"Highland Regiment"...?

[Woodsheal]

I really like the look of this cap badge, but I'm unfamiliar with any British army formation in WWII known simply as the "Highland Regiment." Anybody know what unit is referred to here?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...%3DI%26otn%3D2

[macwilkin]

I really like the look of this cap badge, but I'm unfamiliar with any British army formation in WWII known simply as the "Highland Regiment." Anybody know what unit is referred to here?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...%3DI%26otn%3D2

It is legit, but I can't seem to find any information on it at the moment. There was also an equivalent "Lowland Regiment". If I remember correctly, they were Territorial formations, but don't hold me to that. :mrgreen:

T.

[haukehaien]

They're surprisingly difficult to find info on, but appear to have been mainly a Second World War formation; I found two listings for dates of existence for the unit:1939-1949 and 1942-1949. I have no idea which is correct.

The block of Army service numbers allocated to the regiment was 14002501 - 14005000, if you're ever interested in trying to determine if a particular soldier began his career in the regiment.

Most references were annoyingly incomplete:
"... whilst the recruits to the 1st Battalion the Highland Regiment improbably demonstrated their amphibious skills by jumping with full kit into Broughty Ferry Harbour." Dundee and the Tay in The Second World War

I'll keep checking.

[BobsYourUncle]

The poster on WW2 Talk who posted the block number ranges for British Army service numbers does not cite any sources, but there is a reasonable probability that his source was British Army Uniforms and Insignia of World War Two, Brian L. Davis, Arms and Armour Press, London, 1983, Appendix 3: Army Numbers, pp. 274-5. On page 275, Davis lists block number ranges for the Lowland Regiment [14,0000,001-14,002,500] and for the Highland Regiment [14,002,501-14,0005,000]. Each listing for both Lowland Regiment and Highland Regiment are footnoted at note 16, which reads "This unit was introduced from September 1943."

Davis is considered authoritative in the Living History community, and we take our service numbers for our impressions from him. I don't readily find any further reference in Davis to either Lowland or Highland Regiment.

The Lowland and Highland Regiments should not be confused with either the 51st Highland Division or the 52nd Lowland Division, both of which existed before, during and after WWII. Confusion is possible, especially in online sources, because some units of the Lowland Division were amalgamated into a Lowland Regiment for a period after the war. This unit appears to have come into existence in 1943.

There appears to be an article available online that may give you more information, New Corps, Regiments and Army Services of the 1938-49 Period
Author: T. J. Edwards, available here, for a 30$ fee: http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/con...ent=a914781505. I wasn't going to pay the fee, it may be of enough interest for you to. Otherwise, it is difficult to research this online due to the fact that there were a number of regiments that had Lowland Regiment as part of their name or descriptor.

However, I am satisfied from Davis, cited above, that such a Highland Regiment existed. I only have the single volume Oxford History of the British Army, which does not discuss individual regiments at that level of detail. If someone has the multi-volume edition, they may be able to do a look up for you. That's my contribution to the discussion. Regards, BYU

[BobsYourUncle]

Update to my last post: the official War Diaries of the Highland Regiment are listed in the catalog of the British National Archives here: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/c...thod=5#summary .

The catalog entry gives a start date of Jan 1943. This appears to corroborate the entries in Davis. If you really wanted to dig that deep, I suppose you could find a way to access their War Diaries...

[Woodsheal]

Thanks, all. I purchased the badge (now convinced that it's not a fake "novelty" item!)....

[thescot]

I have the same badge in my own collection. I seem to recall that it was a TA regiment, but don't quote me. I think it was kind of thrown together during WWII or something.

[thescot]

P.S. I found this: "Highland Regiment -1942/1949- Disbanded 1949" at

http://www.britisharmedforces.org/pa...egs_badges.htm

which kind of confirms what I originally wrote. I'm pretty sure it was just a war time regiment, maybe even kept in reserve as a home guard. It's just been too long since I researched and found info.

[mdj696]

Anyone watch the movie Joyeux Noel, Christmas Truce 1914. When the padre sits down to play the pipes, a soldier giving up his seat, I think he said something about the 92nd Div. My cousin twice removed, was with the 92nd Div, 3rd attached to the 2nd battalion with the Argyll Sutherland Highlanders, which I have the badge and Glengarry cap, killed 1916. I would post a picture of him but dont see on forum how to download photo.

[BoldHighlander]

Anyone watch the movie Joyeux Noel, Christmas Truce 1914. When the padre sits down to play the pipes, a soldier giving up his seat, I think he said something about the 92nd Div. My cousin twice removed, was with the 92nd Div, 3rd attached to the 2nd battalion with the Argyll Sutherland Highlanders, which I have the badge and Glengarry cap, killed 1916. I would post a picture of him but dont see on forum how to download photo.

I really like that film (somewhere there is a thread about it). My favorite scene is the one you mention....yes, it's the 92nd that "loaned a spare set of pipes"...as matter of fact if you look close in the scene, the kilted pipers are all wearing A&SH cap badges.



p.s. - nice cap badge Brian