Scottish Regiments

[Black Watch]

Where do the Scots Guards fit in? Were they a regiment in their own right?

Neil

[Tom A McCluskey]

Neil,

It is difficult to use anything as a comparison to the Scots Guards but other Guards Regiments - of which the Scots are the 3rd in line. As such, Guards are not regiments of the line and rank before the 1st regiment of the line (The Royal Scots). The Scots Guards, after the early 1700s and as a unit, do not serve in Scotland again, until a posting to Edinburgh for the 1st Bn in 1967 (2nd Bn served briefly in 1992 before being placed in suspension 1993). The Childers reforms of 1881 did little to adjust the Guards (if anything), which have traditionally been seen as the monarch's bodyguard. However, the army would task any of the battalions of the Regiment to be used as a conventional line regiment.

A short chronology from Regiment's Org:

1642 Marquis of Argyll's Royal Regiment

1650 A Foot Regiment of His Majesty's Life Guard

1651 Disbanded

1660 In Scotland as 6 independent Companies

1661 Scots Regiment of Foot Guards

1686 Placed on English Establishment (3rd Foot Guards)

1713 3rd Regiment of Foot Guards

1831 Scots Fusilier Guards

1877 Scots Guards

The recruiting area for the Scots Guards is the whole of Scotland (albeit straying into the north of England is not unknown). The 2nd Cameron Highlanders, on its formation in 1897, were also allocated the whole of Scotland as a recruiting area.

Hope this is of use

Aye

Tom McC

[Black Watch]

Thanks Tom, I wasn't sure how Guards batallions/regiments fitted in to the grand scheme.

Neil