The Royal Scots, once the oldest infantry in the British Army, were involved in almost every major battle fought by the army from 1633 onwards. One of the most decorated regiments of World War I, an estimated 100,000 soldiers served with them during the conflict.
Origins
- Started life in 1633 as the Royal Regiment of the Foot by Sir John Hepburn, who had been tasked by Charles I to recruit troops to serve in France.
- Recalled to Britain in 1661 following the disbandment of the New Model Army and the introduction of the Regular Army. This was the model used by all future regiments.
- Only renamed the Royal Scots (Lothian Regiment) in the 19th century when it became the county regiment of Edinburgh.
- The Royal Scots saw action in numerous conflicts from the Monmouth Rebellion and the Jacobite Rising at Culloden, to the Napoleonic Wars at the Battle of Waterloo, and the Crimean and Boer wars.
- Joined forces with the King's Own Scottish Borders in 2006 and became part of the Royal Scots Borderers.