51st Infantry Brigade and Headquarters Scotland explained

Unit Name:Headquarters 51st Infantry Brigade & Headquarters Scotland
51st (Scottish) Brigade
51st (Highland) Infantry Brigade
51st Brigade
Dates:1914–1918
1983–present
Country: United Kingdom
Type:Infantry
Size:Brigade
Command Structure:Regional Command (British Army)
Garrison:Redford Barracks, Edinburgh[1]
Current Commander:Brigadier Jody Davies MBE
Nickname:The Fighting 51st
Battles:First World War

HQ 51st Infantry Brigade and Headquarters Scotland is a Regional Point of Command, Brigade of the British Army.

Although it takes its name and identity directly from, the 51st (Highland) Division, it is also a descendant of the 52nd Lowland Division.

History

World War I

The 51st Brigade began as a formation of the 17th (Northern) Division during the First World War. It spent the entirety of the war with the Division on the Western Front.[2]

Cold War

Following the complete reorganisation of the Territorial Army into the Territorial and Army Volunteer Reserve (TAVR) in 1967 following the 1966 Defence White Paper, the old regional brigades and divisions were disbanded. Among the formations which disappeared was the 51st (Highland) Division/District, which had overseen the Scottish Highlands.[3]

The brigade level of command for the Territorial Army, was eliminated in the 1967 reforms, leaving little or no direction in doctrine or training from above. This was resolved in 1982 with the recreation of several territorial brigades, however these new formations were purely administrative headquarters for training. In 1982, the 51st (Highland) Infantry Brigade was formed with headquarters at Queen's Barracks, Perth taking control overall all the TA units within the Scottish Highlands.[3]

If mobilised, 51st (Highland) Infantry Brigade would oversee Highland Zone, which encompassed the following TAORs: Orkney, Shetland, Western Isles, Highland (region), Grampians, Tayside, Fife, and Central Region. These TAORs were further divided into several Key Points (KPs), which would nominally be guarded by Home Defence battalions, but also the new Home Service Force.[4] 51st (Highland) Brigade encompassing the Scottish Highlands: Argyll (part of Strathclyde), Central Scotland, Kingdom of Fife, Tayside, Grampian, Highland, Western Isles, Orkney, and Shetland. 51st Infantry Brigade's primary role was that of mobile defence of the UK, with a particular emphasis on defending the military infrastructure at the UK end of the Greenland-Iceland-UK (G-I-UK) Gap alongside 52 Brigade.[5]

Twenty-First Century

On 1 April 2002, 51 (Scottish) Brigade took on the regional responsibility for the whole of Scotland, instead of just the Highlands, with its headquarters originally at Forthside Barracks in Stirling and its Regional Training Centre situated at Redford Barracks in Edinburgh. This enabled 52 (Lowland) Brigade, which previously administered all Lowland TA units, to be specifically reorganised to parent Regular light role infantry battalions for operational deployments. 51st (Scottish) Brigade also co-ordinated operational deployments within its regional area of responsibility, such as in scenarios requiring Military Aid to the Civil Community.[6]

In April 2012, with the disbandment of 2nd Division, the brigade came under the control of the new Support Command based in Aldershot.[7] On 31 March 2014, it was renamed 51st Infantry Brigade and Headquarters Scotland, and took on regional responsibilities as part of the Army 2020 reorganisation.[8] It is now located at Redford Barracks, Edinburgh.

Current structure

Units under Operational Command of HQ 51st Infantry Brigade and Headquarters Scotland

These include:[9]

Other Regular units in Scotland

Reserve Forces

Cadet Units

University Officers' Training Corps

See also

References

External links and sources

Notes and References

  1. News: Farewell to Stirling as Army HQ moves to Edinburgh. Daily Record. 31 March 2021. 1 June 2021.
  2. Web site: 17th Division. The Long, Long Trail. 12 September 2019.
  3. Web site: 30 August 2000. Territorial Army Command Structure 1967–2000. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20070825031114/http://www.win.tue.nl/~drenth/BritArmy/Lineage/TACOMMANDSTRUCT67/index.html. 25 August 2007. 7 January 2022.
  4. Staff Officer's Handbook, pp. 18–20.
  5. Chappell, pp. 14
  6. Web site: 20 April 2017. Defence Basing Reforms. 12 September 2019. Scottish Parliament.
  7. Web site: HQ Regional Command. 5 March 2016.
  8. Web site: 51st Infantry Brigade and HQ Scotland. 12 August 2015. Ministry of Defence.
  9. Web site: 51st Infantry Brigade and Headquarters Scotland - British Army.
  10. Web site: Glasgow And Lanarkshire Battalion Army Cadets . 2021-04-29 . Army Cadets UK . en-GB.
  11. Web site: Lothian And Borders Battalion Army Cadets . 2021-04-29 . Army Cadets UK . en-GB.
  12. Web site: West Lowland Battalion Army Cadets . 2021-04-29 . Army Cadets UK . en-GB.
  13. Web site: Black Watch Battalion Army Cadets . 2021-04-29 . Army Cadets UK . en-GB.
  14. Web site: Angus And Dundee Battalion Army Cadets . 2021-04-29 . Army Cadets UK . en-GB.
  15. Web site: 1st Battalion The Highlanders Army Cadets . 2021-04-29 . Army Cadets UK . en-GB.
  16. Web site: 2nd Battalion The Highlanders Army Cadets . 2021-04-29 . Army Cadets UK . en-GB.
  17. Web site: Argyll And Sutherland Highlanders Battalion Army… . 2021-04-29 . Army Cadets UK . en-GB.
  18. Web site: Aberdeen UOTC. 2021-11-11. www.army.mod.uk. en-GB.
  19. Web site: Edinburgh UOTC. 2021-11-11. www.army.mod.uk. en-GB.
  20. Web site: Glasgow and Strathclyde UOTC. 2021-11-11. www.army.mod.uk. en-GB.

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