Lowland Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland
Encyclopedia
The Lowland Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland is a Military band
in the Territorial Army and one of three Military bands in the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The band is based at East Claremont Street Drill hall
in Edinburgh
and is administered by 52nd Lowland, 6th Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland
(6 SCOTS). The other two bands in the Regiment are the regular Regimental Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, which is based at Dreghorn Barracks
in Edinburgh and is administered by the Corps of Army Music
, and the other is the territorial Highland Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, which is based at Queen's Barracks in Perth
and administered by 51st Highland, 7th Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland
(7 SCOTS).
.
In 1961, the 7th/9th (Highlanders) Battalion was amalgamated with the 8th (Peebleshire) Battalion of The Royal Scots to become the 8th/9th Battalion and when the Territorial Army was reorganised into the Territorial Army Volunteer Reserve (TAVR) in 1967, the 8th/9th Battalion Royal Scots became part of the Royal Scots and Cameronians Territorials.
This unit was itself disbanded in 1969 and its soldiers were transferred to the 52nd Lowland Volunteers
, which had also been raised in 1967. The band, supplemented by bandsmen from 278 Field Regiment Royal Artillery
, was however put under the command of the City of Edinburgh University Officer Training Corps and then became known as The Royal Scots (Territorial) Band East Lowlands.
The band eventually followed the other elements of the old Royal Scots and Cameronians Territorials, also coming under the command of the 52nd Lowland Volunteers in 1970, retaining its name as the Royal Scots Territorial Band. When the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 52nd Lowland Volunteers were renamed as a result of the Front Line First
reforms of the British Army in 1994, the band stayed with the redesignated 1st Battalion, which became The Lowland Volunteers in 1995 and subsequently the 52nd Lowland Regiment in 1999.
As a result of the Strategic Defence Review
of 1998, the band was renamed as The Band of 52nd Lowland Brigade on 1 July 1999 and although it was administered by the new 52nd Lowland Regiment
, it had actually become a Brigade level asset. It did however retain the uniform and cap badge of the Royal Scots.
After the formation of The Royal Regiment of Scotland on 28 March 2006, 52nd Lowland Regiment became the new Regiment's 6th Battalion and the band took the title The Lowland Band of The Royal Regiment of Scotland. Along with the Highland Band and six current Pipes and Drums in the new Regiment, the Lowland Band continues to wear its antecedent uniform, the No. 1 pattern ceremonial dress of the Royal Scots, but now with the cap badge of the Royal Regiment of Scotland on the Glengarry
.
The original regular Lowland Band of the Scottish Division
was formed under the command of the Corps of Army Music
in 1994, and consisted of the amalgamated regular regimental bands of the three Lowland Scottish infantry regiments at the time, the Royal Scots, the King's Own Scottish Borderers
and the Royal Highland Fusiliers
. The band was itself amalgamated with the Highland Band of the Scottish Division in 2006, forming the regular Regimental Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland.
and Remembrance Day
ceremonies in George Square
, the Edinburgh Military Tattoo
and the Opening of the Scottish Parliament
. The current Director of Music is Major Kevin Lamb, a former Bandmaster of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
regimental band and Chief Instructor and Head of the Royal Military School of Music
, Kneller Hall
.
Military band
A military band originally was a group of personnel that performs musical duties for military functions, usually for the armed forces. A typical military band consists mostly of wind and percussion instruments. The conductor of a band commonly bears the title of Bandmaster or Director of Music...
in the Territorial Army and one of three Military bands in the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The band is based at East Claremont Street Drill hall
Drill hall
A drill hall is a place such as a building or a hangar where soldiers practice and perform military drill. In the United Kingdom and Commonwealth, the term was also used for the whole headquarters building of a military reserve unit, which usually incorporated such a hall...
in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
and is administered by 52nd Lowland, 6th Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland
52nd Lowland Regiment
The 52nd Lowland Regiment now forms the 6th Battalion of The Royal Regiment of Scotland, also known as 6 SCOTS. Due to its erstwhile association with the 1st Regiment of Foot, it is the senior Territorial line infantry battalion in the British Army...
(6 SCOTS). The other two bands in the Regiment are the regular Regimental Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, which is based at Dreghorn Barracks
Dreghorn Barracks
Dreghorn Barracks are located in Edinburgh, Scotland. The barracks are situated at the southern edge of the city, south of Colinton, and adjacent to the Edinburgh City Bypass. The present barracks complex was largely built in 1937–1939 to designs by William Alexander Ross. The barracks were...
in Edinburgh and is administered by the Corps of Army Music
Corps of Army Music
The Corps of Army Music is a corps of the British Army. It was formed in 1994 as an umbrella organisation, centred on the Royal Military School of Music, to oversee the 29 new permanent Military Bands formed following Options for Change, although each band continues to wear the capbadges and Full...
, and the other is the territorial Highland Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, which is based at Queen's Barracks in Perth
Perth, Scotland
Perth is a town and former city and royal burgh in central Scotland. Located on the banks of the River Tay, it is the administrative centre of Perth and Kinross council area and the historic county town of Perthshire...
and administered by 51st Highland, 7th Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland
51st Highland Volunteers
The 51st Highland Volunteers was a regiment and is now a battalion in the British Army's Territorial Army or reserve force in the Scottish Highlands, forming the 7th Battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, also known as 7 SCOTS...
(7 SCOTS).
History
The band was originally formed in 1958 for service with the Territorial 7th/9th (Highlanders) Battalion of The Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment), based at East Claremont Street Drill hall in Edinburgh, and they wore a Hunting Stewart kilt, the uniform of the old 'Dandy 9th' (Highlanders) Battalion of the Royal Scots who, as Highlanders living in Edinburgh, refused to wear the Royal Scots' Lowland tartan trewsTrews
Trews are men's clothing for the legs and lower abdomen, a traditional form of tartan trousers from Scottish apparel...
.
In 1961, the 7th/9th (Highlanders) Battalion was amalgamated with the 8th (Peebleshire) Battalion of The Royal Scots to become the 8th/9th Battalion and when the Territorial Army was reorganised into the Territorial Army Volunteer Reserve (TAVR) in 1967, the 8th/9th Battalion Royal Scots became part of the Royal Scots and Cameronians Territorials.
This unit was itself disbanded in 1969 and its soldiers were transferred to the 52nd Lowland Volunteers
52nd Lowland Regiment
The 52nd Lowland Regiment now forms the 6th Battalion of The Royal Regiment of Scotland, also known as 6 SCOTS. Due to its erstwhile association with the 1st Regiment of Foot, it is the senior Territorial line infantry battalion in the British Army...
, which had also been raised in 1967. The band, supplemented by bandsmen from 278 Field Regiment Royal Artillery
105th Regiment Royal Artillery (Volunteers)
105th Regiment Royal Artillery The Scottish & Ulster Gunners is a British Territorial Army Regiment of the Royal Artillery. The regiment is part of 51st Brigade...
, was however put under the command of the City of Edinburgh University Officer Training Corps and then became known as The Royal Scots (Territorial) Band East Lowlands.
The band eventually followed the other elements of the old Royal Scots and Cameronians Territorials, also coming under the command of the 52nd Lowland Volunteers in 1970, retaining its name as the Royal Scots Territorial Band. When the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 52nd Lowland Volunteers were renamed as a result of the Front Line First
Front Line First
Front Line First: The Defence Cost Study was a programme of defence cuts announced on 14 July 1994 by then Defence Secretary Malcolm Rifkind. Front Line First was announced four years after Options for Change, which was a military draw-down as a result of the end of the Cold War, often described as...
reforms of the British Army in 1994, the band stayed with the redesignated 1st Battalion, which became The Lowland Volunteers in 1995 and subsequently the 52nd Lowland Regiment in 1999.
As a result of the Strategic Defence Review
Strategic Defence Review
The Strategic Defence Review was a British policy document produced by the Labour Government that came to power in 1997. Then Secretary of State for Defence, George Robertson, set out the initial defence policy of the new government, with a series of key decisions designed to enhance the United...
of 1998, the band was renamed as The Band of 52nd Lowland Brigade on 1 July 1999 and although it was administered by the new 52nd Lowland Regiment
52nd Lowland Regiment
The 52nd Lowland Regiment now forms the 6th Battalion of The Royal Regiment of Scotland, also known as 6 SCOTS. Due to its erstwhile association with the 1st Regiment of Foot, it is the senior Territorial line infantry battalion in the British Army...
, it had actually become a Brigade level asset. It did however retain the uniform and cap badge of the Royal Scots.
After the formation of The Royal Regiment of Scotland on 28 March 2006, 52nd Lowland Regiment became the new Regiment's 6th Battalion and the band took the title The Lowland Band of The Royal Regiment of Scotland. Along with the Highland Band and six current Pipes and Drums in the new Regiment, the Lowland Band continues to wear its antecedent uniform, the No. 1 pattern ceremonial dress of the Royal Scots, but now with the cap badge of the Royal Regiment of Scotland on the Glengarry
Glengarry
The glengarry bonnet is a traditional boat-shaped hat without a peak made of thick-milled woollen material with a toorie on top, a rosette cockade on the left, and ribbons hanging down behind...
.
The original regular Lowland Band of the Scottish Division
Scottish Division
The Scottish Division is a British Army Infantry command, training and administrative apparatus designated for all Scottish line infantry units. The Scottish Division was formed on July 1, 1968 with the amalgamation of the Lowland Brigade and Highland Brigade...
was formed under the command of the Corps of Army Music
Corps of Army Music
The Corps of Army Music is a corps of the British Army. It was formed in 1994 as an umbrella organisation, centred on the Royal Military School of Music, to oversee the 29 new permanent Military Bands formed following Options for Change, although each band continues to wear the capbadges and Full...
in 1994, and consisted of the amalgamated regular regimental bands of the three Lowland Scottish infantry regiments at the time, the Royal Scots, the King's Own Scottish Borderers
King's Own Scottish Borderers
The King's Own Scottish Borderers was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Scottish Division.-History:It was raised on 18 March 1689 by the Earl of Leven to defend Edinburgh against the Jacobite forces of James II. It is said that 800 men were recruited within the space of two hours...
and the Royal Highland Fusiliers
Royal Highland Fusiliers
The Royal Highland Fusiliers, 2nd Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland....
. The band was itself amalgamated with the Highland Band of the Scottish Division in 2006, forming the regular Regimental Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland.
Current activities
The Lowland Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland takes part in military and civilian events all over the UK and the world on behalf of 6 SCOTS and the Royal Regiment of Scotland, including the Battalion's annual Beating RetreatBeating Retreat
Beating Retreat is a military ceremony dating back to 16th century England and was first used in order to recall nearby patrolling units to their castle.-History:...
and Remembrance Day
Remembrance Day
Remembrance Day is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth countries since the end of World War I to remember the members of their armed forces who have died in the line of duty. This day, or alternative dates, are also recognized as special days for war remembrances in many non-Commonwealth...
ceremonies in George Square
George Square
George Square is the principal civic square in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. It is named after King George III.-Historical development:George Square was laid out in 1781, part of the innovative Georgian central grid plan that initially spanned from Stockwell Street east to Buchanan Street—which...
, the Edinburgh Military Tattoo
Edinburgh Military Tattoo
The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo is an annual series of Military tattoos performed by British Armed Forces, Commonwealth and International military bands and display teams in the Scottish capital Edinburgh...
and the Opening of the Scottish Parliament
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
. The current Director of Music is Major Kevin Lamb, a former Bandmaster of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, 5th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland....
regimental band and Chief Instructor and Head of the Royal Military School of Music
Royal Military School of Music
The Royal Military School of Music in Twickenham, west London, trains musicians for the British Army's twenty-nine bands. It is part of the Corps of Army Music...
, Kneller Hall
Kneller Hall
Kneller Hall is a stately home in the Twickenham area of west London, and takes its name from Sir Godfrey Kneller, court painter to British monarchs from Charles II to George I...
.