The History Of The Scots Guards

The Scots Guards can trace their history back to 1642 when the regiment was raised as the King's Lifeguard of Foot by the Marquis of Argyll. From those early beginnings the Scots Guards have played a pivotal role in the history of the British Army. They fought on many different battlefields, from the Battle of Namurin to Waterloo. Going through various name changes the regiment became known as the Scots Guards in 1877, and fought at Telel Kebir in 1882, Mahdi in 1885 and the Boer War. At the First Battle of Ypres the regiment lost three quarters of its strength and won five VCs on the Western Front. In the Second World War Scots Guards fought in Norway, North Africa, Italy and from Normandy to the Baltic. Post-war the regiment has fought in Malaya, Suez, Borneo and in the Falklands. Its history is one of perseverance, of great bravery and of privation in time of war. Its troops have served Britain for five centuries, which is a record few can match. Within the pages of The Scots Guards are over 200 images of the regiment and its men at their best, in battle and in play, and the images and accompanying text are a unique record of a unique regiment.