List of battalions of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (Princess Louise's)
This is a list of battalions of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (Princess Louise's), which existed as an infantry regiment of the British Army from 1881 to 2006.
Original composition
[edit]When the 91st (Argyllshire Highlanders) Regiment of Foot amalgamated with the 93rd (Sutherland Highlanders) Regiment of Foot, to become Princess Louise's (Sutherland and Argyll Highlanders) in 1881 under the Cardwell-Childers reforms of the British Armed Forces, nine pre-existent militia and volunteer battalions of Argyllshire, Buteshire, Dumbartonshire, Kinross-shire, Renfrewshire, and Stirlingshire were integrated into the structure of the regiment. Volunteer battalions had been created in reaction to a perceived threat of invasion by France in the late 1850s. Organised as "rifle volunteer corps", they were independent of the British Army and composed primarily of the middle class.
| Battalion | Formed | Formerly | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular | ||||
| 1st | 1881 | 1st Battalion, 91st Highlanders | ||
| 2nd | 1881 | 1st Battalion, 93rd Highlanders | ||
| Militia | ||||
| 3rd (Militia) | 1797 | Highland Borderers Light Infantry Militia[1] | ||
| 4th (Militia) | 1793 | The Prince of Wales's Royal Renfrew Militia[1] | ||
| Volunteers | ||||
| 1st (Renfrewshire) Volunteer | 1860 | 1st Renfrewshire Rifle Volunteers[2] | ||
| 2nd (Renfrewshire) Volunteer | 1860 | 2nd Renfrewshire Rifle Volunteers[3] | ||
| 3rd (Renfrewshire) Volunteer | 1860 | 3rd Renfrewshire Rifle Volunteers[4] | ||
| 4th (Stirlingshire) Volunteer | 1860 | 1st Stirlingshire Rifle Volunteers[5] | ||
| 5th Volunteer | 1861 | 1st Argyllshire Highland Rifle Volunteers[6] | ||
| 1st Dumbartonshire Rifle Volunteers (6th VB)[7] | 1860 | |||
| 7th (Clackmannan and Kinross) Volunteer | 1867 | 1st Clackmannan and Kinross Rifle Volunteers[8] | ||
Reorganisation
[edit]The Territorial Force (later Territorial Army) was formed in 1908, which the volunteer battalions joined, while the militia battalions transferred to the "Special Reserve". All volunteer battalions were renumbered to create a single sequential order.[9]
| Battalion | Formerly |
|---|---|
| 5th (Renfrewshire) | 1st (Renfrewshire) Volunteer Battalion |
| 6th (Renfrewshire) | 2nd (Renfrewshire) Volunteer Battalion (on amalgamation with the 3rd (Renfrewshire) Volunteer Battalion) |
| 7th | 4th (Stirlingshire) Volunteer Battalion (on amalgamation with the 7th (Clackmannan and Kinross) Volunteer Battalion) |
| 8th (The Argyllshire) | 5th Volunteer Battalion |
| 9th (Dumbartonshire) | 1st Dumbartonshire Rifle Volunteer Corps |
First World War
[edit]The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders fielded 27 battalions and lost over 6,900 officers and other ranks during the course of the war.[10] The regiment's territorial components formed duplicate second and third line battalions. As an example, the battalions of the 5th Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders were numbered as the 1/5th, 2/5th, and 3/5th respectively, with the 3rd line battalion becoming reserve battalions later on in the war. The Volunteer Training Corps were raised with overage or reserved occupation men early in the war, and were initially self-organised into many small corps, with a wide variety of names. Recognition of the corps by the authorities brought regulation and as the war continued the small corps were formed into battalion sized units of the county Volunteer Regiment. In 1918 these were linked to county regiments.[11]
| Battalion | Formed | Served | Fate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular[12][13] | ||||
| 1st | 1881 | Salonika | ||
| 2nd | 1881 | Boulogne, as Line of communication troops | ||
| Special Reserve[12][13] | ||||
| 3rd (Reserve) | 1797 | Britain, Ireland | ||
| 4th (Extra Reserve) | 1793 | Britain | ||
| Territorial Force[12][13] | ||||
| 1/5th (Renfrewshire) | 1860 | Gallipoli, Western Front | See Inter-War | |
| 1/6th (Renfrewshire) | 1908 | Western Front | See Inter-War | |
| 1/7th | 1908 | Western Front | ||
| 1/8th (The Argyllshire) | 1861 | Western Front | ||
| 1/9th (The Dumbartonshire) | 1860 | Western Front | See Inter-War | |
| 2/5th (Renfrewshire) | Greenock, September 1914 | Britain | Absorbed by 2/8th (The Argyllshire) Battalion on 30 November 1915 | |
| 2/6th (Renfrewshire) | Paisley, September 1914 | Britain | Disbanded on 13 March 1918 | |
| 2/7th | Stirling, September 1914 | Britain | Disbanded in Autumn 1917 | |
| 2/8th (The Argyllshire) | Dunoon, September 1914 | Britain | Disbanded on 19 July 1918 | |
| 2/9th (The Dumbartonshire) | Dumbarton, September 1914 | Britain | Disbanded in October 1917 | |
| 3/5th (Renfrewshire), 5th (Renfrewshire) (Reserve) from 8 April 1916 |
April 1915 | Britain | Disbanded in 1919 | |
| 3/6th (Renfrewshire), 6th (Renfrewshire) (Reserve) from 8 April 1916 |
April 1915 | Britain | Absorbed by 5th (Renfrewshire) (Reserve) Battalion on 1 September 1916 | |
| 3/7th (Renfrewshire), 7th (Reserve) from 8 April 1916 |
April 1915 | Britain | Absorbed by 5th (Renfrewshire) (Reserve) Battalion on 1 September 1916 | |
| 3/8th (The Argyllshire), 8th (Reserve) from 8 April 1916 |
April 1915 | Britain | Absorbed by 5th (Renfrewshire) (Reserve) Battalion on 1 September 1916 | |
| 3/9th (The Dumbartonshire), 9th (The Dumbartonshire) (Reserve) from 8 April 1916 |
April 1915 | Britain | Absorbed by 5th (Renfrewshire) (Reserve) Battalion on 1 September 1916 | |
| 16th | 1 January 1917 | Britain | Disbanded 1919 | |
| New Army[12][13] | ||||
| 10th (Service) | Stirling, August 1914 | Western Front | Disbanded 1919 | |
| 11th (Service) | Stirling, September 1914 | Western Front | Disbanded 26 August 1918 | |
| 12th (Service) | Stirling, August 1914 | Salonika | Disbanded 1920 | |
| 13th (Service), 13th (Reserve) from 10 April 1915 |
Blackheath, November 1914 | Western Front | Became the 41st Training Reserve Battalion, 9th Reserve Brigade on 1 September 1916 | |
| 14th (Service) | Stirling, early 1915 | Western Front | Disbanded 1919 | |
| 15th (Reserve) | Gailes, November 1915 | Britain | Absorbed into the Training Reserve Battalions, 9th Reserve Brigade | |
| 17th | Deal, 1 June 1918 | Britain | Absorbed into 14th (Service) Battalion in 1918 | |
| Volunteer Training Corps[14] | ||||
| 1st Battalion Argyllshire Volunteer Regiment | Dunoon | Disbanded post war | ||
| 1st Battalion Dumbartonshire Volunteer Regiment | Helensbrugh | Disbanded post war | ||
| 2nd Battalion Dumbartonshire Volunteer Regiment | Kirkintilloch, Glasgow | Disbanded post war | ||
| 1st Battalion Kinross-shire Volunteer Regiment | Kinross | Disbanded post war | ||
| 1/1st Battalion Renfrewshire Volunteer Regiment | Paisley | Disbanded post war | ||
| 2/1st Battalion Renfrewshire Volunteer Regiment | Greenock | Disbanded post war | ||
| 1st Battalion Stirlingshire Volunteer Regiment | Stirling | Disbanded post war | ||
Between the wars
[edit]By 1921, all of the regiment's war-raised battalions had disbanded. The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders did not, however, return to its original peacetime size; two of its territorial battalions were amalgamated shortly after the war ended. The Special Reserve reverted to its militia designation in 1921, then to the Supplementary Reserve in 1924; however, its battalions were effectively placed in 'suspended animation'. As World War II approached, the Territorial Army was reorganised in the mid-1930s and many of its infantry battalions were converted to other roles, especially anti-aircraft.
| Battalion | Fate |
|---|---|
| 5th (Renfrewshire) | Amalgamated with the 6th (Renfrewshire) Battalion, to form 5th/6th (Renfrewshire) Battalion in 1921 |
| 6th (Renfrewshire) | Amalgamated with the 5th (Renfrewshire) Battalion, to form 5th/6th (Renfrewshire) Battalion in 1921 |
| 9th | Transferred to the Royal Artillery, November 1938 and became 54th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery[15] |
Second World War
[edit]The regiment's expansion during the Second World War was modest compared to 1914–1918. National Defence Companies were combined to create a new "Home Defence" battalion, and in addition to this, three battalions of the Home Guard were affiliated to the regiment, wearing its cap badge.
| Battalion | Formed | Served | Fate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular | ||||
| 1st | 1881 | North Africa, Crete, East Africa, Palestine, Italy | See Post-World War II | |
| 2nd | 1881 | Malaya, Singapore, France, Western Front | See Post-World War II | |
| Supplementary Reserve | ||||
| 3rd | 1797 | See Post-World War II | ||
| 4th | 1793 | See Post-World War II | ||
| Territorial Army | ||||
| 5th (Renfrewshire) | 1939 | France and Belgium | Transferred to the Royal Artillery, November 1941 and became 91st Anti-Tank Regiment[16] | |
| 6th | 1939 | France and Belgium | Transferred to the Royal Artillery, November 1941 and became 93rd Anti-Tank Regiment[17] | |
| 7th | 1908 | France, North Africa, Sicily, Normandy, North West Europe | See Post-World War II | |
| 8th | 1861 | France, North Africa, Sicily, Italy | See Post-World War II | |
| 8th | 1861 | France, North Africa, Sicily, Italy | See Post-World War II | |
| 10th | 1939 | Britain | Reformed the 7th Battalion in 1940 | |
| 11th (Argyll and Dumbarton) | 1939 | Britain | Reformed the 8th Battalion in 1940 | |
| 12th (Home Defence) | November 1939 | Britain | Redesignated as 30th Battalion in December 1941 | |
| 13th (Home Defence) | December 1939 | Britain | Absorbed into the 12th (Home Defence) Battalion, in August 1940 | |
| 14th (Home Defence) | December 1939 | Britain | Disbanded in October 1940 | |
| 15th | May 1940, by redesignation of 50th (Holding) Battalion | Britain | Reconstituted as the 2nd Battalion, in 1942 | |
| 30th | December 1941, by redesignation of 12th (Home Defence) Battalion | Britain | Disbanded in January 1943 | |
| Others | ||||
| 50th (Holding) | 1940 | Britain | Redesignated as 15th Battalion in May 1940 | |
| 70th (Young Soldier) | September 1940 | Britain | Disbanded 1942 | |
| Home Guard[18] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battalion | Headquarters | Formation Sign (dark blue on khaki) | Battalion | Headquarters | Formation Sign (dark blue on khaki) |
| 1st | Oban | ARG 1 | 2nd | Dunoon | ARG 2 |
| 3rd | Campletown | ARG 3 | |||
Post-World War II
[edit]In the immediate post-war period, the army was significantly reduced: nearly all infantry regiments had their first and second battalions amalgamated and the Supplementary Reserve disbanded.
| Battalion | Fate |
|---|---|
| 1st | Amalgamated with 2nd Battalion on 30 September 1948 |
| 2nd | Amalgamated with 1st Battalion on 30 September 1948 |
| 3rd | Disbanded in 1953 |
| 4th | Disbanded in 1953 |
| 7th | Disbanded and concurrently amalgamated with the 8th Battalion on 1 April 1967 |
| 8th | Disbanded and concurrently amalgamated with the 7th Battalion on 1 April 1967 |
Strategic Defence Review
[edit]| Battalion | Fate |
|---|---|
| 7th/8th | Amalgamated with 3rd (V) Battalion, The Black Watch; and 3rd (V) Battalion, The Highlanders to form the 51st Highland Regiment, on 1 July 1999 |
Prior to amalgamation
[edit]The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, was amalgamated with the Royal Scots, King's Own Scottish Borderers, Royal Highland Fusiliers, Black Watch, and the Highlanders (Seaforth, Gordons and Camerons), to form the Royal Regiment of Scotland in 2006, under Delivering Security in a Changing World. The 1st battalion became the 5th Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland.
References
[edit]- ^ a b "About Scotland - The history of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders". Retrieved 7 May 2020.
- ^ "Records of the Scottish volunteer force, 1859-1908" (PDF). p. 427. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
- ^ "Records of the Scottish volunteer force, 1859-1908" (PDF). p. 431. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
- ^ "Records of the Scottish volunteer force, 1859-1908" (PDF). p. 434. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
- ^ "Records of the Scottish volunteer force, 1859-1908" (PDF). p. 440. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
- ^ "Records of the Scottish volunteer force, 1859-1908" (PDF). p. 446. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
- ^ "Records of the Scottish volunteer force, 1859-1908" (PDF). p. 452. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
- ^ "Records of the Scottish volunteer force, 1859-1908" (PDF). p. 458. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
- ^ "ASH- Rifle Volunteers Lineage". Archived from the original on 28 May 2006. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
- ^ "Visit Scotland- The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders". Retrieved 8 May 2020.
- ^ Westlake pp. 4-7
- ^ a b c d "The Long, Long Trail - The British Army in the Great War of 1914-1918". Retrieved 8 May 2020.
- ^ a b c d "Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders - WW1 Battalion". Retrieved 8 May 2020.
- ^ Westlake pps. 108, 115, 120, 126, 128
- ^ Barker, F.R.P. (1950), History of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders 9th Battalion 54th Light A.A. Regiment 1939-45, Thomas Nelson
- ^ "The Wartime Memories Project - 91st Anti-Tank Regiment Royal Artillery". wartimememoriesproject.com. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
- ^ "The Wartime Memories Project - 93rd Anti-Tank Regiment Royal Artillery". wartimememoriesproject.com. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
- ^ "History of the Home Guard". Retrieved 11 June 2022.