The 32nd Signal Regiment is a British
Army Reserve regiment
A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service, or administrative corps, specialisation.
In Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of l ...
of the
Royal Corps of Signals
The Royal Corps of Signals (often simply known as the Royal Signals – abbreviated to R SIGNALS) is one of the combat support arms of the British Army. Signals units are among the first into action, providing the battlefield communications an ...
. The regiment forms part of
1st (United Kingdom) Signal Brigade, providing military communications for national operations.
History
Early history
1st Lanarkshire Voluntary Military Engineers was raised in
Glasgow
Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...
on 5 December 1859 as part of the
Volunteer Force
The Volunteer Force was a citizen army of part-time rifle, artillery and engineer corps, created as a Social movement, popular movement throughout the British Empire in 1859. Originally highly autonomous, the units of volunteers became increa ...
.
[Lord and Watson, p. 163] In 1894, the Telegraph Company, 2nd Lanarkshire Volunteer Military Engineers was assigned to the unit.
[
]
First World War
As part of the 1908 Haldane Reforms
The Haldane Reforms were a series of far-ranging reforms of the British Army made from 1906 to 1912, and named after the Secretary of State for War, Richard Burdon Haldane. They were the first major reforms since the " Childers Reforms" of the e ...
, the unit became the Lowland Divisional Telegraph Company.[ A Wireless, Cable and Airline unit was assigned to the unit and the regiment was established as a Field Company to support ]51st (Highland) Division
The 51st (Highland) Division was an infantry Division (military), division of the British Army that fought on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front in France during the World War I, First World War from 1915 to 1918. The division was ra ...
. After the outbreak of World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
in 1914, the regiment was sent as part of IV Corps 4 Corps, 4th Corps, Fourth Corps, or IV Corps may refer to:
France
* 4th Army Corps (France)
* IV Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars
* IV Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperi ...
and the British Expeditionary Force to France.[
]
Second World War
During World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, the regiment again saw active service, providing support to both 51st (Highland) Division
The 51st (Highland) Division was an infantry Division (military), division of the British Army that fought on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front in France during the World War I, First World War from 1915 to 1918. The division was ra ...
and 52nd Lowland Divisions. In 1947, the regiment returned once again to Maryhill and was re-titled as the 51st/52nd (Scottish) Infantry Division Signal Regiment.[
]
Post-war
As a result of the 1966 Defence White Paper
The 1966 Defence White Paper (Command Papers 2592 and 2901) was a major review of the United Kingdom's defence policy initiated by the Labour government under Prime Minister Harold Wilson. The review was led by the Secretary of State for Defence, ...
, the 32nd (Scottish) Signal Regiment was formed on 1 April 1967. The new regiment composed of five squadrons, amalgamating the four signals regiments in Scotland. They were as follows:[ From 2009 to 2014, 33 (Lancashire & Cheshire) Signal Squadron formed part of the regiment before it was transferred to 37th Signal Regiment under the ]Army 2020
Army 2020 is the restructuring of the British Army in the early and mid-2010s, in light of the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2010. The plan, as its name suggested, was intended to be completed by 2020, though most of its reorganisations ...
reforms.
In October 2010, 69 (North Irish Horse) Signal Squadron returned to the regiment as 40 (North Irish Horse) Signal Squadron. Then under the Army 2020
Army 2020 is the restructuring of the British Army in the early and mid-2010s, in light of the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2010. The plan, as its name suggested, was intended to be completed by 2020, though most of its reorganisations ...
re-organisation, 2 (City of Dundee and Highland) Signal Squadron
The 9th Special Communications Unit, later redesignated as the 92nd Signal Regiment, and from 1967 as 2 (City of Dundee) Signal Squadron is a communications unit of the British Army, belonging to the Royal Corps of Signals.
Background
Followi ...
was transferred from 38th (City of Sheffield) Signal Regiment.
Structure
The regiment's current structure is as follows:
* Regimental Headquarters, in Glasgow
Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...
2 (City of Dundee and Highland) Signal Squadron
The 9th Special Communications Unit, later redesignated as the 92nd Signal Regiment, and from 1967 as 2 (City of Dundee) Signal Squadron is a communications unit of the British Army, belonging to the Royal Corps of Signals.
Background
Followi ...
, in Dundee
Dundee (; ; or , ) is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, fourth-largest city in Scotland. The mid-year population estimate for the locality was . It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firt ...
** 851 (Highland) Signal Troop, at Gordon Barracks, Aberdeen
Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...
* 40 (North Irish Horse) Signal Squadron, in Belfast
Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
** 852 (Lowland) Signal Troop, in East Kilbride
East Kilbride (; ), sometimes referred to as EK, is the largest town in South Lanarkshire in Scotland, and the country's sixth-largest locality by population. Historically a small village, it was designated Scotland's first "new town" on 6 Ma ...
See also
* Armed forces in Scotland
Since the passing of the Treaty of Union in 1707 which unified the Kingdom of Scotland with the Kingdom of England to the create the Kingdom of Great Britain, Scottish armed forces were merged with the English armed forces and remain part of ...
* Military history of Scotland
Historically, Scotland has a long British military history, military tradition that predates the Acts of Union 1707, Act of Union with England in 1707. Its soldiers today form part of the armed forces of the United Kingdom, more usually referre ...
References
Bibliography
*
External links
Official Regiment Website
32nd Signal Regiment
{{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017
Regiments of the Royal Corps of Signals
Scottish regiments
Military units and formations established in 1967
Army Reserve (United Kingdom)
1967 establishments in the United Kingdom