Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)

The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) was an infantry regiment of the British Army, the only regiment of rifles amongst the Scottish regiments of infantry. It was formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of two other regiments:
 * 26th Cameronian Regiment
 * 90th Perthshire Light Infantry

The regiment saw service during the Second Boer War in South Africa, and raised 27 battalions during the First World War. The 1st Battalion saw action in Burma during the Second World War, while the 2nd Battalion was in Europe. The Territorial Force 5th, 6th, 7th, and 9th Battalions also served in Europe (the 5th, 6th and 7th with the 52nd (Lowland) Division, the 9th with the 15th (Scottish) Division). In 1948, along with every other infantry regiment, the Cameronians was reduced to a single regular battalion. Under the reforms of the army in the 1966 Defence White Paper, which saw several regiments amalgamated, the Cameronians chose to disband rather than amalgamate with another regiment in the Lowland Brigade. The 1st Battalion, The Cameronians was disbanded on 14 May 1968 at Douglas Castle, near Douglas, South Lanarkshire in the presence of the Duke of Hamilton. Its recruiting area in Lanarkshire and Dumfries and Galloway taken over by the King's Own Scottish Borderers and the Regimental Headquarters finally closed in 1987. However, the name of the Cameronians continued through the Territorial Army, with two companies of the 52nd Lowland Regiment badged as Cameronians. One company was disbanded in 1992, the other was rebadged as the King's Own Scottish Borderers in 1997.

Traditions
Every new member of the regiment was issued a Bible, as a nod to Richard Cameron, after whom the original 26th Foot was named.

In honour of the regiment's first Colonel, James Douglas, Earl of Angus the tartan was that of the House of Douglas, which was worn as trews by all ranks (except the regiment's pipers, who wore kilts). Until 1914 the regiment wore a unique full dress uniform, comprising a rifle green shako with black upright plume, rifle green doublet and Douglas tartan trews.

The regiment's cap badge featured a Mullet from the coat of arms of the Douglas family on a stringed bugle within two sprigs of thistle.

The pipers of the 1st Battalion wore a distinctive badge of the Mullet with a scroll below bearing the name "The Cameronians". The sporrans and dirks of the pipers of the 2nd Battalion carried a reproduction of the coat of arms of the City of Perth.

As a regiment of rifles, the Cameronians carried no colours, instead wearing its battle honours on its "appointments" (drums).

The regiment's only Colonel-in-Chief was King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden.

The regiment mounted an armed guard at the doors of the Kirk during religious services.

Battle honours

 * Combined battle honours of 26th Regiment and 90th Regiment, plus:
 * Blenheim1, Ramillies1, Oudenarde1, Malplaquet1, South Africa 1846-72, South Africa 1877-8-92, Relief of Ladysmith, South Africa 1899–1902

1. awarded 1882 for services of 26th Regiment. 2. awarded 1882 for services of 90th Regiment.

World War I
[27 battalions]
 * France and Flanders 1914–18
 * Mons, Le Cateau, Retreat from Mons, Marne 1914 1918, Aisne 1914, La Bassée 1914, Messines 1914, Armentières 1914, Neuve Chapelle, Aubers, Loos, Somme 1916 and 1918, Albert 1916, Bazentin, Pozières, Flers-Courcelette, Le Transloy, Ancre Heights, Arras 1917 and 1918, Scarpe 1917 '18, Arleux, Ypres 1917 '18, Pilckem, Langemarck 1917, Menin Road, Polygon Wood, Passchendaele, St Quentin, Rosières, Avre, Lys, Hazebrouck, Bailleul, Kemmel, Scherpenberg, Soissonnais-Ourcq, Drocourt-Quéant, Hindenburg Line, Épéhy, Canal du Nord, St Quentin Canal, Cambrai 1918, Courtrai, Selle and Sambre


 * Macedonia 1915–18
 * Doiran 1917 and 1918


 * Gallipoli 1915–16


 * Egypt 1916–17
 * Rumani


 * Palestine 1917–18
 * Battle of Gaza, El Mughar, Nebi Samwil, Jaffa

World War II

 * North-West Europe 1940
 * Ypres-Comines Canal


 * North-West Europe 1944–45
 * Odon, Cheux, Caen, Mont Pincon, Estry, Nederrijn, Best, Scheldt, South Beveland, Walcheren Causeway, Asten, Roer, Rheine, Rhineland, Reichswald, Moyland, Dreierwalde, Bremen and Artlenberg


 * Italy 1943–44
 * Landing in Sicily, Simeto Bridgehead, Sicily 1943, Garigliano Crossing, Anzio and Advance to Tiber


 * Burma 1942 and 1944
 * Pegu 1942, Paungde, Yenagyaung 1942 and Chindits 1944

Also in Malaysia

Affiliations

 * The Perth Regiment – 1965: Canada
 * 26th Battalion (The Logan and Albert Regiment) 1928 – 1951: Australia
 * The Otago Regiment – 1948: New Zealand
 * The Otago and Southland Regiment 1948 – 1968: New Zealand
 * The Witwatersrand Rifles 1937 – 1961: South Africa
 * 2nd Battalion, Ghana Regiment: Ghana
 * 7th Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles 1951– 1968: United Kingdom

Notable former members of the regiment

 * His Majesty Sultan Qaboos; Sultan Qaboos bin Sa'id Al 'Bu Sa'id; ruler of the Sultantate of Oman; served with the Cameronians in Germany in 1964 after completing his officer training at Sandhurst.
 * Major-General Henry Templer Alexander; British general who became Chief of Staff of the Ghanese Armed Forces.
 * Major-General George Carter-Campbell; British general best known for his outstanding bravery in World War I.
 * Major-General John Dutton Frost; British airborne officer best known for being the leader of the small group of airborne forces that actually got to Arnhem bridge during Operation Market Garden.
 * General Richard O'Connor; British general who commanded the Western Desert Force in the early years of World War II.
 * Brigadier Joseph d'Inverno; British Territorial Army officer who was deputy GOC of the Army's 2nd Division.


 * See also Category:Cameronians officers and Category:Cameronians soldiers

The Cameronians Museum
The Cameronians Museum is located within the Low Parks Museum, Hamilton, South Lanarkshire.

Monuments
A cairn commemorating the disbandment of the regiment can be found near Douglas, South Lanarkshire, within a mile of the site of the ceremony.  Also within the village there is a statue of the Earl of Angus to commemorate the 200 years which had passed since the regiment was raised.  The monument located in Kelvingrove Park, Glasgow by Philip Lindsey Clark, was unveiled on 9 August 1924 and depicts men of the regiment manning a Lewis gun. 

Memorials
There is a memorial on Spion Kop listing the names of those who died during the Battle of Spion Kop in the Second Boer War.