Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)
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| The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) | |
|---|---|
 Cap Badge of The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) |
|
| Active | 1 July 1881-14 May 1968 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Branch | Army |
| Type | Line Infantry |
| Size | Two Regular battalions till 1948,plus Territorials |
| Part of | Lowland Brigade |
| Garrison/HQ | Winston Barracks, Lanark |
| Motto | Nemo Me Impune Lacessit (Nobody Attacks Me With Impunity) (Latin) |
| March | Quick - Within a mile of Edinboro Town Slow - The Garb of Old Gaul |
| Commanders | |
| Colonel in Chief | HM King Gustaf VI Adolf |
| Colonel of the Regiment |
Major General Henry Templar Alexander, CB CBE DSO |
| Insignia | |
| Tartan | Douglas |
The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) was an infantry regiment of the British Army, the only regiment of rifles amongst the Scottish regiments of infantry. It was formed in 1881 under the Cardwell Reforms by the amalgamation of two other regiments:
The regiment saw service during the Second Boer War in South Africa, and raised 27 battalions during the First World War. The 1st Battalion saw action in Burma during the Second World War, while the 2nd Battalion was in Europe. The 6th, 7th, and 9th Battalions also served in Europe (the 5th and 6th with the 52nd (Lowland) Division, and the 9th with the 15th (Scottish) Division. In 1948, along with every other regiment of line infantry, the Cameronians was reduced to a single battalion. Under the reforms of the army in the 1966 Defence White Paper, which saw several regiments amalgamated, the Cameronians chose to disband rather than amalgamate with another Lowland Scottish regiment. The 1st Battalion, The Cameronians was disbanded in 1968, with its recruiting area taken over by the Royal Highland Fusiliers and the the Regimental Headquarters finally closed in 1987. However, the name of the Cameronians continued through the Territorial Army, with two companies of the 52nd Lowland Regiment badged as Cameronians. One company was disbanded in 1992, and the other was rebadged as the King's Own Scottish Borderers in 1997.
Contents |
[edit] Traditions
Every new member of the regiment was issued a Bible, as a nod to Richard Cameron, after whom the original 26th Foot was named.
In Honour of the regiment's first Colonel, James Douglas, Earl of Angus the tartan was that of the House of Douglas, which was worn as trews by all ranks (except the regiment's pipers, who wore kilts)
The regiment's cap badge featured a Mullet from the coat of arms of the Douglas family on a stringed bugle within two sprigs of thistle.
The pipers of the 1st Battalion wore a distinctive badge of the Mullet with a scroll below bearing the name "The Cameronians". The sporrans and dirks of the pipers of the 2nd Battalion carried a reproduction of the coat of arms of the City of Perth
As a regiment of rifles, the Cameronians carried no colours, instead wearing its battle honours on its "appointments" (drums)
The regiment's only Colonel-in-Chief was King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden.
The Regiment mounted an armed guard at the doors of the Kirk during religious services.
[edit] Honours and Affiliations
[edit] Battle honours
- [combined battle honours of 26th Regiment and 90th Regiment, plus:]
- Blenheim1, Ramillies1, Oudenarde1, Malplaquet1, South Africa 1846-72, South Africa 1877-8-92, Relief of Ladysmith, South Africa 1899-1902
- The Great War [27 battalions]: Mons, Le Cateau, Retreat from Mons, Marne 1914 '18, Aisne 1914, La Bassée 1914, Messines 1914, Armentières 1914, Neuve Chapelle, Aubers, Loos, Somme 1916 '18, Albert 1916, Bazentin, Pozières, Flers-Courcelette, Le Transloy, Ancre Heights, Arras 1917 '18, Scarpe 1917 '18, Arleux, Ypres 1917 '18, Pilckem, Langemarck 1917, Menin Road, Polygon Wood, Passchendaele, St Quentin, Rosières, Avre, Lys, Hazebrouck, Bailleul, Kemmel, Scherpenberg, Soissonnais-Ourcq, Drocourt-Quéant, Hindenberg Line, Épéhy, Canal du Nord, St Quentin Canal, Cambrai 1918, Courtrai, Selle, Sambre, France and Flanders 1914-18, Doiran 1917 '18, Macedonia 1915-18, Gallipoli 1915-16, Rumani, Egypt 1916-17, Gaza, El Mughar, Nebi Samwil, Jaffa, Palestine 1917-18
- Second World War: Ypres-Comines Canal, Odon, Cheux, Caen, Mont Pincon, Estry, Nederrijn, Best, Scheldt, South Beveland, Walcheren Causeway, Asten, Roer, Rhineland, Reichswald, Moyland, Rhine, Dreirwalde, Bremen, Artlenberg, North-West Europe 1940, '44-45, Landing in Sicily, Simeto Bridgehead, Sicily 1943, Garigliano Crossing, Anzio, Advance to Tiber, Italy 1943-44, Pegu 1942, Paungde, Yenagyaung 1942, Chindits 1944, Burma 1942 '44
1. awarded 1882 for services of 26th Regiment.
2. awarded 1882 for services of 90th Regiment.
[edit] Affiliations
- The Perth Regiment -1965: Australia
- 26th Battalion (The Logan and Albert Regiment) 1928-1951: Australia
- The Otago Regiment -1948: New Zealand
- The Otago and Southland Regiment 1948-1968: New Zealand
- The Witwatersrand Rifles 1937-1961: South Africa
- 2nd Battalion, Ghana Regiment: Ghana
- 7th Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles 1951?-1968: United Kingdom
[edit] Notable Former Members of the Regiment
- HRH Sultan Qaboos; Sayyed Saboos bin Sa'id Al 'Bu Sa'id; ruler of the Sultantate of Oman; served with the Cameronians in Germany in 1964 after completing his officer training at Sandhurst.
