Highland Light Infantry
A former British Army infantry regiment formed in 1881 as Glasgow's principal Highland regiment and amalgamated in 1959.
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Overview
The Highland Light Infantry was a British Army infantry regiment associated principally with the city of Glasgow and the west of Scotland. It was created on 1 July 1881 under the Childers Reforms through the amalgamation of the 71st (Highland) Light Infantry and the 74th (Highland) Regiment of Foot. The new regiment became the city regiment of Glasgow and incorporated local militia and volunteer formations during the later nineteenth-century reorganization of the British Army. Although it maintained a Highland identity, the regiment occupied an unusual position within the British Army. It recruited heavily in Glasgow and the surrounding Lowland areas, and its regular soldiers traditionally wore trews rather than kilts. Its full-dress uniform included a dark green shako, scarlet doublet, buff facings and Mackenzie tartan trews. Kilts were authorized for the regiment after 1947, while the Glasgow Highlanders, a territorial formation within the regiment, had already retained a kilted appearance. The HLI served in a series of imperial campaigns before 1914. Its antecedent units carried battle honours from campaigns in India, the Peninsular War, Waterloo, the Cape of Good Hope and South Africa. The regiment's second battalion fought in the Anglo-Egyptian War, including the Battle of Tel el-Kebir in 1882, where Lieutenant William Edwards received the Victoria Cross. The first battalion served in the Second Boer War, while militia elements were also embodied for active service. During the First World War, the regiment expanded substantially. Its regular battalions fought on the Western Front, including at Neuve Chapelle, Ypres, Loos, the Somme, Arras and Cambrai. The first battalion later served in Mesopotamia, including the Siege of Kut and the Battle of Sharqat. Territorial and service battalions fought at Gallipoli, in Egypt, Mesopotamia and France. The 16th (Service) Battalion, associated with Glasgow's Boys' Brigade, became especially remembered for the stand made by soldiers in Frankfurt Trench during the Battle of the Ancre in 1916. Between the world wars, the regiment's formal title was expanded in 1923 to the Highland Light Infantry (City of Glasgow Regiment). Among its notable officers was David Niven, who was commissioned into the regiment in 1930 before later becoming an actor and author. The regiment again served across several theatres during the Second World War. The first battalion went to France with the British Expeditionary Force in 1939, participated in the Dunkirk evacuation in 1940, and later fought in Normandy, during the Battle of the Bulge, at the Reichswald and in the final advance into Germany. The second battalion served in East Africa, North Africa, Sicily, the Balkans and Italy, including the Battle of Keren and fighting in the Western Desert. Territorial battalions took part in operations in France, the Low Countries and northwest Europe. In 1942, the 11th Battalion was converted into an armoured regiment while retaining HLI cap badges. The Highland Light Infantry ceased to exist as a separate regiment in 1959, when it was amalgamated with the Royal Scots Fusiliers to create the Royal Highland Fusiliers. The latter later became part of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, with the HLI's regular lineage represented by the regiment's 2nd Battalion. The former regiment's identity is preserved through regimental associations, historical collections, uniforms, battle honours and successor formations rather than through an active standalone military organization.
History
The Highland Light Infantry originated in the 1881 Childers Reforms, which reorganized British infantry regiments around territorial identities and linked battalions. The 71st (Highland) Light Infantry became the new regiment's 1st Battalion, while the 74th (Highland) Regiment of Foot became its 2nd Battalion. Glasgow served as the regiment's civic center, although its recruiting base and cultural identity reflected both Highland military tradition and the Lowland character of the city. In the late nineteenth century, the regiment served in imperial operations. The 2nd Battalion fought in Egypt in 1882 and participated in the Battle of Tel el-Kebir. The 1st Battalion served in the Second Boer War from 1899, and militia and reserve formations were also mobilized. The 1908 creation of the Territorial Force and Special Reserve altered the regiment's structure, leaving it with regular, reserve and territorial battalions. The First World War produced a major expansion of HLI service. Regular battalions fought in France and Belgium during the opening campaigns and later in Mesopotamia. Territorial battalions served at Gallipoli before moving through Egypt and France, while numerous service battalions formed through wartime recruitment fought on the Western Front. The regiment's wartime history included major operations at Ypres, Loos, the Somme, Arras, Cambrai, the Hindenburg Line, Gallipoli, Mesopotamia and other theatres. The 16th Battalion's resistance at Frankfurt Trench became one of the regiment's most remembered episodes. The interwar regiment continued its Glasgow association and adopted the expanded title Highland Light Infantry (City of Glasgow Regiment) in 1923. David Niven joined as an officer in 1930, adding a later cultural association to the regiment's public history. In the Second World War, HLI battalions served in western Europe, North Africa, Sicily, Greece, Yugoslavia, Albania and Italy. The 1st Battalion was involved in the 1940 campaign in France and the Dunkirk evacuation, then returned to continental operations in Normandy and Germany. The 2nd Battalion fought in the Middle Eastern and Mediterranean theatres, while the 5th and 6th Battalions participated in operations in France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany. The 11th Battalion underwent conversion to an armoured role in 1942 but retained its HLI insignia. Postwar reductions and reorganization led to the regiment's amalgamation with the Royal Scots Fusiliers in 1959. The resulting Royal Highland Fusiliers later entered the Royal Regiment of Scotland, where the HLI lineage was continued by the 2nd Battalion. The historic regiment is now represented by successor units, associations, archives and ceremonial heritage.
- 1959
Amalgamation with the Royal Scots Fusiliers
[1]The regiment was combined with the Royal Scots Fusiliers to form the Royal Highland Fusiliers.
- 1942
11th Battalion converted to armour
[1]The 11th Battalion became the 156th Regiment in the Royal Armoured Corps while retaining Highland Light Infantry cap badges.
- 1939
Second World War mobilization
[1]The 1st Battalion deployed to France with the British Expeditionary Force, beginning the regiment's extensive Second World War service.
- 1923
Title expanded to City of Glasgow Regiment
[1]The regiment formally adopted the title Highland Light Infantry (City of Glasgow Regiment).
- 1915
Gallipoli and Western Front operations
[1]Territorial and service battalions fought at Gallipoli and on the Western Front, while other HLI formations continued operations in France and Belgium.
- 1914
First World War deployment
[1]Regular, territorial and service battalions entered operations in France, Belgium and other theatres during the First World War.
- 1899
Service in the Second Boer War
[1]The 1st Battalion and militia elements served in South Africa during the Second Boer War.
- 1882
Battle of Tel el-Kebir
[1]The 2nd Battalion took part in the Anglo-Egyptian campaign and fought at Tel el-Kebir; Lieutenant William Edwards was awarded the Victoria Cross.
- 1881
Formation under the Childers Reforms
[1]The 71st (Highland) Light Infantry and 74th (Highland) Regiment of Foot were combined to create the Highland Light Infantry, associated with Glasgow.
Products and positioning
A Glasgow-associated Highland infantry regiment of the British Army, combining a Lowland urban recruiting base with Highland ceremonial and regimental traditions.
Military service · 1881
Regular infantry battalions
The regiment's regular battalions provided British Army light-infantry service in imperial, European, Middle Eastern and Mediterranean theatres. Their recorded operations included Egypt, South Africa, France, Belgium, Mesopotamia, North Africa, Sicily, Greece, Italy and Germany.
Military service · 1881
Territorial and service battalions
During the First and Second World Wars, the HLI incorporated territorial, reserve and wartime service battalions. These formations expanded the regiment's manpower and served in campaigns including Gallipoli, the Western Front and northwest Europe.
Heritage and ceremonial identity · 1881
Regimental heritage
The HLI's heritage includes its Glasgow association, Mackenzie tartan trews, later authorization of kilts, military colours, battle honours, insignia and traditions continued by successor formations and regimental associations.
Brand decisions
1959
Amalgamation with the Royal Scots FusiliersM&ABackground
Postwar British Army restructuring led to the consolidation of historic infantry regiments.
Action taken
The Highland Light Infantry and Royal Scots Fusiliers were combined to create the Royal Highland Fusiliers.
Aftermath
The HLI ceased to exist as an independent regiment, although its lineage continued through the Royal Highland Fusiliers and later the Royal Regiment of Scotland.
1908
Reorganization of reserve and volunteer forcesStrategyBackground
A national restructuring changed the organization of Britain's militia and volunteer forces.
Action taken
The former Volunteers became the Territorial Force and the Militia became the Special Reserve, altering the HLI's battalion structure.
Aftermath
The regiment operated with regular, reserve and territorial battalions in the years preceding the First World War.
1881
Creation through army reorganizationStrategyBackground
The Childers Reforms sought to reorganize British infantry regiments around territorial identities and linked battalions.
Action taken
The 71st and 74th regiments were amalgamated to form the Highland Light Infantry, with Glasgow as its civic association.
Aftermath
The new regiment became a permanent British Army formation with regular, reserve, militia and volunteer components.
Sources2 sources
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