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78-758: The Royal Scots Fusiliers was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that existed from 1678 until 1959 when it was amalgamated with the Highland Light Infantry (City of Glasgow Regiment) to form the Royal Highland Fusiliers (Princess Margaret's Own Glasgow and Ayrshire Regiment) which was later itself merged with the Royal Scots , King's Own Scottish Borderers , the Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) ,

156-689: A British Indian Army formation and one of two British divisions fighting the Japanese. The 36th Division spent the rest of the war under command of the British Fourteenth Army . The 2nd Battalion, Royal Scots Fusiliers was based in Redford Barracks in Edinburgh on the outbreak of war commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Walter Clutterbuck . In September 1939, the battalion was grouped with the 2nd Bn Seaforth Highlanders and

234-449: A 1622 work called "Sir Edward Nowell's Delight". The debate is best summarised by the composer Ernest Walker in 1907 who described the melody as "three centuries' evolution of an Elizabethan tune". The melody was introduced into Britain as a military march during the 1689–1702 reign of William III and has similarities with one written for Prince John William of Friesland (1687–1711) . Henry Grattan Flood suggested as another candidate

312-518: A company of voltigeurs , who were expected to act as skirmishers as well being able to deploy into line. In the Russian Empire, light infantry was forming at a very fast pace; by the end of the 18th century, regiments of light infantry totaled 40,000 soldiers ( Jaeger ). The armament of light infantry was very different from the armament of linear infantry. They were armed with high-quality muskets, as well as pistols (for close combat). After

390-744: A formed unit to Dunkirk to be evacuated to England. After 2 years spent on home defence in the United Kingdom, the battalion and brigade were detached from the 5th Division, and like the 1st Battalion, fought in Madagascar. The battalion next saw service fighting in Sicily . In 1944 the division fought in the Battle of Anzio in some of the fiercest fighting of the Italian Campaign thus far. The Anzio landings were an attempt to outflank

468-500: A pied (light infantry), one of Grenadiers and one of Carabiniers . Similar differentiations were made in the majority of European armies of the period, although English-speaking authors sometimes use the designation "line infantry" when referring to the ordinary infantry of some other countries where the exact term was not in use. The term was also used by US units during the Second World War, as shown by this quote from

546-572: A report of the 782nd Tank Battalion in late April 1945: On the 22nd of April, the Battalion moved from Oberkotzau, Germany to Wunsiedel , Germany. Here the attachment of the line companies to the Regimental Combat Teams of the 97th Division was completed. We separated, not coming together again until the war was over. Company "A" joined the 303rd at Rehau, Germany: Company "B" joined the 386th at Arzburg, Germany: and Company "C"

624-740: A short distance. In some cases, it was possible to defeat the enemy with just one volley at close range. The line was considered the fundamental battle formation as it allowed for the largest deployment of firepower. Against surrounding enemy cavalry, line infantry could swiftly adopt square formations to provide protection. Such squares were hollow (consisting of four lines), unlike the pikemen's and old-style musketeers' square. Troops in skirmish formation, though able to take cover and use initiative, were highly vulnerable to cavalry and could not hold ground against advancing infantry columns. Line infantry provided an "anchor" for skirmishers and cavalry to retreat behind if threatened. Movement in line formation

702-435: A small part of the infantry branch of most armies, because of their vulnerability to hostile cavalry. Pikemen formed the majority of infantrymen and were known as heavy infantry. A significant part of infantry consisted of old-style musketeers, who did not use the linear tactics, instead skirmishing in open formation. However, by the middle of the 17th century, musketeers deployed in line formation already provided about half of

780-486: A way of instilling discipline and unit cohesion . Members of the US Army utilize the term "line company" (informally) in light infantry battalions to differentiate those companies (generally A–D) that perform the traditional infantry role from the support companies (generally F and HHC) charged with supporting the "line companies". The Marine Corps does the same for all its infantry units. In this vein, officers assigned to

858-455: Is regarded as Vauban 's masterpiece. de Lalo was killed at Malplaquet in September 1709, a battle technically an Allied victory but which incurred casualties so severe they shocked Europe. Malplaquet and the huge financial costs of the war meant the focus changed to capturing fortresses as each side attempted to improve its bargaining position prior to peace talks; the war ended in 1713 by

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936-434: The 147th Infantry Brigade , alongside the 1/6th and 1/7th Duke of Wellington's Regiment , part of the 49th (West Riding) Infantry Division , where it was to remain for the rest of the war. The Royal Scots Fusiliers were amalgamated with the Highland Light Infantry (City of Glasgow Regiment) in 1959 to form the Royal Highland Fusiliers, (Princess Margaret's Own Glasgow and Ayrshire Regiment) . The regular 1st battalions of

1014-682: The 155th Brigade in the 52nd (Lowland) Division in June 1915; after being evacuated in January 1916 they moved to France in April 1918 for service on the Western Front. The 6th (Service) Battalion landed at Boulogne-sur-Mer as part of the 27th Brigade in the 9th (Scottish) Division in May 1915 for service on the Western Front. Lieutenant Colonel Winston Churchill commanded the battalion when it

1092-796: The 21st Brigade in the 7th Division in October 1914 for service on the Western Front. It saw action at the First Battle of Ypres in October 1914, the Battle of Neuve Chapelle in March 1915, the Battle of Loos in October 1915, the Battle of the Somme in Summer 1916, the Battle of Arras in April 1917 and the Battle of Lys in April 1918. The 1/4th and 1/5th Battalions landed in Gallipoli as part of

1170-682: The 3rd Division in August 1914 for service on the Western Front . It saw action at the Battle of Mons in August 1914, the First Battle of Ypres in October 1914, Battle of the Somme in Summer 1916, the Battle of Arras in April 1917 and the advance to the Hindenburg Line in September 1918 and was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Deneys Reitz in the closing stages of the war. The 2nd Battalion landed at Zeebrugge as part of

1248-497: The American Civil War . The Austro-Prussian War in 1866 showed that breech-loading rifles , which gave the individual shooter a greatly increased rate of fire as well as the capability to reload from a prone position, were greatly superior to muzzle loaded rifles. In the 1860s, most German states and Russia converted their line infantry and riflemen into 'united' infantry, which used rifles and skirmish tactics. After

1326-690: The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders and the Highlanders (Seaforth, Gordons and Camerons) to form a new large regiment , the Royal Regiment of Scotland . In the late 17th century, many English and Scottish politicians viewed standing armies or permanent units as a danger to the liberties of the individual and a threat to society itself. The experience of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms and

1404-655: The Franco-Prussian War , both the German Empire and the French Third Republic did the same. However, Great Britain retained the name "line infantry", although it used rifled muskets from 1853 and breech loading rifles from 1867, and switched from closed lines to extended order during the Boer wars . The growing accuracy, range, and rate of fire of rifles, together with the invention of

1482-546: The Jacobite Rising in 1715, it fought at Sheriffmuir against forces led by its founder's son, the 6th Earl of Mar . The Rebellion was defeated but in July 1716 Orrery was removed due to his Jacobite sympathies and replaced by George Macartney . Macartney was a Whig loyalist involved in the 1712 Hamilton–Mohun Duel who went into exile when charged as an accessory to murder, returning when George I became King. Britain

1560-630: The Maxim machine gun in 1883, meant that close order line infantry would suffer heavy losses before being able to close with the enemy, while the defensive advantages given to line infantry against cavalry became irrelevant with the effective removal of offensive cavalry from the battlefield in the face of the improved weaponry. With the turn of the 20th century, this slowly led to infantry increasingly adopting skirmish style light infantry tactics in battle, while retaining line infantry drill for training. Although linear battle tactics had become obsolete by

1638-749: The Princess Louise Fusiliers . The standard orchestration for the military band was approved in 1762, when the Royal Artillery Band (initiated in 1557) became recognized officially, and for all other "grenade" regiments in 1763, when the remaining unofficial bands gained official status. The exact origins of the tune are disputed but generally date to the early 17th century. It appears in John Playford 's 1728 collection of dance tunes as "The New Bath", while Victorian musicologist William Chappell also suggested links to

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1716-928: The Royal Artillery (since 1716), the Corps of Royal Engineers (since 1787), the Honourable Artillery Company (since 1716), the Grenadier Guards (since 1763), and the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers (since 1763). It is also an authorized march of the Royal Australian Artillery , the Royal Gibraltar Regiment , the Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery , the Canadian Grenadier Guards , the Royal Regiment of Canada , and

1794-790: The Siege of Fort Ticonderoga in July 1777 during the American Revolutionary War , took part in the Siege of Bergen op Zoom in March 1814 during the Napoleonic Wars and saw combat at the Battle of New Orleans in January 1815 during the War of 1812 . The regiment then served under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Frederick Haines at the Battle of Inkerman in November 1854 during the Crimean War . A second battalion

1872-486: The War of Spanish Succession (1702–1713), since it refers to the grenadiers throwing grenades and the men wearing "caps and pouches" (i.e. the tall grenadier caps, worn by these elite troops, and the heavy satchel in which grenades were carried) and "loupèd clothes" – coats with broad bands of 'lace' across the chest that distinguished early grenadiers. Some talk of Alexander , and some of Hercules Of Hector and Lysander , and such great names as these. But of all

1950-532: The War of the Spanish Succession began in May 1702 and formed part of the army led by the Duke of Marlborough . In August 1704, the regiment took part in the Battle of Blenheim ; in their assault on the village, now Brigadier-General Row famously ordered his men not to fire until he struck his sword upon the palisade ; he was shot and mortally wounded as he did so. The regiment suffered heavy casualties,

2028-408: The matchlock muskets of some line infantry were equipped with bayonets . Bayonets were attached to the muzzles and were used when line troops entered melee combat. They also helped to defend against cavalry. At the end of the 17th century, a solution was sought to a flaw within the design of matchlock muskets. Since the matchlock musket used a slow burning piece of twine known as a slow match ,

2106-564: The palisades , Our leaders march with fusees , and we with hand grenades . We throw them from the glacis , about the enemies' ears. With a tow, row, row, row, row, row, for the British Grenadiers. And when the siege is over, we to the town repair. The townsmen cry, " Hurrah , boys, here comes a Grenadier! Here come the Grenadiers, my boys, who know no doubts or fears! Then sing tow, row, row, row, row, row, for

2184-647: The 1672 Dutch march " Wilhelmus van Nassouwe ", which in turn was a reworking of a French version from 1568. "The British Grenadiers" refers to grenadiers in general, not the Grenadier Guards Regiment , and all Fusilier units were entitled to use it. It allegedly commemorates an assault in August 1695 by 700 British grenadiers on the French-held fortress of Namur during the Nine Years War . A tune known as 'The Granadeer's March'

2262-676: The 1685 Argyll's Rising . Thomas Buchan , a Scottish Catholic and professional soldier replaced the Earl as Colonel in July 1686. When William III landed in England on 5 November 1688 in what became known as the Glorious Revolution , the regiment was shipped to London. There was very little fighting; the vast majority of James VII and II 's army simply changed sides and Buchan followed him into exile in France. The position of Colonel

2340-616: The 18th and 19th centuries and remains so. It is most commonly heard today in the annual Trooping the Colour ceremony when the Colour Escort marches into position on Horse Guards Parade . Like " Rule, Britannia! ", the song is frequently used in film and television to introduce a British setting or character, or indicate stereotypical Britishness . Owing to its popularity, the tune has been frequently set to different texts, including church hymns. The following text may date back to

2418-647: The 2nd Bn Northamptonshire Regiment to form 17 Infantry Brigade , which was assigned to the 5th Infantry Division . They were sent as an independent brigade to France in October 1939 to join the British Expeditionary Force (BEF). The battalion acted in support during the Battle of Arras and was significantly involved in the subsequent Battle of the Ypres-Comines Canal . The battalion suffered significant casualties and prisoners of war, and only 40 personnel were able to make it as

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2496-612: The 387th at Waldsassen, Germany. The British Army retains the traditional distinction between "Guards", "Line Infantry" and "the Rifles" on ceremonial occasions for historical reasons. It is linked to the order of precedence within the British Army and regimental pride, so for example Colonel Patrick Crowley states in the "introduction" in A Brief History of The Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment (2015): The examples of valour, adherence to duty, and fortitude, continue to inspire

2574-558: The American Civil War, both Union and Confederate armies had only a few line regiments equipped with the old-style smooth-bore muskets. However, France, due to Napoleon III, who admired Napoleon I, had 300 line battalions (comprising an overwhelming majority) even in 1870. Although the French line infantry received Chassepot rifles in 1866, it was still being trained in the use of close formations (line, column and square), which

2652-604: The Austrian army abandoned their pikes. In 1703, the French army did the same, in 1704 the British and 1708 the Dutch. In 1699–1721, Peter I converted almost all Russian foot-regiments to line infantry. The abandonment of the pike, together with the faster firing rate made possible by the introduction of the new flintlock musket and paper cartridge , resulted in the replacement of the deeper formations of troops more suitable for

2730-482: The British Grenadiers. Then let us fill a bumper, and drink a health of those Who carry caps and pouches, and wear the loopèd clothes. May they and their commanders live happy all their years. With a tow, row, row, row, row, row, for the British Grenadiers. Before the American Revolution, Joseph Warren wrote a parody song called "Free America" to the same tune. There are a number of words in

2808-667: The Dutch Scots Brigade ; he died in December 1696 and was succeeded by another Scot, Colonel Archibald Row. After the Treaty of Ryswick ended the Nine Years' War in September 1697, the regiment went to Scotland where it spent the next few years. The date at which it became a Fusilier unit is debated, but it first appears as O'Farrell's Fusiliers on an Army list of 1691. 'Fusilier' is a specific designation while 'fusil'

2886-597: The European Campaign in 1944-1945 with the 6th also serving in France in 1940, assigned to 51st (Highland) Infantry Division and part of the BEF. The 4/5th Battalion was the TA 4th and 5th battalions merged and became part of 156th Infantry Brigade assigned to the 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division . Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Corbett commanded the 6th Battalion during the Battle of France in June 1940. The 6th Battalion

2964-440: The French without resistance. The regiment became prisoners until exchanged in September; Ellenberg, commander of Diksmuide which surrendered in a similar fashion at the same time was executed, while O'Farrell was cashiered along with eight other officers. The officers concerned were later reinstated with O'Farrell ending his career as a Major-General. His replacement was Robert Mackay, nephew of Hugh Mackay former commander of

3042-659: The German Gustav Line , one of many defensive lines the Germans had created across Italy. After the fierce fighting there, the 2nd RSF and the rest of 5th Division were withdrawn, in July 1944, to Palestine to rest and refit. They returned to Italy briefly in early 1945 but were transferred, along with I Canadian Corps from British Eighth Army , to Belgium to join the 21st Army Group in the Allied invasion of Germany . The 4/5th and 6th battalions both saw service in

3120-779: The German Jäger ), armed with rifled carbines and trained in aimed shooting and use of defilades . In Britain, much of the light infantry was armed with smooth-bore muskets, only a few regiments used rifled muskets. In France, during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , the division into the Guard, line infantry and light infantry formally continued to exist, line and "light" regiments had identical weaponry (smooth-bore fusils) and tactics. (Napoleon preferred smooth-bore weaponry for their faster reload speeds.) However, each battalion in both line and "light" regiments included

3198-400: The Russian light infantry were equipped with the M1854 rifle, the remainder retaining smoothbore percussion muskets. In the second half of the 19th century, the development of mass production and new technologies, such as the Minié ball , allowed European armies to gradually equip all their infantrymen with rifled weapons, and the percentage of line infantry equipped with muskets fell. In

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3276-403: The Sixth Coalition , the training of regular French line infantry recruits was limited due to the relentless attack of the Coalition Forces. A recruit was trained by firing only two cartridges and four blanks. There was also light training of forming several formations. However, training large quantities of elite line infantry was generally a complicated process. In the middle of the 16th century,

3354-399: The Treaty of Utrecht . Mordaunt, reappointed Colonel after de Lalo's death, died of smallpox in April 1710 and was succeeded by Thomas Meredyth . He was dismissed for political reasons in December and replaced by the Earl of Orrery . The regiment was awarded the title "Royal" around 1713, returning to England in August 1714 on the death of Queen Anne who was succeeded by George I . During

3432-466: The Tugela Heights in February 1900 during the Second Boer War . Captain Hugh Trenchard was seriously wounded while serving with the regiment near Krugersdorp at this time. In 1908, the Volunteers and Militia were reorganised nationally, with the former becoming the Territorial Force and the latter the Special Reserve ; the regiment now had one Reserve and two Territorial battalions. The 1st Battalion landed at Le Havre as part of 9th Brigade in

3510-478: The best shooting soldiers fight in loose ranks and cover their battalions from the enemy skirmishers. The total number of light infantry reached 40% of the entire field infantry. The sharp increase in the number of light infantry greatly influenced their quality of training and equipment. The Russian infantry of 1854 comprised 108 regiments, of which 42 were line infantry. The remainder were specialized or elite units such as Guards, Grenadiers and Jägers. Only part of

3588-400: The command of officers, but in practice this happened only in the first minutes of the battle. After one or two volleys, each soldier charged his musket and fired at his own discretion, without hearing the commands of the officers. This disrupted the system, while the gunsmoke prevented accurate shooting. Such a shootout in clouds of smoke could occur for an extended period of time and the result

3666-480: The current officers and soldiers of the modern Regiment, who are proud to belong to the most senior English Regiment of the Line. The Canadian Army also retained these traditional distinctions, and its infantry regiments were organized, titled, and uniformed in full dress as foot guards , fusiliers , light infantry, line infantry, rifles, and kilted infantry regiments. The infantry of most 21st-century armies are still trained in formation manoeuvre and drill , as

3744-399: The foot troops in most Western European armies. Maurice of Nassau was noted as the first large scale user of linear tactic in Europe, introducing the 'counter-march' to enable his formations of musketeers to maintain a continuous fire. After the invention of the bayonet, musketeers could finally defend themselves from the enemy's horsemen, and the percentage of pikemen fell gradually. In 1699,

3822-406: The home country, line infantry forces were often raised from the local population, with the British East India Company 's sepoys perhaps being the most historically significant example. Line tactics required strict discipline and simple movements practiced to the point where they became second-nature. During training, the drill and corporal punishments were widely used. During 1814, in the War of

3900-478: The late 19th or early 20th century. This was partly due to the 1881 Childers Reforms ; the abolition of the numbering system for regiments was as bitterly resisted then as the various amalgamations have been since and establishing precedence or age became almost an obsession. The regiment was formed in Scotland in September 1678 by the Earl of Mar for service against dissident Covenanters and helped suppress Presbyterian rebellions at Bothwell Bridge in 1679 and

3978-458: The line, the square, and the column. With the universal adoption of small arms (firearms that could be carried by hand, as opposed to cannon) in infantry units from the mid-17th century, the battlefield was dominated by linear tactics , according to which the infantry was aligned into long thin lines, shoulder to shoulder, and fired volleys . A line consisted of two, three, or four ranks of soldiers. The soldiers were expected to fire volleys at

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4056-486: The main objectives of which were fast deployment of a line, rapid shooting, and manoeuvre. Line infantry quickly became the most common type of infantry in European countries. Musketeers and grenadiers , formerly elite troops , gradually became part of the line infantry, switching to linear tactics. Over time the use of line infantry tactics spread outside of Europe, often as a result of European imperialism. In European colonies and settlements with small populations from

4134-497: The melee-oriented pikemen with shallower lines that maximized the firepower of an infantry formation. Besides regular line infantry, there were elite troops (royal guards and other designated elite regiments) and the light infantry . Light infantry operated in extended order (also known as skirmish formation) as opposed to the close order (tight formations) used by line infantry. Since the late 18th century, light infantry in most European countries mostly consisted of riflemen (such as

4212-467: The movement of units. In Russia, Great Britain, France, Prussia, and some other states, linear tactics and formation discipline were maintained into the late 19th century. With the invention of new weaponry, the concept of line infantry began to wane. The Minié ball , an improved rifle ammunition, allowed individual infantrymen to shoot more accurately and over greatly increased range. Men walking in formation line-abreast became easy targets, as evidenced in

4290-416: The new Colonel being Viscount Mordaunt , who himself lost an arm at Blenheim. Shortly after the Battle of Ramillies in May 1706, Mordaunt exchanged regiments with Colonel Sampson de Lalo, a French Huguenot refugee who previously commanded what later became the 28th Regiment of Foot . Under de Lalo, it fought at Oudenarde and the capture of Lille , one of the strongest defences in Europe whose Citadel

4368-412: The new fusils retained the name "musket". Both muskets and fusils were smoothbore , which lessened their accuracy and range, but made for faster loading, lesser amount of bore fouling and more robust, less complicated firearms. The accuracy of smooth-bore muskets was in the range of 300–400 yd (270–370 m) against a line of infantry or cavalry. Against a single enemy, however, the effective range

4446-419: The rifle companies are referred to as "line officers" while billeted to positions such as Platoon Leaders and Commanding and Executive Officers. The British Grenadiers " The British Grenadiers " is a traditional marching song of British and Commonwealth military units whose badge of identification features a grenade, the tune of which dates from the 17th century. It is the regimental quick march of

4524-520: The second half of the nineteenth century, regiments in several European armies retained the "line infantry" (or cavalry) title. This designation had come to mean an army's regular or numbered regiments, as opposed to specialist or elite formations. Accordingly, the distinction had become a traditional title or classification without significance regarding armament or tactics. For example, the Belgian Army order of battle in 1914 comprised 14 regiments of Infanterie de Ligne (line infantry), three of Chasseurs

4602-451: The twine sometimes would accidentally set fire to the gunpowder reservoir in the musket prematurely setting off the gunpowder, resulting in serious injury or death to the operator. For this reason and others, matchlock muskets began to be replaced by lighter and cheaper infantry fusils with flintlocks , weighing 5 kg (11 lb) with a caliber of 17.5 mm (0.69 in), first in France and then in other countries. In many countries,

4680-547: The two Regiments combined at Redford Barracks , Edinburgh to form the 1st Battalion of the new regiment (1 RHF). The Regiment was awarded the following battle honours . Those shown in bold from the two World Wars were those selected to be emblazoned on the King's Colour. Victoria Crosses awarded to members of the regiment were: Colonels of the regiment were: Regimental titles in italics indicate they were disbanded or renumbered before 1881. Line infantry Line infantry mainly used three formations in its battles:

4758-422: The unsuccessful army reforms of Paul I, the number of light infantry in the Russian army was significantly reduced and made up only 8% of the entire field infantry. However, the Russian army soon returned to the trend of increasing the number of light infantry, begun in the 18th century. By 1811, 50 light infantry regiments were formed in the Russian army. In addition, each linear battalion was required to have 100 of

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4836-479: The use of troops by both the Protectorate and James VII and II to repress political dissent created strong resistance to permanent units owing allegiance to the Crown or State. Regiments were deliberately treated as the personal property of their current Colonel , carried his name which changed when transferred and disbanded as soon as possible. This makes tracing the origins of modern regiments very complex, particularly since many regimental histories were written in

4914-428: The whole war as part of the 29th Independent Infantry Brigade Group . The battalion participated in the Battle of Madagascar in 1942 as did the 2nd Battalion, a unique achievement for the regiment to have both its regular battalions involved in the same action. They were then transferred to India to fight in the South-East Asian Theatre . In 1944 the 29th Brigade became part of the 36th Infantry Division , previously

4992-403: The world's brave heroes, there's none that can compare. With a tow, row, row, row, row, row, to the British Grenadiers. Those heroes of antiquity ne'er saw a cannon ball, Or knew the force of powder to slay their foes withal. But our brave boys do know it, and banish all their fears, With a tow, row, row, row, row, row, for the British Grenadiers. Whene'er we are commanded to storm

5070-424: Was at peace during this period and the regiment remained on garrison duty until the War of the Austrian Succession broke out in 1742. It fought at Dettingen in June 1743 and Fontenoy in April 1745, a British defeat famous for the British and French commanders politely inviting each other to fire first. During the 1745 Rising it was part of the force that defeated the Jacobite army at Culloden in April 1746 but

5148-453: Was back in Flanders when the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle ended the war in 1748. In 1751, the system whereby regiments were numbered by seniority was formalised and it became the 21st Regiment. With the exception of the capture of Belle Île in 1761 during the 1756–63 Seven Years' War , the next 20 years were spent on garrison duty in Gibraltar, Scotland, West Florida and Quebec before returning to England in 1773. The regiment saw action at

5226-402: Was changed only after the dethronement of Napoleon III. This was common practice in all conventional Western armies until the late 19th century, as infantry tactics and military thinking had yet to catch up with technological developments. In the years after the Napoleonic Wars, line infantry continued to be deployed as the main battle force, while light infantry provided fire support and covered

5304-415: Was filled in March 1689 by Francis Fergus O'Farrell , an Irishman who had served William since 1674 and it became O'Farrell's Regiment in accordance with the practice of the time. The regiment spent the Nine Years' War in Flanders and took part in most of the major engagements, including Walcourt , Steinkirk and Landen . In July 1695, it was part of the garrison when O'Farrell surrendered Deinze to

5382-434: Was located near Ploegsteert Wood during Spring 1916. The 7th (Service) Battalion landed at Boulogne-sur-Mer as part of the 45th Brigade in the 15th (Scottish) Division in July 1915 for service on the Western Front. The 8th (Service) Battalion landed at Boulogne-sur-Mer as part of the 77th Brigade in the 26th Division in September 1915 for service on the Western Front but soon moved to Salonika . The 1st Battalion spent

5460-453: Was mentioned in a London publication in 1706, although it is not clear that it was the same melody known today. Francis Grose in his 1786 work Military Antiquities quoted two lines of the lyrics ("Come let us fill a bumper, and drink a health to those,/Who wear the caps and pouches, and eke the looped clothes") as part of a "grenadier song" he already considered to be "old". It was a popular tune in both Britain and North America throughout

5538-468: Was no more than 50–100 yd (46–91 m). It should be borne in mind that ordinary linear infantrymen were poorly trained in aimed shooting, due to the expense of gunpowder and lead (modern reenactors achieve much better results by firing smooth-bore muskets). Line infantrymen were trained in rapid reloading. The recruit was expected to load 3 rounds a minute, while an experienced soldier could load 4–6 rounds per minute. In battle conditions, this number

5616-540: Was no need for it to amalgamate with another regiment. Under the reforms the regiment became The Royal Scots Fusiliers on 1 July 1881. It became the County Regiment of Ayrshire , Dumfriesshire , Kirkcudbrightshire , Roxburghshire , Selkirkshire and Wigtownshire in South-West Scotland. This made them a Lowland Regiment and forced them to adopt trews. The regiment saw action at the Battle of

5694-496: Was originally a light-weight musket carried by units guarding the artillery train, so it may have been equipped with these before 1691. The original Fusilier regiments all had an exploding bomb emblem, so it may also relate to grenades; for example, only Fusilier regiments, the Grenadier Guards plus one or two others were later allowed to use the British Grenadiers regimental march. The Regiment returned to Flanders when

5772-713: Was raised in 1805 serving initially in Ayr and Greenock , Scotland and then in Ireland for the next three years. The regiment finally saw the restoration of "Scots" in their title in 1877. The regiment was not fundamentally affected by the Cardwell Reforms of the 1870s, which gave it a depot at Churchill Barracks in Ayr from 1873, or by the Childers Reforms of 1881 – as it already possessed two battalions, there

5850-408: Was reassigned to the 46th Infantry Brigade part of 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division , the 2nd Line duplicate of the 52nd, and served with them during the Battle of Normandy . The 50th (Holding) Battalion was raised in late May 1940 and was later redesignated the 11th Battalion in October and was assigned to the 222nd Infantry Brigade , where it remained until September 1942 when it transferred to

5928-485: Was reduced and after the first few minutes of combat, no more than 2 rounds per minute could be expected even from well trained troops. The bulk of the line infantry had no protective equipment, as armor that could provide protection from musket fire were considered too expensive and heavy. Only the former elite troops could keep by tradition some elements of protection, for example, the copper mitre caps of grenadiers. Initially, soldiers equipped with firearms formed only

6006-419: Was slow, and unless the battalion was superbly trained, a breakdown in cohesion was assured, especially in uneven or wooded terrain. As a result, the line was mostly used as a firing formation, with troops moving in column formations and then deploying to the line at their destination. Usually, columns would be adopted for movement and melee attacks. Line infantry was trained in the manual of arms evolutions,

6084-439: Was unpredictable. In addition, at the time of the “hot” shootout, the soldiers were so engaged and focused on shooting that they were not watching out for an attack of cavalry from the flank. For these reasons, experienced officers tried to avoid such uncertain exchanges and restrained their soldiers from premature firing in order to get as close to the enemy’s line as possible so that they could deliver several devastating volleys at

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