The Scots Guards (SG) form part of the Guards Division of the British Army, whose origins lie in the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland. Its lineage can be traced as far back as 1642, although it was only placed on the English Establishment (thus becoming part of what is now the British Army) in 1686.
It is not to be confused with the Garde Écossaise, which was an elite Scots military unit founded c. 1420 by the Valois Charles VII of France, to be personal body-guards to the French Monarchy, and which were finally disbanded in 1830 at the abdication of Charles X of France. These long predated the British regiment.
The Scots Guards is ranked as the third regiment of Foot Guards; as such, Scots Guardsmen can be recognised by having the buttons on their tunics spaced in threes. The regiment consists of a single operational battalion, which is currently (2008) based in Catterick in the armoured infantry role. However, since 1993, the regiment has also maintained an independent company, F Company, permanently based in Chelsea Barracks, London on public duties. It is the custodian of the colours and traditions of the 2nd Battalion, which was placed in permanent suspended animation in 1993.
Battle honours
- Pre-First World War: Namur 1695, Dettingen, Lincelles, Egypt, Talavera, Barrosa, Fuentes d'Onor, Salamanca, Nive, Peninsula, Waterloo, Alma, Inkerman, Sevastopol, Tel-er-Kebir, Egypt 1882, Suakin 1885, Modder River, South Africa 1899–1902
- First World War:
- Western Front: Retreat from Mons, Marne 1914, Aisne 1914, Ypres 1914 1917, Langemarck 1914, Gheluvelt, Nonne Bosschen, Givenchy 1914, Neuve Chapelle, Aubers, Festubert 1915, Loos, Somme 1916 1918, Flers Courcelette, Morval, Pilckem, Poelcapelle, Cambrai 1917 1918, St. Quentin, Albert 1918, Bapaume 1918, Arras 1918, Drocourt-Quéant, Hindenburg Line, Havrincourt, Canal du Nord, Selle, Sambre, France and Flanders 1914–18
- Second World War:
- North-West Europe: Stien, Norway 1940, Quarry Hill, Estry, Venlo Pocket, Rhineland, Reichswald, Kleve, Moyland, Hochwald, Rhine, Lingen, Uelzen, North-West Europe 1944–45
- North Africa: Halfaya 1941, Sidi Suleiman, Tobruk 1941, Gazala, Knightsbridge, Defence of Alamein Line, Medenine, Tadjera Khir, Medjez Plain, Grich el Oued, Djebel Bou Aoukaz 1943 I, North Africa 1941–43,
- Italy: Salerno, Battipaglia, Volturno Crossing, Rocchetta e Croce, Monte Camino, Campoleone, Carroceto, Trasimene Line, Advance to Florence, Monte San Michele, Catarelto Ridge, Argenta Gap, Italy 1943–45
- Post WWII: Tumbledown Mountain, Falkland Islands 1982, Gulf 1991
References
- Scots Guards Homepage: [1]
- Scots Guards Association Homepage: [2]
Alliances
Order of Precedence
External links
- The Guards Museum - Containing the history of the five regiments of Foot Guards, Wellington Barracks, London.
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British Army Infantry Regiments |
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