The Lowland Brigade is a historical unit of the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

which has been formed a number of times. It is traditionally

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

as the name derives from the

Scottish Lowlands The Lowlands ( or , ; , ) is a cultural and historical region of Scotland. The region is characterised by its relatively flat or gently rolling terrain as opposed to the mountainous landscapes of the Scottish Highlands. This area includes ci ...

World War II

There was a Lowland Brigade (the 44th, part of the 15th Scottish Division) in

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 ...

; it fought in the Normandy invasion, and in North-West Europe.

Administrative Brigade 1948–1968

After the

Second World War 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 British Army had fourteen

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

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 14 July 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) The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) was a rifle regiment of the British Army, the only regiment of rifles amongst the Scottish regiment, Scottish regiments of infantry. It was formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 26t ...

Under the Defence Review announced in July 1957, the infantry of the line was reorganised, leading to the transfer of the

Highland Light Infantry The Highland Light Infantry (HLI) was a light infantry regiment of the British Army formed in 1881. It took part in the First World War, First and World War II, Second World Wars, until it was amalgamated with the Royal Scots Fusiliers in 1959 t ...

from the Highland Brigade in 1958, and its amalgamation with the Royal Scots Fusiliers to form the Royal Highland Fusiliers on 20 January 1959. In 1958 the regiments adopted a common cap badge. This depicted the

saltire A saltire, also called Saint Andrew's Cross or the crux decussata, is a Heraldry, heraldic symbol in the form of a diagonal cross. The word comes from the Middle French , Medieval Latin ("stirrup"). From its use as field sign, the saltire cam ...

St. Andrew Andrew the Apostle ( ; ; ; ) was an apostle of Jesus. According to the New Testament, he was a fisherman and one of the Apostles in the New Testament, Twelve Apostles chosen by Jesus. The title First-Called () used by the Eastern Orthodox Chu ...

, on which was superimposed a thistle within a circlet inscribed with motto of the

Order of the Thistle The Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle is an order of chivalry associated with Scotland. The current version of the order was founded in 1687 by King James VII of Scotland, who asserted that he was reviving an earlier order. The ...

, ''nemo me impune lacessit''. From 1960 the Lowland Brigade was based at Glencorse Barracks. The various

Territorial A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, belonging or connected to a particular country, person, or animal. In international politics, a territory is usually a geographic area which has not been granted the powers of self-government, ...

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 52nd Lowland Volunteers (52 LOWLAND) is a battalion in the British Army's Army Reserve or reserve force in the Scottish Lowlands, forming the 6th Battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, also known as 6 SCOTS. Due to its erstwhile as ...

. The Brigade continued to administer the four regiments until 1968. On 14 May that year The Cameronians were disbanded, having chosen this option rather than amalgamation. On 1 July the Lowland Brigade was amalgamated with the Highland Brigade to form the Scottish Division.Whitaker's Almanack 1969, p. 473

References

External links

Lowland Brigade

Veterans' homage to comrades
{{British Infantry 1948 establishments in Scotland 1968 disestablishments in Scotland Infantry administrative brigades of the British Army Military of Scotland Military units and formations established in 1948 Military units and formations disestablished in 1968 Scottish Lowlands