# Royal Regiment of Scotland



## big bad john (31 Mar 2006)

http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/DefenceNews/HistoryAndHonour/RoyalRegimentOfScotlandOpensNewChapterForTheArmy.htm

Royal Regiment of Scotland opens new chapter for the army
28 Mar 06 
The Royal Regiment of Scotland has officially formed today Tuesday, 28 March 2006. The event was marked by parades all over the world where Scottish soldiers are based.



In Scotland, the main parade took place in the Crown Square at Edinburgh Castle. The event will consist of a re-badging ceremony, during which the Regiment's most senior officer, Major General Euan Loudon, The General Officer Commanding The Army in Scotland and The North of England and the Governor of Edinburgh Castle, presented representatives from the battalions which make up the new Regiment, with their new head dress. 

Those on parade were drawn from the six Regular Army and two Territorial Army Battalions of the Regiment, as well as four members of the affiliated Army Cadet Force. 

Other Formation Parades which took place around the world included The Royal Scots in Shaibah and Baghdad, Iraq; The Kings Own Scottish Borderers in Omagh, Northern Ireland; The Royal Highland Fusiliers in Episkopi, Cyprus; The Black Watch in Holywood, Northern Ireland; The Highlanders in Basra and Al Amarah, Iraq and The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders in Canterbury. 

In addition Territorial Army units around Scotland will hold their own re-badging ceremonies at their respective TA Centres, on their drill nights on and immediately after 28th March. The most senior Scottish Officer in each location will present the new head dress at these parades.

Addressing the assembled crowd Major General Loudon said:

"On this day we are turning over a new chapter in the story of the Scottish soldier. Today, we are raising a new Regiment consisting of six Regular and two Territorial battalions and in August the number of our regular battalions reduces to five. 

"Change may be painful but it has come to visit us in our day and generation and it follows on from a remarkable record of service in the antecedent Regiments. This new Regiment of ours will take time to establish its own personality but those of us who have experienced change before know that it will do so with rightly placed confidence.



"I have, throughout this process of preparing for change, tried to keep people focussed on four key issues. Namely, we must fight for and secure the best possible roles for our Scottish battalions that the Army has to offer; we must raise our game on recruiting and manning; we need to meet peoples’ expectations about choice, opportunity and stability as the Arms Plot ceases; and we must understand and honour the notion of ‘the golden thread’. 

"What we are not going to do as we move forward into this new era is create an amorphous mass, abandon the regimental system or see these changes in terms of winners and losers. We all come to Crown Square today outside this ancient Royal Palace with memories, either of very little organisational change in the last 40 years or, in some cases, multiple changes. Memories are very useful, they tell us who we were, who we are and, looking to the future, who we might be. And it is to the future that we must now look. 

"Today in Basra, Cyprus, Belfast, Al Amarah, Canterbury, Glasgow, Perth, Edinburgh and elsewhere our soldiers will put this new capbadge into their bonnets. 

"Yesterday I received a message from the Chief of the General Staff which read: 'On the occasion of the Formation of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, may I, on behalf of the Army Board send you all our very best wishes on the Formation of your new Regiment. Each of your antecedent Regiments brings with it many years of loyal and distinguished service to Crown and country and I am certain that the Royal Regiment of Scotland will shine as a beacon of excellence and devotion to duty in the years to come."




Photo 2)  The Royal Regiment of Scotland 
[Picture: MOD]


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## Gunnar (31 Mar 2006)

So does this mean that the Black Watch, and the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders, and the Royal Highland Fusiliers are now part of the new regiment?  The Ladies from Hell have ceased to exist as their own regiment, or are they simply honouring the formation of the new Scots Regiment?


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## big bad john (31 Mar 2006)

Welcome to the wonderful world of amalgamation!  Try this link as a guide to it in relation to the regiment.  http://www.army.mod.uk/royalregimentofscotland/organisation/index.htm


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## big bad john (31 Mar 2006)

Photo 1)  Major General Euan Loudon, Regimental Colonel Commandant, presents Sergeant Andrew Kindness of 2nd Battalion The Highlanders Army Cadet Force, his new Royal Regiment of Scotland Headdress, with the new cap badge and the blue hackle, indicating he is a member of The Highlanders affiliated Army Cadet Force.

Photo 2)  Major General Euan Loudon, Regimental Colonel Commandant, hands Cpl George Findlay his new Royal Regiment of Scotland headdress, with the new cap badge and the red hackle, indicating he is a member of The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland.


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## The Gues-|- (31 Mar 2006)

Sad news.  So much for distinguished Regimental history.


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## Gunnar (31 Mar 2006)

Nonsense.  Their cherished regimental history can be preserved by OUR Black Watch, OUR Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders, etc., etc.  Besides, while their army is on a downswing, if our current government has its way, our is on the upswing.

Plus, the new regiment includes several traditions and items of dress of the old regiments, and a fair bit of that was decided by approval of the regiments involved.

Regiments evolve, and it takes money to keep them all in existence.  Britain has less money to do that these days.


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## ArmyRick (3 Apr 2006)

Amalgamation has been part of the commonwealth army before. Our own infantry units have been through almagamation several times before. Come to think of it, several of the armoured corps units were originally infantry (example ONT R)....

Food for thought...

The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers is another example of a hybrid british regiment formed in 1967 from several fusilier regiments..


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## big bad john (25 May 2006)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/5015806.stm

Capital send-off for Royal Scots  

HMS Edinburgh sails in with Britannia in the foreground 
Thousands of well wishers are expected to turn out for the Royal Scots on their last parade in Edinburgh. 
Friday's event, which will mark the end of the Edinburgh regiment's 373-year history, will include more than 500 serving soldiers and veterans. 

Destroyer HMS Edinburgh has arrived in Leith as part of the event marking the regiment's transfer into the new Royal Regiment of Scotland. 

Most soldiers taking part only returned from duty in Iraq a fortnight ago. 

Later this year, the Royal Scots will merge with the Kings Own Scottish Borderers Battalion to form The Royal Scots Borderers, 1st Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland. 

  The main purpose of the visit of HMS Edinburgh to Edinburgh is to pay tribute to the bravery of the men of the Royal Scots 

Rear Admiral Philip Wilcocks
HMS Edinburgh 

The move follows a decision by the UK Government to create a Scottish super-regiment under a major defence shake-up. 

HMS Edinburgh's crew are paying respects to the vessel's affiliated Army battalion. 

Rear Admiral Philip Wilcocks said: "The main purpose of the visit of HMS Edinburgh to Edinburgh is to pay tribute to the bravery of the men of the Royal Scots, who have served with distinction and dedication under difficult circumstances in Iraq." 


The Royal Scots will be incorporated into the new Royal Regiment 

The Royal Scots, formed in 1633, is the oldest infantry regiment in the British Army and won its first battle honour in Tangiers in 1680. 

The regiment's first Victoria Cross was won during the Siege of Sevastopol, while in the First World War the number of battalions increased to 35, of which 15 served as active front line units. 

After the parade, the battalion will return to duties at Dreghorn and will be working with the King's Own Scottish Borderers towards forming the new battalion, which will come into existence on 1 August. 

Princess Anne, the colonel in chief of the regiment, will watch the spectacle from the steps of the Royal Scottish Academy. 

The marchers will muster in Market Street at 0900 BST.


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## Michael Dorosh (26 May 2006)

ArmyRick said:
			
		

> Amalgamation has been part of the commonwealth army before. Our own infantry units have been through almagamation several times before. Come to think of it, several of the armoured corps units were originally infantry (example ONT R)....
> 
> Food for thought...
> 
> The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers is another example of a hybrid british regiment formed in 1967 from several fusilier regiments..



Most of the Regiments that Canada has fielded no longer exist in their original forms. With a few exceptions like the Royal Canadian Regiment, Queen's Own Rifles, 48th Highlanders and a few more, most regiments were recreated almost from whole cloth in 1920-21, and major amalgamations took place again in 1936. From 1940 to the 1950s, infantry regiments migrated to the armoured corps; even in the 1990s we saw a former infantry regiment turned armoured regiment become reroled as engineers! Gunnar is dead on the mark - the new Royal Regiment of Scotland will retain their traditions by individual battalions. I agree it is a bit sad, but you know, if Canada ever made a concerted effort to raise every regiment we ever had (including The Yukon Regiment, Dawson Rifles, Rainy River Light Infantry and dozens more few people have ever heard of) we would have a standing army larger than the US, I think!


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## ArmyRick (26 May 2006)

Part of the problem though is we have far too many company sized regiments.  The UK I think had a very practical approach if painful one.  Mention amalgamation over here and people start spinning and going on about regimental history and traditions. Fine. If they want to stay a regiment then they should parade at least 2 companies and a RHQ, if not, bye bye.

I know I will be flame broiled for my remarks.


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## ArmyRick (26 May 2006)

A company means a real company not a platoon plus sized company.


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## Infanteer (26 May 2006)

As well, is it not entirely correct to say that the Royal Scots are a 373 year old unit - my understanding is that most of the British Regiments we see now merely perpetuate Regiments of Foot that existed before the Childers Reforms.  Is this correct?


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## Steel Badger (26 May 2006)

Army Rick

I agree with your comments re: parading to battalion strength but what everyone seems to forget is:

Reserve units are not given the budget to grow to full orbats. Mine can field about 5 platoons at present...3 in the Rifle Coy (2 rifle and the support PL ) Our "Depot COY" holds  a platoon of pers awaiting BIQ trg..( and for whom no courses are available) and a PL (-) of BMQ types...This does not include our Band and the PL Size BHQ

We have reached our limit as to pers we are allowed to recruit....and run into a hard wall ref trades course for those completed BMQ. Imagine having PAT Platoons in the reserve! That is what we are faced with. 


In addition, we will shortly begin losing small arms to replace those used up by operational units. This is NOT a complaint about the Reg "robbing" the reserves....it is an Operational necessity and so is required......but perhaps some goverment money could be ear-marked to ensure the platoons we do have can maintain 1 C7 per rifle man, 2 C9's per section
and maybe an 84 per platoon.....

Hard to generate continued interest and somewhat realistic training when the weapons in the museum are pressed into service....and your rifle platoons are fielding erzatz PVP 84mm....


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## big bad john (26 May 2006)

Infanteer said:
			
		

> As well, is it not entirely correct to say that the Royal Scots are a 373 year old unit - my understanding is that most of the British Regiments we see now merely perpetuate Regiments of Foot that existed before the Childers Reforms.  Is this correct?


That is correct.


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## big bad john (2 Aug 2006)

http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/DefenceNews/HistoryAndHonour/MindenDayMarksTheFormationOfTheRoyalScotsBorderers1stBattalionTheRoyalRegimentOfScotland.htm

Minden Day marks the formation of the Royal Scots Borderers, 1st Battalion the Royal Regiment of Scotland
2 Aug 06 
The Royal Scots Battalion and The Kings Own Scottish Borderers Battalion have come together to form The Royal Scots Borderers, 1st Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland.


Minden Day marked the formation of the Royal Scots Borderers, 1st Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland. 
[Picture: Mark Owens]
The formation represents the inception of a strong battalion within The Royal Regiment of Scotland, embracing and carrying forward the long distinguished history and traditions of The Royal Scots and The Kings Own Scottish Borderers. 

Around 650 soldiers from the new Battalion came together on Tuesday 1 August 2006 to take part in a formal parade in front of families and Regimental Association members to mark this historic occasion. The Battalion's Representative Colonel, Brigadier Andrew Jackson, took the salute. The parade was followed by a Battalion Open Day, the first time families and the retired community came together. 

This formal union can be seen through the clear integration of the Battalion. For example, The Commanding Officer, a former Royal Scot is matched by the Regimental Sergeant Major, a former Borderer. This dual pairing works all the way down through the ranks.

The 1st August has special historic significance for the Battalion as it commemorates the Battle of Minden honour, which The Kings Own Scottish Borderers won in 1759. The Battalion were presented with Minden Roses, upholding this long tradition. 

The Royal Scots and The King's Own Scottish Borderers each have in excess of three centuries of service to the crown. They have an accumulated 280 battle honours, 92 of which are shared. 

The formation of the Battalion is part of the Future Infantry Structure which is restructuring the Army to meet the future operational challenges and modern needs and aspirations of our soldiers. The Royal Scots Borderers Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Bob Bruce, said: 


The new cap badge of the Royal Scots Borderers, 1st Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland. 
[Picture: Mark Owens] 
"Today is a very emotive and historic day for the Battalion as we move forward to form The Royal Scots Borderers, 1st Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland.

"We must all look forward to the future. I have no doubt that the pride, professionalism and fighting spirit of The Royal Scots and The King's Own Scottish Borderers will be taken forward with distinction into The Royal Scots Borderers. 

"The Golden Thread linking the past and encompassing the proud traditions and history of The Royal Scots and The Kings Own Scottish Borderers will be cherished and carried forward into our new Battalion.

"We will maintain the very finest traditions of both, these will be highly visible and they will not be diluted. They will be respected in the Battalion with a shared pride in the history of what has gone before us.

"I am confident that The Royal Scots Borderers will continue to enjoy the same strong local links within its expanded recruiting area of Edinburgh, the Lothians, Lanarkshire, the Borders, and Dumfries and Galloway."


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