THE ROYAL SCOTS 1914-18  

Mons, Le Cateau, Retreat from Mons, Marne 1914 '18, Aisne 1914, La Bassée 1914, Neuve Chapelle, Ypres 1915 '17 '18, Gravenstafel, St Julien, Frezenburg, Bellewaarde, Aubers, Festubert 1915, Loos, Somme 1916 '18, Albert 1916 '18, Bazentin, Pozières, Flers-Courcelette, Le Transloy, Ancre Heights, Ancre 1916 '18, Arras 1917 '18, Scarpe 1917 '18, Arleux, Pilckem, Langemarck 1917, Menin Road, Polygon Wood, Poelcappelle, Passchendaele, Cambrai 1917, St Quentin, Rosières, Lys, Estaires, Messines 1918, Hazebrouck, Bailleul, Kemmel, Béthune, Soissonnais-Ourcq, Tardenois, Amiens, Bapaume 1918, Drocourt-Quéant, Hindenburg Line, Canal du Nord, St Quentin Canal, Beaurevoir, Courtrai, Selle, Sambre, 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 1917-18, Archangel 1918-19.

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1st Battalion

4.8.14 Allahabad. Landed at Devonport 16.11.14 and joined 81st Brigade, 27th Division at Winchester. Landed at Havre 20.12.14. Sailed from Marseilles 29.11.15. Arrived at Salonika 8.12.15. On 30.9.18 located at Izlis, N.W. of Doiran, Bulgaria.

2nd Battalion

4.8.14 Plymouth, as part of 8th Brigade, 3rd Division. Landed at Boulogne 14.8.14. On 11.11.18 located near Solesmes, France.

Victoria Cross:

1/4th  Battalion (Queen's Edinburgh Rifles)T.F.

4.8.14 Forrest Hill, Edinburgh as part of Lothian Brigade. On Coast Defences, Scottish Command. To Scottish Rifles Brigade, Lowland Division 24.4.15 which became 156th Brigade, 52nd Division. Embarked at Liverpool 24.5.15. Arrived at Alexandria 4.6.15. Landed at Gallipoli 14.6.15. Formed Composite Battalion with 1/7th Battalion 6.7.15. Left Gallipoli 8.1.16 for Egypt, and on 20.1.16 resumed identity as 1/4th Battalion. Arrived Marseilles 17.4.18. On 11.11.18 located at Herchies, N.W. of Mons, Belgium.

1/5th  Battalion (Queen's Edinburgh Rifles)T.F.

4.8.14 Forrest Hill, Edinburgh as part of Lothian Brigade. On Coast Defences, Scottish Command. To 88th Brigade, 29th Division on 11.3.15 at Leamington. Embarked at Avonmouth 20.3.15. Arrived at Alexandria 2.4.15. Landed at Gallipoli 25.4.15. To Mudros 18.10.15. To Egypt 7.1.16. Embarked at Port Said 10.3.16 for France, and landed at Marseilles 22.3.16. Left 29th Division to become Lines of Communications troops 24.4.16. Amalgamated with 1/6th Battalion to form 5/6th Battalion 15.6.16. Joined 14th Brigade, 32nd Division, at Bethune on 29.7.16. On 11.11.18 located at Avesnelles, near Avesnes, France.

1/6th  Battalion T.F.

4.8.14 at 33 Gilmore Place, Edinburgh as part of Lothian Brigade. Coast Defences, Scottish Command. Sent drafts to 4th and 8th T.F. Battalions. Embarked at Devonport 5.9.15 and arrived Alexandria 14.9.15. Served with Western Frontier Force 20.11.15 to 27.2.16. Sailed from Alexandria to Marseilles 8/16.5.16. Amalgamated with 1/5th Battalion 15.6.16 - see above. 

1/7th  Battalion T.F.

4.8.14 Dalmeny Street, Leith attached to Lothian Brigade. To Scottish Rifles Brigade, Lowland Division 24.4.15 which became 156th Brigade, 52nd Division. Embarked at Liverpool 24.5.15. Arrived at Alexandria 4.6.15. Landed at Gallipoli 14.6.15. Formed Composite Battalion with 1/7th Battalion 6.7.15. Left Gallipoli 8.1.16 for Egypt, and on 20.1.16 resumed identity as 1/4th Battalion. Arrived Marseilles 17.4.18. On 11.11.18 located at Herchies, N.W. of Mons, Belgium.

INCIDENT: On 22 May 1915 a troop train carrying the headquarters and A and D companies of this battalion was travelling from Larbert to Liverpool, when it crashed into a local train near Gretna Green. Within a minute the London to Glasgow Express ran into the wreckage. Some 227 officers and men were killed, and 246 injured. The remaining two companies still embarked for Alexandria. This was the worst rail crash in Great Britain at that time, and a memorial was unveiled at Leith Rosebank Cemetery by Lord Roseberry, Honorary Colonel of the Battalion, on 12 May 1916.

1/8th  Battalion T.F.

4.8.14 Haddington as part of Lothian Brigade. Coast Defences, Scottish Command. Landed at Havre 5.11.14. To 22nd Brigade, 7th Division 11.11.14 at Merris. To 51st (Highland) Division as Pioneer Battalion 19.8.15. On 11.11.18 located at Estrun, north of Cambrai, France.

1/9th  (Highlanders) Battalion T.F.

4.8.14 at 89 East Claremont Street, Edinburgh as part of Lothian Brigade. Coast Defences, Scottish Command. Landed at Havre 26.2.15. To 81st Brigade, 27th Division 11.11.14. To 14th Brigade, 5th Division 24.11.15. To Third Army Troops 25.1.16. To 154th Brigade, 51st (Highland) Division 1.3.16. To 183rd Brigade, 61st (South Midland) Division 6.2.18. To 46th Brigade, 15th (Scottish) Division 1.6.18. On 11.11.18 located at Pipaix, east of Tournai, Belgium.

2/10th (Cyclist) Battalion T.F.

Formed at Linlithglow in September 1914. On coastal defence at Berwick and Coldingham from 1915. June 1918 to Ireland, where it became an infantry battalion. To England July 1918, at Aldershot. Left Newcastle for Archangel, North Russia, 17/25.8.18. Remained in Russia until June 1919.

11th Battalion

Formed at Edinburgh in August 1914. To 27th Brigade, 9th (Scottish) Division in Bordon area, near Alderhot. Landed at Boulogne 11.5.15. On 11.11.18 located near Courtrai, Belgium.

Victoria Cross:

12th Battalion

Formed at Edinburgh in August 1914. To 27th Brigade, 9th (Scottish) Division in Bordon area, near Alderhot. Landed at Boulogne 11.5.15. On 11.11.18 located near Courtrai, Belgium.

Victoria Cross:

13th Battalion

Formed at Edinburgh in September 1914. To 45th Brigade, 15th (Scottish) Division at Alderhot. November 1914 to Bramshott. February 1915 to Basingstoke, in billets. March 1915 to Chisledon. Landed in France July 1915. On 11.11.18 located S.W. of Ath, near Blicquy, Belgium.

Victoria Cross:

15th Battalion (1st Edinburgh)

Raised in Edinburgh September 1914 by the Lord Provost and City. March 1915 to Troon. June 1915 to Ripon and 101st Brigade, 34th Division. Taken over by the War Office 10.8.15. To Sutton Veney September 1915. Landed at Havre 8.1.16. Reduced to cadre 16.5.18. Cadre to 39th Division 17.6.18. Disbanded in France 14.8.18. 

16th Battalion (2nd Edinburgh)

Raised in Edinburgh December 1914 by Lt-Col G.McCrae MP. June 1915 to Ripon and 101st Brigade, 34th Division. Taken over by the War Office 10.8.15. To Sutton Veney September 1915. Landed at Havre 8.1.16. Reduced to cadre 16.5.18. Cadre to 39th Division 17.6.18. Disbanded in France 14.8.18. 

17th Battalion (Rosebery)

Raised in Edinburgh February 1915 by Lord Rosebery and a local committee as a Bantam Battalion. To Glencorse April 1915. To Selkirk May 1915. To Masham June 1915 and 106th Brigade, 35th Division. Taken over by the War Office 3.7.15. To Chisledon August 1915. Landed at Havre 1.2.16. On 11.11.18 located west of Grammont, Belgium.

PRINTED SOURCES

Major John Ewing - The Royal Scots 1914-1919 [Naval & Military Press reprint 2002 N & M Press reprint. Original pub1925. SB. 2 vols. xxxii +434pp and xii + 391p. ISBN 1843423588].
Available from Naval & Military Press.

INTERNET SOURCES

The Royal Scots - on Chris Baker's 'Long, Long Trail' website.

N.B. Only battalions that saw overseas service are listed here. Units that stayed in England are not shown.

©Paul Reed 2004