| King's Own Scottish Borderers | |
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Cap Badge and Tartan of the King's Own Scottish Borderers |
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| Active | 1689 - 1 August 2006 |
| Country | Kingdom of Scotland (1689–1707) Kingdom of Great Britain (1707–1800) United Kingdom (1801–2006) |
| Branch | Army |
| Type | Line Infantry |
| Size | One battalion |
| Part of | Scottish Division |
| Garrison/HQ | Berwick Barracks, Berwick-upon-Tweed |
| Motto | In Veritate Religionis Confido (I put my trust in the truth of religion) Nisi Dominus Frustra (Without the Lord, everything is in vain) |
| Anniversaries | Minden - 1st August |
| Commanders | |
| Last Colonel-in-Chief | HRH the late Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, GCB, CI, GCVO, GBE |
| Notable commanders |
John Cooper (Operation Banner, 1993–97) |
| Insignia | |
| Tartan | Leslie (trews) Royal Stewart (pipers kilts and plaids) |
The King's Own Scottish Borderers was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Scottish Division.
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It was raised on 18 March 1689 by the Earl of Leven to defend Edinburgh against the Jacobite forces of James II. It is said that 800 men were recruited within the space of two hours. The Regiment's first action was at the Battle of Killiecrankie on 27 July of the same year. Although this battle was a defeat for the Williamite army, the Jacobite commander, Viscount Dundee (Bonnie Dundee), was killed by a volley fired by Leven's Regiment, bringing an end to James II's attempt to save his throne. The Regiment was judged to have performed well and was granted the privilege of recruiting by beat of drum in the City of Edinburgh without prior permission of the provost.
For a period it was known as Semphill's Regiment of Foot, the name under which it fought at the Battle of Culloden in 1746. When the British infantry were allocated numerical positions in the 'line' of Infantry the regiment was numbered 25th Foot (based on its formation date) in 1751. The Regiment fought at the Battle of Minden on 1 August 1759 with five other regiments; this battle honour was celebrated by the Regiment each year on 1 August. The 25th was the county regiment of Sussex from 1782 to 1805, before its recruiting area was moved to the Scottish Borders region. From then it was known as the King's Own Borderers, becoming the King's Own Scottish Borderers in 1887.
The Regiment was affectionately known by the Scottish public as the "Kosbies" but this term was never used within the Regiment. The regiment saw service during both World Wars.
Until 2004 the regiment was one of five in the line infantry never to have been amalgamated, the others being:
In 2004, as part of the British Government's defence review, it was announced that the Scottish Division would lose an infantry battalion. This was achieved through the amalgamation of the King's Own Scottish Borderers with the Royal Scots to form the Royal Scots Borderers on 1 August 2006. This single battalion became the 1st Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland.
Campaigners against the amalgamation of the KOSB argued that the Westminster government is "outwith the competency" (i.e. does not have the right) to merge or disband the regiment, because it was raised by the independent Scottish Parliament prior to the foundation of the United Kingdom and had been in continuous service ever since. To this end, the campaigners went to court in Edinburgh in an unsuccessful attempt to get an interdict against the amalgamation with the Royal Scots.
The King's Own Scottish Borderers Regimental Museum is located in Berwick Barracks, Berwick-upon-Tweed. Exhibits include uniforms, badges, medals, weapons and relics from different campaigns.
Berwick Barracks is operated by English Heritage. Admission includes access to the King's Own Scottish Borderers Museum, Berwick Gymnasium Art Gallery, the Berwick Museum and Art Gallery and the exhibition ‘By Beat of Drum’ on the life of the British infantryman.
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