4th (The Highlanders) Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland



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 the only one in the British Army with a Gaelic motto - Cuidich 'n Righ which means "Help the King".

The regiment was formed September 17, 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.

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. The current battalion is based in Fallingbostel, British Forces Germany, part of 7 Armoured Brigade, the descendants of World War II's Desert Rats, equipped with the Warrior Infantry Vehicle.

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 Aberdeenshire. The Battalion Headquarters is located at Cameron Barracks in Inverness.

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.

Under the future Army 2020 concept, This battalion will be equipped with Mastiff then FRES UV vehicles as a heavy protected mobility battalion under 20th Armoured Infantry Brigade.

Alliances

 * 🇨🇦 - The Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa (Duke of Edinburgh's Own)
 * 🇨🇦 - The 48th Highlanders of Canada
 * 🇨🇦 - The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada
 * 🇨🇦 - The Seaforth Highlanders of Canada
 * 🇨🇦 - The Toronto Scottish Regiment (Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother's Own)
 * 🇦🇺 - 5th/6th Bn, The Royal Victoria Regiment via The Victorian Scottish Regiment
 * 🇦🇺 - 7th Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment
 * 🇦🇺 - The Royal South Australia Regiment
 * 🇦🇺 - The Royal Western Australia Regiment
 * 🇳🇿 - The Otago and Southland Regiment
 * 🇳🇿 - The Wellington (City of Wellington's Own) and Hawke's Bay Regiment
 * - The Cape Town Highlanders
 * - HMS Sutherland
 * - HMS Victorious

Army Cadets
The 4Scots also have alliances to the cadet world, the 1st Battalion the Highlanders, Army Cadet Force (Royal Regiment of Scotland) and the 2nd Battalion the Highlanders, Army Cadet Force (Royal Regiment of Scotland.)

The 1st Battalion covering the Highlands (Ross, Caithness, Moray, Inverness, Western Isles and Orkney Indep Lovat's Scouts). Then 2nd Battalion covers The Grampian Region spanning from Aberdeen to Keith.

Lineage

 * - style="text-align: center; background: #F08080;"
 * style="text-align:center;" colspan="4"|Lineage
 * - style="text-align:center;"
 * rowspan="5" style="width:20%; "| '''The Highlanders (Seaforth, Gordons and Camerons)
 * rowspan="3" style="width:20%; "| The Queen's Own Highlanders (Seaforth and Camerons)
 * colspan="2" style="width:20%; "| The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders
 * rowspan="2" style="width:20%; text-align:center;"|The Seaforth Highlanders (Ross-shire Buffs, The Duke of Albany's)
 * style="width:20%; text-align:center;"|The 72nd (Duke of Albany's Own) Highlanders
 * style="width:25%; text-align:center;"|The 78th Highlanders (Ross-shire Buffs)
 * rowspan="2" style="width:20%; text-align:center;"| The Gordon Highlanders
 * colspan="2" style="width:20%; text-align:center;"| The 75th (Stirlingshire) Regiment of Foot
 * colspan="2" style="width:20%; text-align:center;"|The 92nd (Gordon Highlanders) Regiment of Foot
 * rowspan="2" style="width:20%; text-align:center;"| The Gordon Highlanders
 * colspan="2" style="width:20%; text-align:center;"| The 75th (Stirlingshire) Regiment of Foot
 * colspan="2" style="width:20%; text-align:center;"|The 92nd (Gordon Highlanders) Regiment of Foot
 * colspan="2" style="width:20%; text-align:center;"|The 92nd (Gordon Highlanders) Regiment of Foot