunteer reservists in order to sustain the regular

's and wider British Army's overseas operational deployments, with some elements of the Battalion also volunteering to deploy on

Operation Tosca British Forces Cyprus (BFC) is the name given to the British Armed Forces stationed in the UK Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia on the island of Cyprus and at a number of related 'retained sites' in the Republic of Cyprus. The United ...

as part of the

United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus The United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) is a United Nations peacekeeping force that was established under United Nations Security Council Resolution 186 in 1964 to prevent a recurrence of fighting following intercommunal violen ...

in 2008 and as part of the 3 SCOTS battlegroup on Operation Herrick X from April 2009.

Lineage

, - style="text-align: center; background: #F08080;" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="6", Lineage , - style="text-align:center;" , rowspan="6" style="width:5%; ", 52nd Lowland, 6th Battalion,

The 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 indiv ...

, rowspan="6" style="width:5%; ", 52nd Lowland Regiment , rowspan="3" style="width:5%; ", 3rd (Volunteer) Battalion,

, rowspan="3" style="width:5%; ", 1st Battalion, 52nd Lowland Volunteers , rowspan="3" style="width:5%; ", 52nd Lowland Volunteers (TAVR II) , style="width:5%; ", 8th/9th Battalion,

, - , style="width:5%; text-align:center;", 4th/5th Battalion,

, - , style="width:5%; text-align:center;", 5th/6th Battalion,

, - style="text-align:center;" , rowspan="3" style="width:5%; ", The Lowland Volunteers , rowspan="3" style="width:5%; ", 2nd Battalion, 52nd Lowland Volunteers , rowspan="2" style="width:5%; ", 3rd (Territorial) Battalion, The Royal Highland Fusiliers (TAVR III) , style="width:5%; ", 1st Glasgow Highlanders Battalion, The Highland Light Infantry , - , style="width:5%; text-align:center;", 4th/5th Battalion,

, - style="text-align:center;" , rowspan="2" style="width:5%; ", The Royal Scots and Cameronians Territorials (TAVR III) , style="width:5%; ", 6th/7th Battalion,

, -

Alliances

* –

Chief Maqoma Regiment The Chief Maqoma Regiment (formerly Prince Alfred's Guard) is a reserve infantry regiment of the South African Army. The regiment is located in the city of Port Elizabeth. History Origin Chief Maqoma Regiment was established on 19 September 1 ...

* –

Bambatha Rifles The Bambatha Rifles (formerly the Witwatersrand Rifles) is a reserve mechanised infantry regiment of the South African Army. History Origin The Witwatersrand Rifles (often familiarly known as the "Wits Rifles or the Wit Rifles") was formed by ...

* –

The Royal Highland Fusiliers of Canada The Royal Highland Fusiliers of Canada is a Primary Reserve light infantry regiment of the Canadian Army, with companies in Cambridge and Kitchener, and is an infantry sub-unit of 31 Canadian Brigade Group, headquartered in London, Ontario. The P ...

* –

The Canadian Scottish Regiment (Princess Mary's) ("Ready for the fray" or "ready to sting" – see §Motto) , colours = Red, blue, and green , colours_label = , march = Blue Bonnets Are over the Border , mascot ...

* –

Royal Newfoundland Regiment The Royal Newfoundland Regiment (R NFLD R) is a Primary Reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Army. It is part of the 5th Canadian Division's 37 Canadian Brigade Group. Predecessor units trace their origins to 1795, and since 1949 Royal New ...

* – 1st Battalion, The Royal New Brunswick Regiment (Carleton and York) * – 25th/49th Battalion, The Royal Queensland Regiment

Notes

References

External links

6 SCOTS Battalion Webpage6 SCOTS Bebo Webpage6 SCOTS Facebook Webpage51 (Scottish) Brigade Webpage2nd Division WebsiteLowland Reserve Forces and Cadets Association
{{Royal Regiments of Scotland 1967 establishments in Scotland Military units and formations established in 1967 Infantry regiments of the British Army Scottish regiments Royal Regiment of Scotland Scottish Lowlands