Scottish regiment

A Scottish regiment is any regiment (or similar military unit) that at some time in its history has or had a name that referred to Scotland or some part, thereof, and adopted items of Scottish dress. These regiments were and are usually a product of the British Empire, either directly serving the United Kingdom, serving as colonial troops, or later as part of Commonwealth country military establishments. Their "Scottishness" is no longer necessarily due to recruitment in Scotland nor any proportion of members of Scottish ancestry. Traditionally, Scottish regiments cultivate a reputation of exceptional fierceness in combat and are often given romantic portrayals in popular media. Within Scotland, itself, regiments of the Scottish Lowlands did not adopt as strong a "Scottish" (specifically Highland Scottish) character until the late Victorian Era.

Highland Regiments
Many of these regiments are also known as "Highland regiments" due to their adopting of Highland dress. The original Highland regiments were raised in the 18th century with the object of recruiting rank and file solely from the Scottish Highlands. However due to the Highlands becoming extensively depopulated through the course of the 19th and 20th centuries, the Highland regiments of the British Army have witnessed a long-term decline in the proportion of recruits from the Highlands and have long recruited many Lowland Scots and others. The major 20th century exceptions to this rule were the First and Second World Wars, when many Highland men joined up. Around the time that the first Highland regiments were raised the Highlands had recently been a hotbed for several revolts against the establishment, namely the Jacobite Rebellions, so the loyalties of the Highlanders were often deemed suspect in the early history of the Highland regiments. The first Highland regiment, the Black Watch was originally raised from clans openly loyal to the status quo to police the Highlands, which were deemed to be both rebellious and lawless by the contemporary British establishment. However, due to a pressing need for personnel in North America during the Seven Years' War, William Pitt the elder made the decision to raise new Highland regiments to fight in this imperial war. The war ended victory and among other things, Canada was secured as a part of the British Empire, while the British East India Company's position in India was consolidated and expanded, both at the expense of the French. These Highland regiments were disbanded after the war, but other Highland regiments were later raised and, like the rest of the British Army, saw service in various wars including in the British colonisation of India and the Peninsular War. By the Victorian era the loyalty of the Highlanders was no longer suspect. Moreover perhaps due to Queen Victoria's well-known love for all things Scottish, in particular things pertaining to the Highlands, as well as the celebrated role of Highland regiments in Victorian conflicts such as the Crimean War and the putting down of the Indian Mutiny, the Highland regiments earned a reputation which influenced the mindset of Scottish regiments which are thoroughly Lowland in origin. Among other things, this resulted in the wearing of tartan by Lowland regiments which previously wore uniforms not clearly distinguishable from their Irish, Welsh and English counterparts. Also the world-wide popularity of the Great Highland Bagpipe owes much to the regimental bagpipe band present all over the world due to the stationing of Highland regiments throughout the British Empire and their role in many wars fought by Britain. Many extant Highland regiments that are not in the armed forces of the United Kingdom have formed formal honorary affiliations with Highland regiments therein.

Current Regiments

 * Royal Scots Dragoon Guards
 * 1st Royal Tank Regiment
 * Scots Guards
 * Royal Regiment of Scotland
 * 19th Regiment Royal Artillery
 * 40th Regiment Royal Artillery
 * 105th Regiment Royal Artillery (Volunteers)
 * 32 (Scottish) Signal Regiment
 * The Scottish Transport Regiment
 * The London Scottish (a Company of The London Regiment)
 * The Liverpool Scottish (a platoon of the 4th Battalion, Duke of Lancaster's Regiment)

Lowland Line Infantry (Lowland Brigade)

 * The Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment) (1633-2006)
 * The Royal Scots Fusiliers (1678 - 1959)
 * The King's Own Scottish Borderers (1689 - 2006)
 * The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) (1881 - 1968)
 * 52nd Lowland Regiment

Highland Line Infantry (Highland Brigade)

 * The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) (1725 - 2006)
 * The Highland Light Infantry (City of Glasgow Regiment) (1881 - 1959)
 * The Seaforth Highlanders (Ross-shire Buffs, The Duke of Albany's) (1881 - 1961)
 * The Gordon Highlanders (1881 - 1994)
 * The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders (1793 - 1961)
 * The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (Princess Louise's) (1881 - 2006)
 * The Highlanders (Seaforth, Gordons and Camerons) (1994 - 2006)
 * 51st Highland Volunteers

Former Yeomanry of Scotland

 * Ayrshire (Earl of Carrick's Own) Yeomanry
 * Lothian and Border Horse
 * Lanarkshire Yeomanry
 * Queen's Own Royal Glasgow Yeomanry
 * Fife and Forfar Yeomanry/Scottish Horse
 * Lovat Scouts
 * Queen's Own Lowland Yeomanry
 * Scottish Yeomanry

Current Yeomanry of Scotland

 * A (Ayrshire (Earl of Carrick's Own) Yeomanry) & C (Fife and Forfar Yeomanry/Scottish Horse) Squadrons of the Queen's Own Yeomanry Regiment

Current

 * 5th/6th Battalion, Royal Victoria Regiment (Victorian Scottish Regiment);
 * 10th/27th Battalion, Royal South Australia Regiment (South Australian Scottish Regiment);
 * 16th Battalion, Royal Western Australia Regiment (Cameron Highlanders);
 * 41st Battalion, Royal New South Wales Regiment (Byron Scottish Regiment).

Former

 * 30th Battalion (The New South Wales Scottish Regiment);
 * 61st Battalion (The Queensland Cameron Highlanders).

Canada

 * 42nd Field Artillery Regiment (Lanark and Renfrew Scottish), RCA
 * 48th Highlanders of Canada
 * The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada (Princess Louise's)
 * The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada
 * The Calgary Highlanders
 * The Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa (Duke of Edinburgh's Own)
 * The Canadian Scottish Regiment (Princess Mary's)
 * The Essex and Kent Scottish
 * The Lake Superior Scottish Regiment
 * The Lorne Scots (Peel, Dufferin and Halton Regiment)
 * The Cape Breton Highlanders
 * The Nova Scotia Highlanders
 * The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada
 * The Royal Highland Fusiliers of Canada
 * The Seaforth Highlanders of Canada
 * The Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders
 * The Toronto Scottish Regiment (Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother's Own)

New Zealand

 * 1st Royal New Zealand Armoured Regiment of the (New Zealand Scottish) 1 Royal New Zealand Armoured Corps

South Africa

 * First City Regiment
 * Cape Town Highlanders Regiment
 * Transvaal Scottish Regiment
 * Witwatersrand Rifles
 * Pretoria Highlanders

United States

 * 79th New York Volunteer Infantry (Cameron Highlanders)