Royal Regiment of Scotland

Royal Regiment of Scotland
Cap Badge of the Royal Regiment of Scotland
Active	28 March 2006 – present
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Branch	British Army
Type	infantry
Role	1st Battalion: Light Infantry 2nd Battalion: Light Infantry 3rd Battalion: Light Mechanised Infantry 4th Battalion: Armoured infantry Balaklava Coy: Public duties 6th Battalion: Army Reserve 7th Battalion: Army Reserve
Size	Six battalions One reinforced company
Part of	Scottish Division
Garrison/HQ	RHQ: Edinburgh 1st Battalion: Palace Barracks, Belfast 2nd Battalion: Glencorse Barracks, Edinburgh 3rd Battalion: Fort George 4th Battalion Catterick Garrison Balaklava Company: Redford Barracks, Edinburgh 6th Battalion: Glasgow 7th Battalion: Perth
Motto(s)	"Nemo Me Impune Lacessit" (Latin) "No One Provokes Me With Impunity"
March	Quick: Scotland the Brave Slow: Royal Regiment of Scotland Slow March
Mascot(s)	LCpl Cruachan IV (Shetland Pony)
Commanders
Colonel in Chief	HM The Queen
Colonel of the Regiment	Major-General Bob Bruce CBE DSO
Insignia
Tactical Recognition Flash
Tartan	Government 1A
Hackle	Blackcock Feathers From the Royal Scots and King's Own Scottish Borderers
Abbreviation	SCOTS

The Royal Regiment of Scotland is the senior and only Scottish line infantry regiment of the British Army Infantry. It consists of four regular and two reserve battalions, plus an incremental company, each formerly an individual regiment (with the exception of the first battalion, which is an amalgamation of two regiments). However, each battalion maintains its former regimental Pipes & Drums to carry on the traditions of their antecedent regiments.

As part of restructuring in the British Army, the Royal Regiment of Scotland's creation was announced by the Secretary of State for Defence, Geoff Hoon in the House of Commons on 16 December 2004, after the merger of several regiments and the reduction in total regular infantry battalions from 40 to 36 was outlined in the defence white paper, Delivering Security in a Changing World, several months earlier.

The regiment consists of a total of seven battalions: one of these was formed by the amalgamation of the Royal Scots and King's Own Scottish Borderers, while the others are each formed from one of the remaining single-battalion regiments of the Scottish Division. Along with the Rifles, it is currently the largest infantry regiment in the British Army. Of all of the new regiments formed following the announcement of 16 December 2004, the Royal Regiment of Scotland is the only one where the former regimental titles have been prominently retained with the new numbered battalion designations as subtitles. There is however a common regimental cap badge, tactical recognition flash (TRF), tartan, stable belt and Glengarry headdress but distinctively coloured hackles are also worn by each separate battalion on the Tam o' Shanter headdress to maintain their individual identity and the pipes and drums of each battalion continue to wear the ceremonial uniforms and tartans of their former regiments.