The Queen's Edinburgh Rifles was a brigade of Rifle Volunteers raised in the county of city of Edinburgh in 1859. It later formed two battalions of the Royal Scots, which fought in World War I at Gallipoli, in Palestine and on the Western Front. The two battalions combined between the world wars before being converted into an air defence regiment of the Royal Artillery (RA). This served in Anti-Aircraft Command during World War II and continued in the postwar Territorial Army (TA) until 1961, when its successors were converted into Royal Engineers (RE).
Queen's Edinburgh Rifles, 1859.
The QER Drill Hall at Forrest Hill.
1914 Christmas card by the artist Walter Balmer Hislop, who served in D Company, 1/5th (QER) Bn, as 2nd Lt and died at Gallipoli in April 1915.
Turkish trenches at el Arish Redoubt captured by 4th Royal Scots.
The Royal Scots, once known as the Royal Regiment of Foot, was the oldest and most senior infantry regiment of the line of the British Army, having been raised in 1633 during the reign of Charles I. The regiment existed continuously until 2006, when it amalgamated with the King's Own Scottish Borderers to become the Royal Scots Borderers, which merged with the Royal Highland Fusiliers, the Black Watch, the Highlanders and the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders to form the Royal Regiment of Scotland.
Contemporary engraving of Scots mercenaries serving in the Thirty Years War
The Dutch raid on the Medway in 1667; the regiment was based nearby at the Chatham naval base
Tangier ca 1670; the regiment was part of the Tangier Garrison, 1680–1684
Soldier of the Royal Regiment of foot, 1742