Royal Scots Dragoon Guards

The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers and Greys)
Cap badge of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards
Active	2 July 1971 – present
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Branch	British Army
Type	Line cavalry
Role	Light Cavalry
Size	One regiment
Part of	Royal Armoured Corps
Garrison/HQ	HHQ - Edinburgh Castle Regiment - Leuchars
Nickname(s)	Scotland's Cavalry
Motto(s)	Nemo me impune lacessit (No one provokes me with impunity) Ich Dien (I Serve) Second to None
March	Quick (band) - The 3DGs; (pipes & drums) - Hielan' Laddie Slow (band) - The Garb of Old Gaul; (pipes & drums) - My Home
Mascot(s)	Drum Horse (Talavera)
Anniversaries	13 April (Nunshigum) 18 June (Waterloo) 25 October (Balaklava)
Commanders
Colonel-in-Chief	HM The Queen
Insignia
Tactical Recognition Flash
Arm Badge	Prince of Wales's feathers from 3rd Dragoon Guards (Prince of Wales's)
Tartan	Royal Stewart (Pipers kilts and plaids)
Abbreviation	SCOTS DG

The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers and Greys) (SCOTS DG) is a cavalry regiment of the British Army, and the senior Scottish regiment. The regiment, through the Royal Scots Greys, is the oldest surviving Cavalry Regiment of the Line in the British Army. The regiment is currently based at Leuchars Station, as part of the Scottish 51st Infantry Brigade.

History

It was formed on 2 July 1971 at Holyrood, Edinburgh, by the amalgamation of the 3rd Carabiniers (Prince of Wales's Dragoon Guards) (themselves the product of the amalgamation in 1922 of 3rd Dragoon Guards (Prince of Wales's) and 6th Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers)), and The Royal Scots Greys (2nd Dragoons).^[1]

The regiment has deployed on four tours of Northern Ireland in 1972, 1974, 1976 and 1980, suffering one fatality in 1972, when Trooper Ian Hunter Caie, was killed by a bomb in a beer barrel that exploded in the path of his Ferret scout car in Moybane, near Crossmaglen County Armagh.^[2]

The Scots Dragoon Guards raise the regimental flag on their Challenger 2

It saw active service during the Gulf War in 1991 deploying 57 Challenger tanks^[3] and in Bosnia as part of SFOR in 1996–97.^[4]

In 1998, it became the first regiment in the British Army to operate the Challenger 2 main battle tank.^[5]

It deployed to Kosovo, as part of KFOR, in 2000.^[6]

The regiment deployed to Iraq for Operation Telic, the British element of the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The bulk of the regiment deployed as part of the Scots Dragoon Guards Battle Group with a single squadron (A Squadron) detached to the First Battalion The Black Watch Battle Group. All deployed elements of the regiment took part in the advance on Iraq's second largest city, Basra. Prior to reaching Basra, A Squadron fought in and around Az Zubayr and C Squadron was detached from the SCOTS DG BG to fight with 3 Commando Brigade in actions south of Basra that included Britain's largest tank engagement since the Gulf War, when 14 Challenger 2 tanks engaged and destroyed 14 Iraqi tanks (the so-called '14–0' engagement).^[7]

The regiment deployed to Iraq in 2006, where it suffered two casualties Lieutenant Richard Palmer^[8] and Corporal Gordon Pritchard.^[9] The regiment also saw service in Iraq in 2008.^[10]

More recently in 2008, 2011 and 2013/14 the regiment deployed to Afghanistan.^[11]

The pipes and drums have distinguished themselves, most recently winning the award for Album of the Year at the 2009 Classical Brits.^[12]

In November 2013, the unit bade farewell to its Challenger 2 tanks and converted to a Light Cavalry unit, armed with Jackal vehicles.^[13]

Under the Army 2020 plan, it was re-reroled as a light cavalry unit, and moved to Leuchars Station in summer 2015.^[14]

Current organisation

Jackal Vehicles in use with the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards

The regiment has converted to the role of light cavalry as part of restructuring in the army under Army 2020. It is now equipped with Jackal armoured fighting vehicles.^[13] The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards is also affiliated to A (Ayrshire (Earl of Carrick's Own) Yeomanry)^[15] & C (Fife and Forfar Yeomanry/Scottish Horse) Squadrons of the Queen's Own Yeomanry regiment of the Territorial Army.^[16]

Royal Scots Dragoon Guards Museum

The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards have a regimental museum situated at Edinburgh Castle. Opened in 2006, the exhibits include uniforms, medals, weapons, regalia, music and a captured enemy standard from the Battle of Waterloo.^[17]

Official abbreviation

The regiment's official abbreviation (as listed in Joint Service Publication 101 (Service Writing)) is SCOTS DG (note all capitals and the space), the format of which follows the traditional Cavalry line.^[18]

Accoutrements and uniform

Officers of the SCOTS DG in No.1 dress uniform

The cap badge features an eagle, which represents the French Imperial Eagle that was captured by Sergeant Charles Ewart, the Royal Scots Greys at Waterloo, from the French 45th Regiment of Foot.^[19] It is always worn with a black backing in mourning for Tsar Nicholas II, the last Tsar of Russia, who was their Colonel-in-Chief at the time of his execution. The cap badge also has the crossed carbines of the 3rd Carabiniers at the rear of the eagle.^[20]

The Plume of The Prince of Wales with its motto "Ich Dien" is worn by all members of the Regiment embroidered on the upper part of the left sleeve. The right to wear this badge was granted to the 3rd Dragoon Guards in 1765, subsequently became the cap badge and later, with the crossed carabines, formed the badge of the 3rd Carabiniers (Prince of Wales's).^[21]

The distinctive yellow zigzag (or "vandyke") cap band was inherited from the Royal Scots Greys, who had worn it since the mid-19th century.^[22]

As a royal regiment, the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards is permitted to wear the Royal Stewart tartan, which was a privilege granted by HM King George VI, and is worn by the regiment's pipers.^[23]

Traditions

The Loyal Toast is drunk at formal dinners in the Mess and is always drunk seated, except when Royalty is present. On evenings when a military band is present, besides playing "The Queen' the band also play "God Bless the Prince of Wales", an old 3rd Dragoon Guards custom, and the "Imperial Russian Anthem" in memory of Tsar Nicholas II, the Colonel-in-Chief of the Scots Greys, killed during the Russian Revolution.^[24]

Regimental mottos

• The regimental motto is Nemo Me Impune Lacessit (No one provokes me with impunity), also the motto of the Order of the Thistle, to which it refers.
• The regiment also uses the motto "Second to None".

Pipes and Drums

The regiment has its own Pipes and Drums, who were first formed in 1946 and tour widely, performing in competitions, concerts and parades. Their most famous piece is "Amazing Grace", which reached number one in the charts in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and South Africa in 1972. The track sold over seven million copies by mid 1977, and was awarded a gold disc.^[25] The band released a new CD in late November 2007 through Universal Music, featuring a number of classic pipe tunes along with some modern arrangements and was recorded while the regiment was based in Iraq. The album Spirit Of The Glen was produced by Jon Cohen and released by Universal on 26 November 2007. It featured a remake of their famous "Amazing Grace", which featured an orchestra playing in back, they called it "Amazing Grace 2007". Spirit Of The Glen was officially launched at Edinburgh Castle^[26] and won Album of the Year at the 2009 Classical Brits.^[12][27] They have also made regular appearances at the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo over the years.^[28]

Order of precedence

Lineage

Alliances

•  Australia - 12th/16th Hunter River Lancers
•  Canada - The Windsor Regiment (RCAC)
•  New Zealand - The New Zealand Scottish
•  South Africa - The Natal Carbineers
• Royal Navy - HMS Vengeance

Affiliated yeomanry

• The Ayrshire (Earl of Carrick's Own) Yeomanry
• The Fife and Forfar Yeomanry/Scottish Horse

Battle honours

Combined battle honours of 3rd Carabiniers and Royal Scots Greys, plus:

• Wadi al Batin, Gulf 1991;^[29] Al Basrah, Iraq 2003^[30]

References

Bibliography

• Doyle, Peter; Foster, Chris (2010). British Army Cap Badges of the Second World War. Shire Collections. ISBN 978-0747807971. 
• Nicoletti, Tony; Stephen, Aidan (2003). Shot and Captured: Photographs of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards Battlegroup in Iraq 2003. Scottish Daily Record and Sunday Mail. 
• Wood, Stephen (1988). In the Finest Tradition: The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers & Greys): Its History and Treasures. Mainstream Pub. Co. ISBN 1-85158-174-X. 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Royal Scots Dragoon Guards.

• "Official site". 
• "Pipes & Drums site". Retrieved 14 May 2006. 
• Official Universal Classics and Jazz Website
• "NPR Interview with Jon Cohen, Producer of Spirit of the Glen". Retrieved 11 November 2007. 
• Royal Scots Dragoon Guards Museum