Unidentified British soldier… (10306058923)

The London Scottish was a reserve

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and mar ...

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscript ...

then a company of 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 Gurk ...

. In its final incarnation it was A (The London Scottish) Company, the London Regiment until, on 1 April 2022, soldiers in the company transferred to foot guards regiments and the company became G (Messines) Company,

Scots Guards The Scots Guards (SG) is one of the five Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. Its origins are as the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland. Its lineage can be traced back to 1642, although it was only placed on the E ...

History

The London Scottish during the First World War Q53391

Formation

The regiment was founded on the formation of the Volunteer Force in 1859. Originally as part of the Volunteer Force 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. The regiment became the 7th (London Scottish) Middlesex Volunteer Rifle Corps and then, in 1908, the 14th (County of London) Battalion, London Regiment (London Scottish).

First World War

The 1/14th Battalion was mobilized on the outbreak of war, departing for France on 15 September 1914. On 31 October 1914 the battalion encountered German forces at Messines in Belgium, the first territorial unit to do so – a memorial stands on the site. The 2/14th Battalion embarked for France in June 1916 but was then transferred to Salonika and Palestine.

Inter-war

In 1937, on the break-up of the London Regiment, the unit was re-named The London Scottish, The Gordon Highlanders.

Second World War

The London Scottish raised three battalions during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, two of which served overseas. Both of the overseas battalions served with the Middle Eastern Forces in Sicily and Italy. The battalions were:

1st Battalion

The peacetime battalion of the regiment, served as infantry within the 168th (London) Infantry Brigade (alongside the 1st

London Irish Rifles The London Irish Rifles (LIR) was a reserve infantry regiment and then company of the British Army. The unit's final incarnation was as D (London Irish Rifles) Company, the London Regiment. On 1 April 2022 soldiers in the company transferred to ...

and 10th Royal Berkshire Regiment), part of the

56th (London) Infantry Division The 56th (London) Infantry Division was a Territorial Army infantry division of the British Army, which served under several different titles and designations. The division served in the trenches of the Western Front during the First World Wa ...

(nicknamed "The Black Cats"), playing a significant part in the Italian Campaign, fighting in the

Allied invasion of Sicily The Allied invasion of Sicily, also known as Operation Husky, was a major campaign of World War II in which the Allied forces invaded the island of Sicily in July 1943 and took it from the Axis powers ( Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany). It b ...

, fighting at

Monte Cassino Monte Cassino (today usually spelled Montecassino) is a rocky hill about southeast of Rome, in the Latin Valley, Italy, west of Cassino and at an elevation of . Site of the Roman town of Casinum, it is widely known for its abbey, the first ho ...

, Battle of Anzio, Gothic Line (afterwards transferred to 167th (London) Infantry Brigade) and Operation Grapeshot, the final offensive in Italy in 1945.

2nd Battalion

Raised as a 'duplicate' of the 1st Battalion, with a core of officers and senior NCOs from that battalion. The battalion initially served in the 141st (London) Infantry Brigade, 47th (London) Infantry Division.

3rd Battalion

When the duplicate battalion was formed in April 1939, the regiment had enough recruits to form a third battalion; permission was granted provided it was formed as an anti-aircraft (AA) regiment of the

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

. It was designated 97th (The London Scottish) Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RA and formed with HQ and two batteries (298 and 299) at

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, B ...

. It served in 1st AA Division (the old 47th (2nd London) Division) defending London during the

Battle of Britain The Battle of Britain, also known as the Air Battle for England (german: die Luftschlacht um England), was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defende ...

and

the Blitz The Blitz was a German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom in 1940 and 1941, during the Second World War. The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term , the German word meaning 'lightning war'. The Germa ...

.97 HAA Rgt at RA 39–45
In March 1943 it left for

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

where it joined British Eighth Army, and served with it in the

and Italian Campaign. With the depletion of the ''

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...

'' and the reduced requirement for AA defences, it was converted in November 1944 into 97th (London Scottish) Garrison Regiment, RA, later designated 610 Infantry Regiment, RA. When the TA was reconstituted in 1947, 610 Regiment was reformed as 497th (London) Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RA at Hammersmith, later renamed 497th (Hammersmith) Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RA, without any London Scottish connection.

Post-war

In 1967 the London Scottish tradition was resurrected on the formation of G (London Scottish) Company 1st Battalion 51st Highland Volunteers. From 1992, the tradition was carried on by A (London Scottish) Company of the London Regiment (1993), which provided Reserves for the Foot Guards.

London Scottish Cadet Corps

The London Scottish Cadet Corps, which was formed around 1902, had three companies, a pipe band and its own colours and was sponsored by the regiment.Regimental Gazette The corps evolved to become 235 Westminster Detachment (London Scottish Regiment), part of 23 Company Middlesex and North West London Army Cadet Force: it is based at the Rochester Row

Army Reserve A military reserve force is a military organization whose members have military and civilian occupations. They are not normally kept under arms, and their main role is to be available when their military requires additional manpower. Reserve ...

Centre in

and alongside 102 (Bromley), and 95 (Southwark) detachments (Part of South East London Army Cadet Force) are the sole surviving cadet units maintaining the traditions of the regiment.

Uniforms

From its establishment in 1859 The London Scottish wore

Hodden Grey Hodden or wadmel is a coarse kind of cloth made of undyed wool, formerly much worn by the peasantry of Scotland. It was usually made on small hand-looms by the peasants. Hodden grey was made by mixing black and white fleeces together in the pro ...

uniforms with dark blue facings. This unique colour remained as full dress for the entire regiment until 1914 and survives in the modern kilts and mess dress.

Regimental Pipes and Drums

Being founded right after the regiment was raised, the Regimental

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 ...

of The London Scottish is one of the oldest army pipe bands in the world. It wears its distinctive Hodden Grey

tartan Tartan ( gd, breacan ) is a patterned cloth consisting of criss-crossed, horizontal and vertical bands in multiple colours. Tartans originated in woven wool, but now they are made in other materials. Tartan is particularly associated with Sc ...

maintaining the traditions of the original London Scottish. The pipes and drums accompany the entire regiment during official dinners,

military parades A military parade is a formation of soldiers whose movement is restricted by close-order manoeuvering known as drilling or marching. The military parade is now almost entirely ceremonial, though soldiers from time immemorial up until the lat ...

, presentation of colours and other regimental functions, effectively providing musical support. It has performed at many high profile events in the

City of London The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London f ...

as well as Greater London, most notably the

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 ...

Lord Mayor's Show The Lord Mayor's Show is one of the best-known annual events in London as well as one of the longest-established, dating back to the 13th century. A new lord mayor is appointed every year, and the public parade that takes place as his or her in ...

and The Royal Caledonian Ball. Outside of the United Kingdom, the band has had the opportunity to perform at many parades and

military tattoos A military tattoo is a performance of music or display of armed forces in general. The term comes from the early 17th-century Dutch phrase ''doe den tap toe'' ("turn off the tap"), a signal sounded by drummers or trumpeters to instruct innkeeper ...

in countries such as

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, Switzerland,

Uzbekistan Uzbekistan (, ; uz, Ozbekiston, italic=yes / , ; russian: Узбекистан), officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( uz, Ozbekiston Respublikasi, italic=yes / ; russian: Республика Узбекистан), is a doubly landlocked co ...

and

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

. From 1953 to 2002, the Pipe Major of the London Scottish held the position of

Piper to the Queen Mother The Piper to the Queen Mother was a position in the British Royal Household in which the holder of the office was responsible for playing the bagpipes at the request of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. The position was established in 1953 and dis ...

Alliances

* – The Toronto Scottish Regiment (Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother's Own)

Victoria Crosses

Three members of the regiment were awarded the Victoria Cross: * Charles William Train; Palestine, 1917. * Robert Edward Cruickshank; Palestine, 1918. * George Allan Mitchell; Italy, 1944.

Commanders

*1859–1876: Lieutenant-Colonel Lord Elcho *1894–1902: Lieutenant-Colonel Eustace Balfour *1902– ? : Lieutenant-Colonel W. E. Edmonstone Montgomerie

Memorials

The unit's First World War and Second World War memorials are located in the Drill Hall at London Scottish House, 95 Horseferry Road in

. London_Scottish_4.jpg, Detail of the Messines memorial London_Scottish_2.jpg, Detail of the Messines memorial London_Scottish_1.jpg, Detail of the Messines memorial

Gallery

Lordelcho.jpg, Lord Elcho Bromsgrove cemetery CWGC Cotton MC.jpg, Bromsgrove Cemetery, gravestone of 2nd Lieutenant R.D. Cotton MC

References

Sources

External links

London Scottish Regiment website

{{LondonRegiment Infantry regiments of the British Army Scottish regiments Military units and formations established in 1859 Scottish diaspora in Europe Battalions of the London Regiment (1908–1938) Military units and formations in London Military units and formations in Westminster 1859 establishments in the United Kingdom Regiments of the British Army in World War II