List of battalions of the Royal Scots facts for kids

The Royal Scots was a very old infantry (foot soldier) regiment in the British Army. It existed for a long time, from 1633 until 2006. This page lists the different groups of soldiers, called battalions, that were part of the Royal Scots over the years.

How the Battalions Started

In 1881, the British Army made big changes. These changes were called the Cardwell-Childers reforms. Because of these changes, one group of part-time soldiers (called militia) and seven groups of volunteer soldiers joined the Royal Scots. These volunteer groups came from areas like Edinburgh, Midlothian, Berwickshire, Haddingtonshire and Linlithgowshire.

The volunteer groups started in the late 1850s. People thought France might invade Britain. So, people formed "rifle volunteer corps" to help protect the country. These groups were not part of the regular British Army. They were mostly made up of middle class citizens. The only big change between 1881 and 1908 was that one volunteer group left. The other volunteer groups were then given numbers to become "Volunteer Battalions."

New Organisation

In 1908, a new group called the Territorial Force was created. (Later, it was called the Territorial Army). All the volunteer battalions joined this new force. The militia battalions moved to a group called the "Special Reserve." All the volunteer battalions were renumbered so they had a clear order.

First World War

During World War I, the Royal Scots had 35 battalions fighting. They lost 11,213 soldiers (officers and other ranks). The existing territorial battalions created extra "second" and "third line" battalions. For example, the 4th King's had 1/4th, 2/4th, and 3/4th battalions.

Many new Royal Scots battalions were formed in 1914. This was after Lord Kitchener, the Secretary of State for War, asked for 100,000 volunteers. These new groups were called the New Army or Kitchener's Army. Some battalions, like the 15th to 18th King's, were called "Pals" battalions. This is because they were mostly made up of friends and colleagues who joined together.

The Volunteer Training Corps were formed early in the war. These groups were for older men or men in important jobs. They first organised themselves into many small groups. As the war went on, these small groups became battalion-sized units. By 1918, they were linked to county regiments.

Between the World Wars

By 1922, all the battalions created for the war had stopped existing. The Royal Scots did not go back to its original small size. Many of its territorial battalions were lost soon after the war. The Special Reserve went back to being called "militia" in 1921. Then it became the Supplementary Reserve in 1924. However, its battalions were mostly "on hold" (not actively training or serving). As World War II got closer, the Territorial Army was changed. Many of its infantry battalions were given new jobs, especially in anti-aircraft defence.

Second World War

The Royal Scots did not grow as much during World War II as it did in the First World War. Groups called National Defence Companies combined to make a new "Home Defence" battalion. Also, 17 battalions of the Home Guard were linked to the regiment. They wore the Royal Scots cap badge. By 1944, there were also two anti-aircraft rocket batteries (called Z Batteries). A Light Anti-Aircraft (LAA) troop was formed from local battalions to protect a power station. These LAA troops needed many more people than regular units. This was because the men worked shifts or had day jobs.

After World War II

Right after the war, the army became much smaller. Almost all infantry regiments had their first and second battalions join together. The Supplementary Reserve also stopped.