The Wartime Memories Project

- 1st Battalion, Royal Scots during the Second World War -


Allied Forces Index
skip to content


This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site you agree to accept cookies.


If you enjoy this site

please consider making a donation.




    Site Home

    WW2 Home

    Add Stories

    WW2 Search

    Library

    Help & FAQs


 WW2 Features

    Airfields

    Allied Army

    Allied Air Forces

    Allied Navy

    Axis Forces

    Home Front

    Battles

    Prisoners of War

    Allied Ships

    Women at War

    Those Who Served

    Day-by-Day

    Library

    The Great War

 Submissions

    Add Stories

    Time Capsule

    TWMP on Facebook



    Childrens Bookshop

 FAQ's

    Help & FAQs

    Glossary

    Volunteering

    Contact us

    News

    Bookshop

    About


Advertisements











World War 2 Two II WW2 WWII 1939 1945

1st Battalion, Royal Scots



   1st Battalion, Royal Scots was based at Aldershot as part of 4th Infantry Brigade, 2nd Division when war broke out in 1939. They saw action during the Battle of France and after a spell on Home Defence duties fought in India and Burma.

   location map

24th of December 1939 

30th of December 1939 On the Move

10th May 1940 Orders

11th May 1940 Defence Work

12th May 1940 Defence Work

13th May 1940 Evacuation

14th May 1940 Contact

15th May 1940 Shelling

16th May 1940 Withdrawal

17th May 1940 On the March

18th May 1940 Orders

19th May 1940 Bombing

20th May 1940 Under Shellfire

21st May 1940 Counter Attacks

21st May 1940 Planning

22nd May 1940 Withdrawal

22nd May 1940 Shelling

22nd May 1940 Attacks Repulsed

23rd May 1940 In Action

23rd May 1940 Air Raid

23rd May 1940 Shortening the Front

24th May 1940 On the Move

24th May 1940 In Action

24th May 1940 Air Raids

25th May 1940 Air Raid

26th May 1940 Shelling

27th May 1940 In Action

27th May 1940 Casualties

27th May 1940 Withdrawal

28th May 1940 Under Attack

30th May 1940 In Action

3rd Jun 1940 Reorganisation

5th Jun 1940 Reorganisation

6th Jun 1940 Reorganisation

7th Jun 1940 HQ Moves

8th Jun 1940 Strength

9th Jun 1940 Moves

10th Jun 1940 Reorganisation

11th Jun 1940 Reorganisation

12th Jun 1940 Reorganisation

13th Jun 1940 Reorganisation

14th Jun 1940 Reorganisation

15th Jun 1940 Reorganisation

16th Jun 1940 Reorganisation

17th Jun 1940 Reorganisation

18th Jun 1940 Reorganisation

19th Jun 1940 Recce

20th Jun 1940 Advance Party

21st Jun 1940 On the Move

22nd Jun 1940 On the March

23rd Jun 1940 Recconaissance

24th Jun 1940 Equipment

25th Jun 1940 Recconaissance

26th Jun 1940 Padre

27th Jun 1940 Training

28th Jun 1940 Concert

29th Jun 1940 Promotions

30th Jun 1940 Command

20th Mar 1941 Exercise

26th Mar 1941 Demonstration

27th Mar 1941 Exercise

1st Jan 1943 At Rest  location map

12th Mar 1943 Reliefs

13th Mar 1943 Reliefs Completed

29th Mar 1943 Reliefs

3rd Apr 1944 In Action

6th Apr 1944 On the Move

7th Apr 1944 On the Move

8th Apr 1944 On the Move  location map

11th Apr 1944 On the Move  location map

12th Apr 1944 At Rest  location map

13th Apr 1944 On the Move

14th Apr 1944 On the Move  location map

15th Apr 1944 On the Move

16th Apr 1944 Reliefs  location map

17th Apr 1944 Patrols Search  location map

18th Apr 1944 Attack Made

18th Apr 1944 Contact  location map

19th Apr 1944 Artillery in Action

20th Apr 1944 Attack Made

21st Apr 1944 Barrage

22nd Apr 1944 Bombardment

23rd Apr 1944 Empty Positions

24th Apr 1944 Advance  location map

25th Apr 1944 On the Move  location map

26th Apr 1944 Box Formed  location map

27th Apr 1944 On the March  location map

28th Apr 1944 On the March  location map

29th Apr 1944 On the March  location map

30th Apr 1944 On the March  location map

1st May 1944 Ambush  location map

2nd May 1944 On the Move  location map

3rd May 1944 Opposition

4th May 1944 Wounded Evacuated  location map

5th May 1944 Ambushed  location map

6th May 1944 Snipers  location map

7th May 1944 Hard Fighting  location map

8th May 1944 Enemy Active  location map

9th May 1944 Reliefs  location map

10th May 1944 Patrol

11th May 1944 Snipers  location map

12th May 1944 Attack Planned  location map

13th May 1944 Attack Postponed  location map

14th May 1944 Attack Made  location map

15th May 1944 Bunkers  location map

16th May 1944 Shelling  location map

17th May 1944 Recce Patrol  location map

18th May 1944 Heavy Firing  location map

19th May 1944 Heavy Firing  location map

20th May 1944 Enemy Positions  location map

21st May 1944 Enemy Fire  location map

22nd May 1944 Smoke  location map

23rd May 1944 Equipment  location map

24th May 1944 Orders  location map

25th May 1944 Poor Weather  location map

26th May 1944 Reliefs  location map

27th May 1944 In Position  location map

28th May 1944 Exercise

29th May 1944 Bunkers

30th May 1944 On the March  location map

31st May 1944 At Rest  location map

21st of February 1945 Orders  location map


If you can provide any additional information, especially on actions and locations at specific dates, please add it here.



Those known to have served with

1st Battalion, Royal Scots

during the Second World War 1939-1945.

  • Armstrong Francis Jeremy. Pte.
  • Carr Douglas. Pte. (d.10th May 1940)
  • Luce MID Leonard. Pte.
  • Merritt William Charles. Pte. (d.31st March 1941)
  • Reed George Henry Edward. Sgt.
  • Reidie John.
  • Robinson William Alexander. Cpl. (d.24th May 1940)

The names on this list have been submitted by relatives, friends, neighbours and others who wish to remember them, if you have any names to add or any recollections or photos of those listed, please Add a Name to this List

Records of 1st Battalion, Royal Scots from other sources.



The Wartime Memories Project is the original WW1 and WW2 commemoration website.

Announcements



  • The Wartime Memories Project has been running for 24 years. If you would like to support us, a donation, no matter how small, would be much appreciated, annually we need to raise enough funds to pay for our web hosting and admin or this site will vanish from the web.
  • 22nd April 2024 - Please note we currently have a huge backlog of submitted material, our volunteers are working through this as quickly as possible and all names, stories and photos will be added to the site. If you have already submitted a story to the site and your UID reference number is higher than 263973 your information is still in the queue, please do not resubmit, we are working through them as quickly as possible.
  • Looking for help with Family History Research?   Please read our Family History FAQ's
  • The free to access section of The Wartime Memories Project website is run by volunteers and funded by donations from our visitors. If the information here has been helpful or you have enjoyed reaching the stories please conside making a donation, no matter how small, would be much appreciated, annually we need to raise enough funds to pay for our web hosting or this site will vanish from the web.
    If you enjoy this site

    please consider making a donation.


Want to find out more about your relative's service? Want to know what life was like during the War? Our Library contains an ever growing number diary entries, personal letters and other documents, most transcribed into plain text.



We are now on Facebook. Like this page to receive our updates.

If you have a general question please post it on our Facebook page.


Wanted: Digital copies of Group photographs, Scrapbooks, Autograph books, photo albums, newspaper clippings, letters, postcards and ephemera relating to WW2. We would like to obtain digital copies of any documents or photographs relating to WW2 you may have at home.

If you have any unwanted photographs, documents or items from the First or Second World War, please do not destroy them. The Wartime Memories Project will give them a good home and ensure that they are used for educational purposes. Please get in touch for the postal address, do not sent them to our PO Box as packages are not accepted. World War 1 One ww1 wwII second 1939 1945 battalion
Did you know? We also have a section on The Great War. and a Timecapsule to preserve stories from other conflicts for future generations.



Want to know more about 1st Battalion, Royal Scots?


There are:1440 items tagged 1st Battalion, Royal Scots available in our Library

  These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Second World War.


Sgt. George Henry Edward Reed 1st Btn. Royal Scots

George Reed was sent to India in 1944 on the Queen of Bermuda. He spent time with several Scottish regiments and then joined the Americans under General Slim and Merrill’s Marauders, seeing action at Myitkyina and Imphal and crossing the Irrawaddy.

After the war, he remained in India at the Red Fort in Delhi for the war trials. His claim to fame was that one day when he was in charge of the sentry at the Red Fort, a high-ranking Indian gentleman insisted on being allowed to enter the fort. George was called forward and without any respect told the gentleman to ‘Foxtrot Oscar’. It later transpired that the gentleman in question was the future prime minister of India, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.

Many years later, George was attending to his runner beans in the garden when the Red Arrows, returning from an aerobatic display, flew low over the house. In a fright, George dived for the floor and when he opened his eyes he saw that he was surrounded by his beans on trellises. This panicked him into thinking he was back in Burma. It took us ages to calm him down. Like many others he had recurring bouts of malaria over the years.

Alan Reed



Pte. Francis Jeremy Armstrong 1st Battalion Royal Scots

Francis Armstrong served with the 1st Royal Scots in France in 1940. The Battalion formed part of the defensive perimeter around Dunkirk and therefore were not evacuated from the beaches. Many were captured by the Germans and a group of 20 believed to have been murdered after surrendering. Francis Armstrong was one of those who were evacuated from further up the coast.

After a couple of years in Bradford where the Batalion was reconstituted he moved with them to India. He was not awarded the Burma Star as he spent the latter part of the War in India.

Mark Armstrong



Pte. Leonard Luce MID 1st Btn. Royal Scots

Leonard Luce served 3l years with Royal Scots being discharged in l950. He served in India, Palestine, BEF, Overseas, Middle East. He was Mentioned in Dispatches for the Italian Campaign. His son believes he was at Dunkirk and helped rescue some of his colleagues in the chaos. He did not speak much about WW2. Towards the end of his service he was Batman to Colonel Alec Purvis with whom he remained friends till his death.

Nita Luce



John Reidie 1st Battalion Royal Scots

My father, John Reidie, served with the Royal Scots in the battle against the Japanese in Burma and in the battle of Kohima and perhaps the ''Battle of the Tennis court'' as it came to be known . There is a story that he told us that the Japs used to climb up into the trees and call people names like "Johnny or Bobby help me please I am hurt",and when that person went to help their comrade they were shot.

My Dad was badly injured and his friend, a Gurka soldier, saw him bleeding badly he carried him to safety and medical treatment thus saving his life. My Dad remained in hospital for a year having several operations to successfuly save his arm. He also caught malaria during his service and for years afterward suffered malaria attacks having terrible halucinations of his experiences in Burma.

Gordon Reidie









Recomended Reading.

Available at discounted prices.







Links


















    The free section of the Wartime Memories Project website is run by volunteers. We have been helping people find out more about their relatives wartime experiences since 1999 by recording and preserving recollections, documents, photographs and small items.

    The website is paid for out of our own pockets, library subscriptions and from donations made by visitors. The popularity of the site means that it is far exceeding available resources and we currently have a huge backlog of submissions.

    If you are enjoying the site, please consider making a donation, however small to help with the costs of keeping the site running.



    Hosted by:

    The Wartime Memories Project Website

    is archived for preservation by the British Library





    Copyright MCMXCIX - MMXXIV
    - All Rights Reserved

    We do not permit the use of any content from this website for the training of LLMs or for use in Generative AI, it also may not be scraped for the purpose of creating other websites.