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{{Short description|Infantry regiment of the British Army from 1633 to 2006}}
{{other uses|Royal Scot (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2015}}
{{Use British English|date=September 2015}}
{{Infobox military unit
| unit_name                     = Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment)
| image                         = Rylscots.gif
| image_size                    = 
| caption                       = Cap badge
| dates                         = 1633–2006
| country                       = {{flag|Kingdom of Scotland}} (1633–1678)<br />{{flag|Kingdom of England}} (1678–1707)<br />{{flag|Kingdom of Great Britain}} (c.1707–c.1800)<br />{{flag|Kingdom of Ireland}} (c. 1775)<ref>1st Battalion was carried on the Irish Establishment at the time of the American Revolution. See [http://americanrevolution.org/britisharmy.html The Organization of the British Army in the American Revolution], [http://americanrevolution.org/britisharmy7a.html Illustrative Appendices to Chapter I]</ref><br />{{flag|United Kingdom}} (1801–2006)
| branch                        = {{army|United Kingdom}}
| type                          = [[Infantry]]
| command_structure             = [[Scottish Division]]
| role                          = [[Line infantry]]
| size                          = 
| current_commander             = 
| garrison                      = [[Edinburgh]]
| patron                        = [[Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood|HRH Mary, Princess Royal]] (1918)<br />[[Anne, Princess Royal|HRH Anne, Princess Royal]] (1983)
| nickname                      = Pontius Pilate's Bodyguard
| motto                         = ''[[Nemo me impune lacessit]]''<br />Latin: "Nobody harms me with impunity"
| colors                        = 
| identification_symbol         = [[File:Royal Scots TRF.svg|100px]]
| identification_symbol_label   = Tactical recognition flash
| identification_symbol_2       = [[File:Royal Scots regimental badge.png|100px]]
| identification_symbol_2_label = Royal Scots regimental badge
| march                         = ''Quick March'': [[Dumbarton's Drums]] <br />''Slow March'': Garb of Old Gaul
| mascot                        = 
| battles                       = See [[#Battle honours|Battle honours]] list
| notable_commanders            = 
| anniversaries                 = 
}}
The '''Royal Scots''' ('''The Royal Regiment'''), once known as the '''Royal Regiment of Foot''', was the oldest and most senior [[infantry]] [[regiment]] [[line infantry|of the line]] of the [[British Army]], having been raised in 1633 during the reign of [[Charles I of England|Charles I]]. The regiment existed continuously until 2006, when it amalgamated with the [[King's Own Scottish Borderers]] to become the [[Royal Scots Borderers]], which merged with the [[Royal Highland Fusiliers|Royal Highland Fusiliers (Princess Margaret's Own Glasgow and Ayrshire Regiment)]], the [[Black Watch]], the [[Highlanders (Seaforth, Gordons and Camerons)]] and the [[Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders]] to form the [[Royal Regiment of Scotland]].

==History==

===17th century===

In April 1633, [[John Hepburn (soldier)|Sir John Hepburn]] was granted a [[Warrant (law)|warrant]] by [[Charles I of England|Charles I]] to recruit 1200 Scots for service with the French army in the 1618–1648 [[Thirty Years War]]. The nucleus came from Hepburn's previous regiment, which fought with the Swedes from 1625 until August 1632, when Hepburn quarrelled with [[Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden|Gustavus Adolphus]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Offen|first1=Lee|title=Dumbarton's Regiment|url=http://historyreconsidered.net/Dumbarton_Regiment_1660_1746.html|website=Historyreconsidered.net|access-date=5 February 2018}}</ref> It absorbed other Scottish units in the Swedish army, as well as those already with the French and by 1635 totalled around 8,000 men.<ref name="History of the Regiment">History of the Regiment</ref>

Sir John was killed in 1636 and succeeded as Colonel by his brother George, then, after his death in 1637, [[Lord James Douglas]]; following the custom of the time, the unit became known as the '''Régiment de Douglas'''. James died in a skirmish near [[Douai]] in 1645 and was replaced by his elder brother [[Archibald Douglas, Earl of Angus]], who remained in Scotland and had little contact with the regiment, other than supplying recruits.<ref name="Douglas, Archibald, styled earl of">{{cite ODNB |last1=Stevenson |first1=David |title=Douglas, Archibald, styled earl of Angus and Ormond |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/7869 |year=2004 }}</ref> In 1653, he assigned the Colonelcy to his younger half-brother, [[George Douglas, 1st Earl of Dumbarton|George Douglas, later Earl of Dumbarton]].<ref name="Douglas, George, first earl of Dumb">{{cite ODNB |last1=Glozier |first1=MR |title=Douglas, George, first earl of Dumbarton |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/7886 |year=2004 }}</ref> 

In 1660, [[Charles II of England|Charles II]] was restored as king; in January 1661, Douglas's was sent to England in response to [[Venner's Rising]], an attempted coup by [[Fifth Monarchists]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Venner's Uprising 1661 |url=http://bcw-project.org/church-and-state/the-restoration/venners-uprising |website=BCW Project |access-date=10 October 2018}}</ref> The revolt was quickly crushed and it returned to France, since the recently elected [[Cavalier Parliament]] quickly disbanded the [[New Model Army]] but refused to fund replacements.{{sfn|Childs|2014|p=10}} It remained in France until 1679, apart from a period during the 1664-67 [[Second Anglo-Dutch War]] when it was based at the naval dockyard of [[Chatham, Kent|Chatham]]. The diarist [[Samuel Pepys|Pepys]] met George Douglas in Rochester and recorded that "Here in the streets, I did hear the Scotch march beat by the drums before the soldiers, which is very odde."<ref>Diary of Samuel Pepys, 30 June 1667</ref> In 1667, the regiment was accused of looting after the [[Raid on the Medway]] and ordered back to France; while awaiting transport, over 700 of the 1,500 men deserted.{{sfn|Childs|1984|pp=384–397}}

During the 1672-74 [[Third Anglo-Dutch War]], Douglas's was part of the British Brigade that fought with the French, commanded by the [[James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth|Duke of Monmouth]].<ref>{{cite ODNB|last1=Harris |first1=Tim |title=Scott [formerly Crofts], James, duke of Monmouth and first Duke of Buccleuch (1649–1685) |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/24879 |year=2004}}</ref> It served in the [[Rhineland]] throughout the [[Franco-Dutch War]], even after the Anglo-Dutch war ended in February 1674; it became the '''Régiment de Dumbarton''' in 1675, after George Douglas was made Earl of Dumbarton.<ref>Glozier 2004, ''Scottish soldiers in France in the reign of the Sun King'', p. 2</ref> The 1678 [[Treaties of Nijmegen]] required the repatriation of all Scots and English units from France; reluctant to lose veteran troops, this was made as hard as possible. Dumbarton's was posted to the [[Dauphiné|Dauphiné in Southern France]] before being disbanded and its men prevented from travelling for 30 days thereafter; many chose to remain, while those who arrived in England did so without money or possessions.{{sfn|Childs|2014|pp=20-21}}

The regiment was listed on the English military establishment as the '''First Foot or Royal Scots''', a temporary measure during the [[Exclusion Crisis]] of 1679–1681. Four of its twenty-one companies joined the [[Tangier Garrison]] in April 1680, with another twelve in September.<ref>Cannon, [https://archive.org/stream/historicalreco00cann#page/n94/mode/1up p. 55-58].</ref> It was awarded a [[battle honour]] for 'Tangier' in 1908, but the colony and its garrison was evacuated in 1684. A war diary for 1680 was kept by its commander, Sir James Halkett, allegedly one of the first examples to survive.{{sfn|McCance|1922|pp=1-24}}

[[File:Royal Regiment of foot.jpg|thumb|upright|Private of the Royal Regiment of Foot in 1742]]

On its return, the unit was renamed '''His Majesty's Royal Regiment of Foot''' in June 1684.<ref>Cannon, [https://archive.org/stream/historicalreco00cann#page/n98/mode/1up p. 59].</ref> When [[James II of England|James II]] succeeded Charles in 1685, the regiment fought at the decisive [[Battle of Sedgemoor]] that ended the June [[Monmouth Rebellion]]; a second battalion was raised in March 1686 and posted to Scotland.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Offen|first1=Lee|title=Dumbarton's Regiment|url=http://historyreconsidered.net/Dumbarton_Regiment_1660_1746.html|website=Historyreconsidered.net|access-date=6 October 2018}}</ref>

It was the only unit where the majority remained loyal to James during the November 1688 [[Glorious Revolution]]; Dumbarton followed him into exile and one of William's subordinates, [[Frederick Schomberg, 1st Duke of Schomberg|Frederick Schomberg]], was appointed Colonel.<ref>Cannon, [https://archive.org/stream/historicalreco00cann#page/n106/mode/1up p. 67].</ref> While awaiting transport from [[Ipswich]] to [[Flanders]], it mutinied on 15 March 1689, a combination of not being paid and dislike at being commanded by a foreigner. However, the mutineers were treated with leniency and later agreed to the move.{{sfn|Manning|2006|pp=368–369}}

At the start of the 1688–1697 [[Nine Years War]], [[Robert Douglas (died 1692)|Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Robert Douglas]] commanded the first battalion at the [[Battle of Walcourt]] in 1689. After Schomberg was killed in Ireland, he was promoted Colonel in July 1690.<ref>Cannon, [https://archive.org/stream/historicalreco00cann#page/n119/mode/1up p. 80].</ref> The second battalion arrived from Scotland in 1690 and both battalions fought at the [[Battle of Steenkerque]] in 1692, where Sir Robert was killed. They then fought at the [[Battle of Landen]] in 1693 and at the [[Siege of Namur (1695)|Siege of Namur]]. When the [[Treaty of Ryswick]] ended the war in 1697, it was transferred to Ireland.<ref>Cannon, [https://archive.org/stream/historicalreco00cann#page/n115/mode/1up p. 76].</ref>

===18th century===
[[File:Portrait of Lieutenant John Abercrombie.jpg|thumb|upright|1754 portrait of a lieutenant of the regiment by [[Allan Ramsay (artist)|Allan Ramsay]]]]

During the [[War of the Spanish Succession]], the regiment served under [[John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough|Marlborough]] at [[Battle of Schellenberg|Schellenberg]], [[Battle of Blenheim|Blenheim]], [[Battle of Ramillies|Ramillies]] and [[Battle of Oudenarde|Oudenarde]].<ref name="Paterson, vol I. Chronology">Paterson, vol I. Chronology, {{Page needed|date=November 2011}}</ref> At [[Battle of Malplaquet|Malplaquet]] in 1709, its members included [[William Hiseland]], an 89-year-old reputed to be the last serving veteran of the [[First English Civil War]].<ref>William White, ed., ''Notes and Queries'', vol. 114 ([[Oxford University Press]], 1906), p. 82</ref>

Both battalions spent 1715 to 1742 in Ireland, but after this were normally separated.<ref name="History of the Regiment"/> The 1st was based in [[Flanders]] during the [[War of the Austrian Succession]], where it fought at [[Battle of Fontenoy|Fontenoy]] in 1745.<ref name="Regiments.org, 1st Battalion page">Regiments.org, 1st Battalion page</ref> After returning from [[Puerto Bello]] in 1743, the 2nd helped suppress the [[Jacobite rising of 1745]], before being posted to Ireland once again.<ref name="Regiments.org, 2nd Battalion page">Regiments.org, 2nd Battalion page</ref>

In the army reforms of 1751, the unit was ranked as the most senior infantry line regiment and titled the '''1st (Royal) Regiment of Foot'''.<ref name="Regiments.org list of titles">Regiments.org list of titles</ref> On the outbreak of the [[Seven Years' War]] in 1756, the 2nd Battalion moved to [[Nova Scotia]] in 1757, fighting at [[Siege of Louisbourg (1758)|Louisburg]], [[Guadeloupe]] and [[Havana]], then returning home in 1764.<ref name="Regiments.org, 2nd Battalion page"/>

Until [[American Revolutionary War|American War]] began in 1775, both served as garrisons in the [[Mediterranean]], the 1st in [[Gibraltar]],<ref name="Regiments.org, 1st Battalion page"/> the 2nd in [[Menorca|Minorca]].<ref name="Regiments.org, 2nd Battalion page"/> Sent to the [[West Indies]] in 1781, the 1st Battalion helped capture [[Capture of Sint Eustatius|St Eustatius]]; it surrendered at [[St. Kitts]] in January 1782 but was later exchanged.<ref name="Regiments.org, 1st Battalion page"/>

===French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars===
The 1st Battalion had returned to the West Indies as a garrison in 1790, and served there until 1797,<ref name="Paterson, vol I. Chronology"/> with a brief period of combat in the [[Haitian Revolution]].<ref name="Regiments.org, 1st Battalion page"/> The West Indies were hotbeds of disease, and the battalion lost more than half its strength to disease in this period.<ref name="History of the Regiment"/> It was reformed from militia volunteers in Ireland in 1798: This year saw a major rebellion erupt in Ireland after years of simmering tension. The Lothian Fencibles fought with distinction at the [[Battle of Vinegar Hill]], one of the more important engagements of the rebellion. Subsequently, the regiment gained a new regimental song:
<blockquote>
:Ye croppies of Wexford, I'd have ye be wise
:and go not to meddle with Mid-Lothian Boys
:For the Mid-Lothian Boys they vow and declare
:They'll crop off your head as well as your hair
:derry, down, down.
:Remember at Ross and at Vinegar Hill
:How your heads flew about like chaff in a mill
:For the Mid-Lothian Boys when a croppy they see
:they blow out his daylights and tip him cut three
:derry, down, down.<ref>Bartlett and Jeffery, A Military History of Ireland, Chapter 12 pg 284</ref>
</blockquote>

After the rebellion was over in Ireland they were used in minor raids on the coast of Spain in 1800.<ref name="Regiments.org, 1st Battalion page"/> Meanwhile, from 1793 to 1801, the 2nd Battalion was based in the Mediterranean.<ref name="Paterson, vol I. Chronology"/> It fought at the [[Siege of Toulon]] (1793) and the capture of [[Corsica]] (1794),<ref name="Regiments.org, 2nd Battalion page"/> returning briefly to Northern Europe for the [[Battle of Alkmaar (1799)|Battle of Egmont op Zee]] in the 1799 [[Anglo-Russian invasion of Holland]], before fighting in the 1801 Egyptian campaign at the [[Battle of Abukir (1801)|Battle of Aboukir]] and the [[Battle of Alexandria (1801)|Battle of Alexandria]].<ref name="Paterson, vol I. Chronology"/>

Both battalions were subsequently dispatched to the West Indies, the 1st from 1801 to 1812, and the 2nd from 1803 to 1806. The 1st occupied [[Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands|Saint Thomas]] in 1801, fought at the capture of [[Saint Lucia]], as well as of [[Demerara]] and [[Essequibo (colony)|Essequibo]] in 1803, and the capture of [[Guadeloupe]] in 1810. The 2nd then moved to India, where it would remain until 1826, whilst the 1st was sent to Quebec with the outbreak of the [[War of 1812]].<ref name="Paterson, vol I. Chronology"/> It fought in the battles of [[Second Battle of Sacket's Harbor|Sackett's Harbor]] and [[Battle of Buffalo|Buffalo & Black Rock]], as well as the [[capture of Fort Niagara]] (1813), the battles of [[Battle of Longwoods|Longwoods]], [[Battle of Chippawa|Chippawa]], and [[Battle of Lundy's Lane|Lundy's Lane]], along with the [[Siege of Fort Erie]] and the [[Battle of Cook's Mills]] (1814).<ref>Regiments.org, The American War (War of 1812) page</ref> In February 1812, the regiment was retitled as the '''1st Regiment of Foot (Royal Scots)''', the first official appearance of the popular name.<ref name="Regiments.org list of titles"/>

[[File:The capture of San Sebastián, July 1813.jpg|thumb|The capture of San Sebastián, diorama in the Royal Scots Regimental Museum]]
Two new battalions were raised in late 1804, at [[Hamilton, South Lanarkshire|Hamilton]], the 3rd and 4th Battalions. The 3rd served in the [[Peninsular War]] from 1808 to 1809, fighting at the [[Battle of Corunna]] in 1809 before being withdrawn by sea and sent to the [[Walcheren Campaign]]<ref name="Paterson, vol I. Chronology"/> with the 1st Division.<ref>Burnham</ref> It returned to Portugal in 1810 with the 5th Division,<ref name="Regiments.org, 3rd Battalion page">Regiments.org, 3rd Battalion page</ref> fighting at the [[Battle of Buçaco]] (1810), the [[Battle of Fuentes de Onoro]] (1811), the battles of [[Battle of Badajoz (1812)|Badajoz]], [[Battle of Salamanca|Salamanca]] and [[Battle of Burgos (1812)|Burgos]] (1812), the [[Battle of Vitoria]], capture of [[San Sebastián]], [[Battle of Nivelle]], and the [[Battle of Nive]] (1813),<ref>Regiments.org, Peninsular War 1808–1814 page</ref> before advancing into France in 1814. It was sent to Belgium during the [[Hundred Days]], and fought in Picton's Division (the 5th) at the [[Battle of Waterloo]] (1815). After two years in the Army of Occupation, it was disbanded at Canterbury in 1817.<ref name="Regiments.org, 3rd Battalion page"/>

The 4th was deployed to the Baltic in 1813, being involved with the recapture of [[Stralsund]], and fought in the Netherlands in 1814, where it was captured and exchanged. It was then dispatched to Canada as part of the [[War of 1812]], where it served as a garrison. It was withdrawn to England with the end of the fighting and disbanded at Dover in 1816.<ref>Regiments.org, 4th Battalion page</ref>

===19th century===
[[File:Colours of the 1st Royal Regiment.jpg|thumb|Regimental colours, 1847]]
The 1st battalion was sent to Ireland after the end of the Napoleonic wars, and stationed there from 1816 until 1825, when it was moved to the West Indies, where it remained until 1835. The 2nd battalion, however, had a more active time; based in India, it was involved in the [[Third Anglo-Maratha War]], where it fought at the Battle of Nagpore (1817) and [[Battle of Mahidpur]] (1818), and in the [[First Anglo-Burmese War]] of 1824–26. It moved to Scotland in 1830, and to Canada in 1836, where it was involved in the [[Rebellions of 1837]].<ref name="Paterson, vol I. Chronology"/> The regiment fought at the [[Battle of Saint-Denis (1837)]], but was running low on ammunition as the British officers had underestimated the amount of insurgents, and with the enemy beginning to flank, Colonel Charles Gore gave the order to withdraw.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1794053/|title=Canada: A People's History Rebellion and Reform|website=IMDb|access-date=4 February 2018}}</ref> A move to the West Indies in 1843 was complicated by half the regiment being shipwrecked and delayed several months, but was successful, and the regiment finally returned to Scotland in 1846.<ref name="Regiments.org, 2nd Battalion page"/>

Both battalions saw active service in the [[Crimean War]], with the 1st fighting at the battles of [[Battle of Alma|Alma]] and [[Battle of Inkerman|Inkerman]] (1854), and both fighting in the [[Siege of Sevastopol (1854–1855)|Siege of Sevastopol]] (1854–55),<ref name="Paterson, vol I. Chronology"/> where the regiment's first [[Victoria Cross|VC]] was won.<ref>History of the Regiment. It was awarded to Private [[Joseph Prosser]].</ref> After the war, the 1st battalion moved to Ceylon in 1857<ref name="Regiments.org, 1st Battalion page"/> and thence to India, returning home in 1870, whilst the 2nd battalion moved to Hong Kong, and saw action in the [[Second Opium War]], fighting at the capture of the [[Taku Forts]] (1858) and [[Beijing|Pekin]] (1860), and returning home in 1861.<ref name="Paterson, vol I. Chronology"/>

In 1881, following comprehensive reforms following the Crimean war ([[Cardwell Reforms|Cardwell Reforms of 1870]]), the ambitious [[Childers Reforms]] were passed by the War Office.  Among many changes was the merger of the many numbered regiments of foot into un-numbered 'county regiments'.  Because the regiment already had two battalions, it fared much better than the many other regiments which lost their identities and merged into new two-battalion regiments.  Under the February 1881 proposals, the regiment was due to be redesignated as '''The Lothian Regiment (Royal Scots)''', however under the final July reform, the regiment became '''The Royal Scots (Lothian Regiment)'''.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2007-12-18 |title=Proposals for Regimental Mergers, 1881 [UK] |url=http://www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/lists/ba1881pr.htm |access-date=2022-01-10 |website= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071218044944/http://www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/lists/ba1881pr.htm |archive-date=18 December 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref>  Under the previously mentioned reforms, the regiment became a county regiment, encompassing the following: [[Edinburgh|City of Edinburgh]] ([[Midlothian]]), [[Haddingtonshire]] (East Lothian), [[Linlithgowshire]] (West Lothian), and [[Berwickshire]] (later transferred to the [[King's Own Scottish Borderers]] on 1 May 1887).  In addition to the two regular battalions and depot, the regiment now took control of the various militia and infantry (rifle) volunteers based in the above counties.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Mills|first=T. F.|title=The Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment)|url=http://regiments.org/regiments/uk/inf/001RScot.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071224055056/http://regiments.org/regiments/uk/inf/001RScot.htm|archive-date=24 December 2007|access-date=10 January 2022|website=Land Forces of Britain, The Empire, and Commonwealth}}</ref>  This left the regiment with the following structure:<ref name = Frederick>Frederick, pp. 298–301</ref>

* Regimental Headquarters, at [[Edinburgh Castle]], [[Edinburgh]]
* Regimental Depot (part of the 1st Regimental District), at [[Glencorse Barracks]], [[Glencorse]]
* 1st Battalion – ''regular, previously 1st Battalion, 1st (Royal Scots) Regiment of Foot''
* 2nd Battalion – ''regular, previously 2nd Battalion, 1st (Royal Scots) Regiment of Foot''
* [[Queen's Edinburgh Light Infantry Militia|3rd Battalion (The Queen's Edinburgh Regiment of Light Infantry)]] – ''Militia''
* [[Queen's Edinburgh Rifles#Localisation|1st Edinburgh (City) Rifle Volunteers (The Queen's City of Edinburgh Rifle Volunteer Brigade)]] – ''three battalions forming the main Rifle Volunteers element – forming the 1st volunteer battalion of the regiment''
* [[6th Battalion, Royal Scots#Localisation|2nd Edinburgh (City) Rifle Volunteer Corps]] – ''2nd volunteer battalion of the regiment''
* [[5th Battalion, Royal Scots|1st Midlothian (Leith) Rifle Volunteer Corps]] – ''3rd volunteer battalion of the regiment''
* 2md Midlothian (Midlothian & Peebles-shire) Rifle Volunteer Corps – ''4th volunteer battalion of the regiment''
* [[1st Linlithgowshire Rifle Volunteers#Localisation|1st Linlithgowshire Rifle Volunteer Corps]] – ''5th volunteer battalion of the regiment''
* [[7th Battalion, Royal Scots|1st Haddington Rifle Volunteer Corps]] – ''6th volunteer battalion of the regiment''

In 1881, the 1st was in the West Indies; it moved to South Africa in 1884, when it saw action in the [[Bechuanaland]] campaign, and remained there until 1891, when it moved back to the UK to serve as the depot battalion and the 2nd moved out to India. With the outbreak of the [[Second Anglo-Boer War]], the 1st was quickly earmarked for service in South Africa, and sailed in late 1899. It remained there until 1903, being joined by the 3rd from 1900 to 1902<ref name="Paterson, vol I. Chronology"/> – the first time a non-regular unit of the regiment had been activated. The bulk of the time in South Africa was spent patrolling and in mobile columns, with neither battalion engaged in any major battles.<ref name="History of the Regiment"/> The 2nd battalion was posted in India in 1891, and stayed there until 1909. The battalion had various postings around the sub-continent, including [[Poona]] until late 1902 when it moved to [[Kamptee]].<ref>{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=Naval & Military intelligence - The Army in India|date=11 October 1902 |page=12 |issue=36896}}</ref>

In 1908, the Volunteers and Militia were reorganised nationally, with the former becoming the [[Territorial Force]] and the latter the [[Special Reserve (militia)|Special Reserve]];<ref>{{cite web|url= https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1908/mar/31/territorial-and-reserve-forces-act-1907|title=Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907|work=[[Hansard|Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)]]|date=31 March 1908|access-date=20 June 2017}}</ref> the regiment now had one Reserve and seven Territorial battalions.<ref>These were the 3rd Battalion (Special Reserve), with the 4th and 5th ([[Queen's Edinburgh Rifles]]) Battalions at [[Forrest Hill drill hall|Forrest Hill]] in Edinburgh, the [[6th Battalion, Royal Scots|6th Battalion]] at [[Gilmore Place drill hall|Gilmore Place]] in Edinburgh, the 7th Battalion at [[Dalmeny Street drill hall|Dalmeny Street]] in Leith, the 8th Battalion at Nungate in Haddington (since demolished), the 9th (Highlanders) Battalion at [[Hepburn House|East Claremont Street]] in Edinburgh and the [[1st Linlithgowshire Rifle Volunteers|10th (Cyclist) Battalion]] at the High Street in Linlithgow (since demolished) (all Territorial Force). See Scottish Military History Society lineage pages</ref> The 1st moved back to India in 1909, relieving the 2nd, which moved back to the UK; they remained stationed there until 1914.<ref name="Paterson, vol I. Chronology"/>

===First World War (1914–1919)===
At the outbreak of the First World War, the 1st was in India, and returned to the UK in November; the 2nd was immediately deployed with the [[British Expeditionary Force (World War I)|British Expeditionary Force]] (BEF), arriving in France on 14 August<ref>Paterson, Vol I, p.242</ref> and seeing action on the afternoon of the 23rd.<ref>Paterson, Vol I, p.245</ref> The Special Reserve had been mobilised, with the 3rd Battalion activated at Weymouth, and all seven battalions of the Territorial Force had mobilised and raised an additional second-line battalion by the end of 1914.<ref>Paterson, Vol I, p.243. The [[6th Battalion, Royal Scots|6th]] was the one exception for second-line battalions; it did not raise a second battalion until 1915, whilst the 8th had already raised its third-line battalion in 1914</ref> A further seven battalions of [[Kitchener's Army|the New Army]] were formed in 1914, including two [[Pals battalions]]<ref>Paterson, Vol I, Appendix 5. These battalions were the 11th, 12th, 13th, [[14th (Reserve) Battalion, Royal Scots|14th (Reserve)]], 15th (1st City of Edinburgh) and 16th (2nd City of Edinburgh) Battalions. The latter two were the "Edinburgh City Pals" also known respectively as [[Robert Cranston (Scottish politician)|Cranston's]] Battalion and [[Sir George McCrae|McCrae's]] (or McRae's) Battalion. The 14th was later redesignated as the 54th Training Reserve Battalion</ref> By the end of 1914, the regiment stood at a strength of 24 battalions;<ref name="Paterson, Vol I, p.243">Paterson, Vol I, p.243</ref> another six Territorial battalions and three New Army battalions (one of [[Bantam (military)|bantams]]) were formed in 1915.<ref>Paterson, Vol I, Appendix 5. The Territorial units were the second-line [[6th Battalion, Royal Scots|2/6th]], plus the third-line [[Queen's Edinburgh Rifles|3/4th]], [[Queen's Edinburgh Rifles|3/5th]], [[6th Battalion, Royal Scots|3/6th]], 3/7th and [[9th Battalion, Royal Scots|3/9th]], battalions; the New Army units were the 17th, also known as [[Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery|Rosebery's]] [[Bantam (military)|Bantams]], the 18th Reserve (later transferred as the 77th Training Reserve Battalion), and the 1st Garrison battalions</ref> In 1916, one service and one reserve battalion were formed by merging depleted Territorial battalions,<ref>Paterson, Vol I, Appendix 5. The new units were the [[Queen's Edinburgh Rifles|4th (Reserve)]] and [[Queen's Edinburgh Rifles#5th/6th Royal Scots|5th/6th]] battalions</ref> and in 1917 a [[labour battalion (British Army)|labour battalion]] was formed.<ref>Ewing, Appendix III. This was the 19th Battalion, later transferred to the [[Royal Pioneer Corps|Labour Corps]] as 1st and 2nd Labour Companies of 10th Labour Group</ref> In total, the Royal Scots raised some thirty-five battalions of infantry and over 100,000 men during the course of the First World War, of which fifteen battalions saw active service. 11,000 soldiers serving in the regiment were killed, and over 40,000 wounded.<ref name="History of the Regiment"/> Among other decorations and honours, the regiment won six [[Victoria Cross]]es.<ref>Ewing, Appendix IV. These were Privates [[Henry Howey Robson|HH Robson]] and [[Hugh McIver|H McIver]] of the 2nd Battalion, Lieutenant [[David Stuart McGregor|DS McGregor]] of the 6th (attached to the [[Machine-Gun Corps]]), Corporal [[Roland Edward Elcock|RE Elcock]] of the 11th, Captain [[Henry Reynolds (VC)|H Reynolds]] of the 12th, and Private [[Robert Dunsire|R Dunsire]] of the 13th. A seventh VC was won by Lance-Corporal [[William Angus (VC)|W Angus]], a member of the [[Highland Light Infantry]], whilst serving with the 8th Royal Scots</ref>

[[File:The 1st Battalion, Royal Scots in the Ypres Salient, 1915 Q50338.jpg|thumb|left|A sergeant of 'D' Company, 1st Battalion, Royal Scots, using a trench periscope to observe German trenches near Kemmel in January 1915]]

The 1st, on returning from India, was placed in the [[27th Infantry Division (United Kingdom)|27th Division]], a division made up of regular units that had been recalled from garrison duty, and arrived in France in December 1914. It saw combat in the action of Saint-Éloi and throughout the [[Second Battle of Ypres]] in 1915, before the division was withdrawn and moved to [[Salonika]] in November, where it spent the rest of the war It was sent to [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]] in December 1918 for operations against the [[Bolsheviks]], and returned to Edinburgh in May 1919.<ref name="Paterson, Vol I, Appendix 5">Paterson, Vol I, Appendix 5.</ref> The 2nd was part of the [[3rd Infantry Division (United Kingdom)|3rd Division]], one of the first units of the [[British Expeditionary Force (World War I)|British Expeditionary Force]] to be sent to France. It first saw action in the [[Battle of Mons]], and thence at almost all of the major actions on the [[Western Front (World War I)|Western Front]], before returning to Scotland in 1919.<ref name="Paterson, Vol I, Appendix 5"/>

The [[Queen's Edinburgh Rifles|1/4th (Queen's Edinburgh Rifles)]] and 1/7th mobilised in Edinburgh in August 1914, and were assigned to the [[52nd (Lowland) Division]]. Whilst the division was mobilising, the 1/7th was involved in the [[Quintinshill rail crash]], which killed 210 officers and men and wounded another 224.<ref name="ReferenceA">The Royal Scots (Lothian Regiment) in 1914–1918</ref> They fought at the [[Battle of Gallipoli]] before being moved to [[Egypt]] in 1916 and serving in the [[Sinai and Palestine Campaign]]. They were sent to France in April 1918 for the [[Second Battle of the Somme]], and remained there until the end of the war. Both battalions were reduced to a [[En cadre|cadre]] in March 1919, and returned home to disband in May.<ref name="Paterson, Vol I, Appendix 5"/>

The [[Queen's Edinburgh Rifles|1/5th (Queen's Edinburgh Rifles)]] mobilised in Edinburgh in August 1914, and were assigned to the [[29th Division (United Kingdom)|29th Division]]. A poignant Christmas card was produced by the Edinburgh artist [[Walter Balmer Hislop]] who served with 'D' Company of the 5th (QER) Battalion . They fought at the [[Battle of Gallipoli]], then to France via Egypt, and saw action on the [[first day on the Somme]]. The [[6th Battalion, Royal Scots|1/6th]] had mobilised at the same time and been dispatched to Egypt in 1915 for the [[Western Frontier Force]]; it too was withdrawn to France for the Somme. The two heavily depleted battalions were amalgamated in July 1916, and spent the remainder of war on the Western Front as the 5/6th. After the war, it remained in Belgium until January 1919 when it moved into Germany, and was reduced to a cadre in October 1919 and sent home to be disbanded.<ref name="Paterson, Vol I, Appendix 5"/>

The 1/8th mobilised at [[Haddington, East Lothian|Haddington]] in August 1914, and arrived in France in November – the first Scottish territorial unit to arrive in France<ref name="Paterson, Vol I, p.243"/> – with the [[7th Infantry Division (United Kingdom)|7th Division]], though they did not see action until the [[Battle of Neuve Chapelle]]. After the [[Second Battle of Ypres]], in August 1915, they were transferred to the [[51st (Highland) Division]] as the divisional [[Assault Pioneer|pioneers]], and disbanded in March 1919 at Haddington<ref name="Paterson, Vol I, Appendix 5"/> The [[9th Battalion, Royal Scots|1/9th]] mobilised at Edinburgh in August 1914, and moved to France in February 1915 with the [[27th Division (United Kingdom)|27th Division]]; when this moved to Salonika in November they remained in France, transferring to the [[5th Infantry Division (United Kingdom)|5th Division]], and then to Third Army reserve. They were assigned to the [[51st (Highland) Division]] in March 1916, with whom they fought for two years, then to the [[61st (2nd South Midland) Division]] and [[15th (Scottish) Division]] in 1918.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

[[File:11th Royal Scots raiding party 12-07-1918.jpg|thumb|right|A raiding party of 11th Royal Scots preparing for action in July 1918]]
The 11th, 12th and 13th were raised in August 1914 in Edinburgh, with the 11th and 12th allocated to [[9th (Scottish) Division]] and the 13th to [[15th (Scottish) Division]], and moved to France in mid-1915. They first saw action at the [[Battle of Loos]], where the 11th was almost wiped out,<ref>The 11th ran into a wire entanglement and was caught in crossfire. The commanding officer was killed, along with a sizeable proportion of the battalion {{cite web | url=http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/battles/battles-of-the-western-front-in-france-and-flanders/the-battle-of-loos/ | title=The Battle of Loos | publisher=The Long, Long Trail | first=Chris | last=Baker | access-date=7 January 2016}}</ref> and spent the remainder of the war on the Western Front. The 11th and 12th moved to Germany after the armistice; the 12th was reduced to a cadre in April 1919 and disbanded in the UK in June, whilst the 11th was reduced to a cadre and disbanded at Cologne in November. The 13th remained in Belgium, being reduced to a cadre in March 1919 and disbanded in the UK in June.<ref name="Paterson, Vol I, Appendix 5"/>

The 15th was raised in September 1914, the 16th (which came to be known as [[McCrae's Battalion]]) in December 1914, and the 17th in February 1915, in Edinburgh. The 15th and 16th were assigned to the [[34th Division (United Kingdom)|34th Division]] and the 17th to the [[35th Division (United Kingdom)|35th Division]], moved to France in early 1916, and first saw action at the [[first day on the Somme]]; all three spent the remainder of the war on the Western Front. The 15th and 16th were reduced to cadres in May 1918 and disbanded in August; the 17th was based in Belgium after the armistice, and provided internal security in France and Belgium in early 1919, before being reduced to a cadre in April and disbanded shortly afterward.<ref name="Paterson, Vol I, Appendix 5"/>

The 2/10th was originally mobilised as [[bicycle infantry]], but never served in this role. It was the only second-line battalion of the regiment to be sent overseas, moving to Archangel in August 1918, and serving in the [[North Russia Campaign]] until June 1919, when it returned to Scotland to disband.<ref name="Paterson, Vol I, Appendix 5"/> The remaining battalions all remained in the UK on Home Service, and did not see active duty. However, six saw significant periods of service in Ireland, where they served as garrison units, and were often involved in local security – armed patrols, mobile columns to 'show the flag', and the like.<ref>Ewing, Appendix II. The battalions stationed in Ireland were the 3rd, 2/4th, 2/7th, 2/8th, [[9th Battalion, Royal Scots|2/9th]] and 1/10th. Additionally, the successor unit of the 14th (Reserve) Bn (now [[51st (Service) Battalion Highland Light Infantry|51st (Service) Bn Highland Light Infantry]]) was sent to Germany as an occupation unit, but not until after the armistice had been signed, whilst the 4th (Reserve) Bn spent February 1919 protecting key points in Glasgow against strike riots</ref>

===Inter-war period (1919–1939)===
The regiment was reduced sharply in size following the [[Armistice of 11 November 1918|Armistice]]; during 1919, the 3rd Battalion disbanded, as did all bar one of the Territorial battalions (the one exception being the 2/10th, which was finally disbanded in February 1920).<ref name="Paterson, Vol II. Chronology">Paterson, Vol II. Chronology</ref>

In September 1919, the 1st Battalion again embarked for imperial service, taking up garrison duties in [[Rangoon]], and in August 1920 the 2nd Battalion was sent to Ireland for service in what would later become the [[Anglo-Irish War]]; they would remain there until January 1922.<ref name="Paterson, Vol II. Chronology"/>

When the [[Territorial Force]] was reconstituted as the [[Army Reserve (United Kingdom)|Territorial Army]] in 1920, all seven Territorial battalions of the regiment were reconstituted. At the beginning of 1921, the regiment was formally retitled '''The Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment)''',<ref name="Regiments.org list of titles"/> and comprised two regular battalions, one [[Militia (United Kingdom)#The Special Reserve|Supplementary Reserve]] battalion, and four battalions of the newly renamed Territorial Army, all four of which were activated during the 1921 coal strike. In January 1922, reductions in the military led to the amalgamation of the Territorial component into two battalions.<ref>Paterson, Vol II, p.10. The four territorial battalions originally retained were the 4th, 5th, 7th and [[9th Battalion, Royal Scots|9th]]; they were amalgamated into the [[Queen's Edinburgh Rifles|4th/5th (Queen's Edinburgh Rifles)]] and the 7th/9th (Highlanders)</ref> The three battalions not retained in 1921 were converted to support units outside the regimental structure.<ref>The 6th and 8th battalions became batteries of [[Edinburgh City Artillery|57th (Lowland) Medium Brigade]] of the [[Royal Garrison Artillery]]; the 10th (Cyclist) Battalion briefly became the 1st (Linlithgow) Light Bridging Company, [[Royal Engineers]], and was then absorbed as A Company into 4th/5th (Queen's Edinburgh) Battalion.</ref> The 4th/5th Battalion was later, in 1938, transferred to the [[Royal Engineers]] and converted into an anti-aircraft role, becoming the 4th/5th Battalion, The Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment) (52nd Searchlight Regiment). It was later transferred to the [[Royal Artillery]] in August 1940 as the 52nd (Queen's Edinburgh, Royal Scots) Searchlight Regiment, Royal Artillery.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.britishmilitaryhistory.co.uk/webeasycms/hold/uploads/bmh_document_pdf/52_Division__1930_38_.pdf|title=52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division|publisher=British Military History|access-date=2 May 2016|archive-date=23 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923195010/http://www.britishmilitaryhistory.co.uk/webeasycms/hold/uploads/bmh_document_pdf/52_Division__1930_38_.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The 1st Battalion moved from Rangoon to [[Secunderabad]] in 1922, then to Aden in 1925. They finally returned to the UK in 1926, barracked at Maryhill in Glasgow, where they saw duty in the [[1926 United Kingdom general strike|General Strike]]. Under the Cardwell system, it was common for one battalion to remain at home while the other one served overseas, and accordingly in January 1926 the 2nd Battalion moved to Egypt, then to China in 1928. In 1930, they moved to [[Quetta]], then [[Lahore]] in 1934, and finally Hong Kong in January 1938. At the same time, the 1st Battalion was deployed to serve in the [[1936–39 Arab revolt in Palestine]], where it would remain for a year, until January 1939, when it became part of the [[4th Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)|4th Infantry Brigade]], [[2nd Infantry Division (United Kingdom)|2nd Infantry Division]].<ref name="Paterson, Vol II. Chronology"/> Some sources suggest the 1st Battalion was briefly reorganised as a machine-gun battalion during this period.<ref name="Regiments.org, 1st Battalion page"/>

With the re-armament program in the late 1930s, the Territorial component of the regiment was heavily altered; one of the two battalions was converted into an anti-aircraft role in 1938<ref>The 4th/5th (Queen's Edinburgh) Battalion, newly titled as 52nd Searchlight Regiment, and the [[Cadre (military)|cadre]] of the old 10th (Cyclists) Battalion forming the 14th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment. Both were transferred into the [[Royal Artillery]].</ref> whilst the other formed a duplicate 8th Battalion on 2 August<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/volmil-scotland/vinf/rs-8.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060310230806/http://www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/volmil-scotland/vinf/rs-8.htm|title=8th Battalion, The Royal Scots [UK]|archive-date=10 March 2006|access-date=2 May 2016}}</ref> 1939.<ref name="Paterson, Vol II. Chronology"/><ref>The 7th/9th (Highlanders) Battalion duplicated to form the 8th (Lothians and Peebleshire) Battalion</ref>

===Second World War (1939–1945)===
At the outbreak of the [[World War II|Second World War]] on 3 September 1939, the 1st Battalion, Royal Scots was at Aldershot as part of [[4th Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)|4th Infantry Brigade]], alongside the 1st [[Border Regiment]] and 2nd [[Royal Norfolk Regiment]], [[2nd Infantry Division (United Kingdom)|2nd Infantry Division]];<ref>[http://home.adelphia.net/~dryan67/orders/ac.html Aldershot Command, 3 September 1939] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051103101722/http://home.adelphia.net/~dryan67/orders/ac.html |date=3 November 2005 }}</ref> accordingly, it deployed to France with the [[British Expeditionary Force (World War II)|British Expeditionary Force]] (BEF). It moved to [[Lecelles]] in September, and in May 1940 moved into [[Belgium]] during the [[Battle of France]]. The BEF were heavily hit by the [[German Army (Wehrmacht)|German Army]]'s breakthrough, however, and fell back towards the coast; the battalion was deployed at [[Le Paradis]], near [[Béthune]], on 25 May to protect the flanks of the [[Operation Dynamo|Dunkirk evacuation]].<ref>[http://www.royalscotssouth.co.uk/Howe/Le_Paradis.htm Major Jimmy Howe's Experience with 1st Battalion The Royal Scots holding the Dunkirk Perimeter at Le Paradis] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070220203532/http://www.royalscotssouth.co.uk/Howe/Le_Paradis.htm |date=20 February 2007 }}</ref> After being heavily hit by armoured attacks, the battalion ceased fighting on the afternoon of 27 May.<ref>[http://ftp.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/UN/UK/UK-NWE-Flanders/UK-NWE-Flanders-12.html ''The War in France and Flanders 1939–40''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140209221115/http://ftp.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/UN/UK/UK-NWE-Flanders/UK-NWE-Flanders-12.html |date=9 February 2014 }}, Major L.F. Ellis</ref> The adjacent unit, the 2nd Battalion, Royal Norfolks, had almost one hundred men taken prisoner and later shot by their captors in the [[Le Paradis massacre]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stephen-stratford.co.uk/pooleys_revenge.htm |title=Private Pooley's Revenge |access-date=2 May 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160428143223/http://www.stephen-stratford.co.uk/pooleys_revenge.htm |archive-date=28 April 2016 }}</ref> Recent research has suggested that around twenty Royal Scots suffered a similar fate.<ref>''Book reveals Nazi massacre of 21 Royal Scots''. Edinburgh Evening News, 11 June 2007. [http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=911672007 Online copy] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071102150956/http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=911672007 |date=2 November 2007 }}</ref> The remnants of the battalion were reconstituted in Bradford in June.<ref name="Paterson, Vol II. Chronology"/> After Dunkirk, the battalion spent nearly two years on home defence preparing for a potential [[Operation Sea Lion|German invasion of the United Kingdom]]. The 1st Royal Scots, along with the rest of the 2nd Division, was sent to [[British Raj|British India]] in April 1942 to train for [[jungle warfare]].<ref>Brander, p. 87</ref>

[[File:Royal Scots with flag 01-1945.jpg|thumb|right|Men of the 1st Battalion, Royal Scots pose with a Japanese flag taken as a souvenir after clearing the Japanese from Payan, near [[Shwebo]], January 1945]]

The two [[Army Reserve (United Kingdom)|Territorial Army]] units, the 7th/9th, which was the 7th and 9th battalions merged, and 8th Battalions, mobilised in Scotland in September; the 7th/9th was briefly deployed to France with the [[155th (South Scottish) Brigade|155th Infantry Brigade]], alongside the 4th and 5th [[King's Own Scottish Borderers]], of the [[52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division]] before the collapse of the French government, but was quickly withdrawn.<ref name="Paterson, Vol II. Chronology"/> The regiment raised a fifth battalion in June 1940; it was created as the 50th (Holding) Battalion in June 1940 where it would 'hold' men who were medically unfit, temporarily homeless or on a course etc. but redesignated the 12th Battalion in October 1940. Also raised were the 10th and 11th ([[Home Service Battalions|Home Defence]]) battalions, raised in late 1939 specifically for defensive duties in the United Kingdom. Both battalions, like most others of the same type, would have consisted mainly of older and less fit men, with previous military experience, together with younger soldiers. The 11th, however, was disbanded in 1940 and, in 1941, the 10th dropped the 'Home Defence' subtitle and was redesignated as the 30th Battalion but was disbanded in 1943.<ref name=regiments>{{cite web|url=http://www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/inf/001RScot.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060109081519/http://www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/inf/001RScot.htm|title=The Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment) [UK]|archive-date=9 January 2006|access-date=2 May 2016}}</ref>

[[File:IWM-BU-1389-Ram-Kangaroo-Blerick-19441203.jpg|left|thumb|200px|Infantry of the 8th Battalion, Royal Scots, serving as part of [[44th Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)|44th Brigade]] in [[15th (Scottish) Infantry Division|15th (Scottish) Division]], in [[Kangaroo APC]]s, December 1944]]

Most of 1941 passed without active duty for the regiment, and with growing concerns about the stability of the Far East, the 2nd Battalion, still based at [[Hong Kong Garrison|Hong Kong]], moved into defensive positions around the colony. On 8 December, the [[Battle of Hong Kong]] began a few hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor; after bitter fighting, the garrison surrendered on Christmas Day. The newly formed 12th Battalion was disbanded and reformed as the 2nd Battalion in May 1942.<ref name="Paterson, Vol II. Chronology"/>

In April 1942 the 1st Battalion, Royal Scots was moved to Bombay, and then to Chittagong in December, still with [[2nd Infantry Division (United Kingdom)|2nd Infantry Division]]. It fought in the [[Burma Campaign]], first seeing action in the Arakan operations from March to May 1943, and then withdrawing into India. It later saw action at the [[Battle of Kohima]] in 1944 and the [[Battle of Mandalay]] in 1945. It was withdrawn to India to rest and refit in April 1945, and moved to Singapore in December.<ref name="Paterson, Vol II. Chronology"/>

The new 2nd Battalion was moved to Gibraltar in April 1943, and moved to Italy in July 1944, where it saw action in the [[Italian Campaign (World War II)|Italian Campaign]], in the [[Battle of Anzio|Anzio Campaign]] and on the [[Gothic Line]], with the [[66th Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)|66th Infantry Brigade]], which was part of the [[History of the British 1st Division during the World Wars|1st Infantry Division]]. The 2nd Royal Scots were serving in 66th Brigade alongside the 1st [[Hertfordshire Regiment]] and 11th [[Lancashire Fusiliers]]. In January 1945 it moved to Palestine with the rest of the 1st Infantry Division, where it was active in security duties in October and November, and was then redeployed to the [[Suez Canal Zone]] in December 1945.<ref name="Paterson, Vol II. Chronology"/>

The 7th/9th Battalion was still part of the 155th Infantry Brigade and was attached to the 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division, which was trained for [[mountain warfare]] and airlanding operations, but was never used in this way. In October 1944 they moved to the [[Netherlands]], fighting in the [[Battle of the Scheldt]] as part of the [[First Canadian Army]], where the 52nd Division served with distinction, and then participating in [[Operation Blackcock]] and the advance to the Rhine; it crossed the Rhine in March 1945 and advanced to Bremen by the end of the war.<ref name="Paterson, Vol II. Chronology"/>

[[File:8th Royal Scots halted 27-10-1944.jpg|thumb|right|[[Universal Carrier]]s and infantrymen of the 8th Battalion, Royal Scots pause during the attack by 15th (Scottish) Division on [[Tilburg]], 27 October 1944]]

The 8th Battalion, Royal Scots was raised on 2 August 1939<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/volmil-scotland/vinf/rs-8.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051230133512/http://www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/volmil-scotland/vinf/rs-8.htm|title=8th Battalion, The Royal Scots [UK]|archive-date=30 December 2005|access-date=2 May 2016}}</ref> as a 2nd Line duplicate of the 7th/9th Battalion. They remained in the United Kingdom as part of [[44th Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)|44th (Lowland) Infantry Brigade]], alongside the 6th [[Royal Scots Fusiliers]] and 6th King's Own Scottish Borderers. The brigade was a part of the [[15th (Scottish) Infantry Division]], which would gain an excellent reputation in the campaign, and itself was formed a 2nd Line duplicate of the 1st Line 52nd Division. In June 1944, they [[Invasion of Normandy|landed in Normandy]] as part of [[Operation Overlord]] and fought in the [[Battle for Caen]] in [[Operation Epsom]] and later at the [[Second Battle of the Odon]] and [[Operation Bluecoat]]. They then fought in the [[North West Europe Campaign]], [[Allied advance from Paris to the Rhine|from Paris to the Rhine]], until the end of the war; it entered Belgium in September, [[Operation Plunder|crossed the Rhine]] in March 1945 and advanced to Hamburg by the end of the war.<ref name="Paterson, Vol II. Chronology"/>

===Post-war period (1945–2004)===

In February 1949, the 2nd Battalion disbanded, leaving the regiment with only a single regular battalion for the first time since the 17th century.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.regiments.org/deploy/uk/reg-inf/001-2.htm |title=2nd Battalion Royal Scots |publisher=Regiments.org |access-date=2 May 2016 |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060117173939/http://www.regiments.org/deploy/uk/reg-inf/001-2.htm |archive-date=17 January 2006 }}</ref>
[[File:Royal Scots piper 12-1953.jpg|left|thumb|A piper of the Royal Scots in Korea after the Armistice, Christmas 1953]]
The 7th/9th (Highlanders) and 8th Battalions were reconstituted in the Territorial Army in 1947. Both battalions remained until 1961, when the latter was absorbed and the single battalion retitled the 8th/9th Battalion. In 1967 this was disbanded and reconstituted as two separate companies, A Company (The Royal Scots) of the [[52nd Lowland Volunteers]], and A Company (8th/9th Royal Scots) of The Royal Scots and Cameronians Territorials. By 1971, both companies were in the battalions of the 52nd Lowland Volunteers, and though the Royal Scots name was retained in the title the regiment no longer had a Territorial Army element.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scottishmilitaryarticles.org.uk/smhsarticle_Lineage_TA1947.htm |title=Lineage of Scottish Territorial Infantry Battalions 1947–1967 |publisher=Scottishmilitaryarticles.org.uk |access-date=20 November 2011}}</ref>

The 1st Battalion briefly saw service in the [[Korean War]] in 1953, as part of [[29th Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)|29th Infantry Brigade]]; after a brief spell in Egypt, they deployed to [[Cyprus]] from June 1955 to February 1956. They then spent two years in England, two in [[Berlin]], one in Scotland, two in [[Libya]], and four in England. In 1964, they deployed to [[Aden]], then back to England and a three-year spell in Germany with the [[British Army of the Rhine]].<ref name=bau>{{cite web|url=http://british-army-units1945on.co.uk/infantry/royal-scots.html|title=Royal Scots|publisher=British Army units 1945 on|access-date=2 May 2016}}</ref>

[[File:Royal Scots Regiment window, Canongate Kirk.JPG|thumb|160px|Royal Scots Regiment window in the [[Kirk of the Canongate|Canongate Kirk]]]]
1970 to 1974 was spent in Britain as part of the [[Allied Command Europe]] Mobile Force, with the battalion undertaking two four-month tours of duty in Northern Ireland. The battalion was then posted to Cyprus in early 1974. Unfortunately, [[Turkey]] invaded the island and created the "Green Line", which still partitions the island. During the action of moving service families and holidaymakers to safety from [[Limassol]], Piper Malcolm Halliday played at the roadside becoming known as "The piper of Cyprus".<ref>Henn, p. 519</ref> This had put the Regiment on a war footing and they were involved in riots attacking [[RAF Akrotiri]] and protection of the [[Episkopi Cantonment|Sovereign Area Base of Episkopi]]. They were relieved in early 1975 returning unexpectedly to Kirknewton near Edinburgh and did a further four-month tour of Northern Ireland, where three soldiers were lost in a roadside bomb attack. They moved to [[Münster]] in mid-1976 as the Nuclear Convoy Battalion charged with the protection of 8 Regiment [[Royal Corps of Transport|RCT]].<ref name=bau/> In this role, the Battalion was equipped with Land Rovers, a change from the normal equipment used by previous and subsequent NCB units, which were armoured infantry battalions. Returning to Scotland in 1979, C Company was detached as 'C Battalion' providing administrative support to the Edinburgh Tattoo. In 1980, they undertook a two-month tour in Northern Ireland, and moved there under [[39th Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)|39th Infantry Brigade]] in 1981 for a two-year deployment. In 1983, they returned to Kirknewton for two years and during this time they were deployed to the Falkland Islands for four months. In 1985, they returned to Germany, deploying to the [[Persian Gulf]] in 1990 for [[Gulf War|Operation Desert Storm]].<ref name=bau/>

In 1994, the battalion gained a company of [[Brigade of Gurkhas|Gurkhas]], who were later transferred to [[The Highlanders (Seaforth, Gordons and Camerons)|The Highlanders]]. Deployment in the 1990s included a further one-year tour to Northern Ireland. The Battalion was deployed to Bosnia for the first time as part of [[SFOR]] in September 2002 for six months prior to their deployment in November 2003 to [[Iraq]] as part of [[Operation Telic]] for six months, returning to Iraq again in January 2006.<ref name=bau/>

===Restructuring of the Infantry (2004–2006)===
Until 2004, the Royal Scots had been one of five line infantry regiments never to be amalgamated in its entire history, a claim shared by [[Green Howards|The Green Howards]], [[Cheshire Regiment|The Cheshire Regiment]], [[Royal Welch Fusiliers|The Royal Welch Fusiliers]] and [[King's Own Scottish Borderers|The King's Own Scottish Borderers]]. When five Scottish regiments were amalgamated to form the [[Royal Regiment of Scotland]] on 28 March 2006, the Royal Scots Battalion and the [[King's Own Scottish Borderers|King's Own Scottish Borderers Battalion]] initially maintained their identities as separate battalions.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://british-army-units1945on.co.uk/infantry/royal-regiment-of-scotland.html|title=Royal Regiment of Scotland|publisher=British Army units 1945 on|access-date=25 May 2014}}</ref>

However almost immediately the [[Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)|Ministry of Defence]] moved to amalgamate the two battalions. This was not a new idea: the origins of the combined entity, [[Royal Scots Borderers]], dates from the 1990 ''[[Options for Change]]'' review, when it was initially announced that the Royal Scots and King's Own Scottish Borderers would amalgamate. That amalgamation was subsequently rescinded.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YkBaMvQ-k9AC&q=Royal+Scots+Royal+Scots+Borderers+amalgamate+1990&pg=PT48|title=The King's Own Scottish Borderers: A Concise History|first=Trevor|last=Royal|year=2011|publisher=Random House |isbn=9781780572505}}</ref> The Royal Scots Battalion and King's Own Scottish Borderers Battalion duly amalgamated on 1 August 2006 – upon their amalgamation, the new battalion took the name Royal Scots Borderers, 1st Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/personal-view/3611845/Why-the-Royal-Scots-can-no-longer-hold-the-line.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/personal-view/3611845/Why-the-Royal-Scots-can-no-longer-hold-the-line.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Why the Royal Scots can no longer hold the line|newspaper= The Telegraph|date=10 October 2004|access-date=26 April 2014}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

The remaining Territorial element of the Royal Scots, a rifle company of [[52nd Lowland Volunteers|52nd Lowland Regiment]], was likewise amalgamated, becoming A (Royal Scots Borderers) Company of 6th Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://british-army-units1945on.co.uk/territorial-army-infantry/lowland-volunteers.html|title=Lowland Volunteers|publisher=British army units 1945 on|access-date=2 May 2016}}</ref>

==Regimental museum==
[[The Museum of the Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment) and the Royal Regiment of Scotland]] is located in [[Edinburgh Castle]]. Operating as an independent museum, the exhibits include dioramas, uniforms, medals, weapons, drums, ceremonial regalia and silver. Displays focus on the regiment's activities since its founding in 1633 up to contemporary Army life.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theroyalscots.co.uk/museum/|title=Museum of the Royal Scots and the Royal Regiment of Scotland|publisher=The Royal Scots|access-date=15 June 2018}}</ref>

==Alliances==
*{{flagicon|Canada}} [[The Canadian Scottish Regiment (Princess Mary's)]]
*{{flagicon|Canada}} [[Royal Newfoundland Regiment]]

==Battle honours==
[[File:Scots Guards memorial.jpg|thumb|Battle honours listed on the regimental memorial, [[Edinburgh]]]]
The regiment's battle honours were as follows:<ref name=regiments/>
*Tangier 1680, Namur 1695, Blenheim, Ramillies, Oudenarde, Malplaquet, Louisburg, Havannah, Egmont-op-Zee, Egypt,<ref>The Sphinx badge superscribed "Egypt".
</ref> St Lucia 1803, Corunna, Busaco, Salamanca, Vittoria, San Sebastian, Nive, Peninsula, Niagara, Waterloo, Nagpore, Maheidpoor, Ava, Alma, Inkerman, Sevastopol, Taku Forts, Pekin 1860, [[South Africa 1899–1902]]
*World War I (33 battalions): Mons, Le Cateau, [[Retreat from Mons]], [[Marne 1914]] '18, [[Aisne 1914]], [[La Bassée 1914]], Neuve Chapelle, [[Ypres 1915]] '17 '18, Gravenstafel, St Julien, Frezenberg, Bellewaarde, Aubers, [[Festubert 1915]], Loos, [[Somme 1916]] '18, [[Albert 1916]] '18, Bazentin, Pozières, Flers-Courcelette, Le Transloy, Ancre Heights, [[Ancre 1916]] '18, [[Arras 1917]] '18, [[Scarpe 1917]] '18, Arleux, Pilckem, [[Langemarck 1917]], [[Menin Road]], [[Polygon Wood]], Poelcappelle, Passchendaele, Cambrai 1917, St Quentin, Rosières, Lys, Estaires, Messines 1918, Hazebrouck, Bailleul, Kemmel, Béthune, Soissonnais-Ourcq, Tardenois, Amiens, Bapaume 1918, Drocourt-Quéant, Hindenburg Line, Canal du Nord, St Quentin Canal, Beaurevoir, Courtrai, Selle, Sambre, [[France and Flanders 1914–18]], Struma, [[Macedonia 1915–18]], Helles, [[Landing at Helles]], Krithia, Suvla, Scimitar Hill, [[Gallipoli 1915–16]], Rumani, Egypt 1915–16, Gaza, El Mughar, Nebi Samwil, [[Battle of Jaffa (1917)|Jaffa]], [[Palestine 1917–18]], Archangel 1918-19
*World War II: Dyle, Defence of Escaut, [[Battle of St Omer-La Bassée|St Omer-La Bassée]], [[Odon (river)|Odon]], Cheux, Defence of Rauray, Caen, Esquay, Mont Pincon, Aart, Nederrijn, Best, Scheldt, Flushing, Meijel, Venlo Pocket, Roer, Rhineland, Reichswald, Cleve, Goch, Rhine, Uelzen, Bremen, Artlenberg, [[North-West Europe 1940]], '44–45, Gothic Line, Marradi, Monte Gamberaldi, [[Italy 1944–45]], South East Asia 1941, Donbaik, [[Battle of Kohima|Kohima]], Relief of Kohima, Aradura, Shwebo, Mandalay, [[Burma 1943–45]]
*Wadi Al Batin, [[Gulf 1991]]

==Colonels-in-Chief==
The Colonels-in-Chief of the regiment were:<ref name="reg"/>
*1918–1965: [[Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood|Princess Mary, The Princess Royal]], CI, GCVO, GBE, RRC, TD
*1983–2006: [[Anne, Princess Royal|Princess Anne, The Princess Royal]], KG, KT, GCVO

==Regimental Colonels==
Colonels of the Regiment were:<ref name="reg">{{cite web|url=http://www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/inf/001RScot.htm |title=The Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment) |publisher=regiments.org |access-date=27 February 2017 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051230133307/http://www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/inf/001RScot.htm |archive-date=30 December 2005 }}</ref>
{{columns-list|colwidth=30em|}}
*April 1633: Col. [[John Hepburn (soldier)|Sir John Hepburn]]; killed at the siege of [[Saverne|Saverne, Alsace]], July 1636;<ref>{{cite ODNB |last1=Grosjean |first1=JL |title=Hepburn, John [known as Sir John Hepburn] |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/13005 |year=2004 }}</ref>
*September 1636: Col. George Hepburn; killed outside [[Damvillers]], October 1637;<ref>{{cite ODNB |last1=Parrott |first1=David |title=Hepburn (aka Hebron), James |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/13003 |year=2004 }}</ref>
*October 1637: Col. [[Lord James Douglas]]; died at [[Douai]], 1645;<ref name=p267>Cannon, [https://archive.org/stream/historicalreco00cann#page/n306/mode/1up p. 267].</ref>
*November 1645: Col. [[Archibald Douglas, Earl of Angus]]; remained in Scotland and had little contact with the regiment, other than supplying recruits;<ref name="Douglas, Archibald, styled earl of"/>
*21 October 1655: Lt-Gen. [[George Douglas, 1st Earl of Dumbarton]]; removed from command following the November 1688 [[Glorious Revolution]], died in France 1692;<ref name="Douglas, George, first earl of Dumb"/>
;His Majesty's Royal Regiment of Foot (1684)
*31 December 1688: Gen. [[Frederick Schomberg, 1st Duke of Schomberg]]; Colonel but served as commander of Williamite forces in Ireland 1689–1690; killed at the [[Battle of the Boyne]], July 1690;<ref>Cannon, [https://archive.org/stream/historicalreco00cann#page/n307/mode/1up p. 268].</ref>
*5 March 1691: Col. [[Robert Douglas (died 1692)|Sir Robert Douglas, 3rd Baronet]]; appointed Lieutenant-Colonel by James in October 1688, confirmed by William in March 1689, commanded the regiment in Flanders, confirmed as Colonel March 1691, seniority backdated to 31 December 1688. Killed at the [[Battle of Steenkerque]], August 1692;<ref>{{cite book |last1=Cannon |first1=Richard |title=Historical Record of the First, or Royal Regiment of Foot: Containing an Account of the Origin of the Regiment in the Reign of King James VI of Subsequent Services to 1846 |date=1846 |publisher=Forgotten Books |page=80 |edition=2012 |url=https://archive.org/stream/historicalreco00cann#page/80/mode/1up}}</ref>
*1 August 1692: F.M. [[George Hamilton, 1st Earl of Orkney]]<ref>Cannon, [https://archive.org/stream/historicalreco00cann#page/n310/mode/1up p. 271].</ref>
*27 June 1737: Gen. [[James St Clair]]<ref>Cannon, [https://archive.org/stream/historicalreco00cann#page/n311/mode/1up p. 272].</ref><ref>{{London Gazette | issue = 7614 |page=2.a | date = 28 June 1737 }}</ref>
;1st (Royal) Regiment of Foot (1751)
*17 December 1762: Lt-Gen. [[Sir Henry Erskine, 5th Baronet]]<ref name=p273>Cannon, [https://archive.org/stream/historicalreco00cann#page/n312/mode/1up p. 273].</ref>
*11 September 1765: F.M [[John Campbell, 5th Duke of Argyll]]<ref name=p273/>
*9 May 1782: Gen. [[Lord Adam Gordon (British Army officer)|Lord Adam Gordon]]<ref>Cannon, [https://archive.org/stream/historicalreco00cann#page/n313/mode/1up p. 274].</ref>
*27 August 1801: F.M. [[Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn]]<ref>Cannon, [https://archive.org/stream/historicalreco00cann#page/n314/mode/1up p. 275].</ref>
;1st Regiment of Foot (Royal Scots) (1812)
*29 January 1820: Gen. [[George Gordon, 5th Duke of Gordon]]<ref>Cannon, [https://archive.org/stream/historicalreco00cann#page/n318/mode/1up p. 279].</ref>
*12 December 1834: Gen. [[Thomas Graham, 1st Baron Lynedoch]]<ref>Cannon, [https://archive.org/stream/historicalreco00cann#page/n319/mode/1up p. 280].</ref>
*29 December 1843: Gen. [[George Murray (British Army officer)|Sir George Murray]]<ref>Cannon, [https://archive.org/stream/historicalreco00cann#page/n325/mode/1up p. 286].</ref>
*7 August 1846: Gen. Sir [[James Kempt]]<ref>Cannon, [https://archive.org/stream/historicalreco00cann#page/n328/mode/1up p. 289].</ref>
*12 December 1854: F.M. [[Edward Blakeney|Sir Edward Blakeney]]
*3 August 1868: Gen. Sir [[George Bell (British Army officer)|George Bell]]
*11 July 1877: Gen. [[Henry Phipps Raymond]]
;The Royal Scots (Lothian Regiment) (1881)
*10 December 1897: Maj-Gen. [[Sir Edward Andrew Stuart, 3rd Baronet]]<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=26931|page=376|date=21 January 1898}}</ref>
*20 August 1903: Lt-Gen. [[George Hay Moncrieff]]
*16 October 1918: Lt-Gen. [[Edward Altham Altham|Sir Edward Altham Altham]]
;The Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment) (1921)
*26 March 1935: Maj-Gen. [[Granville George Loch]]
*22 July 1940: Col. John Hugh Mackenzie
*2 July 1946: Brig. Norman Richard Crockatt
*1 January 1956: Maj-Gen. [[Rohan Delacombe|Sir Rohan Delacombe]]
*1 October 1964: Maj-Gen. [[William Tait Campbell]]
*1 January 1975: Lt-Gen. [[David Tod Young|Sir David Tod Young]]
*31 August 1980: Lt-Gen. [[Robert Francis Richardson|Sir Robert Francis Richardson]]
*31 August 1990: Brig. Charles David MacIver Ritchie<ref>{{London Gazette|nolink=y|issue=52261|supp=y|page=14188|date=4 September 1990}}</ref>
*20 October 1995: Maj-Gen. [[Mark Jeremy Strudwick]]<ref>{{London Gazette|nolink=y|issue=54192|supp=y|page=14330|date=24 October 1995}}</ref>
*25 July 2005–28 Mar 2006: Brig. Robert Logan Scott-Bowden<ref>{{London Gazette|nolink=y|issue=57712|supp=y|page=9646|date=26 July 2006}}</ref><ref>{{London Gazette|nolink=y|issue=58264|supp=y|page=3235|date=6 March 2007}}</ref>
*''2006 Regiment amalgamated with The [[Royal Highland Fusiliers]], The [[King's Own Scottish Borderers]], The [[Black Watch]], The [[Highlanders (Seaforth, Gordons and Camerons)]], and The [[Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders]], to form The [[Royal Regiment of Scotland]]''

==Victoria Cross==
Victoria Crosses awarded to the regiment are:
* Private [[Robert Dunsire]], [[First World War]] (26 September 1915)
* Captain [[Roland Edward Elcock]], First World War (15 October 1918)
* Lieutenant [[David Stuart McGregor]], First World War (22 October 1918)
* Private [[Hugh McIver]], First World War (23 August 1918)
* Private [[Joseph Prosser]], [[Crimean War]] (16 June 1855)
* Captain [[Henry Reynolds (VC)|Henry Reynolds]], First World War (20 September 1917)
* Private [[Henry Howey Robson]], First World War (14 December 1914)

==Nicknames==
The regiment is known by the nickname ''Pontius Pilate's Bodyguard'' which apparently was the result of a 17th-century boasting contest with the French  ''Régiment de Picardie'' regarding the respective seniority of each regiment.<ref>[[:fr:Régiment de Picardie]]</ref>{{Circular reference|date=June 2019}}

''Picardie'', the senior French infantry regiment, was formed in 1562, whereas the Scots had been raised in 1625 as Hepburn's Regiment and only entered French service in 1635 but, it is said, claimed a lineage from Scots in French service dating back to the C13th.<ref>Memoirs and adventures of Sir John Hepburn By James Grant, 1851 (p.236)</ref>   Versions of this tradition vary but the story turns on the existence of either one regiment or the other dating back to service under Pontius Pilate at the time of Christ's crucifixion. The most common version tells of the name 'Pontius Pilate's Bodyguard' being tossed by the French as a jibe against the Scots. They replied that if their regiment had been on guard the night of the Crucifixion, the Sepulchre would not have been empty the next morning.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/pontius_pilates_bodyguard|title=Dictionaries of the Scots Language:: SND :: pontius pilates bodyguard}}</ref>

The 2nd Battalion was sardonically referred to as ''The First to Foot It'' during the [[Battle of Hong Kong]].<ref>Whiting, ''Poor Bloody Infantry''</ref>

==Football==
[[File:Labeled group photo of the 2nd Battalion, Royal Scots football team, 1894.png|thumb|right|2nd Battalion football team, 1894]]

The [[Royal Scots F.C.|football team of the 1st Battalion]] was a member of the [[Irish Football League]] for the [[Irish League 1899-1900|1899–1900]] season, while deployed in [[Victoria Barracks, Belfast]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesn/nilhist.html|title=Northern Ireland - Final League Tables 1890-1998|website=[[RSSSF]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.regiments.org/deploy/uk/reg-inf/001-1.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060103015708/http://www.regiments.org/deploy/uk/reg-inf/001-1.htm|title=1st Bn, The Royal Scots: Deployments|archive-date=3 January 2006|access-date=2 May 2016}}</ref>

The 2nd Battalion team won several competitions in the 1890s, including the Surrey Cup, Malta Cup, Secunderabad Cup, Harris Cup, and Bombay Rovers Cup.<ref>{{Cite journal |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lnw4AQAAMAAJ&pg=PT1 |title=The World of Sport |journal=[[The Sketch]] |volume=VIII |number=104 |page=641 |date=1895-01-23 |access-date=2023-08-28 |via=Google Books}}</ref>

==Uniform==
White [[Facing colour|facings]] on a red coat were worn until "royal blue" distinctions were adopted in the early 18th century. The Scottish thistle of St Andrew featured on belt-plates and other parts of the uniform. The standard red/scarlet and blue uniform of most [[line infantry]] regiments was retained until "[[Scottish Lowlands|Lowland]]" dress was adopted in 1881.<ref name="Carman 1985">{{cite book|first=W. Y..|last=Carman|title=Richard Simkin's Uniforms of the British Army. The Infantry Regiments|isbn=978-0-86350-031-2|year=1985|publisher=Webb & Bower |url=https://archive.org/details/richardsimkinsun00carm_0}}</ref> For the Royal Scots this included a scarlet [[Doublet (Highland dress)|doublet]], tartan [[trews]] and (from 1904) a dark blue [[Balmoral bonnet|Kilmarnock bonnet]] with diced band, scarlet [[toorie]] and black-cock feather.<ref name="Carman 1985"/> This continued as the regimental [[full dress uniform]] until 1939, although worn only to a limited extent after 1914. The [[Uniforms of the British Army|No. 1 Dress]] worn during the final decades of the regiment's separate existence consisted of a dark blue bonnet with regimental dicing, dark blue doublet, and Hunting Stewart tartan trews.<ref>Frank Wilson, p. 90, "Regiments at a Glance", Blackie & Son Ltd, London 1958</ref>

== See also ==
* [[List of battalions of the Royal Scots]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==Sources==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite web|url=http://www.1914-1918.net/royalscots.htm|title=The Royal Scots (Lothian Regiment) in 1914–1918|access-date=27 July 2006|last=Baker|first=Chris|work=The British Army in the Great War}}
* {{cite book|last=Brander|first=Michael|title=Famous Regiments: The Royal Scots: The Royal Regiment|publisher=Leo Cooper|year=1976|isbn= 9780850521832}}
* {{cite book |last1=Cannon |first1=Richard |title=Historical Record of the First, or Royal Regiment of Foot: Containing an Account of the Origin of the Regiment in the Reign of King James VI of Subsequent Services to 1846|date=1846 |publisher=Forgotten Books |edition=2012}}
*{{cite web|url=http://www.warpath.orbat.com/regts/r_scots.htm|title=Royal Scots (Lothian Regiment)|access-date=27 July 2006|last=Chappell|first=Brad|work=The Regimental Warpath 1914–1918|archive-date=8 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160508080618/http://www.warpath.orbat.com/regts/r_scots.htm|url-status=dead}}
* {{cite book|last1=Childs |first1=John |title=General Percy Kirke and the Later Stuart Army |date=2014 |publisher=Bloomsbury Academic |isbn=978-1441158826 }}
* {{cite journal |last1=Childs |first1=John |title=The British Brigade in France 1672-1678 |journal=History |date=1984 |volume=69 |issue=227 |pages=384–397 |doi=10.1111/j.1468-229X.1984.tb01427.x |jstor=24419689 }}
*{{cite book| last = Ewing| first = John| year = 1925| title = The Royal Scots, 1914–1919| publisher = Oliver and Boyd| location = Edinburgh}} (Two volumes)
*{{cite book |last=Glozier |first=Matthew |year=2004 |title=Scottish soldiers in France in the reign of the Sun King: nursery for men of honour |volume=24 |series=History of warfare |edition=illustrated |publisher=BRILL |isbn=978-90-04-13865-0}}
* {{cite book|last=Henn|first=Francis|title=Business of Some Heat: The United Nations Force in Cyprus 1972-74|publisher=Casemate|year=2004|isbn=978-1844150816}}
* {{cite book |last1=Manning |first1=Roger |title=An Apprenticeship in Arms: The Origins of the British Army 1585-1702 |date=2006 |publisher=OUP |isbn=978-0199261499 }}
* {{cite journal |last1=McCance |first1=Captain HM |title=Tangier 1680; the Diary of Sir James Halkett |journal=Society for Army Historical Research |date=1922 |volume=1 |pages=1–24 |jstor=44221267}}
*{{cite web |url=http://www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/inf/001RScot.htm |title=The Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment) |access-date=27 July 2006 |last=Mills |first=T.F. |work=regiments.org |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060712031740/http://www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/inf/001RScot.htm |archive-date=12 July 2006 }} Includes chronological index of titles.
**{{cite web |url=http://www.regiments.org/deploy/uk/reg-inf/001-1.htm |title=1st Bn, The Royal Scots: Deployments |access-date=27 July 2006 |last=Mills |first=T.F. |work=regiments.org |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060712193040/http://regiments.org/deploy/uk/reg-inf/001-1.htm |archive-date=12 July 2006 }} 
**{{cite web |url=http://www.regiments.org/deploy/uk/reg-inf/001-2.htm |title=2nd Bn, The Royal Scots: Deployments |access-date=27 July 2006 |last=Mills |first=T.F. |work=regiments.org |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060712220431/http://regiments.org/deploy/uk/reg-inf/001-2.htm |archive-date=12 July 2006 }} 
**{{cite web |url=http://www.regiments.org/deploy/uk/reg-inf/001-3.htm |title=3rd Bn, The Royal Scots: Deployments |access-date=27 July 2006 |last=Mills |first=T.F. |work=regiments.org |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060622182518/http://regiments.org/deploy/uk/reg-inf/001-3.htm |archive-date=22 June 2006 }} 
**{{cite web|url=http://www.regiments.org/deploy/uk/reg-inf/001-4.htm|title=4th Bn, The Royal Scots: Deployments|access-date=27 July 2006|last=Mills|first=T.F.|work=regiments.org|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060626164150/http://regiments.org/deploy/uk/reg-inf/001-4.htm|archive-date=26 June 2006}}
**{{cite web|url=http://www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/lists/targts.htm|title=British Territorials and Volunteers, an introductory overview|access-date=27 July 2006|last=Mills|first=T.F.|work=regiments.org|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060713043453/http://regiments.org/regiments/uk/lists/targts.htm|archive-date=13 July 2006}}
*{{cite book| last = Paterson| first = Robert H.| year = 2000| title = Pontius Pilate's Bodyguard : a History of the First or the Royal Regiment of Foot| publisher = The Royal Scots History Committee| location = Edinburgh| isbn = 978-0-9540906-0-9}} (Two volumes)
*{{cite book| last = Weaver| first = Lawrence| year = 1925| title = The story of the Royal Scots (The Lothian Regiment)| publisher = Country Life| location = London| url = https://archive.org/stream/storyofroyalscot00weavuoft}}
*{{cite web|title=The Royal Scots – Regulars, Militia and Rifle Volunteers Lineage|access-date=5 September 2006|author=The Scottish Military History Website|work=Lineage of the Scottish Regiments|url=http://www.btinternet.com/~james.mckay/rsmb.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929130942/http://www.btinternet.com/~james.mckay/rsmb.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=29 September 2007}}
*{{cite web|url=http://www.btinternet.com/~james.mckay/kosbrvol.htm|title=The King's Own Scottish Borderers – Regulars, Militia and Rifle Volunteers Lineage|access-date=5 September 2006|author=The Scottish Military History Website|work=Lineage of the Scottish Regiments|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929124813/http://www.btinternet.com/~james.mckay/kosbrvol.htm|archive-date=29 September 2007}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*[http://www.theroyalscots.co.uk/ The Royal Scots] – official website
*[http://www.theroyalscots.co.uk/history/ History of the Regiment]
*[http://www.britishmilitaryhistory.co.uk/documents.php?aid=142&nid=19&start=0 The Royal Scots at www.BritishMilitaryHistory] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171123005822/http://www.britishmilitaryhistory.co.uk/documents.php?aid=142&nid=19&start=0 |date=23 November 2017 }} – The Royal Scots in the Second World War
*[http://www.scottishmilitarydisasters.com/index.php/titles-sp-26803/26-smd/53-archangel?highlight=WyJhcmNoYW5nZWwiXQ== Archangel] – The North Russian Campaign
{{Royal Regiments of Scotland}}
{{British Infantry Regiments World War I}}
{{Regiments of Foot}}

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