Highland Brigade (United Kingdom) (1948)

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N Group
Highland Brigade
PR Shotlandsk gorn brigady emblema grey 600 iarkost' sr - 23 temn -23.jpg
Cap badge of the Highland Brigade, later worn by the 51st Highland Volunteers
Active1946–1968
CountryFlag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom
BranchFlag of the British Army.svg  British Army
TypeAdministrative
Garrison/HQ Gordon Barracks, Aberdeen
Commanders
Representative Colonel FM Sir Archibald James Cassels (from 1963)

The Highland Brigade (known as N Group until 1948) was an administrative brigade of the British Army from 1946 to 1968, that administered the regiments with recruiting grounds in the Scottish Highlands.

Contents

History

After the Second World War the British Army had fourteen infantry depots, each bearing a letter. The depots were territorially organised, and Infantry Depot N was the headquarters for the highland regiments. [1]

In 1948, the depots adopted names and this depot became the Highland Brigade, with all regiments being reduced to a single battalion at the same time. The Highland Brigade was formally created on 14 July 1948 from the depots of six regiments: [2]

Under the Defence Review announced in July 1957, the infantry of the line was reorganised, and by 1961 the brigade was reduced to four battalions: [3]

From 1958 all regiments in the brigade adopted a common cap badge consisting of the saltire of St. Andrew on which was superimposed a stag's head and a scroll inscribed Cuidigh 'n Righ. The various Territorial Battalions that were also part of the then five Highland Regiments were split off in 1967 and grouped together, eventually forming the 51st Highland Volunteers. [6]

On 1 July 1968 the Highland Brigade was united with the Lowland Brigade, to form the Scottish Division. [7]

Units

Throughout its existence, the brigade was made up of the following units: [8]

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References

  1. Messenger, Charles (16 March 1994). A History of British Infantry: For Love of Regiment, Volume 2, 1915-1994. p. 156. ISBN   9780850524222.
  2. Whitaker's Almanack 1956, p. 471
  3. "Present Organisation of the Infantry". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard) . House of Commons. 11 May 1967.
  4. HLI merger "an insult" – March by 20,000 in Glasgow, The Times, September 30, 1957
  5. Army Order 91/1960
  6. "Highland Volunteers". British Army units 1945 on. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  7. Whitaker's Almanack 1969, p. 473
  8. "Highland Brigade". Archived from the original on 29 June 2006. Retrieved 7 January 2021.