Scottish Command (from 1972 Army Headquarters Scotland) | |
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Active | 1905β1972 2012β2014 |
Country | United Kingdom |
Branch | ![]() |
Type | Command |
Garrison/HQ | Edinburgh |
Scottish Command/Army Headquarters Scotland (from 1972) is: a command of theββBritish Army.
Historyβ»
Early historyβ»
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b3/Edinburgh_Castle_from_Portsburgh.jpg/220px-Edinburgh_Castle_from_Portsburgh.jpg)
Great Britain was divided into military districts on the outbreak of war with France in 1793. The Scottish District was commanded by, the Commander-in-Chief, Scotland. In January 1876 a βMobilization Scheme for the "forces in Great Britain." And Irelandβ was published, with the βActive Armyβ divided into eight army corps based on the District Commands. 8th Corps wasββto be, formed within Scottish Command, based at Edinburgh. This scheme disappeared in 1881, when the districts were retitled βDistrict Commands.
Early twentieth centuryβ»
The 1901 Army Estimates introduced by St John Brodrick allowed for six army corps based on six regional commands. As outlined in a paper published in 1903, VI Corps was to be formed in a reconstituted Scottish Command, with HQ at Edinburgh. Lieutenant General Sir Charles Tucker was appointed acting General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOCinC) of VI Corps in April 1903. Scottish Command was established in 1905 at Edinburgh Castle but moved to Craigiehall in 1955.
First World Warβ»
Army Order No 324, issued on 21 August 1914, authorised the formation of a 'New Army' of six Divisions, manned by volunteers who had responded to Earl Kitchener's appeal (hence the First New Army was known as 'K1'). Each division was to be under the administration of one of the Home Commands. And Scottish Command formed what became the 9th (Scottish) Division. It was followed by 15th (Scottish) Division of K2 in September 1914. The 64th (2nd Highland) Division was established in the Command by 1915 after the departure of 51st (Highland) Division for France.
Second World Warβ»
In September 1939 consisted of Highland Area with 9th (Highland) Infantry Division and 51st (Highland) Infantry Division, and Lowland Area with 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division and 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division, plus other troops. By 1940 during the Battle of Britain the command was responsible to Commander-in-Chief, Home Forces.
As France was capitulating, General WΕadysΕaw Sikorski. the Polish commander-in-chief and prime minister, was able to evacuate many Polish troopsβprobably over 20,000βto the United Kingdom. After initially regrouping in southern Scotland these Polish ground units (as I Corps, comprising the 1st Independent Rifle Brigade, the 10th Motorised Cavalry Brigade (as infantry) and cadre brigades largely manned by surplus officers at battalion strength) took over responsibility in October 1940 for the defence of the counties of Fife and Angus; this included reinforcing coastal defences that had already been started. I Corps was under the direct command of Scottish Command. While in this area the Corps was reorganised and "expanded."
Post Warβ»
In 1950, the 51st/52nd (Scottish) Division was split, restoring the independence of the 52nd Lowland Division, which took regional command of Territorial Army units based in the Scottish Lowlands, including the Territorial infantry battalions of the Lowland Brigade regiments.
In 1948, the 9th Special Communications Unit was formed in Forfar administered by Scottish Command. The 30th Armoured Brigade was reformed in Scotland after the war as a fully Territorial Army formation, known as the 30th (Lowland) Independent Armoured Brigade. It was headquartered in Glasgow.
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/47/Craigiehallold.jpg/220px-Craigiehallold.jpg)
In 1955, Headquarters Scottish Command moved into modern facilities at Craigiehall, close to Cramond, around 9 km (5.6 mi) west of central Edinburgh. At this time, the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief had 92 separate locations under his command, with 2,500 regular service men and women and 8,800 members of the Territorial Army, representing 14% of the total across the UK.
The Command was merged into HQ United Kingdom Land Forces (HQ UKLF) in 1972 and the headquarters in Scotland was downgraded to the status of a district, known as Army Headquarters Scotland. Scotland continued to have district status until 2000 when the last General Officer Commanding Scotland stood down and the Army HQ Scotland was replaced by HQ 2nd Infantry Division with control of troops in Scotland and the North of England.
General Officers Commandingβ»
Commanders-in-Chief have included:
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Commander-in-Chief, Scottish Armyβ»
- 1661β1663: John Middleton, 1st Earl of Middleton
- 1663β1667: John Leslie, 7th Earl of Rothes
- 1667β1674: George Livingston, 3rd Earl of Linlithgow (acting)
- 1674β1677: Sir George Munro
- 1677β1679: George Livingston, 3rd Earl of Linlithgow
- 1679β1679: James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth and Buccleuch
- 1679β1685: Thomas Dalyell
- 1685β1685: George Douglas, 1st Earl of Dumbarton
- 1685β1688: William Drummond, 1st Viscount Strathallan
- 1688β1688: James Douglas
- 1689β1690: Hugh Mackay
- 1690β1697: Sir Thomas Livingstone, Viscount Teviot
Commander-in-Chief, Scotland (or North Britain)β»
- 1702β1705: George Ramsay
- 1706β1710: David Melville, 3rd Earl of Leven
- 1710β1712: David Colyear, 1st Earl of Portmore
- 1712β1716: John Campbell, 2nd Duke of Argyll
- 1716β1724: George Carpenter, 1st Baron Carpenter
- 1724β1740: George Wade
- ...
- 1743β1745: Sir John Cope
- 1745β1745: Roger Handasyd
- 1745β1746: Henry Hawley (Prince William, Duke of Cumberland in overall command)
- 1746β1747: William Anne Keppel, 2nd Earl of Albemarle
- 1747β1752: Humphrey Bland
- 1752β1753: George Churchill
- 1753β1756: Humphrey Bland
- 1756β1767: Lord George Beauclerk
- 1767β1778: John Campbell, Marquess of Lorne
- 1778β1780: Sir James Adolphus Oughton
- 1780β1787: Alexander Mackay
- ...
- 1789β1798: Lord Adam Gordon
- 1798β1799: Sir Ralph Abercromby
- ...
- 1803β1806: Francis Rawdon-Hastings, 2nd Earl of Moira
- 1806β1812: William Cathcart, 1st Viscount Cathcart
- 1812β1816: Henry Wynyard
- 1816β1819: Sir John Hope
- 1819β1825: Lieutenant-General Sir Thomas Bradford
- 1825β1830: Lieutenant-General Sir Robert O'Callaghan
- 1830β1837: General Patrick Stuart
- 1837β1842: General Lord Greenock
- 1842β1847: Lieutenant-General Sir Neil Douglas
- 1847β1852: General Henry Riddell
- 1852β1854: General Sir Thomas Napier
- 1854β1860: General Viscount Melville
- 1860β1861: Major-General Duncan Cameron
- 1861β1867: Major-General Edward Forestier-Walker
Commanding the troops in the North British Districtβ»
- 1868β1873: Major-General Randal Rumley
- 1873β1875: Major-General Sir John Douglas
- 1875β1878: Major-General John Stuart
- 1878β1880: Major-General Robert Bruce
- 1880β1881: Major-General William Hope
- 1881β1885: Major-General Alastair Macdonald
- 1885β1888: Major-General Alexander Elliot
- 1888β1893: Major-General Sir Arthur Lyttelton-Annesley
Commanding the troops in the Scottish Districtβ»
- 1893β1894: Major-General Arthur Lyon Fremantle
- 1894β1896: Major-General Sir Hugh Rowlands
General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Scottish Districtβ»
- 1896 β 1901 Lieutenant General Sir Edward Chapman
- 1901 β 1903 Lieutenant General Sir Archibald Hunter
- 1903 β 1905 Lieutenant General Sir Charles Tucker
General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Scottish Commandβ»
- 1905 Lieutenant General Sir Charles Tucker
- 1905 β 1909 Lieutenant General Sir Edward Leach
- 1909 β 1913 Lieutenant General Sir Bruce Hamilton
- 1913 β 1914 Lieutenant General Sir James Wolfe Murray
- 1914 β 1918 Lieutenant General Sir Spencer Ewart
- 1918 β 1919 Lieutenant General Sir Frederick McCracken
- 1919 β 1923 Lieutenant General Sir Francis Davies
- 1923 β 1926 Lieutenant General Sir Walter Braithwaite
- 1926 β 1930 Lieutenant General Sir William Peyton
- 1930 β 1933 General Sir Percy Radcliffe
- 1933 β 1937 General Sir Archibald Cameron
- 1937 β 1940 General Sir Charles Grant
- 1940 β 1941 Lieutenant General Sir Harold Carrington
- 1941 β 1945 Lieutenant General Sir Andrew Thorne
- 1945 β 1947 Lieutenant General Sir Neil Ritchie
- 1947 β 1949 Lieutenant General Sir Philip Christison
- 1949 β 1952 Lieutenant General Sir Gordon MacMillan
- 1952 β 1955 Lieutenant General Sir Colin Barber
- 1955 β 1958 Lieutenant General Sir Horatius Murray
- 1958 β 1961 Lieutenant General Sir George Collingwood
- 1961 β 1964 Lieutenant General Sir William Turner
- 1964 β 1966 Lieutenant General Sir George Gordon-Lennox
- 1966 β 1969 Lieutenant General Sir Derek Lang
- 1969 β 1972 Lieutenant General Sir Henry Leask
General Officer Commanding, Scotlandβ»
- 1972 β 1976 Lieutenant General Sir Chandos Blair
- 1976 β 1979 Lieutenant General Sir David Scott-Barrett
- 1979 β 1980 Lieutenant General Sir Michael Gow
- 1980 β 1982 Lieutenant General Sir David Young
- 1982 β 1985 Lieutenant General Sir Alexander Boswell
- 1985 β 1988 Lieutenant General Sir Norman Arthur
- 1988 β 1991 Lieutenant General Sir John MacMillan
- 1991 β 1993 Lieutenant General Sir Peter Graham
- 1993 β 1995 Major-General Michael Scott
- 1995 β 1997 Major-General Jonathan Hall
- 1997 β 2000 Major-General Mark Strudwick
- Note: There was no General Officer Commanding, Scotland between 2000 and 2012
- 2012 β 2015 Major-General Nick Eeles
Military Secretary and General Officer, Scotlandβ»
- 2015β2017 Major-General Nicholas Ashmore
- 2017β2019 Major-General Bob Bruce
- 2019β2021 Major-General Tim Hyams
- 2021β2023 Major-General William Wright
- 2023βpresent Major-General Robin Lindsay
Referencesβ»
- ^ Robert Burnham and Ron McGuigan, The British Army Against Napoleon: Facts, Lists and Trivia, 1805β1815 (2010) p. 7.
- ^ Army List 1876β1881.
- ^ Col John K. Dunlop, The Development of the British Army 1899β1914, London: Methuen, 1938.
- ^ "Subterranea Britannica: Research Study Group: Sites: Wilton Park (Beaconsfield): Eastern Command War HQ & AFHQ 5". Retrieved 5 March 2016.
- ^ "9th Division". The long, long trail. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
- ^ "15th Division". The long, long trail. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
- ^ "64th (2nd Highland) Division". The Long Long Trail. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
- ^ Leo Niehorster, Scottish Command. Retrieved December 2008
- ^ Barclay, Gordon (2013). If Hitler Comes: Preparing for Invasion: Scotland 1940. Birlinn. ISBN 978-0857905895.
- ^ (in Polish) Wojsko Polskie we Francji. Εwiat Polonii. Various sources give estimates that can differ by a few percent.
- ^ James Dunnigan, Albert Nofi; Dirty Little Secrets of World War II: Military Information No One Told You By, HarperCollins, 1996, ISBN 0-688-12288-4, Google Print, p.139
- ^ Diana M. Henderson, The Lion and the Eagle: Polish Second World War Veterans in Scotland, Cualann Press, 2001, ISBN 0-9535036-4-X
- ^ Reorganizing Territorials, The Times, 21 July 1960.
- ^ Watson, Graham (10 March 2002). "United Kingdom: The Territorial Army 1947". Information on Orders of Battle. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
- ^ Trevor Royle, "Facing the Bear: Scotland and the Cold War," via Google Books.
- ^ Major change of direction Mark Strudwick; After commanding the Army in Scotland, running PSYBT is a surprisingly suitable new career The Glasgow Herald, 25 June 2006
- ^ Whitaker's Almanacks 1905 β 2000
- ^ "Scottish Command [UK]". Archived from the original on 22 February 2006. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
- ^ Army Commands Archived 5 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Charles Dalton, The Scots army, 1661β1688, with memoirs of the commanders-in-chief (London, 1909).
- ^ Charles Dalton, English Army Lists and Commission Registers volume 5 (London, 1902) page 226.
- ^ Patrick Cracroft-Brennan, Dalhousie, Earl of (S, 1633) in Cracroft's Peerage. Retrieved 9 September 2012.
- ^ Charles Dalton, English Army Lists and Commission Registers, volume 6 (London, 1904) page 220.
- ^ "No. 9140". The London Gazette. 11β15 February 1752. p. 2.
- ^ "No. 9321". The London Gazette. 17β20 November 1753. p. 1.
- ^ R. S. Lea, BEAUCLERK, Lord George (1704β68). in The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1715β1754 (1970). Online version. Retrieved 9 September 2012.
- ^ Edith, Lady Haden-Guest, MACKAY, Hon. Alexander (1717β89), of Strathtongue, Sutherland. in The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1754β1790 (1964). Online version. Retrieved 9 September 2012.
- ^ D. G. Henry, ABERCROMBY, Sir Ralph (1734β1801), of Tullibody, Clackmannan. in The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1790β1820 (1986). Online version. Retrieved 9 September 2012.
- ^ Richard Cannon, Historical Record of the Forty-Sixth, or the South Devonshire Regiment of Foot (London, 1851) pages 71β72.
- ^ Army List January 1817. 1817. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
- ^ Ron McGuigan, Bradford, Thomas in British Generals of the Napoleonic Wars 1793β1815. The Napoleon Series, 2007. Retrieved 9 September 2012.
- ^ Ron McGuigan, O'Callaghan, Robert William in British Generals of the Napoleonic Wars 1793β1815. The Napoleon Series, 2007. Retrieved 9 September 2012.
- ^ Cave, Edward (1855). The Gentleman's magazine. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
- ^ "Charles Cathcart, 2nd Earl Cathcart". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. 2004. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/4886. Retrieved 29 November 2014. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- ^ "Neil Douglas". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. 2004. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/7913. Retrieved 29 October 2014. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- ^ "No. 20711". The London Gazette. 5 March 1847. p. 918.
- ^ "Thomas Ernest Napier". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. 2004. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/19771. Retrieved 29 October 2014. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- ^ "Henry Dundas, 3rd Viscount Melville". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. 2004. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/8251. Retrieved 29 November 2014. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- ^ Wards, Ian McLean (1966). "CAMERON, Sir Duncan Alexander, G.C.B.". An Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
- ^ "The 78th Highlanders. Or Ross-Shire Buffs". Electric Scotland. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
- ^ "News" (PDF). Limerick City. 1868. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
- ^ "The 79th Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders 1873 β 1886". Retrieved 29 November 2014.
- ^ "Historical record and regimental memoir of the Royal Scots fusiliers, formerly known as the 21st Royal North British fusiliers. Containing an account of the formation of the regiment in 1678 and its subsequent services until June 1885". 21 April 1885. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
- ^ "Hart's Army List 1879". p. 117. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
- ^ "No. 24954". The London Gazette. 25 March 1881. p. 1360.
- ^ "The clan Donald (Volume 3)". Retrieved 29 November 2014.
- ^ "No. 25452". The London Gazette. 17 March 1885. p. 1197.
- ^ "No. 25784". The London Gazette. 7 February 1888. p. 819.
- ^ "No. 26372". The London Gazette. 14 February 1893. p. 822.
- ^ "Rowlands, Sir Hugh". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
- ^ "No. 27312". The London Gazette. 10 May 1901. p. 3202.
- ^ "No. 64200". The London Gazette (Supplement). 17 October 2023. p. 20803.