This is a list of battalions of the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles), which existed as an infantry regiment of the British Army from 1881 to 1968.
Original composition When the 26th (Cameronian) Regiment of Foot, and 90th Perthshire Light Infantry amalgamated to form The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) in 1881 under the Cardwell-Childers reforms of the British Armed Forces, seven pre-existent militia and volunteer battalions of Lanarkshire and Dumfries and Galloway were integrated into the structure of the regiment. Volunteer battalions had been created in reaction to a perceived threat of invasion by France in the late 1850s. Organised as "rifle volunteer corps", they were independent of the British Army and composed primarily of the middle class. The only change to the regiment's structure during the period of 1881-1908 occurred in 1897, when the 5th Volunteer Battalion was disbanded as a result of poor discipline.
BattalionFormedFormerlyRegular1st16881st Battalion, 26th (Cameronian) Regiment of Foot2nd17941st Battalion, 90th Regiment of Foot (Perthshire Volunteers) (Light Infantry)Militia3rd (Militia)18541st Battalion, 2nd Royal Lanark Militia4th (Militia)18542nd Battalion, 2nd Royal Lanark MilitiaVolunteers1st Lanarkshire (Glasgow 1st Western) Volunteer Rifle Corps [1st VB]18592nd Volunteer18592nd Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteer Corps3rd Lanarkshire (1st Glasgow Southern) Volunteer Rifle Corps [3rd VB]18604th Volunteer18594th Lanarkshire (Glasgow 1st Northern) Rifle Volunteer Corps5th Volunteer18597th Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteer Corps
Reorganisation
The Territorial Force (later Territorial Army) was formed in 1908, which the volunteer battalions joined, while the militia battalions transferred to the "Special Reserve". All volunteer battalions were renumbered to create a single sequential order.
BattalionFormerly5th1st Lanarkshire (Glasgow 1st Western) Volunteer Rifle Corps6th 2nd Volunteer Battalion7th3rd Lanarkshire Volunteer Rifle Corps8th4th Volunteer Battalion
First World War
The Cameronians fielded 28 battalions and lost 7,106 officers and other ranks during the course of the war. The regiment's territorial components formed duplicate second and third line battalions. As an example, the three-line battalions of the 5th Cameronians were numbered as the 1/5th, 2/5th, and 3/5th respectively, with the third line battalions, being redesignated reserve battalions in 1916. Many battalions of the regiment were formed as part of Secretary of State for War Lord Kitchener's appeal for an initial 100,000 men volunteers in 1914. They were referred to as the New Army or Kitchener's Army. The New Army, 13th (Service) battalion, was referred to as a "Pals" battalion because it was predominantly composed of colleagues. The Volunteer Training Corps were raised with overage or reserved occupation men early in the war, and were initially self-organised into many small corps, with a wide variety of names. Recognition of the corps by the authorities brought regulation and as the war continued the small corps were formed into battalion sized units of the county Volunteer Regiment. In 1918 these were linked to county regiments.
BattalionFormedServedFateRegular1st1688Western Front2nd1794Western FrontSpecial Reserve3rd (Reserve)1854Britain4th (Extra Reserve)1854BritainTerritorial Force1/5th1859Western FrontSee Inter-War1/6th1859Western Front1/7th1860Gallipoli, Western Front1/8th1859Gallipoli, Western FrontSee Inter-War2/5thGlasgow, September 1914Britain, Ireland2/6thHamilton, September 1914Britain, Ireland2/7thGlasgow, September 1914BritainAbsorbed by 2/6th Battalion, in January 19162/8thGlasgow, September 1914BritainAbsorbed by 2/5th Battalion in January 19163/5th5th (Reserve) Battalion, from April 1916Glasgow, November 1914BritainDisbanded, in December 19183/6th6th (Reserve) Battalion, from April 1916Hamilton, April 1915BritainAbsorbed by 5th (Reserve) Battalion, in September 19163/7th7th (Reserve) Battalion, from April 1916Glasgow, March 1915BritainAbsorbed by 5th (Reserve) Battalion, in September 19163/8th8th (Reserve) Battalion, from April 1916Glasgow, March 1915BritainAbsorbed by 5th (Reserve) Battalion, in September 191615thJanuary 1917 from 10th (Scottish) Provisional Battalion (Territorial Force)BritainDisbanded, in July 1919New Army9th (Service)Hamilton, August 1914Western FrontDisbanded, 191910th (Service)Hamilton, September 1914Western FrontDisbanded, 191911th (Service)Hamilton, October 1914Western Front, SalonikaDisbanded, 192012th (Reserve)Nigg, October 1914BritainConverted to 56th Training Reserve Battalion of the 12th Reserve Brigade, in September 191613th (Service)Hamilton, July 1915BritainAbsorbed by 14th Battalion, Highland Light Infantry, in February 1916Others14th (Labour)June 1916Western FrontBecame Nos. 3 and 4 Companies, Labour Corps, in April 191716th (Transport Workers)Paisley, December 1916BritainDisbanded, in 191917th (Transport Workers)Hamilton, February 1917BritainDisbanded, in 191918th (Service)Aldershot, June 1918Western FrontDisbanded, in 19191st GarrisonHamilton, February 1916IndiaDisbanded, in 1920Volunteer Training CorpsWestlake p. 1201/1st Battalion Lanarkshire Volunteer RegimentCoatbridgeDisbanded post war2/1st Battalion Lanarkshire Volunteer RegimentMotherwellDisbanded post war3/1st Battalion Lanarkshire Volunteer RegimentLanarkDisbanded post war
Inter-War By 1920, all of the regiment's war-raised battalions had disbanded. The Special Reserve reverted to its militia designation in 1921, then to the Supplementary Reserve in 1924; however, its battalions were effectively placed in 'suspended animation'.
BattalionFate5thAmalgamated with 8th Battalion, to form 5th/8th Battalion, in August 1921.8thAmalgamated with 5th Battalion, to form 5th/8th Battalion, in August 1921.
As World War II approached, the Territorial Army was reorganised in the mid-1930s, many of its infantry battalions were converted to other roles, especially anti-aircraft. BattalionFate5th/8thConverted to 56th Searchlight Regiment, in November 1938. Formed duplicate 8th Battalion (57th Searchlight Regiment) in 1939.
Second World War The regiment's expansion during the Second World War was modest compared to 1914–1918. National Defence Companies were combined to create a new "Home Defence" battalion, In addition six battalions of the Home Guard were affiliated to the regiment, wearing its cap badge. One Light Anti-Aircraft (LAA) troop was formed from a local battalion to defend a factory.Whittaker p. 124 Due to the daytime (or shift working) occupations of the men in the LAA troop, it required eight times the manpower of an equivalent regular unit.Whittaker p. 23
BattalionFormedServedFateRegular1st1688Burma, ChinditsSee Post-World War II2nd1794Dunkirk, Sicily, Italy, North West EuropeSee Post-World War IISupplementary Reserve3rd1854See Post-World War II4th1854See Post-World War IITerritorial Army6th (Lanarkshire)1859Dunkirk, North West EuropeSee Post-World War II7th1860Dunkirk, North West EuropeSee Post-World War II9th1939Britain, France, North West Europe Disbanded, in August 194510th (Lanarkshire)1939BritainAmalgamated with 6th (Lanarkshire) Battalion, in January 194711th (Home Defence)1939BritainAmalgamated with 13th (Home Defence) Battalion, to form 30th (Home Defence) Battalion, in 194112th1940BritainDisbanded, in 194313th (Home Defence)1940BritainAmalgamated with 11th (Home Defence) Battalion, to form 30th (Home Defence) Battalion, in 194130th (Home Defence)1941BritainDisbanded, in 1943Others50th (Holding)1940BritainDisbanded, in 1940
Home GuardBattalionHeadquartersFormation Sign (dark blue on khaki)BattalionHeadquartersFormation Sign (dark blue on khaki)1st LanarkLK 12nd AirdrieLK 23rd WishawLK 34th HamiltonLK 45th RutherglenLK 56th MotherwellLK 6Home Guard Light Anti-Aircraft unitsFormation Sign (dark blue on khaki)Headquarters or LocationAA Formation and DesignationLK 3 Mossend, Murex LtdA Troop LAA
Post-World War II
In the immediate post-war period, the army was significantly reduced: nearly all infantry regiments had their first and second battalions amalgamated and the Supplementary Reserve disbanded. BattalionFate1stAmalgamated with 2nd Battalion on the 19 September 1949, without a change in title2ndAmalgamated with 1st Battalion on 19 September 19496th (Lanarkshire)Amalgamated with 7th Battalion on 30 June 1950, to form 6th/7th Battalion7thAmalgamated with 6th (Lanarkshire) Battalion on 30 June 1950, to form 6th/7th Battalion
Disbandment After the 1966 Defence White Paper, the Cameronians decided to disband rather than be amalgamated. This meant that only the Territorial elements of the regiment, carried on the lineage, until 1997 when the last remaining company was rebadged and the Cameronians came to an end. BattalionFate1stDisbanded, on 14 May 19686th/7thBecame D Company (The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)), 52nd Lowland Volunteers, and B Company (6th/7th Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)), Royal Scots and Cameronians Territorials, on 1 April 1967
References
Bibliography Sir James Moncrieff Grierson, Records of the Scottish Volunteer Force, 1859-1908, W. Blackwood and sons, 1909