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The Location of the Royal Scots in World War One

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The Location of the Royal Scots in World War One Location of Royal Scots Units during the Great War During the Great War over 100,000 officers and men served in the various battalions of the Royal Scots Regiment. Just over 11,000 were killed and over 40,000 were wounded. Regular Battalions 1st Battalion: Serving in India at outbreak of Great War; France and Flanders December 1914 serving in 81st Brigade, 27th Division; Salonika December 1915; Bulgaria September 1918; Salonika November 1918. 2nd Battalion: Willsworthy Camp at outbreak of war then Plymouth. France in August 1914 serving in 8th Brigade, 3rd Division until end of the Great War. Part of Army of Occupation of the Rhine 1919. 3rd Battalion: Reserve unit located at Weymouth at beginning of war; moved to Glencorse outside Edinburgh; served in the UK throughout the Great War. Territorial Battalions 1/4th Battalion (Queen’s Edinburgh Rifles): HQ, 'A' to 'H' Coys, located at Forrest Hill, Edinburgh. Unit served from the beginning of war in the Lothian Brigade as part of Scottish Coastal Defences; Gallipoli June 1915 serving in 156th Brigade, 52nd (Lowland) Division; July 1915 joined with 1/7th Royal Scots to become a composite battalion having suffered major casualties; Egypt January 1916 becoming a single unit again; Palestine 1917; France and Flanders April 1918. 2/4th Battalion: Formed Edinburgh September 1914 initially under command of Lieutenant Colonel Archibald Young, VD. Mostly involved in guard duties and training in Edinburgh. In February 1915 moved to Penicuik then Peebles. Command given to Lieutenant Colonel S Cuthbert, VD. In October 1915 served in Portobello, Edinburgh and Cambusbarron, Stirling and became part of 195th Brigade, 65th Division. This occurred because the unit had been strengthened with men from the 2/5th and 2/6th Royal Scots. The unit then served on coastal defence in Essex before moving to Fermoy, Ireland January 1917 and then being disbanded in July 1918. 3/4th Battalion: Formed at Peebles in May 1915 under command of Lieutenant Colonel J G Simpson, TD. When unit reached strength of 500 in November 1915 it moved to Galashiels and then Loanhead increasing in number again. In April 1916 the unit numbered 1,400 and trained at Stobs. A large proportion of the men were transferred to front line units and in July 1916 the 3/4th RS joined with third line units of 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th Royal Scots to form the 4th (Reserve) Battalion. 4th (Reserve) Battalion: Formed at Stobs during July 1916 from units of the 3/4th, 3/5th, 3/6th, 3/7th and 3/8th Royal Scots under the command of Lieutenant Colonel D Ballantyne. The unit moved to Catterick during September 1916 and during July 1917 it amalgamated with 3/9th Royal Scots under the command of Lieutenant Colonel C P Doig. In November 1917 the unit served in Edinburgh, Haddington and Cupar and was made up of men who had recovered from being wounded at the front. During the time of the armistice the unit was located at Cupar but was then moved to Glasgow in February 1919 during a time of strike riots in the city. It was disbanded at Maryhill during March 1919. 5th Battalion (Queen’s Edinburgh Rifles): HQ, 'A' to 'H' Coys, located at Forrest Hill, Edinburgh. Unit served from the beginning of war in the Lothian Brigade as part of Scottish Coastal Defences; Gallipoli April 1915 serving in 88th Brigade, 29th Division; Mudros, October 1915 having sustained numerous casualties; Egypt, January 1916; France and Flanders, March 1916; June 1916 amalgamated with 1/6th Royal Scots to become 5th/6th Royal Scots serving with 14th Brigade, 32nd Division. 2/5th Battalion: Formed Edinburgh September 1914 under command of Lieutenant Colonel R Clark, VD and served in Edinburgh until May 1915. The unit was then posted to Peebles and split in two; a Home Service group which served on Fife coastal defences and a Foreign Service group which served in Larbert. Further recruits were not forthcoming and in November 1916 this unit was absorbed into the 2/4th Royal Scots serving in195th Brigade, 65th Division. 3/5th Battalion: Formed Peebles May 1915 under command of Lieutenant Colonel T Young. The unit moved to Galashiels in November 1915 and then served in Edinburgh, Hawick and Stobs. In July 1916 the unit joined with third line units of 4th, 6th, 7th and 8th Royal Scots to form 4th (Reserve) Battalion. 5th/6th Battalion: Formed June 1916 after amalgamation of 1/5th and 1/6th Royal Scots serving in France and Flanders with 14th Brigade, 32nd Division. Part of Army of Occupation of the Rhine 1919. 1/6th Battalion: HQ, 'A' to 'H' Coys, located at 33 Gilmore Place, Edinburgh. Unit served from the beginning of war in the Lothian Brigade as part of Scottish Coastal Defences; Egypt, September 1915 serving in the Senussi Campaign in North Africa as part of the Western Frontier Force; France and Flanders, May 1916; June 1916 amalgamated with 1/5th Royal Scots to become 5th/6th Royal Scots serving with 14th Brigade, 32nd Division. 2/6th Battalion: Formed Edinburgh March 1915 under command of Lieutenant Colonel Stuart Douglas Elliot, VD with HQ at London Street School. The unit defended Leith Docks and Inchkeith Island before being split in two during May 1915 with one half going to Methil and the other to Peebles and Selkirk. In November 1916 the unit merged with 2/4th Royal Scots. 3/6th Battalion: Formed at Peebles July 1915 under command of Lieutenant Colonel K Whitton, TD. In November 1915 the unit moved to Galashiels then shortly afterwards to Peebles. In May 1916 the unit moved to Stobs and in July 1916 it joined with third line units of 4th, 5th, 7th and 8th Royal Scots to form 4th (Reserve) Battalion. 1/7th Battalion: HQ, 'A' to 'G' Coys, located at Dalmeny Street, Leith. 'H' Coy located in Musselburgh. Unit served from the beginning of war in the Lothian Brigade as part of Scottish Coastal Defences; May 1915 posted to Gallipoli as part of 156th Brigade, 52nd (Lowland) Division); 'A' and 'D' Coys. involved in Gretna Rail Disaster 22 May 1915; 'B' and 'C' Coys continued to Gallipoli via Egypt; July 1915 joined with 1/4th Royal Scots to become a composite battalion; Egypt, January 1916 becoming a single unit again; Palestine, 1917; France and Flanders, April 1918. 2/7th Battalion: Formed at Haddington August 1914 under command of Lieutenant Colonel R G Wardlaw-Ramsay, VD and serving in Leith Docks until March 1915 at which time the unit moved to Peebles then, in May 1915, to Edinburgh when it joined the 2/1st Lothian Infantry Brigade on coastal defence duties under the command of Lieutenant Colonel C Muirhead. The unit was bolstered in numbers with men from the 8th Highland Light Infantry although many left not long afterwards to serve in Gallipoli. In October 1915 the unit moved to Innerleithen and Walkerburn and a month later the 194th Brigade, 65th Division serving in Essex from February 1916. The men were involved in breaking up a Zeppelin that had been brought down in Billericay on 24 September 1916. In January 1917 the unit was sent to Dublin and then to Galway in August of that same year before settling at the Curragh in September. During this time the men were mainly involved in guard duties and training but were also kept ready for any trouble that might arise during this difficult period in British and Irish relations. Many drafts were also sent to the front and this eventually led to the unit being disbanded in January 1918. Men who weren’t transferred to the front were sent to join either with the 2/10th Royal Scots or the 4th (Reserve) Battalion. 3/7th Battalion: Formed at Peebles in June 1915 after the Gretna rail disaster. The unit was under the command of Major Hugh Rose and consisted mainly of men from the 1st line unit who had been released from hospital after the tragedy. The unit was bolstered with men from the 8th Highland Light Infantry and sent drafts to Gallipoli. The unit moved to Innerleithen during November 1915 and then to Stobs in May 1916 before being disbanded during August 1916 with men going to 3/8th and 3/9th Royal Scots. 1/8th Battalion: HQ located in Haddington; 'A' Coy, Haddington with drill stations at Aberlady, Gifford and Pencaitland; 'B' Coy, Tranent with drill stations at Ormiston, Elphiston and Macmerry; 'C' Coy, Prestonpans with a drill station at Cockenzie; 'D' Coy, North Berwick with drill stations at East Linton, Dunbar and Gullane; 'E' Coy, Dalkeith with drill stations at Bonnyrigg, Pathhead and Gorebridge; 'F' Coy, Loanhead with a drill station at Penicuik; 'G' Coy, Peebles; 'H' Coy, Innerleithen with a drill stations at Walkerburn. Unit served from the beginning of war in the Lothian Brigade as part of Scottish Coastal Defences; France and Flanders November 1914 serving with 22nd Brigade, 7th Division; August 1915 became a Pioneer Battalion attached to the 51st (Highland) Division. 2/8th Battalion: Formed at Haddington in September 1914 under the command of Lieutenant Colonel C M Cowan, TD, this unit was involved in coastal defence and training drafts for the front line. In May 1915 the unit moved to Peebles where it was split in two with some men moving to Kinghorn for coastal defence duties. The unit came under the command of Lieutenant Colonel R W Tweedie, TD. In November 1915 the unit moved to Falkirk and then in February 1916 it became part of 194th Brigade, 65th Division serving in Essex then Dublin in January 1917 before being disbanded during the summer of 1917.
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