Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)

Last updated

Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)
Cameronians.gif
Cap Badge of the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)
Active1 July 1881 – 14 May 1968
CountryFlag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom
BranchFlag of the British Army.svg  British Army
Type Rifles
Size2 Regular battalions
2 Militia battalions
2 – 4 Territorial and Volunteer battalions
Up to 12 hostilities-only battalions
Part of Lowland Brigade
Garrison/HQ Hamilton Barracks, Hamilton (1881–1947)
Winston Barracks, Lanark (1947–1964)
Glencorse Barracks, Edinburgh (1964–1968) [1]
Nickname(s)(from the 1960s) The Poison Dwarfs. Not a popular nickname as it was derogatory.
MarchQuick – Within a mile of Edinburgh Toon
Slow – The Garb of Old Gaul
Commanders
Colonel in Chief HM King Gustaf VI Adolf
Colonel of
the Regiment		Major General Henry Templar Alexander, CB CBE DSO
Insignia
Tartan Douglastartan.jpg

The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) was a rifle regiment of the British Army, the only regiment of rifles amongst the Scottish regiments of infantry. It was formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 26th Cameronian Regiment and the 90th Perthshire Light Infantry. In 1968, when reductions were required, the regiment chose to be disbanded rather than amalgamated with another regiment, one of only two infantry regiments in the British Army to do so, with the other being the York and Lancaster Regiment. It can trace its roots to that of the Cameronians, later the 26th of Foot, who were raised in 1689. The 1881 amalgamation coincided with the Cameronian's selection to become the new Scottish Rifles.

Contents

Memorial on Spion Kop Spioenkop-British Memorial-Face5.jpg
Memorial on Spion Kop
1st Battalion Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) on the Western Front, 1914/15 1st Battalion Cameronians (scottish Rifles) on the Western Front, 1914 - 1915 Q51587.jpg
1st Battalion Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) on the Western Front, 1914/15
The Cameronians War Memorial in Kelvingrove Park Glasgow, Scottish Rifles memorial - geograph.org.uk - 1539610.jpg
The Cameronians War Memorial in Kelvingrove Park
Cameronians Memorial at Douglas, South Lanarkshire Cameronians Memorial plaque.JPG
Cameronians Memorial at Douglas, South Lanarkshire

History

Formation

The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) was formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 26th Cameronian Regiment and the 90th Perthshire Light Infantry. [2] After the amalgamation, the 1st Battalion preferred to be known as "The Cameronians" while the 2nd preferred to be known as "The Scottish Rifles". The 2nd Battalion saw action at the Battle of Spion Kop in January 1900 during the Second Boer War. [3]

Two Militia battalions were formed from the former 2nd Royal Lanark Militia. The 3rd battalion was embodied in May 1900 for service during the Second Boer War. More than 600 men embarked for South Africa in April 1901, and returned in June 1902, following the end of hostilities. [4] The 4th battalion had been embodied already in December 1899, also for service in the same war, and 600 officers and men embarked for South Africa in late February 1900. [5]

In 1908, the Volunteers and Militia were reorganised nationally, with the former becoming the Territorial Force and the latter the Special Reserve; [6] the regiment now had two Reserve and four Territorial battalions. [7] [2]

First World War

Regular Army

The 1st Battalion landed at Le Havre as part of the 19th Brigade, which was an independent command at that time, in August 1914 for service on the Western Front. [8] The battalion famously refused to play football or otherwise fraternise with the enemy on Christmas Day 1914. [9] The 2nd Battalion landed in France as part of the 23rd Brigade in the 8th Division in November 1914 for service on the Western Front. [8]

Territorial Force

The 1/5th Battalion was one of the first Territorial Force units selected to reinforce the Regulars of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in France. It landed at Le Havre on 5 November 1914, joining 19th Brigade on 19 November. At this time 19th Bde also included 1st Bn Cameronians [lower-alpha 1] 19th Brigade was attached to the 6th Division; later it moved to 33rd Division, a 'Kitchener's Army' formation. [8] The 1/6th Battalion landed at Le Havre as part of the 23rd Brigade in the 8th Division in March 1915 for service on the Western Front. It later joined 33rd Division and in 1916 it merged with the 1/5th to form 5th/6th Bn. [8] The 1/7th Battalion and the 1/8th Battalion landed in Gallipoli as part of the 156th Brigade in the 52nd (Lowland) Division in June 1915; after evacuation from Gallipoli in January 1916 the battalions moved to Egypt and served in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign. They sailed to Marseille in April 1918 and served on the Western Front until the end of the war. [11] [12] [13] [8] [14] [10] [15]

New Armies

The 9th (Service) Battalion landed at Boulogne-sur-Mer as part of the 27th Brigade in the 9th (Scottish) Division in May 1915 for service on the Western Front. [8] The 10th (Service) Battalion landed at Boulogne-sur-Mer as part of the 46th Brigade in the 15th (Scottish) Division in July 1915 for service on the Western Front. [8] The 11th (Service) Battalion landed at Boulogne-sur-Mer as part of the 77th Brigade in the 26th Division in September 1915 for service on the Western Front but sailed for Salonika in November 1915. [8]

Inter-war

The 1st Battalion was deployed to Ireland in 1919 during the Irish War of Independence and then went to India in 1931 while the 2nd Battalion was deployed to Mesopotamia in 1919 and then went to India in 1922. [16]

Second World War

The 1st Battalion, which had been in India at the start of the war and was initially commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Galloway, was deployed to Burma as part of the 1st Burma Brigade in the 39th Indian Division in 1942 and saw action in the Burma Campaign. [17]

A Bren gun team from the 2nd Battalion, Cameronians (Scottish Rifles), 5th Division, take up a position high up in the mountains, Italy, 21 November 1943. The British Army in Italy 1943 NA8979.jpg
A Bren gun team from the 2nd Battalion, Cameronians (Scottish Rifles), 5th Division, take up a position high up in the mountains, Italy, 21 November 1943.

The 2nd Battalion, initially commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Douglas Graham, was deployed to France as part of the 13th Infantry Brigade in the 5th Division within the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in September 1939 and, after taking part in the Dunkirk evacuation in June 1940, saw action in the Allied invasion of Sicily in July 1943 and the Allied invasion of Italy in September 1943 and, after fighting in the Italian Campaign, serving in both the Moro River and Anzio campaigns until July 1944, took part in the North West Europe Campaign in early 1945, ending in May. [18]

Infantrymen of the 6th Battalion, Cameronians passing Sherman tanks near Havert in Germany, 18 January 1945. The British Army in North-west Europe 1944-45 B13767.jpg
Infantrymen of the 6th Battalion, Cameronians passing Sherman tanks near Havert in Germany, 18 January 1945.

The 6th and 7th Battalions, both Territorial Army battalions, were deployed to France as part of the 156th Infantry Brigade in the 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division to provide cover for the withdrawal of troops of the British Expeditionary Force; after the Normandy landings in June 1944, the battalion took part in the North West Europe Campaign in late 1944 and in 1945. [19] [20]

The 9th Battalion took part in the Normandy landings as part of the 46th (Highland) Infantry Brigade in the 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division in June 1944 and saw action in the North West Europe Campaign in late 1944 (including action at the Battle of Broekhuizen) [21] and in 1945. [22]

Post-war

In 1948, along with every other infantry regiment of the British Army, the Cameronians regiment was reduced to a single regular battalion. The 1st Battalion which had been repeatedly decimated in the Burma campaign was placed in suspended animation and the 2nd Battalion was renamed the 1st Battalion while at Gibraltar. It was deployed to Malaya in 1950 during the Malayan Emergency. [23] Under the reforms of the army in the 1967 Defence White Paper, which saw several regiments amalgamated, the Cameronians chose to disband rather than amalgamate with another in the Lowland Brigade.

In the 1960s the unruly behaviour of some of the Cameronians who were stationed in Minden as part of the BAOR caused a local to describe the smaller Scottish soldiers as "poison dwarfs". [24] [25]

The 1st Battalion, The Cameronians was disbanded on 14 May 1968 at Douglas Castle, near Douglas, South Lanarkshire in the presence of the Duke of Hamilton, the Earl of Angus. Its recruiting area in Lanarkshire and Dumfries and Galloway was taken over by the King's Own Scottish Borderers and the Regimental Headquarters finally closed down in 1987. [2]

Regimental museum

The Cameronians Museum is located within the Low Parks Museum, Hamilton, South Lanarkshire. [26]

Traditions

Every new member of the regiment was issued a Bible, as a nod to Richard Cameron, after whom the original 26th Foot was named and the regiment mounted an armed guard at the doors of the Kirk during religious services. [27] Soldiers wore a rifle green doublet with Douglas tartan trews as part of their full dress and No.1 dress uniforms. [28] The regiment was one of only two in Britain to retain the shako as its full-dress headwear after 1878. [29]

Battle honours

The regiment's battle honours included: [2]

Colonel-in-Chief

The colonel-in-chief was as follows:

Regimental Colonels

Regimental colonels were: [2]

Affiliations

Affiliations included:

Notable former members of the regiment

Also His Majesty Sultan Qaboos, the former ruler of the Sultantate of Oman, served with the Cameronians as a junior officer. [35] [36]

Memorials

Face 5 of the British memorial on Spion Kop lists the names of the soldiers from the Cameronians who died at the Battle of Spion Kop during the Second Boer War. [37] The Cameronians War Memorial in Kelvingrove Park, Glasgow by Philip Lindsey Clark, unveiled on 9 August 1924, depicts men of the regiment manning a Lewis gun. [38] A monument commemorating both the founding of the regiment by the Earl of Angus in 1689 and its disbanding in 1968 can be found at Douglas, South Lanarkshire. [39] Also within the village is a statue of the Earl of Angus to commemorate the bicentenary of the raising of the regiment. [40]

Footnotes

  1. ↑ The 33rd Division's historian [10] usually refers to 1st Bn as 'Cameronians' and 5th Bn as 'Scottish Rifles', which may reflect the battalions' preferences as to titles; the Official Histories use Scottish Rifles for both.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lancashire Fusiliers</span> Line infantry regiment of the British Army 1688–1968

The Lancashire Fusiliers was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that saw distinguished service through many years and wars, including the Second Boer War, the First and Second World Wars, and had many different titles throughout its 280 years of existence. In 1968 the regiment was amalgamated with the other regiments of the Fusilier Brigade – the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers, Royal Warwickshire Fusiliers and the Royal Fusiliers – to form the current Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">King's Own Scottish Borderers</span> Military unit

The King's Own Scottish Borderers (KOSBs) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Scottish Division. On 28 March 2006 the regiment was amalgamated with the Royal Scots, the Royal Highland Fusiliers, the Black Watch, the Highlanders, the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, 52nd Lowland Regiment, and 51st Highland Regiment to form the Royal Regiment of Scotland. However, after just a few months the battalion merged with the Royal Scots Battalion to form the Royal Scots Borderers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Welch Regiment</span> British Army formation

The Welch Regiment was an infantry regiment of the line of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1969. The regiment was created in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 41st (Welch) Regiment of Foot and 69th Regiment of Foot to form the Welsh Regiment, by which it was known until 1920 when it was renamed the Welch Regiment. In 1969 the regiment was amalgamated with the South Wales Borderers to form the Royal Regiment of Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Yorkshire Regiment</span> Former regiment of the British Army

The West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales's Own) (14th Foot) was an infantry regiment of the British Army. In 1958 it amalgamated with the East Yorkshire Regiment (15th Foot) to form the Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire which was, on 6 June 2006, amalgamated with the Green Howards and the Duke of Wellington's Regiment (West Riding) to form the Yorkshire Regiment (14th/15th, 19th and 33rd/76th Foot).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheshire Regiment</span> Former British Army regiment

The Cheshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Prince of Wales' Division. The 22nd Regiment of Foot was raised by the Henry Howard, 7th Duke of Norfolk in 1689 and was able to boast an independent existence of over 300 years. The regiment was expanded in 1881 as part of the Childers Reforms by the linking of the 22nd (Cheshire) Regiment of Foot and the militia and rifle volunteers of Cheshire. The title 22nd (Cheshire) Regiment continued to be used within the regiment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dorset Regiment</span> British infantry regiment

The Dorset Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 to 1958, being the county regiment of Dorset. Until 1951, it was formally called the Dorsetshire Regiment, although usually known as "The Dorsets". In 1958, after service in the Second Boer War along with World War I and World War II, the Dorset Regiment was amalgamated with the Devonshire Regiment to form the Devonshire and Dorset Regiment. In 2007, it was amalgamated with the Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment, The Light Infantry and the Royal Green Jackets to form a new large regiment, The Rifles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Wales Borderers</span> Military unit

The South Wales Borderers was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence for 280 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Highland Light Infantry</span> Light infantry regiment of the British Arm

The Highland Light Infantry (HLI) was a light infantry regiment of the British Army formed in 1881. It took part in the First and Second World Wars, until it was amalgamated with the Royal Scots Fusiliers in 1959 to form the Royal Highland Fusiliers which later merged with the Royal Scots Borderers, the Black Watch, the Highlanders and the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders to form the Royal Regiment of Scotland, becoming the 2nd Battalion of the new regiment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Ulster Rifles</span> British Army infantry regiment

The Royal Irish Rifles was an infantry rifle regiment of the British Army, first created in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 83rd Regiment of Foot and the 86th Regiment of Foot. The regiment saw service in the Second Boer War, the First World War, the Second World War, and the Korean War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers</span> Military unit

The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers was an Irish line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1968. The regiment was formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 27th (Inniskilling) Regiment of Foot and the 108th Regiment of Foot.

The 19th Brigade is an Army Reserve formation of the British Army. As the 19th Infantry Brigade, it fought in the First and Second World War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Middlesex Regiment</span> Infantry regiment of the British Army

The Middlesex Regiment (Duke of Cambridge's Own) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1966. The regiment was formed, as the Duke of Cambridge's Own (Middlesex Regiment), in 1881 as part of the Childers Reforms when the 57th (West Middlesex) and 77th (East Middlesex) Regiments of Foot were amalgamated with the county's militia and rifle volunteer units.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northamptonshire Regiment</span> Military unit

The Northamptonshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1960. In 1960, it was amalgamated with the Royal Lincolnshire Regiment to form the 2nd East Anglian Regiment, which was amalgamated with the 1st East Anglian Regiment, the 3rd East Anglian Regiment and the Royal Leicestershire Regiment to form the present Royal Anglian Regiment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">7th (Meerut) Division</span> Military unit

The 7th (Meerut) Division was an infantry division of the Indian Army and before 1895, the Bengal Army, that saw active service during World War I.

The 156th Brigade was an infantry brigade formation of the British Army. The brigade saw active service in both the First and the Second World Wars with the 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division.

The 157th Brigade was an infantry brigade of the British Army. The brigade fought in both the First and the Second World Wars, assigned to 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division.

221st Mixed Brigade was a Scottish Home Service formation of the British Army that served under various titles throughout World War I.

The Glasgow Brigade was an infantry formation of Britain's Volunteer Force from 1890 to 1902. It was the forerunner of two formations of the Territorial Force that saw service in both World Wars.

The 1st Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers was a Scottish Volunteer unit of the British Army. Originally raised in Glasgow from 1859, it later became a battalion of the Cameronians. During World War I it served on the Western Front and in Ireland. Converted into an anti-aircraft regiment just before World War II, it served during The Blitz and in the campaign in North West Europe, and continued in air defence role in the postwar years until 1955.

The 4th Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteer Corps was a Scottish Volunteer unit of the British Army. Originally raised in Glasgow in 1859, it later became a battalion of the Cameronians. During World War I it served at Gallipoli, in Egypt and Palestine, and on the Western Front. Converted into an anti-aircraft regiment just before World War II, it served throughout the war and continued in an air defence role in the postwar years until 1950.

References

  1. ↑ "1939 − Winston barracks, Lanark constructed. It was later to be the base for the Scottish Rifles (Cameronians)". Lanard Life. Archived from the original on 10 December 2015. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)". Regiments.org. Archived from the original on 30 December 2005. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  3. ↑ "Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)". Anglo-Boer War. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  4. ↑ "The Army in South Africa - The return of the Troops". The Times. No. 36809. London. 2 July 1902. p. 11.
  5. ↑ "The War - Embarcation of Troops". The Times. No. 36071. London. 21 February 1900. p. 10.
  6. ↑ "Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard) . 31 March 1908. Retrieved 20 June 2017.
  7. ↑ These were the 3rd and 4th Battalions (Special Reserve), with the 5th Battalion at West Princes Street in Glasgow, the 6th Battalion at Muirhall in Hamilton (since demolished), the 7th Battalion at Victoria Road in Glasgow and the 8th Battalion at Cathedral Street in Glasgow (since demolished) (all Territorial Force)
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)". The Long, Long Trail. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  9. ↑ "Scottish Rifles - the soldiers who refused to play ball at Christmas during First World War". The Telegraph. 22 December 2013. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  10. 1 2 Seton-Hutchinson.
  11. ↑ 6th Division, Becke, Pt 1.
  12. ↑ 33rd Division, Becke, Pt 3b.
  13. ↑ 52nd (Lowland) Division, Becke, Pt 2a.
  14. ↑ Edmonds, 1914, Vol II, pp. 227, 459; Appendices 1 & 5.
  15. ↑ Thompson.
  16. ↑ "Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)". National Army Museum. Archived from the original on 24 June 2016. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  17. ↑ "1st Burma Division". Burma Star Association. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  18. ↑ "2nd Battalion Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)". Wartime Memories Project. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  19. ↑ "6th Battalion Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)". Wartime Memories Project. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  20. ↑ "7th Battalion Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)". Wartime Memories Project. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  21. ↑ Gaunt, John (2000), "The Battle of Broekhuizen", After the Battle, 107: 24–27
  22. ↑ "9th Battalion Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)". Wartime Memories Project. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  23. ↑ "Malayan Emergency 1948-1960". Cameronians. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  24. ↑ "Poison Dwarfs of British Army". Daily Mirror. 13 June 1962. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  25. ↑ "The gallus and the gallant". The Herald. 8 March 1993. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  26. ↑ "The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) Collection - Low Parks Museum, Hamilton, Lanarkshire" . Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  27. ↑ "Lanarkshire connections". Cameronians. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  28. ↑ "Doublet". Cameronians. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  29. ↑ Army Dress Regulations 2011 (glossary)
  30. ↑ "Invitation to Major-General Haugh". South Lanarkshire Museum. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
  31. ↑ "World War 1 Photographs". History Links Museum. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
  32. ↑ "No. 37598". The London Gazette (Supplement). 13 June 1946. p. 2768.
  33. ↑ "Brigadier-General James Graham Chaplin". Lafayette negative archive. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
  34. ↑ "WW2 hero dog celebrated with statue in Strathaven". BBC News. 7 November 2021. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  35. ↑ Allen, p. 28–29, 34
  36. ↑ Telegraph Obituaries (11 January 2020). "Sultan Qaboos bin Said, long-serving ruler of Oman and ally of the West – obituary". The Daily Telegraph . London. Archived from the original on 13 January 2020. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  37. ↑ "The British War Memorial and graveyard at the Battle of Spion Kop". Getty images. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  38. ↑ "Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) War Memorial". Scottish Sculpture. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  39. ↑ "Cameronians's Regimental Memorial". Visit Scotland. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  40. ↑ "Cameronian Scottish Rifles 1689 – 1968, Presentation to Douglas Heritage Museum, June 2006". Douglas Community Council. Archived from the original on 12 September 2006. Retrieved 12 June 2016.

Sources

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.