Royal Scots
From Biocrawler, the free encyclopedia.
Official name
The Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment)
Colonel-in-Chief
Honorary-General HRH Mary, Princess Royal (1918)
HRH Anne, Princess Royal (1983)
Nicknames
Pontius Pilate's Bodyguard
Motto
Nemo me impune lacessit (Nobody touches me with impunity)
Anniversaries
Marches
Quick March: Dumbarton's Drums
Slow March: Garb of Old Gaul
Alliances
Description
Light Role Infantry regiment
Creation date
1633
Reason for creation
Created for service in France in 1633 by Royal Warrant as John Hepburn's Regiment. It became the Royal Scots (The Lothian Regiment) Regiment in 1881, though changed Lothian for Royal in 1921.
The Royal Scots are the oldest, and therefore most senior, infantry regiment of the line in the British Army, having been raised in 1633 during the reign of Charles I of England. Their nickname is Pontius Pilate's bodyguard, from a legend that prior to the Resurrection Christ's tomb was guarded by Caledonian (Scottish) legionaries. The Royal Scots' claim to be decended from this unit is unsubstantiated. Their claim to ancient roots was reinforced some years ago, however, when the BBC created a series on the traditions of British Regiments and approached the Royal Scots for a contribution. The response was that, as the oldest regiment in the army, it was not necessary to have "traditions"; these would be left to those regiments more junior to them.
As of 2004, the Royal Scots was one of five line infantry regiments never to be amalgamated in its entire history, a claim shared by:
- The Green Howards
- The 22nd (Cheshire) Regiment
- The Royal Welch Fusiliers
- The King's Own Scottish Borderers
Restructuring of the Infantry
In 2004, as part of the British Government's defence review, it was announced that Scotland would lose an infantry battalion. This will be achieved through the amalgamation of the Royal Scots with the King's Own Scottish Borderers, with the single battalion forming part of the new Royal Regiment of Scotland.
