Military of Scotland

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Historically, Scotland has a long military tradition that predates the Act of Union with England. Its armed forces now form part of those of the United Kingdom and are known as the British Armed Forces.

1 History prior to the Union
2 Part of the British Armed Forces
3 Reference
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] History prior to the Union

[edit] Royal Scots Navy

Main article: Royal Scots Navy

The Scottish Red Ensign, flown by ships of the Royal Scottish Navy

A model of the Great Michael in the Royal Museum

The Scots Navy was created around AD 1000 to combat Viking invasions. Initially it consisted of Longships, some captured from the Vikings. After the signing of the Treaty of Perth, the navy fell into perpetual neglect, only becoming properly re-established in the wake of the Scottish Wars of Independence. The Navy steadily increased in size and strength through the reigns of the Stewart Monarchs, from King James I to that of King James IV, when the navy consisted of a fleet of thirty-eight vessels, including the carrack Great Michael. After this point the Royal Scottish Navy again fell into a steady decline, and only consisted of three vessels when it merged with the English Royal Navy in 1707.

[edit] Scottish armies

Main articles: Warfare of Scotland in the High Middle Ages and Gaelic warfare

Prior to the Scottish Civil War in 1644, there was no standing army in the Kingdom of Scotland. Prior to that, troops were raised by the King when required, a development of the feudal concept of fief (in which a lord was obligated to raise a certain quota of knights, men at arms and yeomanry, under greater control of the King). After the Wars of Scottish Independence, the Auld Alliance between Scotland and France played a large part in the country's military activities, especially during the Hundred Years' War. In 1650, part of the New Model Army invaded Scotland to fight Scottish Covenanters at the start of the Third English Civil War. The Covenanters, who had been allied to the English Parliament in the First English Civil War, had crowned Charles II as King of Scots. Despite being outnumbered, Oliver Cromwell led the Army to crushing victories over Charles's Scottish army commanded by David Leslie at the battles of Dunbar and Inverkeithing. Following the Scottish invasion of England led by Charles II, the New Model Army and local militia forces soundly defeated the Royalists at the Battle of Worcester, the last pitched battle of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. During the Interregnum, Scotland was kept under the military occupation of an English army under George Monck. They were kept busy throughout the 1650s by minor Royalist uprisings in the Scottish Highlands and by endemic lawlessness by bandits known as mosstroopers. Following Cromwell's death, the Restoration of Charles II saw the New Model Army kept as a standing force, and the King raised further regiments loyal to the Crown. On January 26th, 1661 Charles II issued a Royal Warrant that created the genesis of what would become the British Army, although the Scottish and English Armies would remain two separate organisations until the unification of England and Scotland in 1707.

[edit] Wars and battles

[edit] Castles

Main article: Castles of Scotland

[edit] Part of the British Armed Forces

Main articles: British military history and History of the British Army

After the Act of Union in 1707, the Scottish Army and Navy merged with those of England. The new British Army incorporated existing Scottish regiments, such as the Scots Guards, The Royal Scots, Scots Greys and the Royal Scots Fusiliers. The three vessels of the small Royal Scottish Navy were transferred to the Royal Navy. The new Armed Forces were controlled by the War Office and Admiralty from London. During this period, Scottish Soldiers and Sailors were instrumental in supporting the expansion of the British Empire and became involved in many international conflicts, including the latter stages of the War of the Spanish Succession, the Seven Years' War, the American Wars of Independence, Napoleonic Wars, the Crimean War, Boer War and the two World Wars.

[edit] Sensitive defence establishments

In the wake of the Jacobite risings, several fortresses were built throughout the Highlands in the 18th Century by General Wade in order to pacify the region, including Fort George, Fort Augustus and Fort William. Later, due to their topography and perceived remoteness, parts of Scotland have housed many sensitive defence establishments, with mixed public feelings. During World War II, Allied and British Commandos trained at Achnacarry in the Highlands and the island of Gruinard was used for an exercise in biological warfare. Between 1960 and 1991, the Holy Loch was a base for the U.S. fleet of Polaris ballistic missile submarines. Today, Her Majesty's Naval Base Clyde, 25 miles (40 km) west of Glasgow, is the base for the four Trident-armed Vanguard class ballistic missile submarines which are armed with approximately 200 Trident nuclear warheads.^[1] Since the decommissioning of free-falling bombs in 1998, the Trident ICBM system is the UK's only nuclear deterrent. HMS Caledonia at Rosyth in Fife is the support base for navy operations in Scotland and also serves as the Naval Regional Office (NRO Scotland and Northern Ireland). The Royal Navy's submarine nuclear reactor development establishment, is located at Dounreay, which was also the site of the UK's fast breeder nuclear reactor programme. HMS Gannet is a search and rescue station based at Prestwick Airport in Ayrshire and operates three Seaking Mk.5 helicopters. RM Condor at Arbroath, Angus is home to 45 Commando, Royal Marines.

Three important Royal Air Force bases are in Scotland today. These are RAF Lossiemouth, the RAF's primary base for the Panavia Tornado GR4 strike aircraft, RAF Kinloss, home to the Nimrod maritime patrol aircraft and RAF Leuchars, the most northerly air defence fighter base in the United Kingdom. The only open air live depleted uranium weapons test range in the British Isles is located near Dundrennan.^[2] As a result, over 7000 radioactive munitions lie on the seabed of the Solway Firth.^[3] This has led to many environmental concerns.^[4] The large amount of military bases in Scotland has led some to use the euphemism "Fortress Scotland".^[5] In 2004, the MoD land holdings in Scotland (owned, leased or with legal rights) was 115,200 hectares representing around 31% the MoD's UK estate.^[6]

[edit] Royal Navy bases in Scotland

HMNB Clyde (HMS Neptune), Argyll and Bute
Rosyth Dockyard (HMS Caledonia), Fife
RNAD Beith, North Ayrshire
HMS Gannet, Prestwick, South Ayrshire
RM Condor, Arbroath, Angus

[edit] Former Royal Navy bases in Scotland

Scapa Flow, Orkney
Invergordon, Easter Ross
HMS Condor, Arbroath, Angus
HMS Fieldfare, Evanton, Wester Ross, Highland
HMS Fulmar, Lossiemouth, Moray
HMS Jackdaw, Crail, Fife
HMS Landrail, Macrihanish, Argyll and Bute
HMS Merganser, Rattray, Aberdeenshire
HMS Merlin, Donibristle, Fife
HMS Nighthawk, Drem, East Lothian
HMS Owl, Fearn, Wester Ross, Highland
HMS Peewit, East Haven, Angus
HMS Robin, Grimsetter, Kirkwall, Orkney
HMS Sanderling, Abbotsinch, Renfrewshire: (Now Glasgow International Airport)
HMS Sparrowhawk, Hatston, Orkney
HMS Tern, Twatt, Orkney
HMS Wagtail, Heathfield, Ayr, South Ayrshire

[edit] Royal Air Force bases in Scotland

[edit] Former Royal Air Force bases in Scotland

RAF Alness
RAF Annan
RAF Banff
RAF Black Isle
RAF Bowmore
RAF Brackla
RAF Buttergask
RAF Castle Kennedy
RAF Castletown
RAF Charterhall
RAF Connel
RAF Dalcross
RAF Dallachy
RAF Dornoch
RAF Drem
RAF Dumfries
RAF Dundonald
RAF Dunino
RAF Dyce
RAF East Fortune
RAF Edzell
RAF Elgin
RAF Errol

RAF Fordoun
RAF Forres
RAF Fraserburgh
RAF Gailes
RAF Grangemouth
RAF Greenock
RAF Helensburgh
RAF Inverness
RAF Isbister Bay
RAF Kidsdale (Burrow Head)
RAF Kirkandrews
RAF Kirknewton
RAF Kirkpatrick
RAF Kirkton
RAF Kirkwall
RAF Largs
RAF Leanach
RAF Lennoxlove
RAF Lerwick
RAF Low Eldrig
RAF Machrihanish
RAF Milltown
RAF Montrose
RAF Oban

RAF Perth
RAF Peterhead
RAF Portellon
RAF Renfrew
RAF Saxa Vord
RAF Skatsa
RAF Skeabrae
RAF Skitten
RAF Stornoway
RAF Stravithie
RAF Sullom Voe
RAF Sumburgh
RAF Tealing
RAF Tiree
RAF Turnberry
RAF Turnhouse
RAF Twatt
RAF West Freugh
RAF Whitefield
RAF Wick
RAF Wigtown
RAF Winterseugh
RAF Woodhaven

[edit] Scottish Units in the British Army

Within the British Army, the Scottish infantry previously comprised a number of 'county regiments', each recruiting from a local area. In 2006, the remaining regiments, known collectively as the Scottish Division, were amalgamated to form the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The amalgamation was vigorously opposed by supporters of the old regiments. Scottish Soldiers also serve in all Combat Support Arms and Services, Special Forces, the Household Cavalry Regiment and the Parachute Regiment of the British Army, with the following Formations and Units having specific Scottish connections:

[edit] Former Scottish Units in the British Army

[edit] Regular British Army Units currently based in Scotland

1st Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment - Fort George
2nd Battalion, Light Infantry - Redford Barracks
The Royal Scots Borderers, 1st Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland - Dreghorn Barracks
The Royal Highland Fusiliers, 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland - Glencorse Barracks

[edit] Scottish Units that are not part of the British Army

[edit] Reference

^ House of Commons Written Answers, Hansard, 14 Jul 1998 : Column: 171
^ BBC Scotland News Online "DU shell test-firing resumes", BBC Scotland News, 2001-02-21. Retrieved on 2006-09-13. (in English)
^ Parliament of the United Kingdom - Debates 7 February 2001 Depleted Uranium (Shelling)
^ Mackay, N and Wilson, A.. "MOD "lied" over depleted Uranium", Sunday Herald, 2004-02-29. Retrieved on 2006-09-06. (in English)
^ Spaven, Malcolm (1983) Fortress Scotland. Pluto Press in association with Scottish CND. London
^ UK Defence Statistics, 2004 [1].

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

Armed Forces History, National Museums of Scotland
Military Collection, Historic Scotland
Military Records, National Archives of Scotland
Military Records, Scottish Archive Network (SCAN)
Scots at War Trust, Fettes College
Regimental Page, Fettes College

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Category: Military of Scotland

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