Highlanders (Seaforth, Gordons and Camerons)

The Highlanders, 4th Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland (4 SCOTS)
Former cap badge of the Highlanders
Active 17 September 1994 - Present
Country  United Kingdom
Branch  British Army
Type Infantry
Role Mechanized Infantry
Size One Battalion
Part of 20th Armoured Infantry Brigade
Garrison/HQ Bourlon Barracks, Catterick Garrison
Motto(s) Cuidich 'n Righ (Help the King)
March Quick: Wee Highland Laddie
Commanders
Colonel-in-Chief HRH The Duke of Edinburgh
Insignia
Tactical Recognition Flash
Tartan Gordon (kilt)
Seaforth Mackenzie (trews)
Cameron of Erracht (pipers and drummers kilts)
Hackle Blue
From Queens Own Cameron Highlanders/Queen's Own Highlanders (Seaforth and Camerons)

The Highlanders, 4th Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland (4 SCOTS) is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland.

Prior to 28 March 2006, the Highlanders was an infantry regiment in its own right; The Highlanders (Seaforth, Gordons and Camerons), part of the Scottish Division. The regiment was one of only two in the British Army with a Gaelic motto - Cuidich 'n Righ which means "Help the King".[1] The other regiment with a Gaelic motto is the Royal Irish Regiment, whose motto is Faugh a Ballagh (Anglicised Fag an Bealach, Clear the Way!)[2]

History

The regiment was formed on 17 September 1994 as part of the Options for Change defence review, by the amalgamation of the Queen's Own Highlanders (Seaforth and Camerons) and the Gordon Highlanders.[3]

In 2004, as part of the restructuring of the infantry, it was announced that The Highlanders would be amalgamated with the other Scottish infantry regiments into the single large Royal Regiment of Scotland. The amalgamation took place on 28 March 2006. As with the other Scottish regiments, the Highlanders were permitted to retain their former name as the new battalion's primary title, with the battalion number as a subtitle.[3]

The battalion was based in Bad Fallingbostel, as part of 7 Armoured Brigade, the descendants of the Second World War's Desert Rats, equipped with the Warrior Infantry Vehicle[4] until 1 September 2015 when they moved to Bourlon Barracks in Catterick Garrison.[5] The battalion is now a heavy protected mobility battalion forming part of 20th Armoured Infantry Brigade.[6]

Uniform and traditions

The regiment wore the Gordon tartan when in kilts and the Seaforth Mackenzie when in trews. The pipers and drummers continue to wear the regimental cap badge and kilts in the Cameron of Erracht tartan. The battalion primarily recruits from the Hebrides, the Northern Isles, the mainland counties of Inverness-shire, Ross and Cromarty, Sutherland, Caithness, Moray and Nairnshire, and from the traditional Gordon heartlands in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire. The Battalion Headquarters is located at Cameron Barracks in Inverness.[7]

The battalion is the mainstay of the British Army's only shinty team, The Scots Shinty Club. Due to the 4th Battalion's regular placements abroad, the team only plays in cup matches.[8]

Colonel-in-Chief

Regimental Colonels

Regimental colonels were:[9]

Alliances

Lineage

Lineage
The Highlanders (Seaforth, Gordons and Camerons) The Queen's Own Highlanders (Seaforth and Camerons) The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders
The Seaforth Highlanders (Ross-shire Buffs, The Duke of Albany's) The 72nd (Duke of Albany's Own) Highlanders
The 78th Highlanders (Ross-shire Buffs)
The Gordon Highlanders The 75th (Stirlingshire) Regiment of Foot
The 92nd (Gordon Highlanders) Regiment of Foot

References

  1. ↑ "Cuidich 'n Righ Single Malt Scotch Whisky". The Highlanders Museum. Retrieved 25 May 2014.
  2. ↑ "A Tradition is Born - the Origin of the motto 'Faugh a Ballagh' and the Royal Irish Green Hackle". Royal Irish. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
  3. 1 2 "Highlanders (Seaforth, Gordons and Camerons)". British Army units 1945 on. Retrieved 25 May 2014.
  4. ↑ "4 SCOTS". Retrieved 25 May 2014.
  5. ↑ "Turning Catterick Into A "Super Garrison"". Forces TV. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
  6. ↑ "Regular Army Basing Announcement" (PDF). Ministry of Defence. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 August 2016. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
  7. ↑ "Regimental Museum of The Queen's Own Highlanders". Retrieved 25 May 2014.
  8. ↑ "SCOTS Camanachd – Armed Forces Shinty Club". Retrieved 25 May 2014.
  9. ↑ "The Highlanders (Seaforth, Gordons and Camerons)". Regiments.og. Archived from the original on 9 February 2006. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
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