The Hunter Street drill hall is a military installation in

Kirkcaldy Kirkcaldy ( ; ; ) is a town and former royal burgh in Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It is about north of Edinburgh and south-southwest of Dundee. The town had a recorded population of 49,460 in 2011, making it Fife's second-largest s ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

History

The building was designed as a drill hall for 'A Company', 5th (Perthshire Highland) Volunteer Battalion, The

Black Watch The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland (3 SCOTS) is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The regiment was created as part of the Childers Reforms in 1881, when the 42nd (Royal Highland) Regiment ...

and completed in around 1895. This unit evolved to become 'A Company', 8th (Cyclist) Battalion, The Black Watch in 1908. The regimental headquarters of the battalion, by then known as the Highland Cyclist Battalion, moved from the Perth Road drill hall in Birnam to the Hunter Street drill hall shortly before the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. The battalion was mobilised at the drill hall in August 1914 before being deployed to

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

in May 1918 and subsequently being disbanded in 1919. Shortly before the First World War, the headquarters of the Fife and Forfar Yeomanry was also established at the drill hall. The 1st Fife and Forfar Yeomanry was mobilised at the drill hall in August 1914 before being deployed to

Gallipoli The Gallipoli Peninsula (; ; ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles strait to the east. Gallipoli is the Italian form of the Greek name (), meaning ' ...

and ultimately to the Western Front. After the end of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the regiment was re-constituted at the drill hall but it amalgamated with the

Scottish Horse The Scottish Horse was a Yeomanry regiment of the British Army's Territorial Army raised in 1900 for service in the Second Boer War. It saw heavy fighting in both the First World War, as the 13th Battalion, Black Watch, and in the World War II, S ...

to form the Fife and Forfar Yeomanry/Scottish Horse with its headquarters at Yeomanry House in

Cupar Cupar ( ; ) is a town, former royal burgh and parish in Fife, Scotland. It lies between Dundee and Glenrothes. According to a 2011 population estimate, Cupar had a population around 9,000, making it the ninth-largest settlement in Fife, and the ...

in 1956. A re-organisation of the Territorial Army took place in 1969 and a rifle platoon of Headquarters Company,

51st Highland Volunteers The 51st Highland Volunteers (51 HIGHLAND) is a battalion in the British Army's Army Reserve or reserve force in the Scottish Highlands, forming the 7th Battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, also known as 7 SCOTS. It is one of two R ...

was formed at the Hunter Street drill hall at that time; the rifle platoon was expanded to create 'B (The Black Watch) Company', 1st Battalion, 51st Highland Volunteers also at the Hunter Street drill hall in 1971. This unit was re-designated 'K Company' in 1975. The presence at the drill hall was reduced to a rifle platoon of 'A (Black Watch) Company' of the 51st Highland Regiment in 1999: the drill hall remains an active Army Reserve Centre used by a rifle platoon of 'A (Black Watch and Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders) Company' of 51st Highland, 7th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland.

References

{{reflist, 30em Drill halls in Scotland Buildings and structures in Fife Buildings and structures in Kirkcaldy 1895 establishments in Scotland