Dates: 1633 - 2006
The Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment) was the oldest Regiment in the British Army and, as such, was the senior Infantry Regiment of the Line. It was raised in 1633 when Sir John Hepburn, under a Royal Warrant from King Charles I, recruited 1200 men in Scotland. The first Battle Honour awarded to the Regiment was Tangier 1680, since when a further 148 were gained in a history which involved them in almost every campaign the British Army has fought; the last awarded being Gulf 1991. On 28 March 2006, 373 years to the day since its formation, The Royal Scots merged with the other surviving Scottish Infantry Regiments to form The Royal Regiment of Scotland.
LIST OF BATTLE HONOURS Royal Scots regimental Colour The full list of Battle Honours is given below. Those printed in CAPITAL type were borne on the Colours.
BEFORE THE GREAT WAR:
TANGIER 1680, NAMUR 1695, BLENHEIM, RAMILLIES, OUDENARDE, MALPLAQUET, LOUISBURG, HAVANNAH, EGMONT-OP-ZEE, EGYPT, ST LUCIA 1803, CORUNNA, BUSACO, SALAMANCA, VITTORIA, ST SEBASTIAN, NIVE, PENINSULA, NIAGARA, WATERLOO, NAGPORE, MAHEIDPOOR, AVA, ALMA, INKERMAN, SEVASTOPOL, TAKU FORTS, PEKIN 1860 and SOUTH AFRICA 1899-1902.
THE GREAT WAR:
Mons, LE CATEAU, Retreat from Mons, MARNE 1914, 18, Aisne 1914, La Bassee 1914, Neuve Chapelle, YPRES 1915, 17, 18, Gravenstafel, St Julien, Frezenburg, Bellewaarde, Aubers, Festubert 1915, LOOS, SOMME 1916, 18, Albert 1916, 18, Bazentin, Pozieres, Flers-Courcelette, Le Transloy, Ancre Heights, Ancre 1916, 18, ARRAS 1917, 18, Scarpe 1917, 18, Arleux Pilckem, Langemarek 1917, Menin Road, Polygon Wood, Poelcappelle, Passchendaele, Cambrai 1917, St Quentin, Rosieres, LYS, Estaires, Messines 1918, Hazebrouck, Bailleul, Kemmel, Bethune, Soissonais-Ourcq, Tardenois, Amiens, Bapaume 1918, Drocourt-Queant, Hindenburg Line, Canal du Nord, St Quentin Canal, Beaurevoir, Courtrai, Selle, Sombre, France and Flanders 1914-18, STRUMA, Macedonia 1915-18, Helles, Landing at Helles, Krithia, Suvla, Scimitar Hill, GALLIPOLI 1915-16, Rumani, Egypt 1915- 16, Gaza. El Mughar, Nebi Samwil, Jaffa. PALESTINE 1917-I8 and Archangel 1918-19.
THE SECOND WORLD WAR:
Dyle, DEFENCE OF ESCAUT, St Omer-La-Bassee, ODON, Cheux, Defence of Rauray, Caen, Esquay, Mont Pincon, AART, Nederrijn, Best, Scheldt, FLUSHING, Meijel, Venlo Pocket, Roer, Rhineland, Reichswald, Cleve, Goch, RHINE, Uelzen, Bremen, Artlenberg, NORTH- WEST EUROPE 1940, 44-45, GOTHIC LINE, Marradi, Monte Gamberaldi, ITALY 1944-45, South East Asia 1941, Donbaik, KOHIMA, Relief of Kohima, Aradura, Shwebo, Mandalay and BURMA 1943-45.
SINCE 1945:
Wadi El Batin and GULF 1991.
"I went into the Army at the Royal Scots Training Depot Dreghorn Barracks near Edinburgh, it was December and bitterly cold that I do remember, initially I had been declared fit and was A1, now that was fine as I was keen to be a Soldier [just like my DAD during the WW1 campaign,] having endured most of the training, including the morning rush to the Mess Hall to have unsalted Porridge and inedible kippers, mindful of the 28 shillings a week, I seemed to spend most of my time at the Naafi eating eggs and chips to take away the taste of the Kippers. The Staff then decided to ask all those National Servicemen mer included if we would like to sign on, a lot of us said no with the result that us lot had to have another Medical where we were downgraded to B4, I still continued with the training until the 7th week and was temporally assigned to the Regimental Police, I cannot remember what the rest did but they were all assigned other duties,we then were told we were being transferred to a Holding Camp in England a place called OSWESTRY near CHESTER, having had weekend passes to go Home and see our Families, I did'nt have far to go as I stayed at BONNYRIGG 6 miles from the CAMP. we then were taken to Waverley Railway Station and with an N.C.O.and an Officer in attendance put on the train for our NEW ADVENTURE. More of that in the next installment. So ended my time with the ROYAL SCOTS at DREGHORN BARRACKS EDINBURGH. "
