Boring But True From The Scottish Military Geek !

[Lachlan09]

I’ve just done a head-count on the infantry battalions of the Scottish regiments of WW1. Including Regular, Regular Reserve, Regular Extra Reserve, Territorial Force, Territorial Force Reserve, New Army (Service), New Army Reserve, Training Reserve Battalions, Garrison Battalions , Labour Battalions, Graduated Battalions and Young Soldier Battalions, the regiments with most battalions (including those raised and later disbanded or merged) is:-

Royal Scots (35) (including converted Lothians & Borders Yeomanry)

Highland Light Infantry (34) (including converted Glasgow Yeomanry)

Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders (27)

Scottish Rifles (27)

Black Watch (23) (including converted Scottish Horse and Fife & Forfar Yeomanry)

Gordon Highlanders (23)

Royal Scots Fusiliers (20) (including converted Ayrshire & Lanarkshire Yeomanry and Ardeer Coy)

Seaforth Highlanders (17)

King’s Own Scottish Borderers (15)

Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders (14) (including converted Lovat’s Scouts Yeomanry)

That’s 235 battalions, not bad for a wee country. Of course, the above battalions were not all Scotsmen. If you add “expat” units in England, you can add the London Scottish (3 battalions), Liverpool Scottish (3 battalions) and the Tyneside Scottish (4 battalions), making 245 battalions.

I wonder how many kilts were manufactured for Scottish (mainly Highland) regiments during WW1 ?

If you consider the United Kingdom’s military losses in WW1, Scotland had 10% of Britain’s population but suffered approx 20% of Britain’s war-deaths.

Scotland lost over 3% of its male population, though annual census of the years during and after the war show modest population increase rather than a dent.