ROYAL ARMY OF SCOTLAND In February 1998 in the aftermath of the nuclear exchange, the Scottish National Party (SNP) (who had the support of the majority of the Scottish population) declared Scotland independent. In the absence of any opposition this was readily accepted (helped by the fact that the institutions they created used democratic structures that were familiar with the population). One of the interim SNP government's first actions was to create a military force to bring order to the countryside. These initially consisted of Scottish military units on Scottish soil. Most of these were happy to follow the new government. Those who were unwilling were given the option to leave without recrimination although few did so. A number of non-scottish units were also given the option to join the new government but the alternative was different, they would be allowed to march south out of Scotland as a formed unit leaving any volunteers behind. The commander of the 51 st (Highland) Brigade, Brigadier Ian Hamilton was approached to command the new force. Brigadier Hamilton accepted and set about reforming the Royal Army to meet the government's needs. Initially the forces were used to gradually push marauders out of areas under the government's control. Popular with the people for this, Brigadier Hamilton suggested the formation of a militia. This was enthusiastically welcomed and small cadres of regular soldiers formed the headquarters and training elements of this force. Militia were unpaid but provided with equipment and weapons for use in local defence. They are not subject to service outside of their area. There are also reserve battalions, these are currently on full time service but the plan is to eventually return these to a part-time role but with a call up facility in an emergency. Transfer between militia, reserve and full time service is possible. Initially the units that were: Order of battle February 1998 Illustration 1: The iconic photo by Hazel Morris used to recruit militia for the RAS. Scottish Office Archive. 2890 Squadron (RAuxAF) (City of Glasgow), RAF Regiment 243 Provost Company, Royal Scottish Military Police Transport Regiment, Royal Army of Scotland (formerly The Scottish Transport Regiment, Royal Logistic Corps) 527 HQ Squadron 221 (Glasgow) Transport Squadron 230 (Edinburgh) Transport Squadron 251 (Ayrshire) Transport Squadron 265 Armoured Transport Squadron raised by RAS equipped with Saxon APCs (1 troop) and uparmoured Land Rovers (some improvised) (2 and 3 troops) 1 st Engineer Regiment, Royal Army of Scotland (units from 20 (ADR) Regiment, Royal Engineers) 234 Squadron 236 Squadron Training Regiment, Royal Army of Scotland (staff drawn from all elements of the RAS) Preston Pans Company (Directing Staff) Bannockburn Company (Demonstration Company) Alamain Company (Administration Company) Somme Company (Student Company) Mons Company (Student Company) Fontenoy Company (Student Company) Flodden Company (Student Company remedial for injured recruits) 1 st Armoured Regiment, Royal Army of Scotland HQ & Support Squadron Waterloo Squadron Warburg Squadron Blenheim Squadron 1 st Signals Regiment, Royal Army of Scotland (formerly 32 (Scottish) Signal Regiment (V) less 69 Squadron (North Irish Horse)) 51 Squadron (Highland) 52 Squadron (Lowland) 61 Squadron (City of Edinburgh) 2 Squadron (Dundee), 39 (City of London) Signal Regiment (V) long range communications Rapid Action Force HQ & Support Weapons Company Tumbledown Company Rhine Company 1 st (Highland) Battalion Royal Army of Scotland (formerly 3 rd Battalion Highland Volunteers)
General Ian Hamilton General Hamilton is the current commander of the RAS. Born in 1940, his father died the following year serving as a junior officer in North Africa. Despite this Ian determined a military career was for him when he found he loved the atmosphere of the Combined Cadet Force at his school (despite his mother's wishes). Commissioned into the Black Watch in 1963 after attending Edinburgh University to study politics, he first saw service as a platoon commander in the Middle East before deploying to Northern Ireland as a company commander in the early 1970s. Here he learnt the value of popular support from a population, a view that has shaped his objectives for how the RAS acts. By the mid 1980s he had undertaken a large number of staff roles in BAOR and in 1987 was given command of the 1 st Bn Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. Completing his tour successfully (including another tour of Northern Ireland), he was given command of the Territorial 51 (Highland) Brigade in 1992. With the secession of Scotland he was badly split but decided that the difficulty of the Scottish people was his main concern and he therefore accepted command of the Royal Army of Scotland. A Company B Company C Company D Company 2 nd Battalion Royal Army of Scotland (The Lowlanders) (formerly 2 nd Bn 52 nd Lowland Volunteers) 1 Company (Royal Scots) 2 Company (Royal Scots) 3 Company (King's Own Scottish Borderers) 4 Company (Cameronians) 5 Company 3 rd Battalion Royal Army of Scotland Tangier Company Alma Company 1 st Reserve Battalion Royal Army of Scotland HQ (Assaye) Company Somme Company (formerly F Company, 1 52 nd Lowland Volunteers) Normandy Company (formerly G Company, 1 52 nd Lowland Volunteers) Balaclava Company (formerly 5 Company, 2 52 nd Lowland Volunteers) 2 nd Reserve Battalion Royal Army of Scotland HQ (Rhine) Company Tangier Company (formerly Y Company, 2 nd 51 st Highland Volunteers) Kohima Company (formerly X Company, 2 nd 51 st Highland Volunteers) Quebec Company (formerly W Company, 3 rd 51 st highland Volunteers) 3 rd Reserve (Islands) Battalion Royal Army of Scotland 1 (Orkney) Company 2 (Composite) Company By January 2001 this had changed to the following: Order of battle January 2001 2890 (Lowland) Squadron (RAuxAF), RAF Regiment of Scotland (strength 30) 2891 (Highland) Squadron (RauxAF), RAF Regiment of Scotland (strength 40) 243 Provost Battalion, Royal Scottish Military Police (strength 100) Transport Regiment, Royal Army of Scotland (formerly The Scottish Transport Regiment, Royal Logistic Corps) (strength 220) 527 HQ Squadron 221 (Glasgow) Transport Squadron 230 (Edinburgh) Transport Squadron 251 (Ayrshire) Transport Squadron 252 Amphibious Transport Squadron raised by RAS 265 Armoured Transport Squadron raised by RAS 1 st Engineer and Support Regiment, Royal Army of Scotland (units from 20 (ADR) Regiment, Royal Engineers) (strength 360) 233 Squadron 234 Squadron 235 (Bridging) Squadron 236 Squadron 237 (Repair) Squadron 238 Squadron 239 (Decontamination) Squadron Training Regiment, Royal Army of Scotland (staff drawn from all elements of the RAS) (strength 250) Preston Pans Company (Directing Staff) 5 Company, 2 nd Bn Royal Army of Scotland (Demonstration Company) Alamain Company (Administration Company) Somme Company (Student Company) Mons Company (Student Company) Fontenoy Company (Student Company) Flodden Company (Student Company - remedial) 1 st Cavalry Regiment, Royal Army of Scotland (was 1 st Armoured Rgt, RAS) (strength 140) HQ & Support Squadron Waterloo Squadron 4 x Chieftain Warburg Squadron converted to motorised infantry in soft-skin vehicles Blenheim Squadron 5 x Scimitar Balaclava Squadron converted to horsed cavalry Bannockburn Squadron horsed cavalry [2 x Chieftains have been cannibalised for spares and are left on the approach to Stirling Castle other than the members of the unit, nobody is aware these are for show only and are incapable of firing the main weapons or moving)
He has forged the RAS into a force to be reckoned with, creating the three tier system of regular, territorial and militia that he believes will give the best protection to the people. In recognition he was appointed a general by the Scottish Government in January 2000. Popular with his troops for his down to earth attitude he can however show a strict approach to life. Moderate in most things (he excludes his favourite tipple of whisky from this, enjoying a dram before bed)he can be prone to the odd fit of anger when he sees innocents harmed. He once only just escaped censure from the civilian government when he ordered marauders shot out of hand. He has also ensured that the RAS is used to support the civilian government in many areas outside of defence, in particular rebuilding infrastructure and for tasks such as snow clearing and assisting civilian emergency services. As time drags on and the English Government moves north he dreads a confrontation between the English and Scottish governments, the though of this has kept him awake on many a night. A veteran NPC he speaks English (10), Scott s Gaelic (6), Latin (2), Arabic (2) and German (3). 1 st Signals Regiment, Royal Army of Scotland (formerly 32 (Scottish) Signal Regiment (V) less 69 Squadron (North Irish Horse)) (strength 90) 51 Squadron (Highland) 52 Squadron (Lowland) 61 Squadron (City of Edinburgh) 2 Squadron (Dundee), 39 (City of London) Signal Regiment (V) long range communications Rapid Action Force (strength 200 excluding rotating company) HQ & Support Weapons Company Tumbledown Company Rhine Company Rotating company from 1 st or 2 nd Battalion, RAS (currently B Coy 1 st Bn these form a support role 1 st (Highland) Battalion Royal Army of Scotland (formerly 3 rd Battalion Highland Volunteers) (strength 190) A Company B Company currently on attachment to Rapid Action Force C Company D Company 2 nd Battalion Royal Army of Scotland (The Lowlanders) (formerly 2 nd Bn 52 nd Lowland Volunteers) (strength 250) 1 Company (Royal Scots) 2 Company (Royal Scots) 3 Company (King's Own Scottish Borderers) 4 Company (Cameronians) 5 Company detached to Training Regiment 3 rd Battalion Royal Army of Scotland (strength 100) Tangier Company Alma Company 1 st Reserve Battalion Royal Army of Scotland (strength 120) HQ (Assaye) Company Somme Company (formerly F Company, 1 52 nd Lowland Volunteers) Normandy Company (formerly G Company, 1 52 nd Lowland Volunteers) Mandalay Company 2 nd Reserve Battalion Royal Army of Scotland (strength 100) HQ (Rhine) Company Quebec Company (formerly W Company, 3 rd 51 st highland Volunteers) 3 rd Reserve Battalion Royal Army of Scotland (strength 150) HQ (Salamanca) Company Tangier Company (formerly Y Company, 2 nd 51 st Highland Volunteers) Balaclava Company (formerly 5 Company, 2 52 nd Lowland Volunteers) 1 st Militia Battalion, Royal Army of Scotland (strength 500 part time) (Borders) Dumfries & Galloway Company Ayrshire Company Lanarkshire Company Edinburgh & Lothian Company 2 nd Militia Battalion, Royal Army of Scotland (strength 800 part time) (Sterling) Argyll & Bute Company Perth, Kinross & Fife Company Moray & Aberdeenshire Company 3 rd Militia (Islands) Battalion Royal Army of Scotland (strength 160 part time) Hebrides Company 2 Company Militia battalions are composed of local part-time volunteers who are not required to serve outside the local area. Illustration 2: Many of the RAS medical sections have acted in support of the Scottish Ambulance Service providing what little care is possible in towns and cities in particular. In addition many patrols include a medic to offer basic treatment to the more isolated settlements. This has been shown to be a major factor in winning public support against the local marauders. The Scotsman
Dress distinctions Each of the Scottish units has a distinctive hackle worn with the Tam o'shanter, depending on what unit they trace their origin to (the RAS has been keen not to lose the heritage, thinking correctly that the pride of the Scottish soldier in the unit's history will be a major motivating factor). Original unit Hackle colour Notes Royal Scots Royal Highland Fusileers Black (from 1 st Jan 2001 Gold) White There is documentary evidence that until at least 2003 some were still wearing the black hackle. Black Watch Red Worn in place of a cap badge Highlanders (Seaforth, Gordons and Cameronians) Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders Blue Green 52 nd Lowland Grey 51 st Highland Purple King's Own Scottish Borderers Black Illustration 4: Interesting photo of RAS soldiers from a number of regiments (including RAF Regiment personnel) clearing streets in Stirling during the harsh winter of 2000. Such activities were instrumental in the Scottish Government's popular backing in the early 2000s. RAS Archive Initially most soldiers removed the Union Flag from the left shoulder of their uniforms. By 2000, often this had been replaced by the white on blue saltire of Scotland. Variants known to exist include the addition of the Scottish lion rampant. TRFs for the RAS were based around the unit that the soldier was currently serving with regardless of cap badge. Whilst there were a large number of variations within this, particularly in the early Illustration 3: Rare photo of the Rapid Reaction Force undertaking a demonstration balloon jump for VIPs. French Government archives years before standardisation could be achieved, the following table provides a reasonable summary: Illustration 5: 1 (Highland) Bn RAS patrol in Inverness June 1999. RAS infantry units tend to shun the helmet for regimental head dress unless in combat. The Scotsman Unit TRF Remarks RAF Rgt Royal Scottish Military Police RAF colours with superimposed gold lion rampant MP in black on red Transport Regiment A white wheel on a blue background Engineering and Support Rgt Training Regiment A hammer and a spade in black on green Crossed white rifles on a blue background. 1 st Cavalry Rgt A black horse jumping over a Occasionally the lion was replaced by a white diagonal cross 252 Squadron used crossed white oars on a blue background Squadron numbers sometimes below
Illustration 6: Members of 252 (Amphibious) Squadron, Transport Regiment prepare to carry members of the Rapid Action Force across Loch Feinn in a night-time attempt to surprise a marauder gang lead by Sean McAllen. the raid was a partial success with the gang being dispersed but one boat was lost with all passengers and crew in mysterious circumstances when it appeared to hit an object just under the surface. RAS Archive black stylised tank on a green background. 1 st Signals Rgt A crossed pair of lightning bolts on a blue background Rapid Action Force Scottish flag with superimposed gold lion rampant. Often found in black on green. Attached personnel used a version with a red lion according to some sources. Examples of this have come to light but some pictures also show serving members wearing the gold lion. 1 st (Highland) Bn A white 1 on a blue background. No examples of black on green versions of this exist, it is believed that they were never issued. 2 nd Battalion 1 square Royal Stewart tartan 3 rd Battalion A red 3 in a red outline circle on black. 1 st Reserve Bn Crossed claymores in black on green. 2 nd Reserve Bn A Roman style wall in black on green 3 rd Reserve Bn A blue 3 in a blue outline square on black 1 st Militia Bn A face divided centrally into blue and white (blue to the left). 2 nd Militia Bn A red set of bagpipes facing front on a yellow background 3 rd Militia Bn A Viking helmet in white on black Full colour versions are believed to exist but no example has ever been seen. A version in a circle has been found but this is believed to be a later fake. No background, cut to shape.