51st Highland Volunteers


The 51st Highland Volunteers is a battalion in the British Army's Army Reserve or reserve force in the Scottish Highlands, forming the 7th Battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, also known as 7 SCOTS. It is one of two Reserve battalions in the Royal Regiment of Scotland, along with 52nd Lowland, a similar unit located in the Scottish Lowlands.
Originally formed as the 51st Highland Volunteers in 1967, as a result of the amalgamation of Territorial Battalions within the infantry Regiments of the Highland Brigade, the name commemorated the 51st Division of the Territorial Force, within which many of the Regiment's antecedent Territorial Battalions served during the First and Second World Wars.

History

Origins and First World War

The current Battalion traces its lineage back to the reserve Rifle Volunteer units that were originally raised in the Scottish Highlands as part of the Victorian Volunteer Force by Lord Lieutenants in every county. These included Highland units from the north-west of Scotland such as the Argyllshire Rifle Volunteers, the Inverness-shire Rifle Volunteers, the Ross-shire Rifle Volunteers and the Sutherland Rifle Volunteers. However, the lineage also includes elements of the Forfarshire Rifle Volunteers, the Perthshire Rifle Volunteers, the Fifeshire Rifle Volunteers, the Elginshire Rifle Volunteers, the Aberdeenshire Rifle Volunteers, the Banffshire Rifle Volunteers, the Renfrewshire Rifle Volunteers, and the Clackmananshire Rifle Volunteers.
The current unit is the direct descendant of the infantry battalions that made up the 51st Division, of which Highland Rifle Volunteer units became a part. This division was formed as part of the Haldane Reforms, which integrated the Volunteer Force, Militia and the Yeomanry into the nascent Territorial Force, created by the Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907.
The Black Watch, c. 1908The Seaforth Highlanders, c. 1908The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders, c. 1908The Gordon Highlanders, c. 1908The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, c. 1908
4th Battalion, The Black Watch, at Parker Street in Dundee 4th Battalion, The Seaforth Highlanders, at Ferry Road in Dingwall4th Battalion, The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders, at Rose Street in Inverness4th Battalion, The Gordon Highlanders, at Guild Street in Aberdeen5th Battalion, The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, at Finnart Street in Greenock
5th Battalion, The Black Watch, at Bank Street in Brechin5th Battalion, The Seaforth Highlanders, at Old Bank Road in Golspie5th Battalion, The Gordon Highlanders, in Kirk Street in Peterhead 6th Battalion, The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, at High Street in Paisley
6th Battalion, The Black Watch, at Tay Street in Perth 6th Battalion, The Seaforth Highlanders, at Cooper Park in Elgin6th Battalion, The Gordon Highlanders, at Union Street in Keith7th Battalion, The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, at Princes Street in Stirling
7th Battalion, The Black Watch, at Market Street / City Road in St Andrews 7th Battalion, The Gordon Highlanders, at Kinneskie Road in Banchory8th Battalion, The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, at Queen Street in Dunoon
8th Battalion, The Black Watch, at Perth Road in Birnam9th Battalion, The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, at Hartfield House in Dumbarton

These units saw action as part of 51st Highland Division at the Battle of the Somme, the Battle of Arras, the Third Battle of Ypres and the Battle of Cambrai in France during the First World War.

Interwar period and Second World War

After the Armistice, the Territorial Force and its formations were disbanded. It was re-established, by the Territorial Army and Militia Act 1921, as the Territorial Army however, and the original Highland Territorial Battalions were reconstituted, although there were several amalgamations.
The Black Watch, c. 1921The Seaforth Highlanders, c. 1921The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders, c. 1921The Gordon Highlanders, c. 1921The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, c. 1921
4th/5th Battalion, The Black Watch, at Parker Street in Dundee4th/5th Battalion, The Seaforth Highlanders, at Old Bank Road in Golspie4th Battalion, The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders, at Rose Street in Inverness4th Battalion, The Gordon Highlanders, at Guild Street in Aberdeen5th/6th Battalion, The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, at High Street, Paisley
6th/7th Battalion, The Black Watch, at Tay Street in Perth6th Battalion, The Seaforth Highlanders, at Cooper Park in Elgin5th/7th Battalion, The Gordon Highlanders, at Mugiemoss Road in Bucksburn 7th Battalion, The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, at Princes Street in Stirling
8th Battalion, The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, at Queen Street in Dunoon

During the Second World War these units again saw action as part of 51st Infantry Division but many troops were detained as prisoners of war in Germany after more than 10,000 members of the division were taken prisoner at St Valery.

Post-war restructuring and Cold War

In August 1946 the 51st Division was disbanded. Shortly afterwards however the formation was revived as part of the 51st/52nd Division, created via an amalgamation with the 52nd Division. They once again became a Territorial Division upon demobilisation in 1948.
The Black Watch, c. 1947The Seaforth Highlanders, c. 1947The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders, c. 1947The Gordon Highlanders, c. 1947The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, c. 1947
4th/5th Battalion, The Black Watch, at Parker Street in Dundee11th Battalion, The Seaforth Highlanders, at Ferry Road in Dingwall4th Battalion, The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders, at Rose Street in Inverness4th/7th Battalion, The Gordon Highlanders, at Guild Street in Aberdeen7th Battalion, The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, at Princes Street in Stirling
6th/7th Battalion, The Black Watch, at Tay Street in Perth5th/6th Battalion, The Gordon Highlanders, at Mugiemoss Road in Bucksburn8th Battalion, The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, at Queen Street in Dunoon

In 1950, the 51st/52nd Division was split, restoring the independence of the 51st Highland Division, which took regional command of Territorial Army units based in the Scottish Highlands, including the TA infantry battalions of the Highland Brigade regiments.
British forces contracted dramatically as the end of National Service took place in 1960, as announced in the 1957 Defence White Paper. As a result, on 20 July 1960, a reorganisation of the TA was announced by the War Office.
The Black Watch, c. 1961The Queen's Own Highlanders , c. 1961The Gordon Highlanders, c. 1961The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, c. 1961
4th/5th Battalion, The Black Watch, at Parker Street in Dundee11th Battalion, The Seaforth Highlanders, at Ferry Road in Dingwall3rd Battalion, The Gordon Highlanders, at Guild Street in Aberdeen7th Battalion, The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, at Princes Street in Stirling
6th/7th Battalion, The Black Watch, at Tay Street in Perth8th Battalion, The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, at Queen Street in Dunoon

The 1966 Defence White Paper and after

This was followed by complete reorganisation as announced in the 1966 Defence White Paper. The 51st Highland Volunteers were formed in 1967 from the amalgamation of territorial battalions of regiments in the Highland Brigade. It was a TAVR II unit with headquarters located at Perth, Scotland.
51st Highland Vounteers c.1967
In 1969, the three TAVRIII battalions were reduced in size and amalgamated into the 51st Highland Volunteers, forming three additional companies:
On 1 April 1971, the 51st Highland Volunteers split into two battalions. A third battalion was subsequently formed on 1 April 1975.
51st Highland Volunteers c. 1975
In 1981, the 3rd Battalion effectively became the Territorial battalion of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders; in 1995, it became the 7th/8th Battalion of that regiment. The 2nd Battalion became the 3rd Battalion of The Highlanders.
A Z Company was formed in 1984 at Perth, Kirkcaldy and Dundee. A number of re-organizations and company re-locations also occurred in the 1980s. Between 1992 and 1993, the remaining elements of 1st Battalion, the 51st Highland Volunteers were again reorganised.
51st Highland Volunteers c.1993
The 1st Battalion was subsequently redesignated as the 3rd Battalion, The Black Watch.
The regiment was re-formed in 1999 by the amalgamation of all three battalions into a single battalion, the 51st Highland Regiment, in consequence of the reforms of the Territorial Army in the Strategic Defence Review. It had one support company and five rifle companies.
51st Highland Regiment c.1999
As part of the Delivering Security in a Changing World review of the British Army, on 28 March 2006, the 51st Highland Regiment became the 7th Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland.

Current structure and operations

The battalion headquarters is based at Queen's Barracks in Perth. The Highland Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland is administered by the battalion, as well as the unit's own battalion Pipes and Drums. Under the Army 2020 Refine, the battalion was paired with 3 SCOTS as a light infantry battalion. The battalion is currently made up of one support company and three rifle companies:
7th Battalion c.2020