Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
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| The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (Princess Louise's) | |
|---|---|
 Cap badge and tartan of the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders |
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| Active | 1 July 1881-28 March 2006 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Branch | Army |
| Type | Line Infantry |
| Role | Air assault |
| Nickname | Thin Red Line |
| Motto | Sans Peur, Ne Obliviscaris |
| March | Quick: Hielan' Laddie Quick: The Campbells Are Coming Charge: Monymusk Funerals: Lochaber No More |
| Mascot | A Shetland Pony named "Cruachan" |
| Anniversaries | Balaklava (25 October) |
| Insignia | |
| Tartan | Sutherland |
| The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, 5th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland | |
|---|---|
 Cap Badge of the Royal Regiment of Scotland |
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| Active | 28 March 2006- |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Branch | Army |
| Type | Line Infantry |
| Role | Air assault |
| Part of | Scottish Division |
| Garrison/HQ | Canterbury |
| Motto | Nemo Me Impune Lacessit (No One Assails Me With Impunity) |
| Commanders | |
| Royal Colonel | HM The Queen |
| Insignia | |
| Tactical Recognition Flash |  |
The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Scottish Division. The regiment earned the nickname of the "Thin Red Line" for its actions at Balaklava.
Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] Formation
It was formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 91st (Princess Louise's Argyllshire) Regiment and the 93rd (Sutherland Highlanders) Regiment. The regiment is one of the six Scottish line infantry regiments, and wears the Sutherland as its regimental tartan. It also had the largest cap badge in the British Army. The uniform included the Glengarry as headgear.
[edit] World War I
When the Great War broke out in 1914 the Regiment had two Regular Battalions (1st and 2nd), two Militia Battalions (3rd and 4th) and five Territorial Battalions (5th, 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th each of which split into 1st, 2nd and 3rd-line Battalions). Seven more Service Battalions were raised for Kitchener's Army and they were numbered 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th and 16th.
Ten of the Battalions served in France and Flanders (1st, 2nd, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th and 14th) gaining 65 Battle Honours and four served in the Mediterranean area (1st, 5th, 6th and 12th) gaining a further 13 Battle Honours.
431 officers and 6475 other ranks lost their lives and six Victoria Crosses were awarded to the regiment during the war.
[edit] World War II
There were nine Argyll and Sutherland battalions raised during the Second World War. The 1st Battalion fought in the Western Desert Campaign , Crete , Abyssinia , Sicily and in the Italian Campaign .
The 2nd Battalion fought valiantly against the Japanese Army during the fighting in Malaya and Singapore . Led by the tough Lieut.Col.Ian Stewart they were one of the very few British units that was prepared for the jungle warfare in Malaya . During the withdrawal of the Indian 11th Infantry Division the 2nd Argylls slowed the enemy advance and inflicted heavy casualties on them. After suffering massive losses themselves, due to being continuosly used as the buffer to protect the retreating army, the remaining Argylls were reinforced with Royal Marines who had survived the sinking of the H.M.S. Prince of Wales and H.M.S.Repulse in December 1941 changing their name to Plymouth Argylls. The battalion surrendered with the rest of General Percival's army in Singapore in February 1942.
In May 1942 the 15th Battalion was redesignated as the new 2nd Battalion. This battalion took part in the Normandy battles with the 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division and ended the war on the Elbe River.
[edit] 1945 - 2006
In 1948 the 2nd Battalion was amalgamated with the 1st Battalion which then saw service in Palestine , Korea , British Guiana , Berlin , Suez , Singapore , Borneo ,Hong Kong and the Falklands .
In 1972 31-year-old Michael Naan, a prominent member of the Civil Rights Association and 23-year-old Andrew Murray, were murdered at isolated farm buildings in County Fermanagh. Murray and Naan had been stabbed. The pathologist said Naan’s wounds were ‘consistent with an attack by someone who had gone berserk’. In 1980, a staff-sergeant and a sergeant,part of an army patrol were tried and jailed for life for the murder of the two farm workers. Other members of the patrol, including the officer in charge, received lesser sentences for aiding and abetting or withholding information.
The beginning of the 21st century saw the Battalion's contribution to the Northern Ireland peace process being recognised by the award of the Wilkinson Sword of Peace.
In 2004, as part of the restructuring of the infantry, it was announced that the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders would be amalgamated with the other Scottish infantry regiments into the single Royal Regiment of Scotland.
In 2005, twenty-eight Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders in land rovers were surrounded by one-hundred Iraqi insurgents. Though pinned down and outnumbered, they bayonet charged into the insurgents, killing thirty-five of them before they retreated, and taking only three casualties(all wounded).1 2
The regiment's last role before amalgamation was in the air assault role as part of 16 Air Assault Brigade. The regiment now consists of a regular battalion (5 SCOTS), a company of a Territorial Army battalion (7 SCOTS) and an Army Cadet Force battalion.
[edit] Battle honours
Cape of Good Hope 1806, Rolica, Vimeira, Corunna, Pyrenees, Nivelle, Nive, Orthes, Toulouse, Peninsula, South Africa 1846-7, 1851-2-3, Alma, Balaklava, Sevastopol, Lucknow, South Africa 1879, Modder River, Paardeberg, South Africa 1899-1902.
THE GREAT WAR - Mons, Le Cateau, Retreat from Mons, Marne 1914, 18, Aisne 1914, La Bassée 1914, Messines 1914, 18, Armentières 1914, Ypres 1915, 17, 18, Gravenstafel, St Julien, Frezenberg, Bellewaarde, Festubert 1915, Loos, Somme 1916, 18, Albert 1916, 18, Bazentin, Delville Wood, Pozières, Flers-Courcelette, Morval, Le Transloy, Ancre Heights, Ancre 1916, Arras 1917,18, Scarpe 1917, 18, Arleux, Pilckem, Menin Road, Polygon Wood, Broodseinde, Poelcappelle, Passchendaele, Cambrai 1917,18, St Quentin, Bapaume 1918, Rosières, Lys, Estaires, Hazebrouck, Bailleul, Kemmel, Bethune, Soissonnais-Ourcq, Tardenois, Amiens, Hindenburg Line, Epehy, Canal du Nord, St Quentin Canal, Beaurevoir, Kortrijk, Selle, Sambre, France and Flanders 1914-18, Italy 1917-18, Struma, Doiran 1917,18, Macedonia 1915-18, Gallipoli 1915-16, Rumani, Egypt 1916, Gaza, El Mughar, Nebi Samwil, Jaffa, Palestine 1917-18.
THE SECOND WORLD WAR - Somme 1940, Odon, Tourmauville Bridge, Caen, Esquay, Mont Pincon, Quarry Hill, Estry, Falaise, Dives Crossing, Aart, Lower Maas, Meijel, Venlo Pocket, Ourthe, Rhineland, Reichswald, Rhine, Uelzen, Artlenburg, North-West Europe 1940, 44-45, Abyssinia 1941, Sidi Barrani, El Alamein, Medenine, Akarit, Diebel Azzag 1942, Kef Ouiba Pass, Mine de Sedjenane, Medjez Plain, Longstop Hill 1943, North Africa 1940-43, Landing in Sicily, Gerbini, Adrano, Centuripe, Sicily 1943, Termoli, Sangro, Cassino II, Liri Valley, Aquino, Monte Casalino, Monte Spaduro, Monte Grande, Senio, Santerno Crossing, Argenta Gap, Italy 1943-45, Crete, Heraklion, Middle East 1941, North Malaya, Grik Road, Central Malaya, Ipoh, Slim River, Singapore Island, Malaya 1941-42.
Pakchon, Korea 1950-51.
[edit] Affiliations
The Regiment has created several alliances with regiments in the Commonwealth during its history. An official alliance with the 91st Regiment (Canadian Highlanders) of the Canadian Militia was later recognized by that regiment changing its official title to The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada (Princess Louise's) and adopting the dress distinctions of the Regiment in Scotland.
In 1924, the Argylls formed an alliance with The Calgary Highlanders, and that unit also adopted the dress distinctions of the Imperial Argylls.
Several Australian and New Zealand units had also formed affiliations with the Argylls during the 20th Century, including the Byron Scottish and the Royal Australian Regiment.
The Royal Navy Type 23 Frigate HMS Argyll
[edit] Victoria Cross winners
- Capt J.A. Liddell 31 Jul 1915 Belgium
- Lieut J.R.N. Graham 22 Apr 1917 Mesopotamia
- 2nd Lieut A. Henderson MC 23 Apr 1917 France
- 2nd Lieut J.C. Buchan 21 Mar 1918 France
- Lieut D.L. MacIntyre 24-27 Aug 1918 France
- Lieut W.D. Bissett 25 Oct 1918 France
- Lieut Col L.M. Campbell, DSO, TD 6 Apr1943 Wadi Akarit
- Major J.T. McKellar Anderson, DSO, TD 23 Apr 1943 Longstop
- Major K. Muir 23 Sep 1950 Korea
