Military Scotland

Culloden Tales: Stories from Scotland's Most Famous Battlefield. Culloden was the last battle on British soil. It marked the end of clan culture and was the harbinger of the Highland Clearances. It ensured the inevitability of the American Revolution and increased the outpouring of Scots across the globe. It is the only battle that British Army regiments are not permitted to include in their battle honours; the only battle that Bonnie Prince Charlie ever lost; and the only battle that the Duke of Cumberland ever won. Culloden is a battlefield, a graveyard and an iconic site that draws people from all parts of the world. And as they come, they bring with them their stories and their father's father's stories. These stories tell of civil war, of love, of the unexpected and even of the supernatural. They are peopled by the second-sighted, by clan chiefs and by others who have kept family secrets for centuries. The battlefield is a poignant location, resonant with past deeds and emotive memories. These Culloden tales are offered as a unique record to the power of the place.

The Flowers of the Forest: Scotland and the Great War Today we are as far away from the First World War as the Edwardians were from the Battle of Waterloo, but it casts a shadow over Scottish life that was never produced by the wars against Napoleon. The country and its people were changed forever by the events of 1914-1918. Once the workshop of the empire and an important source of manpower for the colonies, after the war, Scotland became something of an industrial and financial backwater. Emigration increased as morale slumped in the face of economic stagnation and decline. The country had paid a disproportionately high price in casualties, a result of the larger numbers of volunteers and the use of Scottish battalions as shock troops in the fighting on the Western Front and Gallipoli - young men whom the novelist Ian Hay called 'the vanished generation [who] left behind them something which neither time can efface nor posterity belittle.' There was a sudden crisis of national self-confidence, leading one commentator to suggest in 1927 that 'the Scots are a dying race.' Royle examines related themes such as the overwhelming response to the call for volunteers and the subsequent high rate of fatalities, the performance of Scottish military formations in 1915 and 1916, the militarisation of the Scottish homeland, the resistance to war in Glasgow and the west of Scotland, the boom in the heavy industries and the strengthening of women's role in society following on from wartime employment.

Come on Highlanders!: The Glasgow Territorials in the Great War Already possessors of a proud history by the outbreak of the First World War, the men of 9th (Glasgow Highland) Battalion, The Highland Light Infantry, were right at the heart of the cataclysmic events that unfolded on the Western Front. One of the first Territorial units to be rushed to France in 1914, they participated in almost all the major British battles, Festubert, Neuve-Chapelle and Loos in 1915, the Somme in 1916, Arras and Ypres in 1917. They were closely involved in opposing the great German offensive of spring 1918, and in the big Allied push which culminated in victory later that year. Altogether, around 4,500 men served with the battalion in the First World War. By 1919, over 1,200 had died and at least double that number had been wounded. Despite this the ethos of the battalion, built up over half a century of peace and many months of warfare, survived. Alec Weir's accessible, informal style, employing many first-hand accounts, and his rigorous research combine here to produce a fascinating and detailed account of how ordinary men from all walks of life confronted and mastered the hellish conditions of trench warfare.

Scots Armies of the English Civil War... This volume deals with the arms, equipment and organisation of the little-known Scots armies involved in the English Civil Wars, including the armies of the Marquis of Montrose and the Scots armies that fought against Oliver Cromwell.

The Thin Red Line: War, Empire and... Visions of Scotland. This is a history of the relationship between Scottish society and the growth and decline of British imperial military power. Four substantial, illustrated essays relate to illustrations of key objects from the collections. The essays and selected objects will explore the influence of war and military service in concepts of Scottish cultural identity, and the affects of changing military and strategic imperatives in Scotland and the Scottish people.

Black Watch. The Black Watch Regimental Archives contain many thousands of photographs graphically illustrating the history of this famous Highland regiment since the first images were recorded some 150 years ago. Over two hundred of these pictures have been selected for this volume to represent different aspects of regimental life both home and abroad, in peace and at war. From the days when the infantry still practised forming squares to the hand over of Hong Kong, the last significant remnant of the Empire, in 1997, this collection provides a fascinating insight into the activities of the Regiment. Naturally, many of the Regiment's great heroes and characters appear in these pictures but so do many other famous people, members of the royal family, Presidents of the United States of America and other heads of state. The collection of photographs also covers the Territorial battalions of the Black Watch from their early days as Rifle Volunteers through the two World Wars during which they won such renown for the Regiment.

No Quarter Given: The Muster Roll of... Prince Charles Edward Stuart's Army, 1745-46.

Mutiny: Highland Regiments in Revolt,... 1743-1804.

Highland Soldier: A Social Study of the... Highland Regiments, 1820-1920.

Off at Last: An Illustrated History of... the 7th Battalion the King's Own Scottish Borders 1939-1945.

The Strathspey Mutineers: A History of... the 1st Highland Fencible Regiment 1793-1799.

The Elephant at War: Second Battalion... Seaforth Highlanders 1939-1945.

The Story of the Lovat Scouts: 1900-1980... with Contributions to 2000.

Volunteer Regiments of England,Scotland... Wales 1806.

The Highland Division: The Army at War...

Routes, Roads, Regiments and Rebellions:... A Brief History of the Life and Work of General George Wade (1673-1748) the Father of the Military Roads in Scotland.

Swords and Sword Makers of England and... Scotland. This monumental book, the largest ever published on the topic, is the culmination of the author's research. Among the tremendous amount of material of use to collectors and historians is detailed information, much of it never-before-published, on: English sword makers from the 14th century and Scottish makers from the 16th century all the way through the renowned Wilkinson Sword Company and other major sword manufacturers of today. The important early English sword- and blade-making communities of Hounslow Heath and Shotley Bridge, and the influential Cutlers Company of London. The many types of craftsmen associated with sword production, including hilt, blade and scabbard makers and decorators; and goldsmiths and silversmiths who decorated, mounted, assembled and sold swords. The book concludes with dozens of beautiful illustrations of hilt designs taken directly from famed sword hilt maker Matthew Boulton's 18th-century pattern book and over 450 spectacular photographs of English and Scottish swords of every type and era from some of the world's major collections.

Scottish Regiments 1633-1996 * the:... The men of the Scottish regiments have left a history of battle honors that is unmatched in warfare. Wherever they have fought, the sound of the pipes and the sight of the tartan has struck terror into their enemies. In this comprehensive volume, Patrick Mileham covers all the regiments and every campaign-a stunning tour of military history at the far reaches of the empire in the company of heroes.

The Scottish Regiments This regiment-by-regiment survey traces the origins and history of Scotland's fighting men, from their organization in the 17th and 18th centuries through to their participation in the campaigns in the Falklands and the Gulf. This book looks beyond uniforms and military hardware to reveal the traditions, character and individuality of the regiments of the Scottish Division, past and present. For each regiment, the topics covered include badges and mottoes, tartans and clan affiliations, battle honours, Victoria Cross winners, music, toasts and allied and affiliated regiments.

The Scottish Soldier of Fortune: Their... dventures and Achievements in the Armies of Europe. Details the adventures and achievements during the 16th and 17th centuries of not only Scottish individuals, but in some instances entire Scottish regiments. More than 40,000 Scottish soldiers were in action on the continent during this era. Their stories were omitted from most Scottish histories. Scotsmen trained the armies and founded the fleets of Russia. For generations the old Scots Brigade of immortal memory was the boasted 'Bulwark of Holland'. Second to none in war and glory were the Scottish guard of the French Kings-that guard of which only four were left alive when Francis I gave up his sword on the field of Paris.

The Long Way Home Three telephone engineers from Glasgow were called up in 1939, injured in action near Boulogne and spent four years in prisoner-of-war camps. During two of those years, one of those prisoners, John McCallum, habitually broke out of camp in the Sudetenland in order to court a German girl called Traudl, sneaking back in again before morning roll call to escape detection. Determined to make a complete break for freedom, however, John enlisted the help Traudl to forge documents for him and his three friends. As they made their escape in March 1944 they passed through the town of Sagan at the same time as the 76 airmen of the Great Escape from Stalag Luft Drei were being pursued and recaptured. However, unlike the Great Escape, in which only 3 out of 76 airmen got home to Britain, all three friends in the Lesser Escape reached home safely via the port of Stettin, where they stowed away in the coal hole of a ship bound for Sweden. In this extraordinary story John McCallum describes his and his fellow escapees' encounters with danger during this perilous journey candidly and with humour. Unable to communicate with Traudl for fear of endangering her life, he eventually heard that she had married a Czech Army Officer. Although their escape route was devised independently, it turned out to be an official one, so this story could not be told for forty years under the Official Secrets Act.

Private 12768: Memoir of a Tommy. A newly discovered account of life in the trenches that challenges our perception of how British troops viewed the First World War. There is no shortage of personal accounts from the First World War. So why publish another memoir? The principal reason is the tone of enthusiasm, pride and excitement conveyed by its author, Private John Jackson. Jackson served on the Western Front from 1915 until the war's end; he was present at Loos in 1917, on the Somme in 1916, in Flanders in 1917; he was on the receiving end of the German offensive in April 1918; and he took part in the breaking of the Hindenburg Line at the end of September 1918. Conditioned by Wilfred Owen's poetry and dulled by the notions of waste and futility, British readers have become used to the idea that this was a war without purpose fought by 'lions led by donkeys'. This narrative captures another perspective, written by somebody with no obvious agenda but possessed of deep traditional loyalties - to his country, his regiment and his pals.

Monty's Northern Legions: 50th Tyne Tees... and 15th Scottish Divisions at War 1939-1945. Monty's desert legions - 7th Armoured Division, 51st Highland Division and 50th Northumbrian Division - helped him win at El Alamein and throughout North Africa, and eventually in North West Europe after D-Day. Monty's Northern Legions is the story of two distinguished formations who played significant roles in the liberation of North West Europe. 50th Tyne Tees Division was a fine infantry division first blooded at El Alamein and later in Sicily. Monty gave 50th Division the dangerous honour of attacking on D-Day in the first wave ashore on 'Gold' Beach. The only D-Day Victoria Cross was awarded to CSM Hollis of the Green Howards. The division fought through the Normandy campaign up towards the German border before disbandment in late 1944. 15th Scottish Division's three brigades swept into Normandy in Operation 'Epsom', Monty's first great battle for Caen. They fought their way through France and the Low Countries and were one of two assault divisions entrusted with storming across the Rhine in Operation 'Plunder'.

Return To Scottish History Books

Return To Best Scottish Books