Gordon Highlanders

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Gordon Highlanders
Cap Badge of the Gordon Highlanders
Active	1881 - 1994
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	British Army
Type	Line Infantry
Part of	Scottish Division
Garrison/HQ	Gordon Barracks, Aberdeen
Motto	Bydand (Steadfast)
Engagements	Mysore Seringapatam Peninsular War South Africa 1899-1902
Battle honours	Relief of Ladysmith Battle of Kandahar
Commanders
Ceremonial chief	King Edward VIII Henry William Frederick Albert, 1st Duke of Gloucester HRH The Prince of Wales KG KT GCB AK QSO DC
Insignia
Tartan	Gordon

The Gordon Highlanders was a British Army infantry regiment from 1881 until 1994. The regiment took its name from the Clan Gordon and recruited principally from Aberdeen and the North-East of Scotland.

92nd Highlanders at Kandahar
by Caton Woodville (1856-1927)

It was formed on 1 July 1881 by the amalgamation of the 75th Stirlingshire Regiment - which became the 1st battalion of the new regiment - and the 92nd Gordon Highlanders, which became the 2nd. The 75th Highlanders were raised in 1787 by Colonel Robert Abercromby of Tullibody for service in India, where they saw a great deal of action. They went on to serve in South Africa, the Indian Mutiny, Egypt and on the North-West Frontier. In 1809 they lost their kilt and their Highland identity but the title Stirlingshire was introduced in 1862. The 92nd were raised as the 100th Highlanders by the Duke of Gordon in 1794 being renumbered 92nd in 1798. Their early service included the Low Countries and Egypt, followed by Corunna, the Peninsula, Waterloo, Afghanistan and South Africa.

The 2nd Battalion, Gordon Highlanders advancing near Mametz on the first day on the Somme, 1 July 1916.

The Gordons raised 21 battalions in the First World War, serving on the Western Front and in Italy and winning 65 battle honours. The regiment lost 1,000 officers and 28,000 men during the war.

A further 27 honours were added in World War II when the Regiment served in France in 1940, in Malaya, North Africa, Sicily, Italy and north-west Europe.

The 9th Battalion were initially posted to the Shetland islands. Later they were amalgamated with the 5th Battalion and sent to India for training and were then deployed to Burma as 116th Regiment RAC (Gordons) and were trained in armoured combat. Part of 255 Independent Indian Tank Brigade, they were involved in the dash for Rangoon and were heavily involved in the battle of Meiktila, signalling the end of Japanese hopes in Burma.

After the war the Gordons saw active service in the Malayan Emergency and Northern Ireland.

The novelist George MacDonald Fraser was posted as a lieutenant to the 2nd Battalion in the immediate post-war period, and wrote three volumes of short stories (the "McAuslan" books), which were lightly fictionalised recollections of his time with the regiment.

The original tartan of the 75th is not certain but it may have been akin to what is now known as Campbell of Breadalbane. The 92nd has always worn the Government sett with a yellow stripe, which is worn as a clan tartan by those of the name Gordon.

The regimental marches were Cock o' the North, St Andrew's Cross and The Garb of Old Gaul. HRH The Prince of Wales was Colonel in Chief.

The regiment was amalgamated with The Queens' Own Highlanders (Seaforth and Camerons) on September 17, 1994 to form The Highlanders (Seaforth, Gordons and Camerons).

[edit] Trivia

The Gordon Highlanders regimental football team, which included Robert Milne, won the Irish Cup in 1890.

There is a British Rail Class 55 Deltic Locomotive named Gordon Highlander after the regiment. Its number was D9016, or 550016. Its nickname among enthusiasts is either "G-H" or "No. 16".