| 51st Highland, 7th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland | |
|---|---|
 Badge of the Regiment | |
| Active | 1967 – Present |
| Country |
 United Kingdom |
| Branch |
 British Army |
| Type | Line Infantry |
| Role | Army Reserve Light Infantry |
| Size | Battalion |
| Part of | 51st Infantry Brigade and Headquarters Scotland |
| Garrison/HQ | Headquarters in Perth |
| Nickname(s) | 7 SCOTS |
| Motto(s) | Nemo Me Impune Lacessit (No One Assails Me With Impunity) (Latin) |
| March |
Quick - Scotland the Brave Slow - The Garb of Auld Gaul |
| Commanders | |
| Royal Colonel | The Prince Charles, Duke of Rothesay |
| Colonel of the Regiment | Major General William Euan Buchanan Loudon, CBE |
| Insignia | |
| Tactical Recognition Flash |
 |
| Tartan | Government |
| Hackle | Purple |
The 51st Highland Volunteers (51 HIGHLAND) 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 (6 SCOTS), a similar unit located in the Scottish Lowlands. Originally formed as the 51st Highland Volunteers in 1967, as a result of the amalgamation of Territorial Battalions within the infantry Regiments of the Highland Brigade, the name commemorated the 51st (Highland) Division of the Territorial Force, within which many of the Regiment's antecedent Territorial Battalions served during the First and Second World Wars.
History[]
Following the 1966 Defence White Paper, the 51st Highland Volunteers were formed in 1967 from the amalgamation of territorial battalions of regiments in the Highland Brigade. It was a TAVR II (NATO reserve role) unit with headquarters located at Perth, Scotland.[1]
51st Highland Volunteers c.1967
- HQ (Black Watch) Company, located at Perth
- A (Black Watch) Company, located at Dundee
- B (Seaforth Highlanders) Company, located at Wick
- C (Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders) Company, located at Inverness
- D (Gordon Highlanders) Company, located at Aberdeen
- E (Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders) Company, located at Stirling
- G (London Scottish) Company, located at London
- V (Liverpool Scottish) Company, located at Liverpool
In 1969, the three TAVRIII (Home defence) battalions were reduced in size and amalgamated into the 51st Highland Volunteers, forming three additional companies:
- No.1 (Lovat Scouts) Company, located at Kirkwall and Lerwick
- No.2 (Queen's Own Highlanders) Company, located at Fort William and Stornoway
- No.3 (Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders) Company, located at Dumbarton and Campbeltown
On 1 April 1971, the 51st Highland Volunteers split into two battalions.[1] A third battalion was subsequently formed on 1 April 1975.[1]
51st Highland Volunteers c. 1975
- 1st Battalion, 51st Highland Volunteers
- Headquarters located at Perth
- A (The Black Watch) Company, located at Dundee
- B (The Black Watch) Company, located at Kirkcaldy
- C (The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders) Company, located at Grangemouth, formed from the cadre of the 3rd Bn Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
- E (The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders) Company, located at Stirling
- G (The London Scottish) Company, located at Westminster, London
- V (The Liverpool Scottish) Company, located at Liverpool
- 2nd Battalion, 51st Highland Volunteers
- Headquarters located at Elgin
- A (Lovat Scouts) Company, located on Orkney and Shetland
- B (Queen's Own Highlanders) Company, located at Wick
- C (Queen's Own Highlanders) Company, located at Inverness, Nairn, Dingwall, Fort William
- D (Gordon Highlanders) Company, located at Aberdeen, Laurencekirk
- G (Gordon Highlanders) Company, located at Peterhead, Keith
- 3rd Battalion, 51st Highland Volunteers
- Headquarters located at Peterhead
- B (Queen's Own Highlanders) Company, located at Wick
- C (Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders) Company, located at Grangemouth
- D (Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders) Company, located at Dumbarton
In 1981, the 3rd Battalion effectively became the Territorial battalion of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders; in 1995, it became the 7th/8th (V) Battalion of that regiment. The 2nd Battalion became the 3rd (V) Battalion of The Highlanders.[1]
A Z (Home Service Force) Company was formed in 1984 at Perth, Kirkcaldy and Dundee. A number of re-organisations and company re-locations also occurred in the 1980s. Between 1992 and 1993, the remaining elements of 1st Battalion, the 51st Highland Volunteers were again reorganised.[1]
51st Highland Volunteers c.1993
- HQ Company at Perth
- A Company at Dundee
- B Company at Forfar
- D Company at Aberdeen
- K Company at Kirkcaldy
The 1st Battalion was subsequently redesignated (in 1994) as the 3rd (Volunteer) Battalion, The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment).[1]
The regiment was re-formed in 1999 by the amalgamation of all three battalions (viz 7/8 Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, 3 The Highlanders, and 3 Black Watch) into a single battalion, the 51st Highland Regiment (51 HIGHLAND), in consequence of the reforms of the Territorial Army in the Strategic Defence Review. It had one support company and five rifle companies.[2]
51st Highland Regiment c.1999
- HQ Company at Perth
- A (Black Watch) Company at Dundee and Kirkcaldy
- B (Highlanders) Company at Peterhead, Aberdeen, Elgin, Keith and Lerwick
- C (Highlanders) Company at Inverness, Wick, Kirkwall and Stornoway
- D (Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders) Company at Dumbarton and Dunoon
- E (Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders) Company at Cumbernauld and Assault Pioneer platoon at Stirling.
As part of the Delivering Security in a Changing World review of the British Army, on 28 March 2006, the 51st Highland Regiment became the 7th Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland (also known as (7 SCOTS)).[3]
Current structure and operations[]
The battalion headquarters is based at in . The Highland Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland (Reserve) is administered by the battalion, as well as the unit's own battalion . Under the , the battalion was paired with as a light infantry battalion. The battalion is currently made up of one support company and three rifle :
7th (51st Highland Volunteers) Battalion c.2020
- Battalion Headquarters at Queen's Barracks, Perth (includes Highland Band of the RRS)
- Headquarters Company at Queen's Barracks, Perth (includes Pipes and Drums, acting as Assault Pioneers)
- A Company in Dundee with detachments in; Kirkcaldy, and Aberdeen (absorbed B Company's platoon in Aberdeen)
- C Company in Inverness with detachments in; Stornoway, and Elgin (absorbed B Company's platoon in Elgin)
- D Company in Dumbarton with detachment in Stirling
Lineage[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 "Highland Volunteers". British Army units 1945 on. http://british-army-units1945on.co.uk/territorial-army-infantry/highland-volunteers.html. Retrieved 9 October 2019.
- ↑ "51st Highland Volunteers". http://www.win.tue.nl/~drenth/BritArmy/Lineage/51stHIGHLAND/. Retrieved 25 May 2014.
- ↑ "Royal Regiment of Scotland". British Army units 1945 on. http://british-army-units1945on.co.uk/territorial-army-infantry/royal-regiment-of-scotland-2.html. Retrieved 9 October 2019.
External links[]
- 7 SCOTS - on British Army official website
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The original article can be found at 51st Highland Volunteers and the edit history here.