Highland Light Infantry

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Highland Light Infantry later the Highland Light Infantry (City of Glasgow Regiment) was a regiment of the British Army.

It was formed as part of Childers reforms on 1 July 1881 by the amalgamation of the 71st (Highland) Light Infantry and the 74th (Highlanders) Regiment of Foot, becoming the city regiment of Glasgow its name being expanded to reflect this in 1923. Its exact status was a somewhat ambiguous one - although the regiment insisted on being classified as a non-kilted Highland regiment, it recruited mainly from Glasgow in Lowland Scotland.

The HLI (as it was always known) continued in service, actively taking part in the First and Second World Wars, until it was amalgamated with the Royal Scots Fusiliers in 1959 to form the Royal Highland Fusiliers (Princess Margaret's Own Glasgow and Ayrshire Regiment).

The HLI was the only Highland regiment to wear trews, except for the Territorial battalion the Glasgow Highlanders who wore kilts and were an internal regiment within the HLI.

David Niven, who was a graduate of the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, was assigned to the HLI as a subaltern in Malta in the 1930s.