Military history of Scotland

Last updated

The Thin Red Line of 1854, by Robert Gibb, in his 1881 painting Robert Gibb - The Thin Red Line.jpg
The Thin Red Line of 1854, by Robert Gibb, in his 1881 painting

Historically, Scotland has a long military tradition that predates the Act of Union with England in 1707. Its soldiers today form part of the armed forces of the United Kingdom, more usually referred to domestically within the UK as the British Armed Forces.

Contents

History prior to the Union

Royal Scots Navy

A carving of a birlinn from a sixteenth-century tombstone in MacDufie's Chapel, Oronsay, as engraved in 1772 A tomb in MacDufie's Chapel, Oronsay, 1772 (cropped).png
A carving of a birlinn from a sixteenth-century tombstone in MacDufie's Chapel, Oronsay, as engraved in 1772

There are mentions in Medieval records of fleets commanded by Scottish kings including William the Lion [1] and Alexander II. The latter took personal command of a large naval force which sailed from the Firth of Clyde and anchored off the island of Kerrera in 1249, intended to transport his army in a campaign against the Kingdom of the Isles, but he died before the campaign could begin. [2] [3] Viking naval power was disrupted by conflicts between the Scandinavian kingdoms, but entered a period of resurgence in the thirteenth century when Norwegian kings began to build some of the largest ships seen in Northern European waters. These included king Hakon Hakonsson's Kristsúðin, built at Bergen from 1262 to 1263, which was 260 feet (79 m) long, of 37 rooms. [4] In 1263 Hakon responded to Alexander III's designs on the Hebrides by personally leading a major fleet of forty vessels, including the Kristsúðin, to the islands, where they were swelled by local allies to as many as 200 ships. [5] Records indicate that Alexander had several large oared ships built at Ayr, but he avoided a sea battle. [1] Defeat on land at the Battle of Largs and winter storms forced the Norwegian fleet to return home, leaving the Scottish crown as the major power in the region and leading to the ceding of the Western Isles to Alexander in 1266. [6]

English naval power was vital to Edward I's successful campaigns in Scotland from 1296, using largely merchant ships from England, Ireland and his allies in the Islands to transport and supply his armies. [7] Part of the reason for Robert I's success was his ability to call on naval forces from the Islands. As a result of the expulsion of the Flemings from England in 1303, he gained the support of a major naval power in the North Sea. [7] The development of naval power allowed Robert to successfully defeat English attempts to capture him in the Highlands and Islands and to blockade major English controlled fortresses at Perth and Stirling, the last forcing Edward II to attempt the relief that resulted at English defeat at Bannockburn in 1314. [7] Scottish naval forces allowed invasions of the Isle of Man in 1313 and 1317 and Ireland in 1315. They were also crucial in the blockade of Berwick, which led to its fall in 1318. [7]

After the establishment of Scottish independence, Robert I turned his attention to building up a Scottish naval capacity. This was largely focused on the west coast, with the Exchequer Rolls of 1326 recording the feudal duties of his vassals in that region to aid him with their vessels and crews. Towards the end of his reign he supervised the building of at least one royal man-of-war near his palace at Cardross on the River Clyde. In the late fourteenth century naval warfare with England was conducted largely by hired Scots, Flemish and French merchantmen and privateers. [8] James I took a greater interest in naval power. After his return to Scotland in 1424, he established a shipbuilding yard at Leith, a house for marine stores, and a workshop. King's ships were built and equipped there to be used for trade as well as war, one of which accompanied him on his expedition to the Islands in 1429. The office of Lord High Admiral was probably founded in this period. In his struggles with his nobles in 1488 James III received assistance from his two warships the Flower and the King's Carvel also known as the Yellow Carvel. [8]

A model of the Great Michael in the Royal Museum Great Michael.jpg
A model of the Great Michael in the Royal Museum

There were various attempts to create royal naval forces in the fifteenth century. James IV put the enterprise on a new footing, founding a harbour at Newhaven and a dockyard at the Pools of Airth. [9] He acquired a total of 38 ships including the Great Michael , [10] at that time, the largest ship in Europe. [10] [11] Scottish ships had some success against privateers, accompanied the king on his expeditions in the islands and intervened in conflicts Scandinavia and the Baltic, [8] but were sold after the Flodden campaign and after 1516 and Scottish naval efforts would rely on privateering captains and hired merchantmen. [8] James V did not share his father's interest in developing a navy and shipbuilding fell behind the Low Countries. [12] Despite truces between England and Scotland there were periodic outbreaks of a guerre de course . [13] James V built a new harbour at Burntisland in 1542. [14] The chief use of naval power in his reign was a series of expeditions to the Isles and France. [15] After the Union of Crowns in 1603 conflict between Scotland and England ended, but Scotland found itself involved in England's foreign policy, opening up Scottish shipping to attack. In 1626 a squadron of three ships were bought and equipped. [11] There were also several marque fleets of privateers. [16] In 1627, the Royal Scots Navy and accompanying contingents of burgh privateers participated in the major expedition to Biscay. [17] The Scots also returned to West Indies [18] and in 1629 took part in the capture of Quebec. [19]

During the Bishop's Wars the king attempted to blockade Scotland and planned amphibious assaults from England on the East coast and from Ireland to the West. [20] Scottish privateers took a number of English prizes. [21] After the Covenanters allied with the English Parliament they established two patrol squadrons for the Atlantic and North Sea coasts, known collectively as the "Scotch Guard". [22] The Scottish navy was unable to withstand the English fleet that accompanied the army led by Cromwell that conquered Scotland in 1649–51 and the Scottish ships and crews were split up among the Commonwealth fleet. [23] Scottish seamen received protection against arbitrary impressment by English men of war, but a fixed quota of conscripts for the Royal Navy was levied from the sea-coast burghs during the second half of the seventeenth century. [24] Royal Navy patrols were now found in Scottish waters even in peacetime. [25] In the Second (1665–67) and Third Anglo-Dutch Wars (1672–74) between 80 and 120 captains, took Scottish letters of marque and privateers played a major part in the naval conflict. [26] In the 1690s a small fleet of five ships was established by merchants for the Darien Scheme, [27] and a professional navy was established for the protection of commerce in home waters during the Nine Years' War, with three purpose-built warships bought from English shipbuilders in 1696. After the Act of Union in 1707, these vessels were transferred to the Royal Navy. [28]

Scottish armies

Scottish soldiers in the period of the Hundred Years' War, detail from an edition of Froissart's Chronicles Scottish soldiers in the 14thC.jpg
Scottish soldiers in the period of the Hundred Years' War, detail from an edition of Froissart's Chronicles

Before the Wars of the Three Kingdoms in 1644, there was no standing army in the Kingdom of Scotland. In the Early Middle Ages war in Scotland was characterised by the use of small war-bands of household troops often engaging in raids and low level warfare. [29] By the High Middle Ages, the kings of Scotland could command forces of tens of thousands of men for short periods as part of the "common army", mainly of poorly armoured spear and bowmen. After the "Davidian Revolution" of the 12th century, which introduced elements of feudalism to Scotland, these forces were augmented by small numbers of mounted and heavily armoured knights. These armies rarely managed to stand up to the usually larger and more professional armies produced by England, but they were used to good effect by Robert I of Scotland at Battle of Bannockburn in 1314 to secure Scottish independence. [30] After the Wars of Scottish Independence, the Auld Alliance between Scotland and France played a large part in the country's military activities, especially during the Hundred Years' War. In the Late Middle Ages under the Stewart kings forces were further augmented by specialist troops, particularly men-at-arms and archers, hired by bonds of manrent , similar to English indentures of the same period. [31] Scottish warfare in this period was mostly raids and ambushes performed by Scottish nobles and men at arms who would fight on foot during pitched battles or on horse when skirmishing or carrying out raids. Contemporary depictions show nobles and their retinues in fine plate armor that is highly protective and well-suited for foot combat, with many wearing fine great bascinets late into the 15th century, possibly due to the need for extra protection from English bows and bills. They were accompanied by their retinues, usually mounted longbowmen or spearmen who would fight with the same flexibility, also preferring to fight on foot in pitched battle. Archers became much sought after as mercenaries in French armies of the 15th century in order to help counter the English superiority in this arm, becoming a major element of the French royal guards as the Garde Écossaise. [32] Scotland played a major role in the Hundred Years War, with many Scots present from Bauge all the way to the end of the Loire Valley Campaign and the Battle of Patay "The Scots Men-at-Arms and Life-Guards in France, From Their Formation Until Their Final Dissolution, A.D. MCCCCXVIII-MDCCCXXX (Volume I)". The Stewarts also adopted major innovations in continental warfare, such as longer pikes and the extensive use of artillery. However, in the early 16th century one of the best armed and largest Scottish armies ever assembled still met with defeat at the hands of an English army at the Battle of Flodden in 1513, which saw the destruction of a large number of ordinary troops, a large section of the nobility and the king James IV. [33]

The earliest image of Scottish soldiers wearing tartan; 1631 German engraving. Scottish mercenaries in the Thirty Years War.jpg
The earliest image of Scottish soldiers wearing tartan; 1631 German engraving.

In the sixteenth century the crown took an increasing role in the supply of military equipment. [34] The pike began to replace the spear and the Scots began to convert from the bow to gunpowder firearms. [35] The feudal heavy cavalry had begun to disappear from Scottish armies and the Scots fielded relatively large numbers of light horse, often drawn from the borders. [36] James IV brought in experts from France, Germany and the Netherlands and established a gun foundry in 1511. [15] A clan leader like John Grant of Freuchie in 1596 could muster from his kin, friends, and servants 500 men able to fight for King James and the Sheriff of Moray. Of these 40 had habergeons, two handled swords, and helmets, and another 40 were armed "according to the Highland custom" with bows, helmets, swords, and targes. [37]

In the early seventeenth century relatively large numbers of Scots took service in foreign armies involved in the Thirty Years' War. [38] As armed conflict with Charles I in the Bishop's Wars became likely, hundreds of Scots mercenaries returned home from foreign service, including experienced leaders like Alexander and David Leslie and these veterans played an important role in training recruits. [20] These systems would form the basis of the Covenanter armies that intervened in the Civil Wars in England and Ireland. [39] Scottish infantry were generally armed, as was almost universal in Western Europe, with a combination of pike and shot. Scottish armies may also have had individuals with a variety of weapons including bows, Lochaber axes, and halberds. [40] Most cavalry were probably equipped with pistols and swords, although there is some evidence that they included lancers. [41] Royalist armies, like those led by James Graham, Marquis of Montrose (1643–44) and in Glencairn's rising (1653–54), were mainly composed of conventionally armed infantry with pike and shot. [42] Montrose's forces were short of heavy artillery suitable for siege warfare and had only a small force of cavalry. [43]

Soldier of the Black Watch c. 1740 Soldier of the Black Watch.JPG
Soldier of the Black Watch c. 1740

At the Restoration the Privy Council established a force of several infantry regiments and a few troops of horse and there were attempts to found a national militia on the English model. The standing army was mainly employed in the suppression of Covenanter rebellions and the guerrilla war undertaken by the Cameronians in the East. [44] Pikemen became less important in the late seventeenth century and after the introduction of the socket bayonet disappeared altogether, while matchlock muskets were replaced by the more reliable flintlock. [44] On the eve of the Glorious Revolution the standing army in Scotland was about 3,000 men in various regiments and another 268 veterans in the major garrison towns. [45] After the Glorious Revolution the Scots were drawn into King William II's continental wars, beginning with the Nine Years' War in Flanders (1689–97). [46] By the time of the Act of Union, the Kingdom of Scotland had a standing army of seven units of infantry, two of horse and one troop of Horse Guards, besides varying levels of fortress artillery in the garrison castles of Edinburgh, Dumbarton, and Stirling. [47]

Wars and battles to 1707

The earliest known depiction of the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314 from a 1440s manuscript of Walter Bower's Scotichronicon Battle of Bannockburn.jpg
The earliest known depiction of the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314 from a 1440s manuscript of Walter Bower's Scotichronicon
Battle of Pinkie, woodcut illustration from William Patten, (1548) Battle of Pinkie sketch, 1547.jpg
Battle of Pinkie, woodcut illustration from William Patten, (1548)

Castles

Caerlaverock Castle, a moated triangular castle, first built in the thirteenth century Caerlaverock Castle from the air.jpg
Caerlaverock Castle, a moated triangular castle, first built in the thirteenth century

Castles arrived in Scotland with the introduction of feudalism in the twelfth century. [48] Initially these were wooden motte-and-bailey constructions, [49] but many were replaced by stone castles with a high curtain wall. [50] During the Wars of Independence, Robert the Bruce pursued a policy of castle slighting. [51] In the late Middle Ages new castles were built, some on a grander scale as "livery and maintenance" castles that could support a large garrison. [50] Gunpowder weaponry led to the use of gun ports, platforms to mount guns and walls adapted to resist bombardment. [52]

Many of the late Medieval castles built in the borders were in the form of tower houses, smaller pele towers or simpler bastle houses. [53] From the fifteenth century there was a phase of Renaissance palace building, which restructured them as castle-type palaces, beginning at Linlithgow. [54] Elements of Medieval castles, royal palaces and tower houses were used in the construction of Scots baronial estate houses, which were built largely for comfort, but with a castle-like appearance. [55] [56] In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries the military significance of castles declined, [57] [58] but they increasingly became tourist attractions. [59] Elements of the Scots Baronial style would be revived from the late eighteenth century [60] and the trend would be confirmed in popularity by the rebuilding of Balmoral Castle in the nineteenth century and its adoption as a retreat by Queen Victoria. [61] In the twentieth century there were only isolated examples of new castle-influenced houses. [62] [63]

Part of the British Armed Forces

Scottish soldier's cap worn after the 1707 Union Scottish soldier's cap post-1707.jpg
Scottish soldier's cap worn after the 1707 Union
Comical depiction of a Scottish soldier, c.1720 Scottish soldier figure, c.1720.JPG
Comical depiction of a Scottish soldier, c.1720

After the Act of Union in 1707, the Scottish Army and Navy merged with those of England. The new British Army incorporated existing Scottish regiments, such as the Scots Guards (Marquis of Argyll's Royal Regiment), The Royal Scots 1st of Foot (Royal Regiment of Foot), King's Own Scottish Borderers 25th of Foot (Leven's Regiment), The 26th (Cameronian) Regiment of Foot (The Earl of Angus's Regiment), Scots Greys (Scots Dragoons) and the Royal Scots Fusiliers 21st of Foot (Earl of Mar's Regiment of Foot). The three vessels of the small Royal Scottish Navy were transferred to the Royal Navy (Royal William, a fifth-rate 32-gun frigate, became HMS Edinburgh; Royal Mary, a sixth-rate 24 gun frigate, became HMS Glasgow; Dumbarton Castle, a sixth-rate frigate, became HMS Dumbarton Castle). The new Armed Forces were controlled by the War Office and Admiralty from London. From the mid-eighteenth century the British Army began to recruit relatively large numbers of Highlanders. The first official Highland regiment to be raised for the British army was the Black Watch in 1740, but the growth of Highland regiments was delayed by the 1745 Jacobite Rebellion. [64] During this period, Scottish soldiers and sailors were instrumental in supporting the expansion of the British Empire and became involved in many international conflicts. These included the War of the Spanish Succession (1702–13), the Quadruple Alliance (1718–20), the War of the Austrian Succession (1740–48), the Seven Years' War (1756–63) and the American Wars of Independence (1775–83). [44]

Napoleonic Wars

Scots had a notable influence in warfare during this period. Prominent sailors of the era included:

Victorian & Colonial Warfare

First World War

Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) in a trench at the Somme, 1916 The Battle of the Somme, July-november 1916 Q4133.jpg
Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) in a trench at the Somme, 1916

Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig led the British Army on the Western Front from 1915, and oversaw some of the largest and bloodiest episodes of the war. Battles included the Somme(1916) Ypres (1917) Cambrai (1917) Amiens (1918) and Arras (1918) Due to the kilts worn by the Scottish soldiers on the World War I battlefront, their German enemies called them the "ladies from hell". [65] Haig founded the Earl Haig Poppy Fund, for ex-servicemen in the aftermath.

According to the historian T C Smout, "It is still not known how many Scots died in the war. One well-argued estimate put the figure at 110,000, equivalent to about 10 percent of the Scottish male population aged between sixteen and fifty, and probably to about 15 per cent of total British war dead — the sacrifice was higher in proportionate terms than for any other country in the Empire." [66]

Second World War

Scottish soldiers fought in many battles in World War II, in both the Pacific and European theatres.

The Cold War & The End of Empire

Defence establishments in Scotland

Army

In the wake of the Jacobite risings, several fortresses were built throughout the Highlands in the 18th century by General Wade in order to pacify the region, including Fort George, Fort Augustus and Fort William. The Ordnance Survey was also commissioned to map the region. Later, due to their topography and perceived remoteness, parts of Scotland have housed many sensitive defence establishments, some controversial. During World War II, Allied and British Commandos trained at Achnacarry in the Highlands and the island of Gruinard was used for an exercise in biological warfare. Regular British Army Garrisons currently operational in Scotland are: Fort George near Inverness; Redford Barracks and Dreghorn Barracks in Edinburgh; and Glencorse Barracks at Penicuik.

Royal Naval

Between 1960 and 1991, the Holy Loch was a base for the US Navy's fleet of Polaris-armed George Washington-class ballistic missile submarines. Today, HM Naval Base Clyde, 25 miles (40 km) west of Glasgow, is the base for the four Trident-armed Vanguard-class ballistic missile submarines which are armed with approximately 200 Trident nuclear warheads. [67] Since the decommissioning of free-falling bombs in 1998, the Trident SLBM system is the UK's only nuclear deterrent. HMS Caledonia at Rosyth in Fife is the support base for navy operations in Scotland and also serves as the Naval Regional Office (NRO Scotland and Northern Ireland). The Royal Navy's LR5 and Submarine Rescue Service is based in Renfrew, near Glasgow. The Royal Navy's submarine nuclear reactor development establishment, is located at Vulcan NTRE, adjacent to Dounreay, which was the site of the UK's fast breeder nuclear reactor programme. RM Condor at Arbroath, Angus is home to 45 Commando, Royal Marines, part of 3 Commando Brigade. Also, the Fleet Protection Group Royal Marines is based at HMNB Clyde.

Since 1999, the Scottish Government has had devolved responsibility over fisheries protection duties in Scotland's exclusive economic zone, carried out by the Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency, which consists of a fleet of four offshore patrol vessels and two Cessna 406 maritime patrol aircraft. [68]

Royal Air Force

A single front-line Royal Air Force station is located in Scotland. RAF Lossiemouth, located in Moray, is the RAF's northern QRA(I) base, supported by four squadrons of Typhoons.

Military Training Areas

The only open air live depleted uranium weapons test range in the British Isles is located near Dundrennan. [69] As a result, over 7000 weakly radioactive munitions lie on the seabed of the Solway Firth. [70] In 2007, the MoD land holdings in Scotland (owned, leased or with legal rights) was 1,153 km2 representing 31.5% of the MoD's British estate. [71] Prominent Training Areas include Garelochhead, Cape Wrath, Barry Buddon, The Army Selection and Development Center in Penicuik, and Castlelaw in the Pentland Hills.

Industry

The bulk of the Royal Navy's surface fleet, such the Type 45 destroyer HMS Daring, is designed and built by BAE Systems Surface Ships in Glasgow. Although diminished from its early 20th century heights, Glasgow remains the hub of the UK's shipbuilding industry. HMS Daring at Scotstoun.JPG
The bulk of the Royal Navy's surface fleet, such the Type 45 destroyer HMS Daring, is designed and built by BAE Systems Surface Ships in Glasgow. Although diminished from its early 20th century heights, Glasgow remains the hub of the UK's shipbuilding industry.

Defence contractors and related companies employ around 30,000 people in Scotland and form an important part of the economy. The principal companies operating in the country include: BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce, Raytheon, Thales and Babcock.

Royal Navy bases in Scotland

Former Royal Navy bases in Scotland

Former Royal Naval Air Stations in Scotland

Royal Air Force stations in Scotland

RAF Lossiemouth's former No. 617 Squadron RAF Tornado GR4 aircraft Tornado GR4s, 617 Squadron 2006.jpg
RAF Lossiemouth's former No. 617 Squadron RAF Tornado GR4 aircraft

Former Royal Air Force stations in Scotland

Scottish Units in the British Army

Previously within the British Army, the Scottish Infantry comprised a number of 'county regiments', each recruiting from a local area. In 2006, the remaining regiments, known collectively as the Scottish Division, were amalgamated to form the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The amalgamation was vigorously opposed by veterans and supporters of the old regiments. Scottish soldiers serve nationally alongside soldiers from England, Wales and Northern Ireland in all Combat Support Arms and Services (RA, RE, Signals, Intelligence, AAC, RLC, AGC, REME and AMS), Special Forces, the Household Cavalry and the Parachute Regiment of the British Army, with the following current Formations and Units having specific Scottish connections:

Former Scottish Units in the British Army

Regular British Army Units currently based in Scotland

Scottish units that are not part of the British Army

Scottish regiments in other countries

Australia

List of active regiments in the Australian Army:

List of former Scottish regiments in Australia:

List of former Scottish regiments in the Australian colonial forces:

Canada

List of active regiments in the Canadian Forces:

Defunct Scottish regiments, many merged to former larger regiments:

France

Inactive regiments of the French Army:

South Africa

Troops of the South African Scottish regiment in France, 1917 The Battle of Arras, April-may 1917 Q5293.jpg
Troops of the South African Scottish regiment in France, 1917

There are three regiments in the South African Defence Force with Scottish roots:

New Zealand

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clan Campbell</span> Highland Scottish clan

Clan Campbell is a Highland Scottish clan, historically one of the largest and most powerful of the Highland clans. The Clan Campbell lands are in Argyll and within their lands lies Ben Cruachan. The chief of the clan became Earl of Argyll and later Duke of Argyll.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black Watch</span> Infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland

The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The regiment was created as part of the Childers Reforms in 1881, when the 42nd Regiment of Foot was amalgamated with the 73rd (Perthshire) Regiment of Foot. It was known as The Black Watch from 1881 to 1931 and The Black Watch from 1931 to 2006. Part of the Scottish Division for administrative purposes from 1967, it was the senior Highland regiment. It has been part of the Scottish, Welsh and Irish Division for administrative purposes since 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stirling Castle</span> Castle in Scotland

Stirling Castle, located in Stirling, is one of the largest and most historically and architecturally important castles in Scotland. The castle sits atop an intrusive crag, which forms part of the Stirling Sill geological formation. It is surrounded on three sides by steep cliffs, giving it a strong defensive position. Its strategic location, guarding what was, until the 1890s, the farthest downstream crossing of the River Forth, has made it an important fortification in the region from the earliest times.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo</span> Annual series of military tattoos

The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo is an annual series of military tattoos performed by British Armed Forces, Commonwealth and international military bands, and artistic performance teams on the Esplanade of Edinburgh Castle in the capital of Scotland. The event is held each August as one of the Edinburgh Festivals.

A dirk is a long-bladed thrusting dagger. Historically, it gained its name from the Highland dirk where it was a personal weapon of officers engaged in naval hand-to-hand combat during the Age of Sail as well as the personal sidearm of Highlanders. It was also the traditional sidearm of the Highland Clansman and later used by the officers, pipers, and drummers of Scottish Highland regiments around 1725 to 1800 and by Japanese naval officers.

The hackle is a clipped plume or short spray of coloured feathers that is attached to a military headdress, with different colours being associated with particular regiments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Highlanders (Seaforth, Gordons and Camerons)</span> Military unit

The Highlanders, 4th Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders</span> Line infantry regiment of the British Army from 1881 to 2006

The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (Princess Louise's) is a light infantry company (designated as Balaklava Company, 5th Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland) and was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that existed from 1881 until amalgamation into the Royal Regiment of Scotland on 28 March 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Scots Navy</span> Military unit

The Royal Scots Navy was the navy of the Kingdom of Scotland from its origins in the Middle Ages until its merger with the Kingdom of England's Royal Navy per the Acts of Union 1707. There are mentions in Medieval records of fleets commanded by Scottish kings in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. King Robert I developed naval power to counter the English in the Wars of Independence (1296–1328). The build-up of naval capacity continued after the establishment of Scottish independence. In the late fourteenth century, naval warfare with England was conducted largely by hired Scots, Flemish and French merchantmen and privateers. King James I took a greater interest in naval power, establishing a shipbuilding yard at Leith and probably creating the office of Lord High Admiral.

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

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">51st Highland Volunteers</span> British Army battalion

The 51st Highland Volunteers is a battalion in the British Army's Army Reserve or reserve force in the Scottish Highlands, forming the 7th Battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, also known as 7 SCOTS. It is one of two Reserve battalions in the Royal Regiment of Scotland, along with 52nd Lowland, a similar unit located in the Scottish Lowlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scottish regiment</span> Military unit

A Scottish regiment is any regiment that at some time in its history has or had a name that referred to Scotland or some part thereof, and adopted items of Scottish dress. These regiments were created after the Acts of Union in 1707 between England and Scotland, either directly serving Britain during its various wars, or as part of the military establishments of Commonwealth countries. Their "Scottishness" is no longer necessarily due to recruitment in Scotland nor any proportion of members of Scottish ancestry.

The 28th Infantry Brigade was a British Army formation which served during the First World War, the Second World War, The Malayan Emergency and Indonesian Confrontation.

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

The Royal Regiment of Scotland (SCOTS) is the senior and only current Scottish line infantry regiment of the British Army Infantry. It consists of three regular and two reserve battalions, plus an incremental company, each formerly an individual regiment. However, three regular battalions maintain their former regimental pipes and drums to carry on the traditions of their antecedent regiments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">154th Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)</span> Military unit

154th Infantry Brigade was a formation of Britain's Territorial Force/Territorial Army that was part of 51st (Highland) Division in both World Wars. From its origins in the 19th Century Volunteer Force it was based in Stirling and was composed of Highland battalions. It served on the Western Front in World War I, and after it escaped from France early in World War II it was reformed from its 2nd Line and saw action in North Africa, Sicily and North West Europe. It continued serving postwar until the reduction of the Territorial Army in the 1960s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scotland in the early modern period</span> Overview of Scotland in the early modern period

Scotland in the early modern period refers, for the purposes of this article, to Scotland between the death of James IV in 1513 and the end of the Jacobite risings in the mid-eighteenth century. It roughly corresponds to the early modern period in Europe, beginning with the Renaissance and Reformation and ending with the start of the Enlightenment and Industrial Revolution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warfare in Medieval Scotland</span> Overview of warfare in Medieval Scotland

Warfare in Medieval Scotland includes all military activity in the modern borders of Scotland, or by forces originating in the region, between the departure of the Romans in the fifth century and the adoption of the innovations of the Renaissance in the early sixteenth century. In this period conflict developed from minor raids to major conflicts, incorporating many of the innovations of continental warfare.

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

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warfare in early modern Scotland</span> Military activity in the 16th–18th centuries

Warfare in early modern Scotland includes all forms of military activity in Scotland or by Scottish forces, between the adoption of new ideas of the Renaissance in the early sixteenth century and the military defeat of the Jacobite movement in the mid-eighteenth century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Armed forces in Scotland</span>

This is a list of active military units, bases and barracks of the British Armed Forces in Scotland since the Treaty of Union 1707, when the Kingdom of Scotland relinquished its independence and formed a union with the Kingdom of England to the create the Kingdom of Great Britain. As a result, Scottish armed forces were merged, together with the English armed forces, into the British Army.

References

  1. 1 2 P. F. Tytler, History of Scotland, Volume 2 (London: Black, 1829), pp. 309–10.
  2. J. Hunter, Last of the Free: A History of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland (London: Random House, 2011), ISBN   1-78057-006-6, pp. 106–111.
  3. A. Macquarrie, Medieval Scotland: Kinship and Nation (Thrupp: Sutton, 2004), ISBN   0-7509-2977-4, p. 147.
  4. N. A. M. Rodger, The Safeguard of the Sea: A Naval History of Britain 660–1649 (London: Penguin UK, 2004), ISBN   0-14-191257-X, pp. 74–5.
  5. P. J. Potter, Gothic Kings of Britain: the Lives of 31 Medieval Rulers, 1016–1399 (Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland, 2008), ISBN   0-7864-4038-4, p. 157.
  6. A. Macquarrie, Medieval Scotland: Kinship and Nation (Thrupp: Sutton, 2004), ISBN   0-7509-2977-4, p. 153.
  7. 1 2 3 4 N. A. M. Rodger, The Safeguard of the Sea: A Naval History of Britain. Volume One 660–1649 (London: Harper, 1997) pp. 74–90.
  8. 1 2 3 4 J. Grant, "The Old Scots Navy from 1689 to 1710", Publications of the Navy Records Society, 44 (London: Navy Records Society, 1913-4), pp. i–xii.
  9. N. Macdougall, James IV (Tuckwell, 1997), p. 235.
  10. 1 2 T. Christopher Smout, Scotland and the Sea (Edinburgh: Rowman and Littlefield, 1992), ISBN   0-85976-338-2, p. 45.
  11. 1 2 S. Murdoch, The Terror of the Seas?: Scottish Maritime Warfare, 1513–1713 (Leiden: Brill, 2010), ISBN   90-04-18568-2, pp. 33–4.
  12. J. E. A. Dawson, Scotland Re-Formed, 1488–1587 (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2007), ISBN   0748614559, pp. 181–2.
  13. S. Murdoch, The Terror of the Seas?: Scottish Maritime Warfare 1513–1713 (Leiden: Brill, 2010), ISBN   9004185682, p. 39.
  14. T. Andrea, The Princelie Majestie: The Court of James V of Scotland 1528–1542 (Birlinn, 2005), p. 164.
  15. 1 2 J. E. A. Dawson, Scotland Re-Formed, 1488–1587 (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2007), ISBN   0-7486-1455-9, p. 76.
  16. S. Murdoch, The Terror of the Seas?: Scottish Maritime Warfare, 1513–1713 (Leiden: Brill, 2010), ISBN   90-04-18568-2, p. 169.
  17. R. B. Manning, An Apprenticeship in Arms: The Origins of the British Army 1585–1702 (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006), ISBN   0199261490, p. 118.
  18. S. Murdoch, The Terror of the Seas?: Scottish Maritime Warfare, 1513–1713 (Leiden: Brill, 2010), ISBN   90-04-18568-2, p. 172.
  19. S. Murdoch, The Terror of the Seas?: Scottish Maritime Warfare, 1513–1713 (Leiden: Brill, 2010), ISBN   90-04-18568-2, p. 174.
  20. 1 2 J. S. Wheeler, The Irish and British Wars, 1637–1654: Triumph, Tragedy, and Failure (London: Routledge, 2002), ISBN   0415221315, pp. 19–21.
  21. S. Murdoch, The Terror of the Seas?: Scottish Maritime Warfare, 1513–1713 (Leiden: Brill, 2010), ISBN   90-04-18568-2, p. 198.
  22. S. Murdoch, The Terror of the Seas?: Scottish Maritime Warfare, 1513–1713 (Leiden: Brill, 2010), ISBN   90-04-18568-2, pp. 204–10.
  23. S. Murdoch, The Terror of the Seas?: Scottish Maritime Warfare 1513–1713 (Leiden: Brill, 2010), ISBN   9004185682, p. 239.
  24. D. Brunsman, The Evil Necessity: British Naval Impressment in the Eighteenth-Century Atlantic World (University of Virginia Press, 2013), ISBN   0813933528.
  25. A.Campbell, A History of Clan Campbell: From The Restoration To The Present Day (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2004), ISBN   0748617906, p. 44.
  26. S. Murdoch, The Terror of the Seas?: Scottish Maritime Warfare 1513–1713 (Leiden: Brill, 2010), ISBN   9004185682, pp. 239–41.
  27. A. I. MacInnes and A. H. Williamson, eds., Shaping the Stuart World, 1603–1714: The Atlantic Connection (Brill, 2006), ISBN   900414711X, p. 349.
  28. J. Grant, "The Old Scots Navy from 1689 to 1710", Publications of the Navy Records Society, 44 (London: Navy Records Society, 1913-4), p. 48.
  29. L. Alcock, Kings and Warriors, Craftsmen and Priests in Northern Britain AD 550–850 (Edinburgh: Society of Antiquaries of Scotland), ISBN   0-903903-24-5, p. 56.
  30. M. Brown, Bannockburn: the Scottish War and the British Isles, 1307–1323 (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2008), ISBN   0-7486-3333-2, pp. 95–9.
  31. M. Brown, The Wars of Scotland, 1214–1371 (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2004), ISBN   0-7486-1238-6, p. 58.
  32. P. Contamine, "Scottish soldiers in France in the second half of the 15th century: mercenaries, immigrants, or Frenchmen in the making?" in G. G. Simpson, ed., The Scottish Soldier Abroad, 1247–1967 (Edinburgh: Rowman & Littlefield, 1992), ISBN   0-85976-341-2, pp. 16–30.
  33. J. Wormald, Court, Kirk, and Community: Scotland, 1470–1625 (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1991), ISBN   0-7486-0276-3, p. 19.
  34. G. Phillips, The Anglo-Scots Wars, 1513–1550: A Military History (Woodbridge: Boydell Press, 1999), ISBN   0851157467, p. 61.
  35. G. Phillips, The Anglo-Scots Wars, 1513–1550: A Military History (Woodbridge: Boydell Press, 1999), ISBN   0851157467, p. 68.
  36. G. Phillips, The Anglo-Scots Wars, 1513–1550: A Military History (Woodbridge: Boydell Press, 1999), ISBN   0851157467, pp. 69–70.
  37. David Masson, Register of the Privy Council, Addenda 1545-1625, vol. 14 (Edinburgh, 1898), pp. 376-7.
  38. R. Mitchison, A History of Scotland (London: Routledge, 3rd edn., 2002), ISBN   0415278805, p. 183.
  39. J. S. Wheeler, The Irish and British Wars, 1637–1654: Triumph, Tragedy, and Failure (London: Routledge, 2002), ISBN   0415221315, p. 48.
  40. P. Edwards, S. Murdoch and A. MacKillop, Fighting for Identity: Scottish Military Experience c. 1550–1900 (Leiden: Brill, 2002), ISBN   9004128239, p. 240.
  41. M. C. Fissel, The Bishops' Wars: Charles I's Campaigns Against Scotland, 1638–1640 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994), ISBN   0521466865, p. 28.
  42. S. Reid, The Campaigns of Montrose: A Military History of the Civil War in Scotland 1639–1646 (Mercat Press, 1990), ISBN   0901824925, p. 51.
  43. J. Barratt, Cavalier Generals: King Charles I and his Commanders in the English Civil War, 1642–46 (Pen & Sword Military, 2004), ISBN   184415128X, p. 169.
  44. 1 2 3 E. M. Furgol, "Warfare, weapons and fortifications: 3 1600–1700" in M. Lynch, ed., The Oxford Companion to Scottish History (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001), ISBN   0-19-211696-7, pp. 637–8.
  45. J. Young, "Army: 1600–1750" in M. Lynch, ed., The Oxford Companion to Scottish History (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001), ISBN   0-19-211696-7, pp. 24–5.
  46. Leask, Anthony (2006). Sword of Scotland: Our Fighting Jocks. Pen and Sword Books Limited. p. 85. ISBN   184415405X.
  47. D. Grove, and C. Abraham, Fortress Scotland and the Jacobites (Batsford/Historic Scotland, 1995), ISBN   978-0-7134-7484-8, p. 38.
  48. G. G. Simpson and B. Webster, "Charter Evidence and the Distribution of Mottes in Scotland", in R. Liddiard, ed., Anglo-Norman Castles (Woodbridge: Boydell Press, 2003), ISBN   978-0-85115-904-1, p. 225.
  49. T. W. West, Discovering Scottish Architecture (Botley: Osprey, 1985), ISBN   0-85263-748-9, p. 21.
  50. 1 2 T. W. West, Discovering Scottish Architecture (Botley: Osprey, 1985), ISBN   0-85263-748-9, p. 26.
  51. J. S. Hamilton, The Plantagenets: History of a Dynasty (London: Continuum, 2010), ISBN   1-4411-5712-3, p. 116.
  52. T. W. West, Discovering Scottish Architecture (Botley: Osprey, 1985), ISBN   0-85263-748-9, p. 27.
  53. S. Reid, Castles and Tower Houses of the Scottish Clans, 1450–1650 (Botley: Osprey, 2006), ISBN   1-84176-962-2, p. 12.
  54. M. Glendinning, R. MacInnes and A. MacKechnie, A History of Scottish Architecture: From the Renaissance to the Present Day (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1996), ISBN   0-7486-0849-4, p. 16.
  55. J. Summerson, Architecture in Britain, 1530 to 1830 (New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press, 9th edn., 1993), ISBN   0-300-05886-1, pp. 502–11.
  56. J. Summerson, Architecture in Britain, 1530 to 1830 (New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press, 9th edn., 1993), ISBN   0-300-05886-1, p. 502.
  57. I. D. Whyte, and K. A. Whyte, The Changing Scottish Landscape, 1500–1800 (London: Routledge, 1991), ISBN   978-0-415-02992-6, p. 77.
  58. S. Reid, Castles and Tower Houses of the Scottish Clans, 1450–1650 (Botley: Osprey, 2006), ISBN   1-84176-962-2, p. 57.
  59. K. H. Grenier, Tourism and Identity in Scotland, 1770–1914: Creating Caledonia (Aldershot: Ashgate, 2005), ISBN   978-0-7546-3694-6, pp. 19 and 152.
  60. A. Jackson, The Two Unions: Ireland, Scotland, and the Survival of the United Kingdom, 1707–2007 (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011), ISBN   0-19-959399-X, p. 152.
  61. H.-R. Hitchcock, Architecture: Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries (New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press, 4th edn., 1989), ISBN   0-300-05320-7, p. 146.
  62. D. Mays, "Housing: 4 Country seat, c. 1600–Present", in M. Lynch, ed., Oxford Companion to Scottish History (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011), ISBN   0-19-969305-6, pp. 326–8.
  63. "New hotel is Scotland's first castle of the 21st century". Sourcewire. 10 August 2007.
  64. A. Mackillop, "Highland Regiments 1750–1830" in M. Lynch, ed., The Oxford Companion to Scottish History (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001), ISBN   0-19-211696-7, pp. 25–6.
  65. "Ladies From Hell, Chicago Chapter". 28 July 2009. Archived from the original on 28 July 2009. Retrieved 18 December 2011.
  66. T C Smout, A Century of The Scottish People, 1830–1950, Collins 1986, p.267
  67. House of Commons Written Answers, Hansard, 14 Jul 1998 : Column: 171
  68. Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency
  69. BBC Scotland News Online "DU shell test-firing resumes", BBC Scotland News, 2001-02-21. Retrieved on 2006-09-13. (in English)
  70. Parliament of the United Kingdom – Debates 7 February 2001 Depleted Uranium (Shelling)
  71. UK Defence Statistics, 2005 "UKDS 2007 - Chapter 6 - Land Holdings and Buildings". Archived from the original on 14 June 2008. Retrieved 15 November 2007..
  72. "Buttergask". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  73. "Connel (Oban)". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  74. "Helensburgh (Rhu)". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  75. "Kidsdale / Burrow Head". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  76. "Kirkandrews". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  77. "Kirkpatrick". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  78. "Largs". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  79. "Lerwick". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  80. "Whitefield". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  81. "Woodhaven (Newport) (Tayport)". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 13 September 2022.

Further reading