Lovat Scouts

History

Formation and early history

The regiment was formed in January 1900 for service in the Second Boer War by Simon Fraser, 14th Lord Lovat, Chief of Clan Fraser of Lovat, as the Lovat Scouts. Recruited initially from gamekeepers and professional stalkers on Highland estates, the unit was commanded by the Hon. Andrew David Murray from his appointment by Lord Lovat in February 1900 until killed in action September 1901. After his death Lord Lovat, who had hitherto served as second-in-command of the regiment, took command himself (aged 29), and in such a role he remained till the end of the war. Well practiced in the arts of marksmanship, fieldcraft and military tactics, they were also phenomenal woodsmen "always ready to tempt fate", but also practitioners of discretion: "He who shoots and runs away, lives to shoot another day." The Lovat Scouts have the distinction of being the first military unit to wear a Ghillie suit.

Lovat Scouts were attached to the Black Watch, but were disbanded in July 1901 while two companies (the 113th and 114th) were formed for the second contingent of the Imperial Yeomanry (IY) and another (178th) for the third contingent. After the end of the Second Boer War in June 1902, the companies returned to the United Kingdom on SS Tintagel Castle two months later, and were disbanded. The unit was reformed the following year, consisting of two battalions, titled the 1st and 2nd Lovat Scouts. From these Scouts a sharpshooter unit was formed and formally become the British Army's first sniper unit. The regiment was disbanded in August 1902 but reformed as Lovat's Scouts Imperial Yeomanry in March 1903. It reverted to the Lovat's Scouts Yeomanry when the yeomanry regiments transferred to the Territorial Force in April 1908. The regiment was based at Croyard Road near Beauly at this time (since demolished).

First World War

In accordance with the Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907 (7 Edw. 7, c.9) which brought the Territorial Force into being, the TF was intended to be a home defence force for service during wartime and members could not be compelled to serve outside the country. However, on the outbreak of war on 4 August 1914, many members volunteered for Imperial Service. Therefore, TF units were split in August and September 1914 into 1st Line (liable for overseas service) and 2nd Line (home service for those unable or unwilling to serve overseas) units. Later, a 3rd Line was formed to act as a reserve, providing trained replacements for the 1st and 2nd Line regiments.

{{anchor|1st Line}} 1/1st and 1/2nd Lovat Scouts

The 1/1st Lovat's Scouts Yeomanry landed in Gallipoli in September 1915. It was evacuated to Egypt in December 1915 and then converted into 10th (Lovat's Scouts) Battalion, the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders in September 1916. It landed at Salonika and under the command of 82nd Brigade in the 27th Division in October 1916 and then became Line of Communication troops in France in June 1918.

{{anchor|2nd Line}} 2/1st and 2/2nd Lovat Scouts

The 2nd Line regiments were formed in 1914 and in January 1915 joined the 2/1st Highland Mounted Brigade. On 31 March 1916, the remaining Mounted Brigades were ordered to be numbered in a single sequence; the brigade became the 1st Mounted Brigade and joined 1st Mounted Division in Norfolk.

In July 1916, the 1st Mounted Division was reorganised as the 1st Cyclist Division and the regiments were converted to cyclist units in the 1st Cyclist Brigade of the division at Somerleyton near Lowestoft. In November 1916, the 1st Cyclist Division was broken up and the regiments were merged to form 1st (Lovat's Scouts) Yeomanry Cyclist Regiment, still in the 1st Cyclist Brigade. In March 1917, they resumed their identities as 2/1st Lovat's Scouts and 2/2nd Lovat's Scouts at Gorleston. By July 1917, the regiments had moved to Beccles, where they remained until the end of the war, still in 1st Cyclist Brigade.

{{anchor|3rd Line}} 3/1st and 3/2nd Lovat Scouts

The 3rd Line regiments were raised in July 1915 at Beauly and affiliated to a Reserve Cavalry Regiment at Aldershot. They provided drafts to 1st and 2nd Line regiments. In June 1916, they moved to Perth. The regiments were disbanded in January 1917 with personnel transferring to the 2nd Line units or to the 3rd (Reserve) Battalion of the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders at Invergordon.

"Sharpshooters"

In 1916, the regiment formed detachments known as "sharpshooters", which were used for observation and sniping work on the Western Front.[[File:The British Army in the United Kingdom 1939-45 H2141.jpg|left|thumb|Lovat Scout sniper training]]

Between the wars

Post-war, a commission was set up to consider the shape of the Territorial Force from 1 October 1921. The experience of the First World War made it clear that there was a surplus of cavalry. The commission decided that only the 14 most senior regiments were to be retained as cavalry, the others being variously converted to armoured cars or artillery. However, two Scottish Yeomanry regiments remained mounted as 'Scouts': the Scottish Horse and the Lovat Scouts (reduced to a single battalion).[[File:Lovat Scouts WW2 Ghillie Suit.jpg|thumb|175px|Lovat Scouts in ghillie suits|left]]

Second World War

Typically, men would spend three or four weeks at a mountain base, in the vicinity of Mount Edith Cavell, or in the Tonquin Valley—all within the 4200 square miles of Jasper National Park. In that time, squadrons would practice their survival work in expeditions usually lasting about two or three days at a time, with the men sleeping in snow holes. For the remainder of the time, they were billeted in canvas marquees, each accommodating about 25 men, with a large wood-burning stove in the middle that was kept on night and day with logs sawn from the fallen or naturally dead trees in the area. At the end of the three or four weeks on Mount Edith Cavell or in the Tonquin Valley, the men would come down for a few days' rest and recreation in the chalets in Jasper. Alberta was then a "dry" province, so there was no alcohol. When a few days' leave was given, most made the 500-mile journey to Vancouver or Halifax, Nova Scotia or Windsor, Ontario, where they were entertained by the locals, many of whom were Scotch expatriates or descendants. The men were also able to get limitless supplies of liquor from over the U.S. border in Montana.

By late April, spring was well on the way, and the regiment embarked by train for a journey to Halifax. Their intended embarkation there was delayed when some fell ill with scarlet fever, but training continued with work on river crossing, whether or not the individual soldiers could swim, and route marches. Eventually, all embarked on the converted liner Andes on convoy, which had an uneventful crossing, being in mid-Atlantic on 6 June, the day of the Normandy landings. On landing at Liverpool, the regiment entrained for Aberdeen Kittybrewster railway station, where it spent about three weeks, including spells of home leave.

As a consequence of its training in Jasper, the Scouts was sent to Italy, arriving in Naples in July 1944, to take their part in the relatively fluid situation following the fall of Monte Cassino. The regiment took part in the remainder of the Italian campaign, and the German surrender in early May 1945.

Post-War

At the end of the war in Europe, the regiment drove north, through the Brenner Pass, into Austria and Bavaria, where they sought out senior members of the Nazi party and SS personnel. In early 1946, the regiment moved to Greece by plane, landing in Salonika in support of the Greek Civil Power during the communist insurgency.

Upon the reconstitution of the Territorial Army on 1 January 1947, the regiment was reduced to a squadron (C (Lovat Scouts) Squadron) of The Scottish Horse, part of the Royal Armoured Corps.

The regiment underwent further changes when the TA was reorganised on 1 May 1961:

• B Troop at Alness and Tain, and the detachment at Gare Loch, were absorbed into 11th Battalion, Seaforth Highlanders
• A Troop at Benbecula, C Troop at Newtonmore, and the detachment at Fort William, were absorbed into 4th Battalion, Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders
• The rest of 540 LAA Regiment absorbed 861 (Orkney and Zetland) Independent LAA Battery, which became Q (Orkney & Zetland) Bty at Lerwick, Shetland; it dropped 'LAA' from the regimental title on 4 October that year, and was designated 'Light Air Defence' from 18 March 1964.

When the TA was reduced into the Territorial and Army Volunteer Reserve (TAVR) after the defence cuts of 1967, the unit became A (The Lovat Scouts) Company, in 3rd (Territorial) Battalion, Queen's Own Highlanders (Seaforth and Camerons), which became part of 2nd Battalion 51st Highland Volunteers in March 1969.

The unit was re-organised as two separate platoons in two different companies of 51st Highland Volunteers in 1981 and as two separate platoons of 3rd (Volunteer) Battalion, The Highlanders (Seaforth, Gordons and Camerons) in 1995.

Music

The Lovat Scouts is a lively Scottish quickstep and strathspey, written in the bagpipe idiom by James Scott Skinner.

Memorials

There is a memorial to the Lovat Scouts in the town square of Beauly, Inverness.

References

Bibliography

• {{cite book
• J.B.M. Frederick, Lineage Book of British Land Forces 1660–1978, Vol I, Wakefield: Microform Academic, 1984, .
• J.B.M. Frederick, Lineage Book of British Land Forces 1660–1978, Vol II, Wakefield: Microform Academic, 1984, .
• {{cite book
• Norman E.H. Litchfield, The Territorial Artillery 1908–1988 (Their Lineage, Uniforms and Badges), Nottingham: Sherwood Press, 1992, .
• {{cite book
• {{cite book
• {{cite book

References

1. "Clan Fraser of Lovat".
2. Frederick, pp. 42–3.
3. "The Lovat Scouts at regiments.org by T.F.Mills".
4. Mosley, Charles, editor. Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes. Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003
5. (6 June 1908). "A military history of Perthshire, 1899-1902". Perth [Eng.] R.A. & J. Hay.
6. Lord Lovat, Simon Fraser. "Lieutenant-Colonel the Hon. Andrew David Murray".
7. (1981). "The Story of the Lovat Scouts 1900-1980". The Saint Andrew Press.
8. {{harvnb. Plaster. 2006
9. Pegler, Martin. (2004). "Out of Nowhere: A History of the Military Sniper". Osprey Publishing.
10. (December 26, 2005). "Imperial Yeomanry [UK]".
11. (2 August 1902). "The Army in South Africa - troops returning home".
12. "Beauly, Croyard Road, Drill Hall". Canmore.
13. {{harvnb. Rinaldi. 2008
14. Baker, Chris. "Lovat Scouts". The Long, Long Trail.
15. {{harvnb. James. 1978
16. {{harvnb. James. 1978
17. {{harvnb. Mileham. 1994
18. {{harvnb. Mileham. 1994
19. "Lovat Scouts". Queen's Own Highlanders.
20. "Colonel Sir Donald Cameron of Lochiel". [[The Times]].
21. Personal testimony of Sergeant Frank Henderson
22. (28 April 2014). "Obituary: Sergeant Frank Henderson, soldier and civil servant". The Scotsman.
23. However, on 1 January 1949 it was transferred to the [[Royal Artillery]] as '''677 (Lovat Scouts) Mountain Regiment, RA ''', with headquarters at Inverness. On 22 May the following year one battery became independent as '''850 (Lovat Scouts) Mountain Battery''' then on 30 September the rest of the regiment amalgamated with [[532nd Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery (1947–50). 532 Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment]] at [[Falkirk]] and [[540th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery (1947–50). 540 Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment]] at Inverness, the combined unit taking the title '''532 (Lovat Scouts) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RA'''. 850 Mountain Bty was disbanded on 5 April 1954 and the personnel absorbed back into 532 LAA Regiment, which was redesignated '''540 (Lovat Scouts) LAA Regiment''' on 4 November that year. On 31 October 1956 it absorbed [[412th (Highland) Coast Regiment, Royal Artillery
24. Litchfield, pp. 285–6, 301, 309–9.
25. "The Lovat Scouts, The Kirrie Kebbuck.". sheet music and description.
26. "Lovat Scouts". Imperial War Museum.