Lowland Brigade (United Kingdom)

The Lowland Brigade is a historical unit of the British Army which has been formed a number of times. It is traditionally Scottish as the name derives from the Scottish Lowlands.

World War II

There was a Lowland Brigade (the 44th, part of the 15th Scottish Division) in World War II; it fought in the Normandy invasion, and in North-West Europe.

Administrative Brigade 1948–1968

After the Second World War the British Army had fourteen infantry depots, each bearing a letter. The depots were territorially organised, and Infantry Depot B was the headquarters for the Scottish lowland regiments. In 1948, the depots adopted names and this depot became the Lowland Brigade, with all regiments being reduced to a single regular battalion at the same time.

The Lowland Brigade was reformed on July 14, 1948, merging the depots of the following regiments:

• The Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment)
• The Royal Scots Fusiliers
• The King's Own Scottish Borderers
• The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)

Under the Defence Review announced in July, 1957, the infantry of the line was reorganised, leading to the transfer of the Highland Light Infantry from the Highland Brigade in 1958, and its amalgamation with the Royal Scots Fusiliers to form the Royal Highland Fusiliers on January 20, 1959. In 1958 the regiments adopted a common cap badge. This depicted the saltire of St. Andrew, on which was superimposed a thistle within a circlet inscribed with motto of the Order of the Thistle, nemo me impune lacessit. The various Territorial Battalions that were also part of the four Lowland Regiments were split off in 1967 and grouped together, eventually forming the 52nd Lowland Volunteers.

The Brigade continued to administer the four regiments until 1968. On May 14 of that year The Cameronians were disbanded, having chosen this option rather than amalgamation. On July 1 the Lowland Brigade was amalgamated with the Highland Brigade to form the Scottish Division.

Units

Next to each unit is the date from when they were attached to the brigade. The unit consisted of the following units:

• 1st Battalion, Royal Scots (1946–1968)
• 2nd Battalion, Royal Scots (1946–1948)
• 8th/9th Battalion, Royal Scots (Reserve) - (1961–1967) (Active from 1961 then disbanded in 1967)
• The Royal Scots and Cameronian Territorials (Territorial) - (1967—1968)]
• 1st Battalion, The Royal Scots Fusiliers (1946–1959)
• 2nd Battalion, The Royal Scots Fusiliers (1946–1948)
• 1st Battalion, The King's Own Scottish Borderers (1946–1968)
• 2nd Battalion, The King's Own Scottish Borderers (1946–1948)
• 4th/5th Battalion, The King's Own Scottish Borderers (Reserve) — (1961-1968)
• 5th (Dumfries and Galloway) Battalion, The King's Own Scottish Borderers (Reserve) — (1946-1968)
• 1st Battalion, The Cameronians (1946–1968) (Disbanded in May of 1968)
• 2nd Battalion, The Cameronians (1946–1948)
• 6th/7th Battalion, The Cameronians (Reserve) — (1950-1967)
• 7th Battalion, The Cameronians (Reserve) — (1946-1950)
• 1st Battalion, The Highland Light Infantry (1958–1959) (Transferred from Highland Brigade)
• 5th (City of Glasgow) Battalion, The Highland Light Infantry (Reserve) — (1946-1947)
• 5th/6th Battalion, The Highland Light Infantry (Reserve) — (1947-1959)
• 6th (City of Glasgow) Battalion, The Highland Light Infantry (Reserve) — (1946-1947)
• The Glasgow Highlanders Battalion (Territorial) — (1947-1967)
• 1st Battalion, The Royal Highland Fusiliers (1959–1968)
• 3rd Battalion, The Royal Highland Fusiliers (Reserve) — (1967-1968)
• 1st Battalion, 52nd Lowland Volunteers (Reserve) – (1967-1968)
• 2nd Battalion, 52nd Lowland Volunteers (Reserve) – (1967-1968)
• 3rd Battalion, 52nd Lowland Volunteers (Territorial) – (1967-1968)

External links

• Lowland Brigade

• Veterans' homage to comrades