1.
United Kingdom
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The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom or Britain, is a sovereign country in western Europe. Lying off the north-western coast of the European mainland, the United Kingdom includes the island of Great Britain, Northern Ireland is the only part of the United Kingdom that shares a land border with another sovereign state—the Republic of Ireland. The Irish Sea lies between Great Britain and Ireland, with an area of 242,500 square kilometres, the United Kingdom is the 78th-largest sovereign state in the world and the 11th-largest in Europe. It is also the 21st-most populous country, with an estimated 65.1 million inhabitants, together, this makes it the fourth-most densely populated country in the European Union. The United Kingdom is a monarchy with a parliamentary system of governance. The monarch is Queen Elizabeth II, who has reigned since 6 February 1952, other major urban areas in the United Kingdom include the regions of Birmingham, Leeds, Glasgow, Liverpool and Manchester. The United Kingdom consists of four countries—England, Scotland, Wales, the last three have devolved administrations, each with varying powers, based in their capitals, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast, respectively. The relationships among the countries of the UK have changed over time, Wales was annexed by the Kingdom of England under the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. A treaty between England and Scotland resulted in 1707 in a unified Kingdom of Great Britain, which merged in 1801 with the Kingdom of Ireland to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Five-sixths of Ireland seceded from the UK in 1922, leaving the present formulation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain, there are fourteen British Overseas Territories. These are the remnants of the British Empire which, at its height in the 1920s, British influence can be observed in the language, culture and legal systems of many of its former colonies. The United Kingdom is a country and has the worlds fifth-largest economy by nominal GDP. The UK is considered to have an economy and is categorised as very high in the Human Development Index. It was the worlds first industrialised country and the worlds foremost power during the 19th, the UK remains a great power with considerable economic, cultural, military, scientific and political influence internationally. It is a nuclear weapons state and its military expenditure ranks fourth or fifth in the world. The UK has been a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council since its first session in 1946 and it has been a leading member state of the EU and its predecessor, the European Economic Community, since 1973. However, on 23 June 2016, a referendum on the UKs membership of the EU resulted in a decision to leave. The Acts of Union 1800 united the Kingdom of Great Britain, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have devolved self-government
2.
British Army
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The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom. As of 2017 the British Army comprises just over 80,000 trained Regular, or full-time, personnel and just over 26,500 trained Reserve, or part-time personnel. Therefore, the UK Parliament approves the continued existence of the Army by passing an Armed Forces Act at least once every five years, day to day the Army comes under administration of the Ministry of Defence and is commanded by the Chief of the General Staff. Repeatedly emerging victorious from these decisive wars allowed Britain to influence world events with its policies and establish itself as one of the leading military. In 1660 the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were restored under Charles II, Charles favoured the foundation of a new army under royal control and began work towards its establishment by August 1660. The Royal Scots Army and the Irish Army were financed by the Parliament of Scotland, the order of seniority of the most senior line regiments in the British Army is based on the order of seniority in the English army. At that time there was only one English regiment of dragoons, after William and Marys accession to the throne, England involved itself in the War of the Grand Alliance, primarily to prevent a French invasion restoring Marys father, James II. Spain, in the two centuries, had been the dominant global power, and the chief threat to Englands early transatlantic ambitions. The territorial ambitions of the French, however, led to the War of the Spanish Succession and the Napoleonic Wars. From the time of the end of the Seven Years War in 1763, Great Britain was the naval power. As had its predecessor, the English Army, the British Army fought the Kingdoms of Spain, France, and the Netherlands for supremacy in North America and the West Indies. With native and provincial assistance, the Army conquered New France in the North American theatre of the Seven Years War, the British Army suffered defeat in the American War of Independence, losing the Thirteen Colonies but holding on to Canada. The British Army was heavily involved in the Napoleonic Wars and served in campaigns across Europe. The war between the British and the First French Empire of Napoleon Bonaparte stretched around the world and at its peak, in 1813, the regular army contained over 250,000 men. A Coalition of Anglo-Dutch and Prussian Armies under the Duke of Wellington, the English had been involved, both politically and militarily, in Ireland since being given the Lordship of Ireland by the Pope in 1171. The campaign of the English republican Protector, Oliver Cromwell, involved uncompromising treatment of the Irish towns that had supported the Royalists during the English Civil War, the English Army stayed in Ireland primarily to suppress numerous Irish revolts and campaigns for independence. Having learnt from their experience in America, the British government sought a political solution, the British Army found itself fighting Irish rebels, both Protestant and Catholic, primarily in Ulster and Leinster in the 1798 rebellion. The Haldane Reforms of 1907 formally created the Territorial Force as the Armys volunteer reserve component by merging and reorganising the Volunteer Force, Militia, Great Britains dominance of the world had been challenged by numerous other powers, in the 20th century, most notably Germany
3.
Yeomanry
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Yeomanry is a designation used by a number of units or sub-units of the British Army Reserve, descended from volunteer cavalry regiments. Today, Yeomanry units serve in a variety of different military roles, in the 1790s, the threat of invasion of the Kingdom of Great Britain was high, after the French Revolution and the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte. To improve the defences, volunteer regiments were raised in many counties from yeomen. These regiments became known collectively as the Yeomanry, members of the yeomanry were not obliged to serve overseas without their individual consent. In 1827 it was decided for reasons to reduce the number of yeomanry regiments. A number of independent troops were also dissolved, following these reductions the yeomanry establishment was fixed at 22 corps receiving allowances and a further 16 serving without pay. During the 1830s the number of yeomanry units fluctuated, reflecting the level of civil unrest in any region at any particular time. The Irish Yeomanry, which had played a role in suppressing the rebellion of 1798, was completely disbanded in 1838. For the next thirty years the Yeomanry Force was retained as a line of support for the regular cavalry within Britain. Recruiting difficulties led to serious consideration being given to the disbandment of the force in 1870. These included requirements that individual yeomanry troopers attend a number of drills per year in return for a permanent duty allowance. While these reforms improved the professionalism of the Yeomanry Force, numbers remained low, in 1876 the role of the Yeomanry Force was fixed as that of light cavalry. These supernumerary units were now abolished, during the Second Boer War companies of Imperial Yeomanry were formed to serve overseas from volunteers from the Yeomanry. In 1901 all yeomanry regiments were redesignated as Imperial Yeomanry, in 1908 the Imperial Yeomanry was merged with the Volunteer Force to form the Territorial Force, of which it became the cavalry arm. The Imperial title was dropped at the same time, on the eve of World War I in 1914 there were 55 Yeomanry regiments, each of four squadrons instead of the three of the regular cavalry. Upon embodiment these regiments were brought together to form mounted brigades or allocated as divisional cavalry. For purposes of recruitment and administration the Yeomanry were linked to counties or regions. Some of the still in existence in 1914 dated back to those created in the 1790s while others had been created during a period of expansion following on the Boer War
4.
Battle honour
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In European military tradition, military units may be acknowledged for their achievements in specific wars or operations of a military campaign. These honours usually take the form of a place and a date, theatre honours could be listed and displayed on regimental property but not emblazoned on the colours. Since battle honours are emblazoned on colours, artillery units. These honour titles were permitted to be used as part of their official nomenclature, similar honours in the same tenor include unit citations. Battle honours, theatre honours, honour titles and their ilk form a part of the variety of distinctions which serve to distinguish military units from each other. For the British Army, the need to adopt a system to recognise military units battlefield accomplishments was apparent since its formation as an army in the later part of the 17th century. Although the granting of battle honours had already been in place at the time, before then, a regiments colours were practical tools for rallying troops in the battlefield and not quite something for displaying the units past distinctions. The first battle honour to be awarded in the British Army was granted to the 15th Hussars for the Battle of Emsdorf in 1760, thereafter, other regiments received battle honours for some of their previous engagements. The battle honour is held by the successor regiment, the Princess of Waless Royal Regiment. During these early years of the British standing army, a regiment needed only to engage the enemy with musketry before it was eligible for a battle honour, thus in 1882, a committee was formed to adjudicate applications of battle honour claims. This committee, later called the Battles Nomenclature Committee, still maintains its function in the British Army today. A battle honour may be granted to infantry/cavalry regiments or battalions, as well as ships and squadrons, they are granted to sub-units such as companies. Battle honours are presented in the form of a name of a country, region, or city where the units distinguished act took place. Not every battle fought will automatically result in the granting of a battle honour, conversely, a regiment or a battalion might obtain more than one battle honour over the course of a larger operation. Similarly, while in Korea, Princess Patricias Canadian Light Infantry earned both Kapyong and Korea 1951–1953, supporting corps/branches such as medical, service, ordnance, or transport do not currently receive battle honours. However and uniquely the Royal Logistic Corps has five battle honours inherited from its previous transport elements, Commonwealth artillery does not maintain battle honours as they carry neither colours nor guidons—though their guns by tradition are afforded many of the same respects and courtesies. However, both the Royal Artillery and Royal Engineers were in 1832 granted by King William IV the right to use the Latin Ubique, meaning everywhere and this is worn on the cap badge of both the Corps of Royal Engineers and the Royal Regiment of Artillery. The practice was extended to these same regiments and corps in the successor Commonwealth armed forces
5.
Second Boer War
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The Second Boer War, usually known as the Boer War and also at the time as the South African War, started on 11 October 1899 and ended on 31 May 1902. Great Britain defeated two Boer states in South Africa, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State, Britain was aided by its Cape Colony, Colony of Natal and some native African allies. The British war effort was supported by volunteers from the British Empire, including Southern Africa, the Australian colonies, Canada, India. All other nations were neutral, but public opinion in them was largely hostile to Britain, inside Britain and its Empire there also was significant opposition to the Second Boer War. The British were overconfident and under-prepared, the Boers were very well armed and struck first, besieging Ladysmith, Kimberley, and Mafeking in early 1900, and winning important battles at Colenso, Magersfontein and Stormberg. Staggered, the British brought in numbers of soldiers and fought back. General Redvers Buller was replaced by Lord Roberts and Lord Kitchener and they relieved the three besieged cities, and invaded the two Boer republics in late 1900. The onward marches of the British Army were so overwhelming that the Boers did not fight staged battles in defense of their homeland, the British quickly seized control of all of the Orange Free State and Transvaal, as the civilian leadership went into hiding or exile. In conventional terms, the war was over, Britain officially annexed the two countries in 1900, and called a khaki election to give the government another six years of power in London. However, the Boers refused to surrender and they reverted to guerrilla warfare under new generals Louis Botha, Jan Smuts, Christiaan de Wet and Koos de la Rey. Two more years of attacks and quick escapes followed. As guerrillas without uniforms, the Boer fighters easily blended into the farmlands, which provided hiding places, supplies, the British solution was to set up complex nets of block houses, strong points, and barbed wire fences, partitioning off the entire conquered territory. The civilian farmers were relocated into concentration camps, where very large proportions died of disease, especially the children, then the British mounted infantry units systematically tracked down the highly mobile Boer guerrilla units. The battles at this stage were small operations with few combat casualties The war ended in surrender, the British successfully won over the Boer leaders, who now gave full support to the new political system. Both former republics were incorporated into the Union of South Africa in 1910, the conflict is commonly referred to as simply the Boer War, since the First Boer War is much less well known. Boer was the term for Afrikaans-speaking white South Africans descended from the Dutch East India Companys original settlers at the Cape of Good Hope. It is officially called the South African War and it is known as the Anglo-Boer War among some South Africans. In Afrikaans it may be called the Anglo-Boereoorlog, Tweede Boereoorlog, in South Africa it is officially called the South African War
6.
Gallipoli Campaign
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The peninsula forms the northern bank of the Dardanelles, a strait that provided a sea route to the Russian Empire, one of the Allied powers during the war. Intending to secure it, Russias allies Britain and France launched an attack followed by an amphibious landing on the peninsula. The naval attack was repelled and after eight months fighting, with casualties on both sides, the land campaign was abandoned and the invasion force was withdrawn to Egypt. The campaign was one of the greatest Ottoman victories during the war, in Turkey, it is regarded as a defining moment in the nations history, a final surge in the defence of the motherland as the Ottoman Empire crumbled. In 1908, a group of officers, known as the Young Turks. The new régime implemented a program of reform to modernise the political and economic system. An enthusiastic supporter, Germany provided significant investment, German diplomats subsequently found increasing influence, despite Britain previously being the predominant power in the region, while German officers assisted in training and re-equipping the army. Despite this support, the resources of the Ottoman Empire were depleted by the cost of the Balkan Wars of 1912 and 1913. In December 1913, the Germans sent a mission to Constantinople. The geographical position of the Ottoman Empire meant that Russia and her allies France, during the Sarajevo Crisis in 1914, German diplomats offered Turkey an anti-Russian alliance and territorial gains in Caucasia, north-west Iran and Trans-Caspia. The pro-British faction in the Cabinet was isolated due to the British ambassador taking leave until 18 August, as the crisis deepened in Europe, Ottoman policy was to obtain a guarantee of territorial integrity and potential advantages, unaware that the British might enter a European war. This action strained diplomatic relations between the two empires and the German government offered SMS Goeben and SMS Breslau to the Ottoman navy as replacements, by allowing the German ships to enter the Dardanelles, the Ottomans confirmed their links to Germany. In September, the British naval mission to the Ottomans, which had established in 1912 under Admiral Arthur Limpus, was recalled due to increasing concern that Turkey would soon enter the war. Rear Admiral Wilhelm Souchon of the Imperial German Navy took over command of the Ottoman navy, the German naval presence and the success of German armies on all fronts, gave the pro-German faction in the Ottoman government enough influence to declare war on Russia. On 27 October, Goeben and Breslau, having been renamed Yavûz Sultân Selîm and Midilli, sortied into the Black Sea, bombarded the Russian port of Odessa and sank several Russian ships. The Ottomans refused an Allied demand that they expel the German missions and on 31 October 1914, Russia declared war on Turkey on 2 November. The next day, the British ambassador left Constantinople and a British naval squadron off the Dardanelles bombarded the outer defensive forts at Kum Kale, a shell hit a magazine, knocked the guns off their mounts and killed 86 soldiers. Fighting also began in Mesopotamia, following a British landing to occupy the oil facilities in the Persian Gulf, the Ottomans prepared to attack Egypt in early 1915, aiming to occupy the Suez Canal and cut the Mediterranean route to India and the Far East
7.
Sinai and Palestine Campaign
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The Sinai and Palestine Campaign of the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I was fought between the British Empire and the Ottoman Empire, supported by the German Empire. It started with an Ottoman attempt at raiding the Suez Canal in 1915, fighting began in January 1915, when a German-led Ottoman force invaded the Sinai Peninsula, then part of the British Protectorate of Egypt, to unsuccessfully raid the Suez Canal. After the Gallipoli Campaign, veterans from each side formed the Egyptian Expeditionary Force, after a period of stalemate in Southern Palestine from April to October 1917, General Edmund Allenby captured Beersheba from the III Corps. Serious losses on the Western Front in March 1918, during Erich Ludendorffs German Spring Offensive, Damascus and Aleppo were captured during the subsequent pursuit, before the Ottoman Empire agreed to the Armistice of Mudros on 30 October 1918, ending the Sinai and Palestine Campaign. The British Mandate of Palestine and the French Mandate for Syria, the campaign was generally not well known or understood during the war. Australia did not have a war correspondent in the area until Captain Frank Hurley, Henry Gullett, the first Official War Correspondent, arrived in November 1917. The Republic of Turkey came into existence in 1923 after the Turkish War of Independence ended the Ottoman Empire, the Suez Canal was of vital strategic importance to the British, reducing the sailing time from India, New Zealand and Australia to Europe. As a result Egypt became a base during the war. To Germany and the Ottoman Empire the canal was the closest and weakest link in British communications, Defence of the canal posed a number of problems, with its sheer size alone making it hard to control. There was no road from Cairo, while only one railway track crossed the 30 miles of desert from Cairo to Ismaïlia on the Canal before branching north to Port Said and south to Suez. At the beginning of hostilities between Britain and the Ottoman Empire in November 1914 the 30,000 strong British defence force evacuated the Sinai Peninsula, instead they concentrated their defences on the western side of the canal. These were supported by the guns of Allied ships in the canal, opposing them were around 25,000 men, including the 25th Division. The Ottoman Empire demonstrated its interest in being reinstated in Egypt in 1915 when Ottoman forces attacked British forces in Egypt, the Germans also helped to foment unrest among the Senussi in what is now Libya, when they attacked western Egypt and threatened the Sudan during the Senussi Campaign. Egypt was neither an independent ally nor a member of the British Empire, the recently appointed High Commissioner Sir Reginald Wingate and Murray agreed that Egypts contributions would be restricted to the use of the countrys railway and Egyptian personnel. However, Maxwell had proclaimed on 6 November 1914 that Egypt would not be required to aid Britains war effort, martial law allowed the British administration to control foreign European residents, monitor foreign agents and intern dangerous persons who were the subjects of hostile nations. The powers were used to police prostitution and the sale of alcohol. The Capitulations, however provided some protection to the Europeans who controlled both these industries, in the autumn of 1917 GHQ was transferred from Cairo to the front leaving garrison battalions. This move took the commander in chief of the EEF, who was responsible for law, out of touch with the civil authorities
8.
Macedonian Front
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The expedition came too late and in insufficient force to prevent the fall of Serbia, and was complicated by the internal political crisis in Greece. The Macedonian Front remained quite stable, despite local actions, until the great Allied offensive in September 1918, which resulted in the capitulation of Bulgaria and the liberation of Serbia. Following the asassination of the Crown Prince by a Bosnian Serb, after the entry of the Ottoman Empire into the war on the side of the Central Powers, the decisive factor in the Balkans became the attitude of Bulgaria. Bulgaria occupied an important position on the Serbian flank and its intervention on either side of the belligerents would be decisive. Bulgaria and Serbia had fought each other twice in the thirty years, in the Serbo-Bulgarian War of 1885. Bulgaria had suffered defeat in 1913 and the Bulgarian government and people felt that Serbia had stolen land which rightfully belonged to Bulgaria. After the victory of the Serbian army in the Battle of Kolubara in December 1914, on 15 October 1915, two Bulgarian armies attacked, overrunning Serbian units, penetrating into the valley of the South Morava river near Vranje up to 22 October 1915. The Bulgarian forces occupied Kumanovo, Štip, and Skopje, and prevented the withdrawal of the Serbian army to the Greek border, for a year, the Allies had repeatedly promised to send serious military forces to Serbia, while nothing had materialized. But with Bulgarias mobilization to its south, the situation for Serbia became desperate, the main reason for the delay was the lack of available Allied forces due to the critical situation in the Western Front. The Entente used Greek neutrality as an excuse, although they could have used the Albanian coast for a deployment of reinforcements. The Entente also delayed due to protracted secret negotiations aiming at bringing Bulgaria into the Allied camp, in the event the lack of Allied support sealed the fate of the Serbian Army. Against Serbia the Central Powers marshalled the Bulgarian Army, a German Army, the Germans and Austro-Hungarians began their attack on 7 October with a massive artillery barrage, followed by attacks across the rivers. Then, on 11 October, the Bulgarian Army attacked from two directions, one from the north of Bulgaria towards Niš, the other from the south towards Skopje, the Bulgarian Army rapidly broke through the weaker Serbian forces which tried to block its advance. With the Bulgarian breakthrough, the Serbian position became hopeless, their army in the north faced either encirclement and enforced surrender. Marshal Putnik ordered a full Serbian retreat, southwards and westwards through Montenegro, the Serbs faced great difficulties, terrible weather, poor roads and the need for the army to help the tens of thousands of civilians who retreated with them. Only c.125,000 Serbian soldiers reached the Adriatic coast and embarked on Italian transport ships carried the army to Corfu. Marshal Putnik had to be carried during the retreat, he died just over a year later in a French hospital. The French and British divisions marched north from Thessaloniki in October 1915 under the joint command of French General Maurice Sarrail, however, the War Office in London was reluctant to advance too deep into Serbia
9.
Western Front (WWI)
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The Western Front or Western Theater was the main theatre of war during World War I. Following the outbreak of war in August 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by invading Luxembourg and Belgium, the tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne. Following the Race to the Sea, both sides dug in along a line of fortified trenches, stretching from the North Sea to the Swiss frontier with France. This line remained unchanged for most of the war. Between 1915 and 1917 there were several major offensives along this front, the attacks employed massive artillery bombardments and massed infantry advances. However, a combination of entrenchments, machine gun emplacements, barbed wire, as a result, no significant advances were made. In an effort to break the deadlock, this front saw the introduction of new technology, including poison gas, aircraft. But it was only after the adoption of improved tactics that some degree of mobility was restored, the German Armys Spring Offensive of 1918 was made possible by the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk that marked the end of the conflict on the Eastern Front. In spite of the stagnant nature of this front, this theatre would prove decisive. The terms of peace were agreed upon with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, belgiums neutrality was guaranteed by Britain under the 1839 Treaty of London, this caused Britain to join the war at the expiration of its ultimatum at 11 pm GMT on 4 August. Armies under German generals Alexander von Kluck and Karl von Bülow attacked Belgium on 4 August 1914, Luxembourg had been occupied without opposition on 2 August. The first battle in Belgium was the Siege of Liège, which lasted from 5–16 August, Liège was well fortified and surprised the German Army under von Bülow with its level of resistance. German heavy artillery was able to demolish the main forts within a few days. Following the fall of Liège, most of the Belgian field army retreated to Antwerp, leaving the garrison of Namur isolated, with the Belgian capital, Brussels, although the German army bypassed Antwerp, it remained a threat to their flank. Another siege followed at Namur, lasting from about 20–23 August, for their part, the French had five armies deployed on their borders. The pre-war French offensive plan, Plan XVII, was intended to capture Alsace-Lorraine following the outbreak of hostilities, on 7 August the VII Corps attacked Alsace with its objectives being to capture Mulhouse and Colmar. The main offensive was launched on 14 August with 1st and 2nd Armies attacking toward Sarrebourg-Morhange in Lorraine, in keeping with the Schlieffen Plan, the Germans withdrew slowly while inflicting severe losses upon the French. The French advanced the 3rd and 4th Armies toward the Saar River and attempted to capture Saarburg, attacking Briey and Neufchateau, before being driven back
10.
Simon Fraser, 14th Lord Lovat
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Brigadier Simon Joseph Fraser, 14th Lord Lovat and 3rd Baron Lovat, KT, GCVO, KCMG, CB, DSO, was a leading Roman Catholic aristocrat, landowner, soldier, politician and the 23rd Chief of Clan Fraser. He was the son of Simon Fraser, 13th Lord Lovat, while legally the 14th Lord Lovat, he was referred to as the 16th Lord. Educated at Ampleforth and Oxford, he was an member of the Oxford University polo team. Lord Lovat was commissioned into the Queens Own Cameron Highlanders and promoted Lieutenant in 1890, in 1897 he resigned from the Regular Army and joined a volunteer battalion of the Queens Own Cameron Highlanders. In 1899 he raised the Lovat Scouts, and from February 1900 served as their second-in-command with the rank of captain, in charge of the mounted infantry, the corps served in the Second Boer War in South Africa. He was mentioned in despatches, and awarded the Distinguished Service Order in 1900, after the war he was appointed a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order in 1903 by Edward VII. In World War I, he commanded the Highland Mounted Brigade of the 2nd Mounted Division and he was appointed a Knight of the Thistle in 1915 for demonstrable leadership and courage. In March 1916 he took command of the 4th Mounted Division and he became a Rhodes Trustee in 1917, the same year as Rudyard Kipling. Lovat died in February 1933, aged 61, and was succeeded by his eldest son Simon as the 15th Lord Lovat and his younger son Sir Hugh Fraser was a successful politician and first husband of author Antonia Fraser. Sir Hugh died at the age of 66 from lung cancer, hon. Veronica Nell Fraser, died at age 85. Lt. Alan Phipps RN in 1940 in Westminster, London, Sir Fitzroy Hew Royle MacLean in 1946. Hon. Mary Diana Rose Rose Fraser, died at age 14, dictionary of National Biography Leigh Rayments Peerage Pages ThePeerage. com
11.
Simon Fraser, 15th Lord Lovat
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His friends called him Shimi Lovat, an anglicised version of his name in the Scottish Gaelic language. His clan referred to him as MacShimidh, his Gaelic patronym, Simon is the favoured family name for the Chiefs of Clan Fraser. While the 15th Lord de jure, he was the 17th Lord Lovat de facto and he was also 4th Baron Lovat in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Fraser was the son of the 14th Lord Lovat, and Laura, daughter of Thomas Lister and he transferred to the regular army, while still a second lieutenant joining the Scots Guards in 1931. The following year, Fraser succeeded his father to become the 15th Lord Lovat and he was promoted lieutenant in August 1934. Lovat resigned his commission as a lieutenant in 1937, transferring to the Supplementary Reserve of Officers. He married Rosamond Broughton, the daughter of Jock Delves Broughton, on 10 October 1938, Lord and Lady Lovat lived at Beaufort Castle at Beauly, Inverness-shire. In June 1939, just months before the Second World War, in July, however, as war approached, he was mobilized as a captain in the Lovat Scouts. The following year, he volunteered to join one of the new units being formed by the British Army. On 3 March 1941, Nos 3 and 4 Commando launched a raid on the German-occupied Lofoten Islands, in the successful raid, the commandos destroyed fish-oil factories, petrol dumps, and 11 ships. They also seized encryption equipment and codebooks, as well, the commandos captured 216 German troops,315 Norwegians chose to accompany the commandos back to Britain. As a temporary major, Lord Lovat commanded 100 men of No.4 Commando, for this action he was awarded the Military Cross on 7 July 1942. Lord Lovat became an acting lieutenant-colonel in 1942 and was appointed the officer of No.4 Commando. His commando attacked and destroyed a battery of six 150 mm guns, Lovat was awarded the Distinguished Service Order. The raid as a whole was a failure with over 4,000 casualties sustained. Yet No.4 Commando executed its assault, with most men returning safely to Britain, Lord Lovat eventually became a brigadier and became the commander of the newly formed 1st Special Service Brigade in 1944. Lord Lovats brigade was landed at Sword Beach during the invasion of Normandy on 6 June 1944, Lord Lovat reputedly waded ashore wearing a white jumper under his battledress, with Lovat inscribed into the collar, while armed with a. 45-70 Winchester underlever rifle. However, in his memoirs, Lovat states that he was armed with a short barreled U. S. Army carbine on D-Day
12.
Regiment
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A regiment is a military unit. Their role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, in Medieval Europe, the term regiment denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted in one geographical area, by a leader who was often also the feudal lord of the soldiers. By the 17th century, a regiment was usually about a thousand personnel. In many armies, the first role has been assumed by independent battalions, battlegroups, task forces, brigades and other, similarly-sized operational units. By the beginning of the 18th century, regiments in most European continental armies had evolved into permanent units with distinctive titles and uniforms, when at full strength, an infantry regiment normally comprised two field battalions of about 800 men each or 8–10 companies. In some armies, an independent regiment with fewer companies was labelled a demi-regiment, a cavalry regiment numbered 600 to 900 troopers, making up a single entity. With the widespread adoption of conscription in European armies during the nineteenth century, the regimental system underwent modification. Prior to World War I, a regiment in the French, German, Russian. As far as possible, the battalions would be garrisoned in the same military district, so that the regiment could be mobilized. A cavalry regiment by contrast made up an entity of up to 1,000 troopers. Usually, the regiment is responsible for recruiting and administering all of a military career. Depending upon the country, regiments can be either combat units or administrative units or both and this is often contrasted to the continental system adopted by many armies. Generally, divisions are garrisoned together and share the same installations, thus, in divisional administration, soldiers and officers are transferred in and out of divisions as required. Some regiments recruited from specific areas, and usually incorporated the place name into the regimental name. In other cases, regiments would recruit from an age group within a nation. In other cases, new regiments were raised for new functions within an army, e. g. the Fusiliers, the Parachute Regiment, a key aspect of the regimental system is that the regiment or battalion is the fundamental tactical building block. This flows historically from the period, when battalions were widely dispersed and virtually autonomous. For example, a regiment might include different types of battalions of different origins, within the regimental system, soldiers, and usually officers, are always posted to a tactical unit of their own regiment whenever posted to field duty
13.
Ghillie suit
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A ghillie suit is a type of camouflage clothing designed to resemble the background environment such as foliage, snow or sand. Typically, it is a net or cloth garment covered in loose strips of burlap, cloth or twine, sometimes made to look like leaves and twigs, and optionally augmented with scraps of foliage from the area. Snipers, hunters and nature photographers may wear a suit to blend into their surroundings. The suit gives the wearers outline a three-dimensional breakup, rather than a linear one, when manufactured correctly, the suit will move in the wind in the same way as surrounding foliage. Some ghillie suits are made with light and breathable material that allows a person to wear a shirt underneath, the ghillie suit was developed by Scottish gamekeepers as a portable hunting blind. Lovat Scouts, a Scottish Highland regiment formed by the British Army during the Second Boer War, is the first known military unit to use ghillie suits, in 1916, Lovat Scouts went on to become the British Armys first sniper unit. The term ghillie references Ghillie Dhu, derived from gille, the Scottish Gaelic for servant or a lad, in English, this term was especially used to refer to those assisting in deer hunting, deer stalking or fly fishing expeditions in the Scottish Highlands. High-quality ghillie suits are made by hand, most military snipers generally construct their own unique suits, manufactured ghillie suits can be assembled from up to six pieces. Proper camouflage requires the use of materials present in the environment in which a sniper will operate. Making a ghillie suit from scratch is time-consuming, and a detailed, high-quality suit can take weeks or even months to manufacture, Ghillie suits can be constructed in several different ways. Some military services make them of rough burlap flaps or jute twine attached to a poncho, hunting ghillie suits can be made of nylon and other artificial materials as well as the ones listed before. United States military ghillie suits are often built using either a dress uniform. On the base, rough webbing made of durable, stainable fabric like burlap is attached, a nearly invisible material like fishing line can be used to sew each knot of net to the fabric. The jute is applied to the netting by tying groups of 5 to 10 strands of a color to the netting with simple knots, skipping sections to be filled in with other colors. The webbing is then seasoned by dragging it behind a vehicle, leaving it to soak in mud, although highly effective, ghillie suits are impractical for many situations where camouflage is useful. They tend to be heavy and hot. Even in moderate climates, the temperature inside of the suit can reach over 50 °C. The burlap is also flammable, unless treated with fire retardant, to enhance safety, the US Army Soldier Systems Center has developed an inherently fire resistant, self extinguishing fabric to replace the jute or burlap
14.
Sniper
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Sniping requires the development of basic infantry skills to a high degree of skill. A snipers training incorporates a variety of subjects designed to increase value as a force multiplier. The art of sniping requires learning and repetitively practicing these skills until mastered, a sniper must be highly trained in long range rifle marksmanship and field craft skills to ensure maximum effective engagements with minimum risk. The verb to snipe originated in the 1770s among soldiers in British India in reference to shooting snipe, the agent noun sniper appears by the 1820s. The term sniper was first attested in 1824 in the sense of the word sharpshooter, a somewhat older term is sharp shooter, a calque of 18th-century German Scharfschütze, in use in British newspapers as early as 1801. According to figures released by the United States Department of Defense, the average number of rounds expended by U. S. military snipers to kill one enemy soldier is 1.3 rounds. According to the United States Army, the soldier will hit a man-sized target 10 percent of the time at 300 meters using the M16A2 rifle. Graduates of the United States Army Sniper School are expected to achieve 90 percent first-round hits at 600 meters, different countries use different military doctrines regarding snipers in military units, settings, and tactics.50 BMG, like the Barrett M82, McMillan Tac-50, and Denel NTW-20. Soviet- and Russian-derived military doctrines include squad-level snipers, snipers have increasingly been demonstrated as useful by US and UK forces in the recent Iraq campaign in a fire support role to cover the movement of infantry, especially in urban areas. Military snipers from the US, UK, and other countries that adopt their military doctrine are typically deployed in two-man sniper teams consisting of a shooter and spotter, a common practice is for a shooter and a spotter to take turns in order to avoid eye fatigue. A sniper team would be armed with its long weapon. Sniper rifles are classified as crew-served, as the term is used in the United States military, a sniper team consists of a combination of one or more shooters with force protection elements and support personnel, such as a spotter or a flanker. Both spotter and flanker carries additional ammunition and associated equipment, the spotter detects, observes, and assigns targets and watches for the results of the shot. Using a spotting scope and/or rangefinder, the spotter will also read the wind by using physical indicators and it is not unusual for the spotter to be equipped with a notepad and a laptop computer specifically for performing these calculations. Law enforcement snipers, commonly called police snipers, and military snipers differ in ways, including their areas of operation. A police sharpshooter is part of an operation and usually takes part in relatively short missions. Police forces typically deploy such sharpshooters in hostage scenarios and this differs from a military sniper, who operates as part of a larger army, engaged in warfare. Sometimes as part of a SWAT team, police snipers are deployed alongside negotiators and an assault team trained for close quarters combat
15.
Sharpshooter
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A sharpshooter is one who is highly proficient at firing firearms or other projectile weapons accurately. Military units composed of sharpshooters were important factors in 19th century combat, along with marksman and expert, sharpshooter is one of the three marksmanship badges awarded by the U. S. Army. Another use of units of marksmen was during the Napoleonic Wars in the British Army, while most troops at that time used inaccurate smoothbore muskets, the British Green Jackets used the famous Baker rifle. Through the combination of a wad and tight grooves on the inside of the barrel. These Riflemen were the elite of the British Army, and served at the forefront of any engagement, most often in formation, scouting out. Another term, sharp shooter, was in use in British newspapers as early as 1801, the term appears even earlier, around 1781, in Continental Europe, translated from the German Scharfschütze. The sharpshooters used by both sides in the Civil War were less used as snipers, and more as skirmishers and these elite troops were well equipped and trained, and placed at the front of any column to first engage the enemy. Notable sharpshooter units of the Civil War included the 1st and 2nd United States Volunteer Sharpshooter Regiment, were organized by Colonel Hiram Berdan, a self-made millionaire who was reputed to be the best rifle marksman in the nation at that time. There was also an all-Native American company of sharpshooters in the Army of the Potomac and these men, primarily Odawa, Ojibwe, and Potawatomi from northern Michigan, comprised the members of Company K of the 1st Regiment Michigan Volunteer Sharpshooters. The regiment was raised by MG John C, fremont at St. Louis Benton Barracks as the Western Theater counterpart to Berdans sharpshooters. Members were recruited from most of the Western states, predominantly Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, competitive induction required candidates to place ten shots in a three-inch circle at 200 yards. They were initially armed with half-stock Plains Rifles built and procured by St. Louis custom gunmaker Horace Dimick and they were the only Federal unit completely armed with sporting rifles. Over 250 of the Western Sharpshooters purchased Henrys out of their own pocket, on the Confederate side, sharpshooter units functioned as light infantry. Their duties included skirmishing and reconnaissance, robert E. Rodes, a colonel and later major general of the 5th Alabama Infantry Regiment, was a leader in the development of sharpshooter units. Dedicated sharpshooter units included, 9th Battalion Missouri Sharpshooters, the 1st & 2nd Battalions Georgia Sharpshooters, in his memoirs, Louis Leon detailed his service as a sharpshooter in the Fifty-Third North Carolina Regiment during the Civil War. As a sharpshooter, he volunteered as a skirmisher, served on picket duty, of his companys original twelve sharpshooters, only he and one other were still alive after Gettysburg. As related by the commanding officer, Col. James Morehead. Leon killed a Union sharpshooter, whom the Confederates identified as a Native American from Canada
16.
World War I
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World War I, also known as the First World War, the Great War, or the War to End All Wars, was a global war originating in Europe that lasted from 28 July 1914 to 11 November 1918. More than 70 million military personnel, including 60 million Europeans, were mobilised in one of the largest wars in history and it was one of the deadliest conflicts in history, and paved the way for major political changes, including revolutions in many of the nations involved. The war drew in all the worlds great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances, the Allies versus the Central Powers of Germany and Austria-Hungary. These alliances were reorganised and expanded as more nations entered the war, Italy, Japan, the trigger for the war was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, by Yugoslav nationalist Gavrilo Princip in Sarajevo on 28 June 1914. This set off a crisis when Austria-Hungary delivered an ultimatum to the Kingdom of Serbia. Within weeks, the powers were at war and the conflict soon spread around the world. On 25 July Russia began mobilisation and on 28 July, the Austro-Hungarians declared war on Serbia, Germany presented an ultimatum to Russia to demobilise, and when this was refused, declared war on Russia on 1 August. Germany then invaded neutral Belgium and Luxembourg before moving towards France, after the German march on Paris was halted, what became known as the Western Front settled into a battle of attrition, with a trench line that changed little until 1917. On the Eastern Front, the Russian army was successful against the Austro-Hungarians, in November 1914, the Ottoman Empire joined the Central Powers, opening fronts in the Caucasus, Mesopotamia and the Sinai. In 1915, Italy joined the Allies and Bulgaria joined the Central Powers, Romania joined the Allies in 1916, after a stunning German offensive along the Western Front in the spring of 1918, the Allies rallied and drove back the Germans in a series of successful offensives. By the end of the war or soon after, the German Empire, Russian Empire, Austro-Hungarian Empire, national borders were redrawn, with several independent nations restored or created, and Germanys colonies were parceled out among the victors. During the Paris Peace Conference of 1919, the Big Four imposed their terms in a series of treaties, the League of Nations was formed with the aim of preventing any repetition of such a conflict. This effort failed, and economic depression, renewed nationalism, weakened successor states, and feelings of humiliation eventually contributed to World War II. From the time of its start until the approach of World War II, at the time, it was also sometimes called the war to end war or the war to end all wars due to its then-unparalleled scale and devastation. In Canada, Macleans magazine in October 1914 wrote, Some wars name themselves, during the interwar period, the war was most often called the World War and the Great War in English-speaking countries. Will become the first world war in the sense of the word. These began in 1815, with the Holy Alliance between Prussia, Russia, and Austria, when Germany was united in 1871, Prussia became part of the new German nation. Soon after, in October 1873, German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck negotiated the League of the Three Emperors between the monarchs of Austria-Hungary, Russia and Germany
17.
World War II
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World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945, although related conflicts began earlier. It involved the vast majority of the worlds countries—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing alliances, the Allies and the Axis. It was the most widespread war in history, and directly involved more than 100 million people from over 30 countries. Marked by mass deaths of civilians, including the Holocaust and the bombing of industrial and population centres. These made World War II the deadliest conflict in human history, from late 1939 to early 1941, in a series of campaigns and treaties, Germany conquered or controlled much of continental Europe, and formed the Axis alliance with Italy and Japan. Under the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact of August 1939, Germany and the Soviet Union partitioned and annexed territories of their European neighbours, Poland, Finland, Romania and the Baltic states. In December 1941, Japan attacked the United States and European colonies in the Pacific Ocean, and quickly conquered much of the Western Pacific. The Axis advance halted in 1942 when Japan lost the critical Battle of Midway, near Hawaii, in 1944, the Western Allies invaded German-occupied France, while the Soviet Union regained all of its territorial losses and invaded Germany and its allies. During 1944 and 1945 the Japanese suffered major reverses in mainland Asia in South Central China and Burma, while the Allies crippled the Japanese Navy, thus ended the war in Asia, cementing the total victory of the Allies. World War II altered the political alignment and social structure of the world, the United Nations was established to foster international co-operation and prevent future conflicts. The victorious great powers—the United States, the Soviet Union, China, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union and the United States emerged as rival superpowers, setting the stage for the Cold War, which lasted for the next 46 years. Meanwhile, the influence of European great powers waned, while the decolonisation of Asia, most countries whose industries had been damaged moved towards economic recovery. Political integration, especially in Europe, emerged as an effort to end pre-war enmities, the start of the war in Europe is generally held to be 1 September 1939, beginning with the German invasion of Poland, Britain and France declared war on Germany two days later. The dates for the beginning of war in the Pacific include the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War on 7 July 1937, or even the Japanese invasion of Manchuria on 19 September 1931. Others follow the British historian A. J. P. Taylor, who held that the Sino-Japanese War and war in Europe and its colonies occurred simultaneously and this article uses the conventional dating. Other starting dates sometimes used for World War II include the Italian invasion of Abyssinia on 3 October 1935. The British historian Antony Beevor views the beginning of World War II as the Battles of Khalkhin Gol fought between Japan and the forces of Mongolia and the Soviet Union from May to September 1939, the exact date of the wars end is also not universally agreed upon. It was generally accepted at the time that the war ended with the armistice of 14 August 1945, rather than the formal surrender of Japan
18.
51st Highland Volunteers
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In contrast with 52nd Lowland, a similar unit located in the Lowlands of Scotland, 51st Highland consists of a number of infantry companies located throughout the various regions of the Highlands. Both 51st Highland Volunteers and 52nd Lowland Volunteers were unique in each of their companies was officially the reserve element of a regular infantry regiment in the Scottish Division. The 51st Highland Volunteers were formed in 1967 from the amalgamation of territorial battalions of regiments in the Highland Brigade, in 1999, however, the regiment was re-organized and became the 51st Highland Regiment. A third battalion was formed on 1 April 1975. The 2nd Battalion became the 3rd Battalion of The Highlanders, a Z Company was formed in 1984 at Perth, Kirkcaldy and Dundee. A number of re-organizations and company re-locations also occurred in the 1980s, during this period, all three Battalions adopted the Cap Badges and insignia of their parent Regiments. The Battalion Headquarters is based at Queens Barracks in Perth, the Army Reserve military band of 51st Brigade is administered by the Battalion, as well as the units own 51st Highland Pipes and Drums. As part of the Delivering Security in a Changing World review of the British Army, on 28 March 2006, the 51st Highland Regiment became the 7th Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland. The battalion is made up of one support company, with four rifle companies, HQ Company is based in Perth A Company at Dundee, Kirkcaldy. B Company at Peterhead, Aberdeen and Keith C Company at Inverness, Wick and Stornoway D Company at Dumbarton and Dunoon 7 SCOTS - on British Army official website
19.
Frederick Russell Burnham
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Frederick Russell Burnham DSO was an American scout and world-traveling adventurer. He is known for his service to the British South Africa Company and to the British Army in colonial Africa and he helped inspire the founding of the international Scouting Movement. Burnham was born on a Dakota Sioux Indian reservation in Minnesota where he learned the ways of American Indians as a boy. By the age of 14, he was supporting himself in California, while also learning scouting from some of the last of the cowboys, Burnham had little formal education, never finishing high school. After moving to the Arizona Territory in the early 1880s, he was drawn into the Pleasant Valley War and he escaped and later worked as a civilian tracker for the United States Army in the Apache Wars. Feeling the need for new adventures, Burnham took his family to southern Africa in 1893, Burnham distinguished himself in several battles in Rhodesia and South Africa and became Chief of Scouts. Despite his U. S. citizenship, his title was British. He had become friends with Baden-Powell during the Second Matabele War in Rhodesia, teaching him outdoor skills, Burnham returned to the United States, where he became involved in national defense efforts, business, oil, conservation, and the Boy Scouts of America. During World War I, Burnham was selected as an officer and recruited volunteers for a U. S. Army division similar to the Rough Riders, for political reasons, the unit was disbanded without seeing action. After the war, Burnham and his business partner John Hays Hammond formed the Burnham Exploration Company, Burnham joined several new wilderness conservation organizations, including the California State Parks Commission. In the 1930s, he worked with the BSA to save the big horn sheep from extinction and this effort led to the creation of the Kofa and Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuges in Arizona. He earned the BSAs highest honor, the Silver Buffalo Award, in 1936, to symbolise the friendship between Burnham and Baden-Powell, the mountain beside Mount Baden-Powell in California was formally named Mount Burnham in 1951. Burnham was born on May 11,1861 on a Dakota Sioux Indian reservation in Minnesota, to a family living near the small pioneer town of Tivoli. His father, the Reverend Edwin Otway Burnham, was a Presbyterian minister educated and ordained in New York, he was born in Ghent, Kentucky. His mother Rebecca Russell Burnham had spent most of her childhood in Iowa, having emigrated with her family from Westminster and she hid Frederick in a basket of green corn husks in a corn field and fled for her life. Once the Sioux attack had been repulsed, she returned to find their house burned down, the young Burnham attended schools in Iowa. There he met Blanche Blick, whom he later married, Two years later, Edwin died, leaving the family destitute. For the next few years, Burnham worked as a messenger for the Western Union Telegraph Company in California
20.
Frederick Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts
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Field Marshal Frederick Sleigh Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts, VC, KG, KP, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCIE, KStJ, VD, PC was a British soldier who was one of the most successful commanders of the 19th century. He served in the Indian Rebellion, the Expedition to Abyssinia and he also became the last Commander-in-Chief of the Forces before the post was abolished in 1904. Born at Cawnpore, India, on 30 September 1832, Roberts was the son of General Sir Abraham Roberts, at the time Sir Abraham was commanding the 1st Bengal European Regiment. Roberts was named Sleigh in honour of the commander, Major General William Sleigh. His mother was Edinburgh-born Isabella Bunbury, daughter of Major Abraham Bunbury from Kilfeacle in County Tipperary, Roberts was educated at Eton, Sandhurst, and Addiscombe Military Seminary before entering the East India Company Army as a second lieutenant with the Bengal Artillery on 12 December 1851. He became Aide-de-Camp to his father in 1852, transferred to the Bengal Horse Artillery in 1854 and was promoted to lieutenant on 31 May 1857 and he was awarded the Victoria Cross medal for actions on 2 January 1858 at Khudaganj. The citation reads, Lieutenant Roberts gallantry has on occasion been most marked. On following the enemy on 2 January 1858, at Khodagunge. Lieutenant Roberts put spurs to his horse, and overtook them just as they were about to enter a village and he also, on the same day, cut down another Sepoy who was standing at bay, with musket and bayonet, keeping off a Sowar. Lieutenant Roberts rode to the assistance of the horseman, and, rushing at the Sepoy, with one blow of his sword cut him across the face and he was also mentioned in despatches for his service at Lucknow in March 1858. In common with other officers he transferred from the East India Company Army to the Indian Army that year. Having been promoted to lieutenant colonel on 15 August 1868 and to the substantive rank of captain on 18 November 1868. He was promoted to the rank of major on 5 July 1872, appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath on 10 September 1872. That year he became Quartermaster-General of the Bengal Army, in September 1879 he was despatched, along with Maurice Abraham Cohen an expert in the Urdu language, to Kabul to seek retribution for the death of Sir Louis Cavagnari, the British envoy there. He was also given the rank of lieutenant-general on 11 November 1879. He was commander of the Kabul Field Force and brought at least 20 field guns with his army during the conquest and this was followed by his promotion to a supernumerary general on 28 November 1890 and to the substantive rank of general on 31 December 1891. On 23 February 1892 he was created Baron Roberts of Kandahar in Afghanistan and he was promoted field marshal on 25 May 1895 and received the Order of St Patrick during 1897. While in Ireland, Roberts completed a memoir of his years in India and his appointment was a response to a string of defeats in the early weeks of the war and was accompanied by the despatch of huge reinforcements
21.
Gray wolf
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The gray wolf or grey wolf, also known as the timber wolf or western wolf, is a canine native to the wilderness and remote areas of Eurasia and North America. It is the largest extant member of its family, with males averaging 43–45 kg, like the red wolf, it is distinguished from other Canis species by its larger size and less pointed features, particularly on the ears and muzzle. Its winter fur is long and bushy, and predominantly a mottled gray in color, although pure white, red. As of 2005,37 subspecies of C. lupus are recognised by MSW3 and it is nonetheless closely related enough to smaller Canis species, such as the eastern wolf, coyote, and golden jackal to produce fertile hybrids. It is an animal, travelling in nuclear families consisting of a mated pair. The gray wolf is typically an apex predator throughout its range, with only humans and it feeds primarily on large ungulates, though it also eats smaller animals, livestock, carrion, and garbage. The gray wolf is one of the worlds best known and well researched animals, although the fear of wolves is pervasive in many human societies, the majority of recorded attacks on people have been attributed to animals suffering from rabies. The English wolf stems from the Old English wulf, which is thought to be derived from the Proto-Germanic *wulfaz. The Latin lupus is a Sabine loanword, both derive from the Proto-Indo-European root *wlqwos/*lukwos. The species Canis lupus was first recorded by Carl Linnaeus in his publication Systema Naturae in 1758, the thirty-seven subspecies of Canis lupus are listed under the designated common name of wolf in Mammal Species of the World third edition that was published in 2005. The nominate subspecies is the Eurasian wolf, also known as the common wolf, the subspecies includes the domestic dog, dingo, eastern wolf and red wolf, but lists C. l. italicus and C. l. communis as synonyms of C. l. lupus. However, the classification of several as either species or subspecies has recently been challenged, ecological factors including habitat type, climate, prey specialization and predatory competition will greatly influence the wolfs genetic population structure and cranio-dental plasticity. The domestic dog is the most widely abundant large carnivore and a descendant from one of those now-extinct wolf populations, in 2013, a genetic study found that the wolf population in Europe was divided along a north-south axis and formed five major clusters. Three clusters were identified occupying southern and central Europe in Italy, the Carpathians, another two clusters were identified occupying north-central Europe and the Ukrainian steppe. The Italian wolf consisted of a population with low genetic diversity. Wolves from Croatia, Bulgaria, and Greece formed the Dinaric-Balkans cluster, the wolves from the Carpathians were more similar to the wolves from the Pontic-Caspian Steppe than they were to wolves from north-central Europe. These clusters may have been the result of expansion from glacial refugia, an adaptation to environments, and landscape fragmentation. These six wolf ecotypes were named West Forest, Boreal Forest, Arctic, High Arctic, Baffin, the studies found that precipitation and mean diurnal temperature range were the most influential variables
22.
Hare
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Hares and jackrabbits are leporids belonging to the genus Lepus. Hares are classified into the family as rabbits. They are similar in size and form to rabbits and eat the same diet and they are generally herbivorous and long-eared, they are fast runners, and they typically live solitarily or in pairs. Hare species are native to Africa, Eurasia, North America, five leporid species with hare in their common names are not considered true hares, the hispid hare, and four species known as red rock hares. Meanwhile, jackrabbits are hares rather than rabbits, a hare less than one year old is called a leveret. The collective noun for a group of hares is a drove, Hares are swift animals, The European hare can run up to 56 km/h. The five species of jackrabbits found in central and western North America are able to run at 64 km/h, and can leap up to 3 m at a time. Normally a shy animal, the European brown hare changes its behavior in spring, when hares can be seen in daytime chasing one another, during this spring frenzy, hares can be seen boxing, one hare striking another with its paws. For a long time, this had been thought to be only intermale competition, Hares do not bear their young below ground in a burrow as do other leporids, but rather in a shallow depression or flattened nest of grass called a form. Young hares are adapted to the lack of protection, relative to that afforded by a burrow, by being born fully furred. They are hence precocial, and are able to fend for themselves soon after birth, by contrast, the related rabbits and cottontail rabbits are altricial, having young that are born blind and hairless. All rabbits live underground in burrows or warrens, while hares live in simple nests above the ground, Hares are generally larger than rabbits, with longer ears, and have black markings on their fur. Hares have not been domesticated, while rabbits are raised for food, the domestic pet known as the Belgian Hare is a rabbit that has been selectively bred to resemble a hare. Hares have jointed, or kinetic, skulls, unique among mammals and they have 48 chromosomes while rabbits have 44. In rural areas of North America and particularly in pioneer times, because of their extremely low fat content, they are a poor choice as a survival food. Hares can be prepared in the manner as rabbits — commonly roasted or taken apart for breading and frying. Hasenpfeffer is a traditional German stew made from marinated rabbit or hare, pfeffer is not only the name of a spice, but also of a dish where the animals blood is used as a thickening agent for the sauce. Wine or vinegar is also a prominent ingredient, to lend a sourness to the recipe
23.
Scouting
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During the first half of the twentieth century, the movement grew to encompass three major age groups for boys and, in 1910, a new organization, Girl Guides, was created for girls. It is one of worldwide youth organizations. In 1906 and 1907 Robert Baden-Powell, a lieutenant general in the British Army, wrote a book for boys about reconnaissance, in the summer of 1907 Baden-Powell held a camp on Brownsea Island in England to test ideas for his book. This camp and the publication of Scouting for Boys are generally regarded as the start of the Scout movement. The movement employs the Scout method, a programme of education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities, including camping, woodcraft, aquatics, hiking, backpacking. Distinctive uniform insignia include the fleur-de-lis and the trefoil, as well as badges, the year 2007 marked the centenary of Scouting worldwide, and member organizations planned events to celebrate the occasion. Scouting virtually started itself, but the trigger that set it going was the 1908 publication of Scouting for Boys written by Robert Baden-Powell, at Charterhouse, one of Englands most famous public schools, Baden-Powell had an interest in the outdoors. Later, as an officer, Baden-Powell was stationed in British India in the 1880s where he took an interest in military scouting and in 1884 he published Reconnaissance. These skills eventually formed the basis of what is now called scoutcraft, three years later, in South Africa during the Second Boer War, Baden-Powell was besieged in the small town of Mafeking by a much larger Boer army. The Mafeking Cadet Corps was a group of youths that supported the troops by carrying messages, the Cadet Corps performed well, helping in the defense of the town, and were one of the many factors that inspired Baden-Powell to form the Scouting movement. Each member received a badge that illustrated a combined compass point, the badges logo was similar to the fleur-de-lis shaped arrowhead that Scouting later adopted as its international symbol. In the United Kingdom, the public, through newspapers, followed Baden-Powells struggle to hold Mafeking, and he was urged to rewrite this book for boys, especially during an inspection of the Boys Brigade, a large youth movement drilled with military precision. Baden-Powell thought this would not be attractive and suggested that the Boys Brigade could grow much larger were Scouting to be used and he studied other schemes, parts of which he used for Scouting. In July 1906, Ernest Thompson Seton sent Baden-Powell a copy of his 1902 book The Birchbark Roll of the Woodcraft Indians, Seton, a British-born Canadian-American living in the United States, met Baden-Powell in October 1906, and they shared ideas about youth training programs. In 1907 Baden-Powell wrote a draft called Boy Patrols, in the same year, to test his ideas, he gathered 21 boys of mixed social backgrounds and held a week-long camp in August on Brownsea Island in Poole Harbour, Dorset, England. His organizational method, now known as the Patrol System and a key part of Scouting training, in the autumn of 1907, Baden-Powell went on an extensive speaking tour arranged by his publisher, Arthur Pearson, to promote his forthcoming book, Scouting for Boys. He had not simply rewritten his Aids to Scouting, he omitted the military aspects and transferred the techniques to non-military heroes, backwoodsmen and he also added innovative educational principles by which he extended the attractive game to a personal mental education. At the beginning of 1908, Baden-Powell published Scouting for Boys in six fortnightly parts, the reaction was phenomenal, and quite unexpected
24.
Marksman
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In popular and historical usage, sharpshooter and marksman are considered synonyms. Within the shooting sports and military usages today, however, sharpshooter and marksman refer to different levels of skill. Specifically, in the US Army, marksman is a rating below sharpshooter, four levels of skill are generally recognized today in both military and civilian shooting circles, unqualified, marksman, sharpshooter, and expert. Marksmanship badges for the three qualified levels are commonly awarded to civilian and military shooters who attain proficiency in shooting higher than unqualified. Snipers are also tasked with responsibilities other than delivering long-range fire—specifically, conducting reconnaissance. In the Middle Ages, in the first use of the marksman was given to the royal archers, or bowmen, of a palace guard. This was around the 10th century, although records of some 9th century English Kings show the listings of groups of marksmen specifically chosen for their militaries, in the Australian Army, marksmanship is currently recognized by the award of one of three skill-at-arms badges. The Skill at Arms Badge consists of a representation of crossed.303 Short Magazine Lee–Enfield rifles and is awarded for achieving a prescribed standard of shooting skill and this must be repeated within twelve months for the badge to be awarded in perpetuity to the recipient. The Snipers Badge is similar in design but incorporates the letter S into the design and is awarded to soldiers who qualify on the Army Snipers Course. The Army Top 20 Badge consists of crossed.303 SMLE rifles upon a laurel wreath and is awarded to the final 20 competitors in the annual Champion Shot for the Army, the winner of this competition is also awarded the Champion Shots Medal. Only one badge may be worn, in the British Armed Forces, marksman is traditionally the highest shooting rating and holders may wear a crossed rifles badge on the lower sleeve. From Army Operational Shooting Policy for the Annual Personal Weapons Test Combat Infantryman, Marksman, to qualify for Marksman all practices are to be completed and the firer must achieve a score of 55 or more of the total Highest Possible Score for the entire shoot. Soldiers achieving a non-marksman passing score are NOT permitted to re-shoot practices in order to qualify for Marksman, Infantry soldiers who qualify as Marksmen during the Combat Infantrymans Course are entitled to retain the award on joining their units. Soldiers who qualify as Marksmen are entitled to wear the Marksman badge for one year before they must requalify, in the United States Army and Marine Corps, the marksmanship of the soldiers is ranked based on their skill, marksman-sharpshooter-expert. Holders of each level wear qualification badges below their ribbons with bars for the weapons they qualify in, in the United States Navy and the United States Coast Guard, full-sized medals are only issued at the expert level. Both services award separate medals for pistol and rifle proficiency, the United States Air Force gives just a ribbon for qualifying at the expert level, although a bronze star can be earned if the wearer qualifies on both of these types of small arms. Within the United States military, a marksman in the U. S. Army is referred to as Squad Designated Marksman, and a marksman in the Marines is called a Designated Marksman. The United States Army particularly emphasizes the concept, according to US Army Field Manual 3-21.8 a typical United States Army fireteam consists of four soldiers
25.
Military tactics
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Military tactics are the science and art of organizing a military force, and the techniques for combining and using weapons and military units to engage and defeat an enemy in battle. Changes in philosophy and technology have been reflected in changes to military tactics, in contemporary military science, tactics are the lowest of three planning levels, strategic, operational, and tactical. The highest level of planning is strategy, how force is translated into political objectives by bridging the means, the intermediate level, operational, the conversion of strategy into tactics, deals with formations of units. Military tactics answer the questions of how best to deploy and employ forces on a small scale, some practices have not changed since the dawn of warfare, assault, ambushes, skirmishing, turning flanks, reconnaissance, creating and using obstacles and defenses, etc. Using ground to best advantage has not changed much either, heights, rivers, swamps, passes, choke points, and natural cover, can all be used in multiple ways. Before the nineteenth century, many tactics were confined to battlefield concerns. Nowadays, specialized tactics exist for many situations, for example for securing a room in a building, technological changes can render existing tactics obsolete, and sociological changes can shift the goals and methods of warfare, requiring new tactics. Tactics define how soldiers are armed and trained, each – constrained by his weaponry, logistics and social conditioning – would use a battlefield differently, but would usually seek the same outcomes from their use of tactics. The First World War forced great changes in tactics as advances in technology rendered prior tactics useless, list of military tactics Combat arms Johnson, Rob, Michael Whitby, John France. How to win on the battlefield,25 key tactics to outwit, outflank, cS1 maint, Multiple names, authors list Muhm, Gerhard. German Tactics in the Italian Campaign, Gerhard Muhm, La Tattica nella campagna ass d’Italia, in LINEA GOTICA AVAMPOSTO DEI BALCANI, Amedeo Montemaggi - Edizioni Civitas, Roma 1993. Contemporary Marine tactics for war fighting Napoleons tactics and strategy Small Unit Actions during German Campaign in Russia
26.
Woodsmen
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Woodsman is a competitive, co-ed intercollegiate sport in the United States, Canada and elsewhere based on various skills traditionally part of forestry educational and technical training programs. In North America, the sport currently is organized in five divisions, northeastern, mid-Atlantic, southern, midwestern. Woodsmen or lumberjack competitions have their roots in competitions that place in logging camps among loggers. As loggers were paid for work, the ability to perform a specific task more quickly. Today the tradition survives on college campuses across Canada and the United States, as well as on various competitive circuits worldwide, the sport is most popular in areas of the world with a strong logging tradition. Competitions typically take the form of a meet, a series of events run throughout the day of competition, meets may take place outdoors or inside a suitably large structure to safely accommodate the potentially dangerous tools used. An entry fee is charged to cover the cost of providing timber, awards, schools compete in teams of six. A school has the option to send teams, each of which pays an entry fee. Events are divided among members at the discretion of the entering schools. There are, however, a series of events in which every member is expected to participate fully. Men and Womens team typically utilize the equipment, however in competition some rules are adjusted by gender. If a school chooses to send a mixed-gender, or Jack and Jill team, each team is coordinated by a captain. Events may be run as single, double, triple or team events at the discretion of the hosting school, the list and structure of the competition is typically published beforehand in order to allow team members to prepare for their assigned events. Most events are scored based on the time taken by the competitor to complete, teams are scored as a whole, and each event is generally weighted equally. A point system for scoring may be used, where the first place competitor is awarded 100 points, a second system calculates a winning teams place based solely on placement, and does not take into consideration the spread between each teams performance. The axe is released in such a way that it rotates about the midpoint of the handle and, ideally, scores are awarded from 1-3 or 1-5 points, with the highest score being a bulls-eye. Competitors are given three practice throws and three scored throws, a hit which crosses a line from one ring into the next is typically awarded the higher score. If an axe should contact the target with both edges, such that the handle sticks straight out, the handle is tapped downward until only one edge makes contact, if, during this process, the axe falls from the target, no points are awarded
27.
Black Watch
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The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The regiment was created as part of the Childers Reforms in 1881 and it was known as The Black Watch from 1881 to 1931 and The Black Watch from 1931 to 2006. Part of the Scottish Division, it was the regiment of Highlanders. The source of the name is uncertain. These were to be employed in disarming the Highlanders, preventing depredations, bringing criminals to justice, the force was known in Gaelic as Am Freiceadan Dubh, the dark or black watch. This epithet may have come from the uniform plaids of dark tartan with which the companies were provided. The regiment was created as part of the Childers Reforms in 1881, the 42nd became the 1st Battalion, and the 73rd became the 2nd Battalion. The 1st Battalion saw action at the Battle of Tel el-Kebir in September 1882 during the Anglo-Egyptian War. It was in combat again at the First and Second Battles of El Teb in February 1884, the Battle of Abu Klea in January 1885, the 2nd Battalion suffered heavy losses at the Battle of Magersfontein in December 1899 during the Second Boer War. The 1st Battalion landed at Le Havre as part of the 1st Brigade in the 1st Division in August 1914 for service on the Western Front. The 2nd Battalion landed at Marseille as part of the Bareilly Brigade in the 7th Division in October 1914 for service on the Western Front and it transferred to Palestine in January 1918 and took part in the Battle of Megiddo in September 1918. The 1/5th Battalion landed at Le Havre as part of the 24th Brigade in the 8th Division for service on the Western Front and it also saw action at the Battle of Neuve Chapelle in March 1915 and the Battle of Festubert in May 1915. The 1/6th Battalion and the 1/7th Battalion landed at Boulogne-sur-Mer as part of the 153rd Brigade in the 51st Division in May 1915 for service on the Western Front and they saw action at the Battle of the Ancre Heights in October 1916. The 9th Battalion landed at Boulogne-sur-Mer as part of the 44th Brigade in the 15th Division in July 1915 for service on the Western Front. It suffered over 700 wounded or killed-in-action at the Battle of Loos in September 1915, the 10th 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. It moved to Salonika in November 1915 and took part in operations in the Balkans in 1916, a number of authors state that the regiment was given the nickname Ladies from Hell by German troops, allegedly on account of their kilts and fighting qualities. The 1st Battalion landed in France in September 1939 as part of the 12th Brigade in the 4th Infantry Division for service with the British Expeditionary Force, the battalion later transferred to the 153rd Brigade of the 51st Division and was captured at St Valery-en-Caux during the Battle of France. It also took part in the Normandy landings in June 1944, the Battle for Caen later that month and it later saw action at the Battle of the Bulge in January 1945, Battle of the Reichswald in February 1945 and the crossing of the Rhine in March 1945
28.
Imperial Yeomanry
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The Imperial Yeomanry was a volunteer cavalry regiment of the British Army that mainly saw action during the Second Boer War. Officially created on 24 December 1899, the regiment was based on members of standing Yeomanry regiments, in Ireland 120 men were recruited in February 1900. It was officially disbanded in 1908, on 13 December 1899, the decision to allow volunteer forces serve in the Second Boer War was made. This warrant officially created the Imperial Yeomanry, in February 1900 the Yeomanrys commander was Major-General J. P. Brabazon, being in South Africa at the time, followed shortly by Lord Chesham who was appointed as its brigadier-general. The Royal Warrant asked standing Yeomanry regiments to provide companies of approximately 115 men each. In addition to this, many British citizens volunteered to join the new regiment, although there were strict requirements, many volunteers were accepted with substandard horsemanship/marksmanship, however, they had significant time to train while awaiting transport. The first contingent of recruits contained 550 officers,10,371 men in 20 battalions of four companies each, upon arrival, the regiment was sent throughout the zone of operations. The Imperial Yeomanry’s first action was on 5 April 1900, when members of 3rd, after a series of tactical errors, the Boers were subsequently surrounded. The Count was killed, and the Imperial Yeomanry was victorious, the next action took place in Lindley, a Boer held town. On 27 May 1900, due to a miscommunication, the 13th battalion arrived at Lindley where they were ambushed by a group of Boers, rather than retreat, Spragge decided to fight until aid arrived. Although a message for help did arrive, it did not describe the urgency of the situation, under artillery fire, one officer and 16 men were killed, about 59 were wounded and 400 were captured. With the rate of disease and death rising, morale was falling, during the later part of 1900 they had a few small victories, but still nothing major. Finally, in September,1900, the City Imperial Volunteers were returned to England and this affected morale, and a high number of Yeomanry personnel volunteered to join police forces to escape the monotony of regular duty. Due to this outflow of IY plus casualties, only one-third of the force was still serving by the end of 1900. Eventually, in June or July 1901, all of the first contingent recruits were returned to England, due to the lack of numbers for the Imperial Yeomanry, the War Office expanded recruiting during the early months of 1901. The recruits for the contingent were usually working class, as opposed to the first contingent. They received extremely poor training and were shipped to South Africa, in total,16,597 men were recruited, including 655 who re-enlisted. The second contingents first battle was at Vlakfontein in May 1901, brigadier General Dixon led a force of 230 men from the 7th battalion, as well as artillery, some Scottish Horse, and some men of the Derbyshires
29.
Union-Castle Line
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The Union-Castle Line was a British shipping line that operated a fleet of passenger liners and cargo ships between Europe and Africa from 1900 to 1977. It was formed from the merger of the Union Line and Castle Shipping Line and its shipping operations ceased in 1977. The Union Line was founded in 1853 as the Southampton Steam Shipping Company to transport coal from South Wales to Southampton and it was renamed the Union Steam Collier Company and then the Union Steamship Company. In 1857, renamed the Union Line, it won a contract to carry mail to South Africa, the inaugural sailing, operated by the Dane, left Southampton on 15 September. Meanwhile, Donald Currie had built up the Castle Packet Co. which traded to Calcutta round the Cape of Good Hope. This trade was substantially curtailed by the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, in 1872 the Cape Colony gained Responsible Government and its first Prime Minister, John Molteno, ordered a re-negotiation of the countrys mail services. The contract included a condition that the two companies would not amalgamate, as well as other clauses to promote competition, such as alternating services and this competition led to their shipping services running at unprecedented speed and efficiency. The contract was eventually to expire however, and the period of competition was later to give way to co-operation, including transporting troops. Finally, on 8 March 1900, the Union Line and Castle Shipping Line merged, creating the Union-Castle Mail Steamship Company, Ltd, with Castle Shipping Line taking over the fleet. Union-Castle named most of their ships with the suffix Castle in their names and they were well known for the lavender-hulled liners with red funnels topped in black, running on a rigid timetable between Southampton and Cape Town. Every Thursday at 4pm a Union-Castle Royal Mail Ship would leave Southampton bound for Cape Town, at the same time, a Union-Castle Royal Mail Ship would leave Cape Town bound for Southampton. In 1922 the line introduced its Round Africa service, a nine-week voyage calling at twenty ports en route, alternate sailings travelled out via the Suez Canal and out via West Africa. The combined line was bought by Royal Mail Line in 1911, many of the lines vessels were requisitioned for service as troop ships or hospital ships in the First World War, and eight were sunk by mines or German U-boats. Many vessels were requisitioned in the Second World War. Three – Dunnottar Castle, Carnarvon Castle, Dunvegan Castle became armed merchant cruisers, pretoria Castle was also first requisitioned as an armed merchant cruiser, but later served as an escort carrier. After the war the line made use of its three ships converted to troop transports to facilitate carrying the vast number of emigrants seeking new lives in East. When they ran out of berths the line set up its own travel agency to book passages on other lines. The mail service to South Africa, curtailed during hostilities, reccomenced with the sailing of the Roxburgh Castle from Southampton on 2 January 1947
30.
Beauly
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Beauly is a town in the Kilmorack Parish of the Scottish County of Inverness, on the River Beauly,10 miles west of Inverness by the Far North railway line. The town is now within the Highland council area, the land around Beauly is fertile - historically corn was grown extensively and more recently fruit has successfully been farmed. The town historically traded in coal, timber, lime, grain, Beauly is the site of the Beauly Priory, or the Priory Church of the Blessed Virgin and John the Baptist, founded in 1230 by John Byset of the Aird, for Valliscaulian monks. Following the Reformation, the buildings passed into the possession of Lord Lovat, Beauly is also the site of Lovat Castle, which once belonged to the Bissets, but was presented by James VI, to Hugh Fraser, 5th Lord Lovat and later demolished. The population of Beauly was 855 in 1901, in 1994 Simon Fraser, 15th Lord Lovat sold Beaufort castle to Ann Gloag to pay off debts. In 2002, the Beauly railway station, built in 1862, in January 2010, the Scottish government approved controversial plans for a power line upgrade that will begin in Beauly and end in Denny, Falkirk. The new power line, part of a plan to carry electricity generated by wind farms on the Western Isles, was called the most significant grid infrastructure project in a generation by Jim Mather MSP. The 220-kilometre line will consist of a network of 600 pylons, the first part of the transmission circuit was switched on in July 2013. The extensive ruins of the church of Beauly Priory with funerary monuments are managed by Historic Scotland. The town is known for the Beauly Shinty Club, its shinty team, to the south-east of Beauly is the church of Kirkhill, Highland containing the vault of the Lovats as well as a number of septs of the Mackenzies, including Seaforth and Mackenzies of Gairloch. 3 miles south of Beauly is Beaufort Castle, the seat of the Lovats. It occupies the site of an erected in the time of Alexander II. This was replaced by several castles in succession, Simon Fraser, 11th Lord Lovat witnessed this latter conflagration of his castle from a neighbouring hill. Major Patrick Hunter Gordon FRSE CBE MC DL lived in Ballindoun House near Beauly, Beauly Firth Visit Beauly from the Beauly Marketing Group
31.
Inverness
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Inverness is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the centre for the Highland council area, and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands. It is the northernmost city in the United Kingdom and lies within the Great Glen at its north-eastern extremity where the River Ness enters the Moray Firth. At the latest, a settlement was established by the 6th century with the first royal charter being granted by Dabíd mac Maíl Choluim in the 12th century, the population of Inverness grew from 40,949 in 2001 to 46,870 in 2012. The Greater Inverness area, including Culloden and Westhill, had a population of 59,910 in 2012, Inverness is twinned with one German city, Augsburg, and two French towns, La Baule and Saint-Valery-en-Caux. Inverness College is the campus for the University of the Highlands and Islands. With around 8,500 students, Inverness College hosts around a quarter of all the University of the Highlands and Islands students, in 2014, a survey by a property website described Inverness as the happiest place in Scotland and the second happiest in the UK. Inverness was again found to be the happiest place in Scotland by a new study conducted in 2015, a 93 oz silver chain dating to 500–800 was found just to the south of Torvean in 1983. A church or a cell is thought to have been established by early Celtic monks on St Michaels Mount. The strategic location of Inverness has led to conflicts in the area. Reputedly there was a battle in the early 11th century between King Malcolm and Thorfinn of Norway at Blar Nam Feinne, to the southwest of the city, Inverness had four traditional fairs, including Legavrik or Leth-Gheamhradh, meaning midwinter, and Faoilleach. William the Lion granted Inverness four charters, by one of which it was created a royal burgh, of the Dominican friary founded by Alexander III in 1233, only one pillar and a worn knights effigy survive in a secluded graveyard near the town centre. Medieval Inverness suffered regular raids from the Western Isles, particularly by the MacDonald Lords of the Isles in the fifteenth century, in 1187 one Domhnall Bán led islanders in a battle at Torvean against men from Inverness Castle led by the governors son, Donnchadh Mac An Toisich. Both leaders were killed in the battle, Donald Ban is said to have buried in a large cairn near the river. Local tradition says that the citizens fought off the Clan Donald in 1340 at the Battle of Blairnacoi on Drumderfit Hill, Clan Munro defeated Clan Mackintosh in 1454 at the Battle of Clachnaharry just west of the city. Clan Donald and their allies stormed the castle during the Raid on Ross in 1491, the Clan Munro and Clan Fraser of Lovat took the castle for her. The house in which she lived meanwhile stood in Bridge Street until the 1970s, the only surviving modern remnant is a clock tower. Inverness played a role in the first Jacobite rising in 1689, in early May, it was besieged by a contingent of Jacobites led by MacDonell of Keppoch
32.
Fife and Forfar Yeomanry
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The Fife and Forfar Yeomanry was an Armoured Yeomanry Regiment of the British Territorial Army from 1793 to 1956, when it was amalgamated with the Scottish Horse. It was raised to counter the threat of invasion by France in the late 18th Century, the Regiment saw heavy fighting in both the Great War and World War II. Today, the regiments are perpetuated by C Squadron of The Scottish. The Forfar Troop Raised in 1793 but it was not until 1875 when they attached themselves to the Fife Light Horse, Fifeshire Mounted Rifle Volunteers In 1860 The Royal Fife Yeomanry Cavalry was re-roled as Fifeshire Mounted Rifle Volunteers were under the command of the Earl of Rosslyn. 1st Fifeshire Light Horse Volunteer Corps The FMRV were re-roled once more as Light Horse in 1870 and 1875 The Forfar Troop were formally attached forming The Fife and Forfar Light Horse. The Company served in South Africa from early 1900 and during it campaign received a total of 500 officers and men from the Fife, the Imperial was dropped from the title on the formation of the Territorial Force in 1908. However, on the outbreak of war on 4 August 1914, therefore, TF units were split in August and September 1914 into 1st Line and 2nd Line units. Later, a 3rd Line was formed to act as a reserve, providing trained replacements for the 1st, the 2nd Line regiment was formed in September 1914 and in January 1915 was assigned to the 2/1st Highland Mounted Brigade. On 31 March 1916, the remaining Mounted Brigades were ordered to be numbered in a single sequence, in November 1916, the regiment was converted to a cyclist unit in 6th Cyclist Brigade at Ashington in Northumberland. By July 1917, it was at Acklington and it remained there until early 1918 when it went to Ireland with the 6th Cyclist Brigade and it was stationed at The Curragh until the end of the war. The 3rd Line regiment was formed in 1915, that summer, in June 1916, it was at Perth. The regiment was disbanded in early 1917 with personnel transferring to the 2nd Line or to the 4th Battalion of the Black Watch at Ripon, on 7 February 1920, the Regiment was reconstituted in the Territorial Army with HQ still at Kirkcaldy. Following the experience of the war, it was decided only the fourteen most senior yeomanry regiments would be retained as horsed cavalry. As a result, on 6 January 1921, the Regiment was one of eight converted and reduced to 2nd Armoured Car Company, Tank Corps, later renumbered as 20th Armoured Car Company, on 30 April 1939, it was transferred to the Royal Armoured Corps. By 1939, it had become clear that a new European war was likely to out. The Lothians were expanded to a regiment in August 1939 as the 1st Fife and Forfar Yeomanry and formed a duplicate 2nd Fife. The Scottish National War Memorial, which was built after a proposal in 1917 by the Duke of Atholl in Edinburgh Castle, contains a memorial, see The Scottish War Memorial Project external link below. A Fife and Forfar Memorial Font, together with a book of remembrance, is housed at Cupar Old Parish Church, the font was dedicated on 6 May 1951
33.
Kirkcaldy
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Kirkcaldy is a town and former royal burgh in Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It is about 11.6 miles north of Edinburgh and 27.6 miles south-southwest of Dundee, the town had a population of 49,460, which was recorded in 2011, making it Fifes second-largest settlement and the 11th most populous settlement in Scotland. Kirkcaldy has long been nicknamed the Lang Toun in reference to the early towns 0. 9-mile main street, as indicated on maps of the 16th and 17th centuries. The street later reached a length of nearly 4 miles, connecting the burgh to the settlements of Linktown, Pathhead, Sinclairtown and Gallatown. The formerly separate burgh of Dysart was merged into Kirkcaldy in 1930, the area around Kirkcaldy has been inhabited since the Bronze Age. The first document to refer to the town was in 1075, David I later gave the burgh to Dunfermline Abbey, which had succeeded the church, a status which was officially recognised by Robert I in 1327. The town only gained its independence from Abbey rule when it was created a burgh by Charles I in 1644. From the early 16th century, the establishment of a harbour at the East Burn confirmed the early role as an important trading port. The town also began to develop around the salt, coal mining, the production of linen which followed in 1672 was later instrumental in the introduction of floorcloth in 1847 by linen manufacturer, Michael Nairn. In 1877 this in turn contributed to linoleum, which became the towns most successful industry, the town expanded considerably in the 1950s and 1960s, though the decline of the linoleum industry and other manufacturing restricted its growth thereafter. The town is a service centre for the central Fife area. It has a pool, theatre, museum and art gallery. Kirkcaldy is also known as the birthplace of philosopher and economist Adam Smith. In the early 21st century, employment is dominated by the service sector, other main employers include NHS Fife, Forbo-flooring, Fife College and R Hutchison Ltd. The name Kirkcaldy means place of the fort or place of Caleds fort. It is derived from the Pictish caer meaning fort, caled, which is Pictish hard or a name, and -in. Caled may describe the fort itself or be an epithet for a local hard ruler, an interpretation of the last element as din rather than -n is incorrect. The Old Statistical Account gives a derivation from culdee, which has been repeated in later publications, the discovery of 11 Bronze Age cist burials which date from 2500 BC and 500 BC suggests that this is the most ancient funerary site in the area
34.
Cupar
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Cupar is a town, former royal burgh and parish in Fife, Scotland. It lies between Dundee and Glenrothes, according to a 2011 population estimate, Cupar had a population around 9,000, making it the ninth largest settlement in Fife, and the civil parish a population of 11,183. It is the county town of Fife, before the council moved to Glenrothes. The town is believed to have grown around the site of Cupar Castle, the area became a centre for judiciary as the county of Fife and as a market town catering for both cattle and sheep. Although written information of a charter for the town was lost. During the middle of the 14th century, the burgh started to pay customs on taxable incomes, which probably meant that royal burgh status was granted sometime between 1294 and 1328. The oldest document, referring to the burgh, was a grant by Robert II in 1381 to give a port at Guardbridge on the River Eden to help boost trade with Flanders. This grant was officially recognised by James II in 1428, Cupar is represented by several tiers of elected government. Cupar Community Council is the lowest and its statutory role is to communicate local opinion to local and central government. Fife Council, the local authority for Cupar based in Glenrothes, is the executive, deliberative and legislative body responsible for local governance. The Scottish Parliament is responsible for devolved matters such as education, health, the Cupar area supports three multi-member wards with eleven councillors sitting on the committee of Fife Council. County Buildings on Catherine Street are the headquarters for the east region of Fife Council. Cupar forms part of the North East Fife, electing one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom by the first past the post system, the constituency is represented by Stephen Gethins, MP of the Scottish National Party. For the purposes of the Scottish Parliament, Cupar forms part of the North East Fife constituency, the North East Fife Scottish Parliament constituency created in 1999 is one of nine within the Mid Scotland and Fife electoral region. Each constituency elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament and the region elects seven members to produce a form of proportional representation. The constituency is represented by Rod Campbell for the SNP, currently, Scotland returns two SNP MEPs, two Labour MEPs, only one Conservative and Unionist MEP, and no Liberal Democrat MEPs, to the European Parliament. The 2001 census reported a population of 8,506, which increased slightly to around 8,980 in 2008, the demographic make-up resembles the rest of Scotland. The 30–44 age group formed the largest portion of the population, the median age of males and females was 39 and 43 years respectively, compared to 37 and 39 years for the whole of Scotland
35.
Dunfermline
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Dunfermline is a town and former Royal Burgh, and parish, in Fife, Scotland, on high ground 3 miles from the northern shore of the Firth of Forth. The earliest known settlements in the area around Dunfermline likely date as far back as the Neolithic period, the area was not regionally significant until at least the Bronze Age. The town was first recorded in the 11th century, with the marriage of Malcolm III, King of Scotland, as his Queen consort, Margaret established a new church dedicated to the Holy Trinity, which evolved into an Abbey under their son, David I in 1128. Following the burial of Alexander I in 1160, the abbey graveyard confirmed its status as the place of Scotlands kings and queens up to. The town is a service centre for west Fife. Dunfermline retains much of its significance, as well as providing facilities for leisure. Employment is focused in the sector, with the largest employer being Sky UK. Other large employers in the area include Amazon, Best Western, CR Smith, FMC Technologies, Lloyds, there have been various interpretations of the name, Dunfermline. The first element, dun translated from Gaelic, has accepted as a hill. The rest of the name is problematic, the first record of a settlement in the Dunfermline area was in the Neolithic period. This evidence includes finds of an axe, some flint arrowheads. A cropmark which is understood to have used as a possible mortuary enclosure has been found at Deanpark House. By the time of the Bronze Age, the area was beginning to some importance. Important finds included an axe in Wellwood and a gold torc from the Parish Churchyard. The first historic record for Dunfermline was made in the 11th century, following her marriage to King Malcolm III, Queen Margaret encouraged her husband to convert the small culdee chapel into a church for Benedictine monks. The founding of new church of Dunfermline was inaugurated around 1072. The foundations of the church evolved into an Abbey in 1128, under the reign of their son, Dunfermline Abbey would play a major role in the general romanisation of religion throughout the kingdom. At the peak of its power the abbey controlled four burghs, Dunfermline had become a burgh between 1124 and 1127, if not before this time
36.
Dundee
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Dundee, officially the City of Dundee, is Scotlands fourth-largest city and the 51st-most-populous built-up area in the United Kingdom. The mid-year population estimate for 2015 was 148,210 which gave Dundee a population density of 2, 477/km2 or 6, 420/sq mi and it lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea. Under the name of Dundee City, it one of the 32 council areas used for local government in Scotland. Historically part of Angus, the city developed into a burgh in the late 12th century, rapid expansion was brought on by the Industrial Revolution, particularly in the 19th century when Dundee was the centre of the global jute industry. This, along with its major industries gave Dundee its epithet as the city of jute, jam. Biomedical and technological industries have arrived since the 1980s, and the city now accounts for 10% of the United Kingdoms digital-entertainment industry, Dundee has two universities — the University of Dundee and the Abertay University. In 2014 Dundee was recognised by the United Nations as the UKs first UNESCO City of Design for its contributions to fields including medical research, comics. A unique feature of Dundee is that its two football clubs Dundee United and Dundee F. C. have stadiums all but adjacent to each other. With the decline of industry, the city has adopted a plan to regenerate. The name Dundee is made up of two parts, the common Celtic place-name element dun, meaning fort, and a part that may derive from a Celtic element, cognate with the Gaelic dè. The situation of the town and its promotion by Earl David as a trading centre led to a period of prosperity, the earldom was passed down to Davids descendants, amongst whom was John Balliol. The town became a Royal Burgh on Johns coronation as king in 1292, the town and its castle were occupied by English forces for several years during the First War of Independence and recaptured by Robert the Bruce in early 1312. The original Burghal charters were lost during the occupation and subsequently renewed by Bruce in 1327, the burgh suffered considerably during the conflict known as the Rough Wooing of 1543 to 1550, and was occupied by the English forces of Andrew Dudley from 1547. In 1548, unable to defend the town against an advancing Scottish force, in 1645, during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, Dundee was again besieged, this time by the Royalist Marquess of Montrose. The town was destroyed by Parliamentarian forces led by George Monck in 1651. The town played a role in the establishment of the Jacobite cause when John Graham of Claverhouse. The town was held by the Jacobites in the 1715–16 rising, many in Scotland, including many in Dundee, regarded him as the rightful king. The economy of mediaeval Dundee centred on the export of raw wool, expansion of the whaling industry was triggered by the second Bounty Act, introduced in 1750 to increase Britains maritime and naval skill base
37.
Forfar
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Forfar /ˈfɔːrfər/ is the county town of Angus, Scotland and the administrative centre for Angus Council. Its population is 14,048 Forfar dates back to the temporary Roman occupation of the area, and was held by the Picts. It was occupied by the English before being recaptured by the Scots, Forfar has been both a traditional market town and a major manufacturing centre for linen and jute. Today the main activities are agriculture and tourism around the valley of Strathmore. The local glens are popular with hill-walkers, and there are ski-slopes in the mountains, the town has a second division football club, Forfar Athletic, and Rugby Union is represented by Strathmore Rugby Football Club. The Forfar Bridie, a popular Scottish meat pastry snack, is identified with the town. From Battledykes northward the Romans established a succession of camps including Stracathro, during the First War of Scottish Independence, the castle of Forfar was held by the English. He then yielded the castle to Bruce, who rewarded him, the Meffan Museum is in the heart of the town. It was built by a daughter of the Provost Meffan as a bequest in 1898 and it is home of the Forfar story. It is also an art gallery and a place for local speakers, summer clubs for children. The story of Forfar takes you from the history of the cobbler shops to the burning of the witch Helen Guthrie. There is also a selection of Pictish stones found in and around Forfar. The Large Class I Pictish stone, with a carving of a flower, is called the Dunnichen Stone. It was found in the early 19th century when a farmer from the East Mains of Dunnichen was ploughing and it was initially displayed at a church in the vicinity, then at Dunnichen House. In 1966 it was relocated at St Vigeans and finally moved to Dundee museum in 1972, after the Meffan Institute had been renovated it was brought to Forfar on a long term loan where it is displayed alongside the Kirriemuir Sculptured Stones. There is also a canoe, excavated from Forfar Loch, that dates back to the 11th century, like other parts of Angus, Forfar was home to a very successful textile industry during and after the Industrial Revolution. In the late 18th century the firm of William Don & Co. was founded in the town, the firm originally bought and sold webs of linen which were woven in local cottages, although it also operated a small weaving shed. In 1865 the firm merged with A J Buist, a Dundee based firm, the partnership also operated mills in Dundee and later built Station Works in Forfar, which contained some 300 looms
38.
Lochmaddy
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Lochmaddy is the administrative centre of North Uist in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. Na Madaidhean are rocks in the bay after which the loch, Lochmaddy is within the parish of North Uist. Lochmaddy lies on the sea loch of that name and, due to the nature of the coast, is the only settlement of any size on the east coast. Most of the settlements are on the west coast. Lochmaddy is at the end of the A865 and close to the eastern end of the A867. Virtually the first mention anywhere of Lochmaddy is a complaint of piracie and murder in a report dated 1616, Lochmaddy was an important fishing community before the commercial decline of the herring. During the reign of King Charles it was the site of a Royal Fishing Station, nowadays, the same good harbour makes Lochmaddy the ferry port for the island, with the MV Hebrides plying the route to Skye. Lochmaddy hospital closed in March 2001 and it was replaced by the newly opened Ospadal Uibhist agus Bharraigh in Balivanich, Benbecula
39.
North Uist
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North Uist is an island and community in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. According to the 2011 Census, there are 887 Gaelic speakers on North Uist, North Uist is the tenth largest Scottish island and the thirteenth largest island surrounding Great Britain. It has an area of 117 square miles, slightly smaller than South Uist, North Uist is connected by causeways to Benbecula via Grimsay, to Berneray, and to Baleshare. With the exception of the south east, the island is very flat, some of the lochs contain a mixture of fresh and tidal salt water, giving rise to some complex and unusual habitats. The northern part of the island is part of the South Lewis, Harris and North Uist National Scenic Area, the main settlement on the island is Lochmaddy, a fishing port and home to a museum, an arts centre and a camera obscura. Caledonian MacBrayne ferries sail from the village to Uig on Skye, as well as from the island of Berneray, Lochmaddy also has Taigh Chearsabhagh - a museum and arts centre with a cafe, small shop and post office service. Nearby is the Uist Outdoor Centre, the islands main villages are Sollas, Hosta, Tigharry, Hougharry, Paible, Grimsay and Cladach Kirkibost. Other settlements include Clachan Carinish, Knockquien, Port nan Long, Greinetobht and Scolpaig, Loch Portain is a small hamlet on the east coast – some 9 miles from Lochmaddy, with sub areas of Cheesebay and Hoebeg. According to the 2001 census North Uist had a population of 1,271, the Vikings arrived in the Hebrides in 800AD where they had large settlements. The island is known for its birdlife, including corncrakes, Arctic terns, gannets, corn buntings, the RSPB has a nature reserve at Balranald. Despite limited facilities, the athletics club has performed well at local, regional and national athletics competitions. In Donald Munros A Description of the Western Isles of Scotland Called Hybrides of 1549, North Uist, Benbecula and South Uist are described as one island of Ywst. Starting in the south of island, he described the division between South Uist and Benbecula where the end heirof the sea enters, and cuts the countrey be ebbing and flowing through it. Further north of Benbecula he described North Uist as this countrey is called Kenehnache of Ywst, that is in Englishe, some have given the etymology of Uist from Old Norse meaning west, much like Westray in the Orkney Islands. Another speculated derivation from Uist in Old Norse is Ívist, derived from vist meaning an abode, dwelling, a Gaelic etymology is also possible, with I-fheirste meaning Crossings-island or Fords-island, derived from I meaning island and fearsad meaning estuary, sand-bank, passage across at ebb-tide. Place-names derived from fearsad include Fersit, and Belfast, Mac an Tàilleir suggests that a Gaelic derivation of Uist may be corn island. In the 18th century the population of the combined Uists rose dramatically. In 1755, the Uists estimated combined population was 4,118, by 1794 it rose to 6,668, the pre-clearance population of North Uist was about 5,000 and it has dwindled to about 1,300 in 2011
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Skye
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Skye, or the Isle of Skye, is the largest and northernmost of the major islands in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The islands peninsulas radiate from a centre dominated by the Cuillins. Although it has suggested that the Gaelic Sgitheanach describes a winged shape there is no definitive agreement as to the names origins. The island has been occupied since the Mesolithic period, and its history includes a time of Norse rule, resident numbers declined from over 20,000 in the early 19th century to just under 9,000 by the closing decade of the 20th century. Skyes population increased by 4 per cent between 1991 and 2001, about a third of the residents were Gaelic speakers in 2001, and although their numbers are in decline, this aspect of island culture remains important. The main industries are tourism, agriculture, fishing and forestry, Skye is part of the Highland Council local government area. The islands largest settlement is Portree, known for its picturesque harbour, There are links to various nearby islands by ferry and, since 1995, to the mainland by a road bridge. The climate is mild, wet and windy, the abundant wildlife includes the golden eagle, red deer and Atlantic salmon. The local flora is dominated by heather moor, and there are nationally important invertebrate populations on the sea bed. Skye has provided the locations for various novels and feature films and is celebrated in poetry, the first written references to the island are Roman sources such as the Ravenna Cosmography, which refers to Scitis and Scetis, which can be found on a map by Ptolemy. One possible derivation comes from skitis, an early Celtic word for winged, subsequent Gaelic-, Norse- and English-speaking peoples have influenced the history of Skye, the relationships between their names for the island are not straightforward. Various etymologies have been proposed, such as the winged isle or the notched isle but no solution has been found to date. The island was referred to by the Norse as Skuy. The traditional Gaelic name is An t-Eilean Sgitheanach, An t-Eilean Sgiathanach being a more recent, but the meaning of this Gaelic name is unclear. Eilean a Cheò, which means island of the mist, is a poetic Gaelic name for the island, at 1,656 square kilometres, Skye is the second-largest island in Scotland after Lewis and Harris. The coastline of Skye is a series of peninsulas and bays radiating out from a centre dominated by the Cuillin hills, Martin Martin, a native of the island, reported on it at length in a 1703 publication. Resemble nutmegs, and many rivulets here afford variegated stones of all colours, stones of a purple colour flow down the rivulets here after great rains. The Black Cuillin, which are composed of basalt and gabbro, include twelve Munros and provide some of the most dramatic
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Kyle of Lochalsh
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Kyle of Lochalsh is a village on the northwest coast of Scotland,63 miles west of Inverness. It is located at the entrance to Loch Alsh, opposite the village of Kyleakin on the Isle of Skye, a ferry which used to connect the two villages was replaced by the Skye Bridge, about a mile to the west, in 1995. The village is the transport and shopping centre for the area as well as having a harbour, the surrounding scenery and wildlife are regarded as attractions of the village, as is the slow pace of life. Crofting as well as more recent crofting pursuits like salmon farming are some of the taking place in Kyle of Lochalsh. Kyle of Lochalsh railway station is connected to Inverness by the Kyle of Lochalsh railway line, the line ends on the waters edge, near where the ferry connection used to run. A land-based control centre of the Royal Naval BUTEC submarine range is based in Kyle of Lochalsh, Kyle of Lochalsh lies almost precisely 500 miles due north of Lands End in Cornwall. In 1980, the BBC did a series of documentaries, entitled Great Railway Journeys Of The World, the Kyle of Lochalsh appeared in an episode entitled Confessions of a Trainspotter, presented by Michael Palin. In the segment, Palin travelled by various trains from London to Kyle of Lochalsh and his humour was evident throughout the documentary. Upon reaching the Kyle of Lochalsh, he purchased a piece of railway memorabilia—the Kyle of Lochalsh railway platform sign. The ending credits showed Palin taking the sign with him back to London. Along with nearby town Plockton, the became the backdrop to the BBC drama series Hamish MacBeth. Kyle of Lochalsh was visited by the characters in Mark Chadbourns trilogy, port an Eòrna Media related to Kyle of Lochalsh at Wikimedia Commons
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Alness
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Alness is a town and civil parish in Ross and Cromarty, Scotland. It lies near the Cromarty Firth, with the town of Invergordon 3 miles to the east, the parish has a population of 5,310, although the census locality, which includes part of the parish of Rosskeen, has a population of 5,186. They have not entered in recent years due to the financial cost however the town is adorned by flowers maintained by hard working volunteers. Divided by the River Averon, the town is in two parishes, Alness in the west and Rosskeen in the east, historically these were in different presbyteries. Today there are three churches, Free Church, Church of Scotland and Baptist, the town is served by a high school, Alness Academy, one of the main schools in Ross and Cromarty, with around 600 pupils on the school roll. There are three schools, Obsdale Primary, Bridgend Primary and Coulhill Primary, situated in the east, centre. The academy is also fed by schools from nearby towns Ardross, in 2013 The Highland Council announced plans for a new super school to serve Ross shire which could result in Alness Academy closing and the primary schools being merged. This is in the early stages but there has been much protest by the local community, there are two distilleries in Alness, Dalmore distillery and Teaninich distillery. Dalmore is owned and operated by Whyte and Mackay Ltd, which is owned by Philippines based Emperador Inc, the award winning distillery creates a number of different whiskies that are produced in a combination of different stills, of various sizes which give the whisky a more complex character. Each expression of The Dalmore is matured in two different types of wooden casks, American white oak casks and exclusive aged sherry casks from Gonzalez Byass. Each sherry cask – which is selected by master distiller Richard Paterson – gives the whisky a deep copper colour and flavours of crushed almonds, cinnamon, ginger. The bourbon casks give the whisky notes of vanilla, spice, honey, to create a more complex character, selected expressions are finessed in exceptional casks, showcasing woods from world-renowned bodegas and exclusive wineries. Teaninich was founded and built in 1817 by Hugh Munro on his estate of Teaninich Castle, despite an initial difficulty of procuring barley whisky owing to a high demand from illegal distilleries, by 1830 Teaninich produced 30 times more spirit than it did at its founding. At that point the Munro sold the distillery to his younger brother Lieutenant-General John Munro, as an officer he spent most of his time in India, so he decided to rent the distillery out to Robert Pattison in 1850. The lease lasted to 1869 after which Munro leased it to John McGilchrist Ross, in 1904 Cameron, who also owned stakes in Benrinnes, Linkwood and Tamdhu, took over the distillery completely. After Cameron died in 1933 the distillery was sold to Scottish Malt Distillers, the distillery suspended production between 1939 and 1946 due to barley shortages during World War II. The distillery mainly produces malts for blending, and it is used in Johnnie Walker Red Label, there are no official bottlings of the malt. Since 1992 a 10-year-old malt has been available in the flora, Alness has an 18-hole golf course, Alness Golf Club, which was established in 1904
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Inverness-shire Royal Horse Artillery
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The Inverness-shire Royal Horse Artillery was a Territorial Force Royal Horse Artillery battery that was formed in Inverness-shire in 1908. It saw active service during the First World War in the Sinai, a second line battery, 2/1st Inverness-shire RHA, served in the United Kingdom throughout the war. It was disembodied after the end of the war and was reconstituted as a Royal Field Artillery battery in 1920, on formation, the TF contained 14 infantry divisions and 14 mounted yeomanry brigades. Each yeomanry brigade included an artillery battery and an ammunition column. On 18 March 1908, Inverness-shire Royal Horse Artillery was proposed as a new unit and it was recognized by the Army Council on 11 June 1908, however, on the outbreak of war on 4 August 1914, many members volunteered for Imperial Service. Therefore, TF units were split into 1st Line and 2nd Line units, 2nd Line units performed the home defence role, although in fact most of these were also posted abroad in due course. The battery was embodied with the Highland Mounted Brigade on 4 August 1914 at the outbreak of the First World War, the brigade was placed under First Army of Central Force, it moved to the Huntingdon area and then to Lincolnshire in November 1914. In March 1915, the battery was attached to 2/1st South Midland Mounted Brigade in 2/2nd Mounted Division in Norfolk, the battery remained in the United Kingdom until February 1916 when it was embarked at Southampton and transported to Egypt, landing at Alexandria between 22 and 25 February 1916. Service with IV Brigade IV Brigade, Royal Horse Artillery was formed in April 1916 in the Egyptian Expeditionary Force with the Ayrshire and Inverness-shire Batteries and it was assigned to the ANZAC Mounted Division to provide artillery support. In practice, the batteries were attached to the mounted brigades of the division. When the 3rd Light Horse Brigade was transferred to the Imperial Mounted Division in January 1917, Inverness-shire RHA remained with the ANZAC Mounted Division and was attached to 22nd Mounted Brigade thereafter. The battery served with the ANZAC Mounted Division in the Sinai, with the division, it saw action at the Battle of Romani as part of No.3 Section, Suez Canal Defences. This saw the repulse of the final Turkish attempt to cut the Suez Canal, the division then joined the Desert Column and with it took part in the advance across the Sinai. It fought at the Battle of Magdhaba and the Battle of Rafah, the batteries were then re-equipped with four 18 pounders each before taking part in the First and Second Battles of Gaza. Service with XVIII Brigade In June 1917, the Desert Column was reorganised from two mounted divisions of four each to three mounted divisions of three brigades each. Consequently, the 22nd Mounted Brigade was transferred from the ANZAC to the Yeomanry Mounted Division on 6 July 1917, with a reduction to three brigades, there was a corresponding reduction in the artillery to three batteries. The Leicestershire Battery, RHA departed on 20 June to join XX Brigade and this led to a reorganization of ANZAC Mounted Divisions artillery. A new headquarters, XVIII Brigade, Royal Horse Artillery, was formed for the division and they were joined by Somerset RHA of III Brigade, Royal Horse Artillery
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Nairn
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Nairn is a town and former burgh in the Highland council area of Scotland. It is an ancient fishing port and market town around 16 miles east of Inverness and it was the county town of the wider county of Nairn also known as Nairnshire. King James VI of Scotland visited the town in 1589 and is said to have remarked that the High Street was so long that the people at either end spoke different languages, Scots. The landward farmers generally spoke Scots and the families at the harbour end. Nairn, formerly split into Scottish Gaelic- and Scots-speaking communities, was a town of two halves in other ways, the narrow-streeted fishertown surrounds a harbour built by Thomas Telford while Victorian villas stand in the West End. It is believed that the Duke of Cumberland stayed in Nairn the night before the battle of Culloden, in 1645, during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, the battle of Auldearn was fought near the town, between Royalists and Covenanters. It was not until the 1860s that Nairn became a respectable, dr. John Grigor was gifted a house in this coastal town and spent his retirement there. He valued its warm climate and advised his clients to holiday there. Following the opening of the Nairn railway station in 1855, new houses, the station is on the Aberdeen to Inverness Line. Originally this was the last stop on the line from London due to the terrain on what is now the main Dava branch line to Inverness. Nairn has an expanse of sand beaches that were used extensively in training exercises for the Normandy landings during World War 2, the beaches around Nairn had landmines planted, during clearance operations in 1945 by 11th Company, Bomb Disposal, Royal engineers. High pressure water jetting was used to displace shingle on top of mines to make clearance easier, notably during this period two German spies who had been dropped by U-boat in the Moray Firth were arrested at Nairn Railway Station attempting to board a train to Inverness. The constituency was abolished in 1918 and the Forres and Nairn components were merged into the new constituency of Moray. Like the rest of the British Isles, Nairn experiences a climate with cool summers. It is one of the driest locations in Scotland due to the shadowing effect of the surrounding mountains. The A96 from Inverness to Aberdeen currently passes through Nairn town itself, fergus Ewing, Scottish National Party MSP for Inverness and Nairn, has been canvassing for a Nairn by-pass to be developed. At present Scottish Government investment in the infrastructure has focused on the Inverness to Nairn stretch of road. However, there are no current plans to build a Nairn by-pass until after 2011, the Old Parish Church is on Academy Street in Nairn
United Kingdom
British Army
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