Seaforth Highlanders

Seaforth Highlanders
Cap Badge of the Seaforth Highlanders
Active	1881–1961
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	British Army
Type	Line Infantry
Part of	Highland Brigade
Garrison/HQ	Fort George, Highland
Motto(s)	Cuidich 'n Righ (Aid the King)
Battle honours	See below
Commanders
Current commander	N/A
Ceremonial chief	N/A
Colonel of the Regiment	Duke of Windsor
Insignia
Tartan	Seaforth Mackenzie

This page is for the historical Scottish regiment. For the Canadian regiment of the same name see The Seaforth Highlanders of Canada.

The Seaforth Highlanders (Ross–shire Buffs, The Duke of Albany's) was a historic regiment of the British Army associated with large areas of the northern Highlands of Scotland. The Seaforth Highlanders have varied in size from two battalions to seventeen battalions during the Great War. After several mergers, the Seaforth Highlanders are now incorporated in the Highlanders (Seaforth, Gordons and Camerons) Battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland.

Creation

The regiment was created through the amalgamation of the 72nd Highlanders (Duke of Albany's Own) and the 78th Highlanders (Ross-shire Buffs), as part of the Childers Reforms of the British Army in 1881. The regimental museum is located at Fort George near Inverness. Fort George served as Depot for the Seaforth Highlanders for most of the regiment's life.

Later amalgamations

The Seaforth Highlanders were combined with the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders to form the Queen's Own Highlanders in 1961. More recently, the Queens Own Highlanders and Gordon Highlanders were combined to form The Highlanders (Seaforth, Gordons and Camerons). In May 2006 all the Scottish Infantry Regiments merged to form the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The Highlanders became the 4th Battalion of the new Regiment.

First World War

Seaforth Highlanders recruiting poster

At the outbreak of the Great War, the 1st Battalion was serving in India. The 2nd Battalion was stationed at Shorncliffe Camp near Cheriton, Kent in southern England. The 2nd Battalion was sent to France as part of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF). As part of the 10th Brigade, 4th Division, it took part in the retreat from Le Cateau, the Battle of the Marne and the subsequent chase of the German forces to the River Aisne. In mid-September 1914, the battalion was heavily involved in the Battle of the Aisne, suffering heavy casualties including the CO).

The 1st Battalion was returned from India, arriving in France in late 1914, and later took part in the Battle of Givenchy.

During the war the three front line Territorial battalions of the regiment, 1/4th, 1/5th and 1/6th Battalions all served in the 51st (Highland) Division.

Two service battalions, the 7th and 9th, served in the 9th (Scottish) Division and the 8th (Service) Battalion served in the 15th (Scottish) Division. The 1st Garrison Battalion served on the Salonika Front in the independent 228th Brigade. The 3rd (Special Reserve) Battalion and the 2/4th, 3/4th, 2/5th, 3/5th, 2/6th, 3/6th and 10th (Reserve) Battalions did not serve overseas.

Interwar years

In 1921, the 1st Battalion was deployed to the Scottish coalfields to maintain order during strike action by the miners. Later, the Battalion served in Ireland during and after the partition. The 1st Battalion returned to India in the late 1920s.

Both battalions served in Palestine in the 1930s.

Second World War

Infantry of the 7th Seaforth Highlanders, 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division, waiting at their start line on 26 June 1944 for the signal to advance.

Led by their piper, men of 7th Seaforth Highlanders, 15th (Scottish) Division advance during Operation Epsom, 26 June 1944.

5th Bn Seaforth Highlanders plaque

In 1940, the 6th Battalion was sent to France as part of the BEF. The Battalion was involved in the Blitzkrieg of May 1940, escaping through Dunkirk on 1 June after suffering significant losses.

The Mackenzie tartan, otherwise known as the regimental tartan of the Seaforth Highlanders.

The 2nd and 4th Battalions were also part of the BEF in 1940 serving in the 51st (Highland) Division . The 5th Bn. of the Regiment was a territorial unit in both World Wars and recruited in the counties of Sutherland and Caithness. Instead of the Mackenzie tartan kilt and stag's head badge the battalion wore the Sutherland Kilt and the wildcat badge of the Clan Sutherland. The 2nd and 5th battalions formed part of 152 Brigade of the reconstituted 51st Highland Division, and served with distinction from El Alamein onwards through to the German surrender in Sicily. Subsequently 152 Brigade joined the D-day campaign from 7 June 1944 and served continuously until the capture of Bremen and VE-Day. Uniquely for a territorial battalion in World War II, the 5th Battalion Seaforth Highlanders was the subject of a battalion history, Battalion by Alistair Borthwick, which is a powerful testimony to the quality and sustained contribution of this distinguished unit. The 7th Bn. Seaforths served in Northwest Europe with the 15th (Scottish) Division (see photos).

Postwar and amalgamation

The Queen's Own Highlanders (Seaforth and Camerons) was formed on 7 February 1961 at Redford Barracks, Edinburgh, with the amalgamation of the Seaforth Highlanders and the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders.

Battle honours

This list contains all battle honours awarded to the Seaforth Highlanders (Duke of Albany's, Ross-shire Buffs) 72nd Highlanders and 78th Highlanders.

(Those borne on the Colours are in bold type)

72nd Highlanders

• Carnatic, Hindoostan, Mysore
• Cape of Good Hope 1806
• South Africa 1835
• Sevastopol
• Central India
• Peiwar Kotal, Charasiah, Kabul 1879, Kandahar 1880, Afghanistan 1878-80

78th Highlanders

• Assaye with Elephant
• Maida
• Java
• Koosh Ab, Persia
• Lucknow
• Afghanistan 1879 - 80

Seaforth Highlanders

• Tel El Kebir, Egypt 1882
• Chitral Expedition 1895
• Atbara, Khartoum
• Paardeberg, South Africa 1899 - 1902

Great War

• Le Cateau, Retreat from Mons, Marne 1914, 18, Aisne 1914, La Bassée 1914, Armentières 1914, Festubert 1914, 15, Givenchy 1914, Neuve Chapelle, Ypres 1915, 17, 18, St. Julien, Frezenburg, Bellewarde, Loos, Somme, Albert, Bazentin, Delvillle Wood, Pzieres, Flers Courcelette, Le Transloy, Ancre Heights, Ancre 1916, Arras, Vimy 1917, Scarpe, Arleux, Pilckem Ridge, Menin Road, Polygon Wood, Broodseinde, Poelcappelle, Passchendaele, Cambrai, St. Quentin, Bapaume 1918, Lys, Estaires, Messines 1918, Hazebrouck, Bailleul, Kemmel, Béthune, Soissonnais-Ourcq, Tardenois, Drocourt-Queant, Hindenburg Line, Courtrai, Selle,Valenciennes, France and Flanders
• Macedonia
• Meggido, Shoran, Palestine 1918,
• Tigris 1916, Kut El Amara 1917, Baghdad, Mesopotamia

Second World War

• North West Europe 1940, 44-45 - Ypres - Comines Canal, Somme 1940, Withdrawal to Seine, St Valéry-en-Caux, Odon, Caen, Troarn, Mont Pincon, Falaise, Falaise Road, Dives Crossing, La Vire Crossing, Lisieux, Nederrijin, Best, Le Havre, Lower Maas, Meijel, Venlo Pocket, Ourthe, Rhine-Land, Reichswald. Goch, Moyland, Rhine, Uelzen, Arthenberg.
• North Africa - El Alamein, Advance to Tripoli, Mareth, Wadi Zigzua, Akarit, Djebel Roumana.
• Italy 1943-44 - Landing in Sicily, Augusta, Francofonte, Adrano, Sferro Hills, Sicily 1943, Garigliano Crossing, Anzio.
• Madagascar
• Middle East 1942
• Imphal, Shenam Pass, Litau, Tengnoupoul, Burma 1942-44

Victoria Cross winners

Seaforth Highlanders Great War Memorial plaque in Tain. There is an identical plaque above the entrance to the Courthouse in Dornoch

• Lt A.C. Bogle, 78th Highlanders, 1857, Indian Mutiny
• Lt J.P.H Crowe, 78th Highlanders, 1857, Indian Mutiny
• Lt H.T. MacPherson, 78th Highlanders, 1857, Indian Mutiny
• Surgeon J. Jee, 78th Highlanders, 1857, Indian Mutiny
• Asst Surgeon V.M. McMaster, 78th Highlanders, 1857, Indian Mutiny
• C/Sgt S. McPherson, 78th Highlanders, 1857, Indian Mutiny
• Private H. Ward, 78th Highlanders, 1857, Indian Mutiny
• Private J. Hollowell, 78th Highlanders, 1857, Indian Mutiny
• Lt A.S. Cameron, 72nd Duke of Albany's Own Highlanders, 1858, Indian Mutiny
• L/Cpl G. Sellar, 72nd Duke of Albany's Own Highlanders, 1879, Afghanistan
• Sgt J. MacKenzie, Seaforth Highlanders, 1900, Ashanti
• Cpl S.W. Ware, 1st Bn Seaforth Highlanders, 1916, First World War
• Dmr W. Ritchie, 2nd Bn Seaforth Highlanders, 1916, First World War
• L/Sgt T. Steele, 1st Bn Seaforth Highlanders, 1917, First World War
• Lt D. MacKintosh, 2nd Bn Seaforth Highlanders, 1917, First World War
• Sgt A. Edwards, 6th Bn Seaforth Highlanders, 1917, First World War
• Cpl L/R. McBeath, 5th Bn Seaforth Highlanders, 1917, First World War
• Sgt J.M Meikle, MM.4th Bn Seaforth Highlanders, 1918, First World War

See also

• 72nd Highlanders (Duke of Albany's Own)
• 78th Highlanders (Ross-shire Buffs)
• Queen's Own Highlanders
• The Seaforth Highlanders of Canada
• Sgt. MacKenzie

Notes

The Seaforth cap badges consist of the Stags' head, motto, "L" and Coronet (not a crown). Officers wore the full four piece set (sometimes the L and coronet were joined together) in 3-D Sterling silver. Senior NCOs wore the lower two in full 3-D Sterling silver. Junior ranks wore a white metal one-piece badge depicting the scroll and stag's head. The MacKenzie tartan worn by the Seaforths is much darker that the example shown here.