Friday Museum: Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders at Stirling Castle, Scotland

This week's museum visit takes us to Scotland, for a trip through the history of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders at their regimental museum.


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Highlights from History
The 91st Argyllshire Highlanders were raised in 1794. They served in the South Africa Peninsula, Waterloo and India.
The 93rd Sutherland Highlanders were raised in 1799. They saw service in New Orleans, Crimea (including Balaklava, where they earned the nickname of the Thin Red Line) and during the Indian Mutiny, where they won seven Victoria Crosses.

In 1881 the two regiments amalgamated to form The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (Princess Louise's). After amalgamation, battalions of the regiment served in South Africa (Zululand), Boer War, India, and the Far East.
The Regiment had twenty six battalions in World War I and nine in World War II.
Since the Indian Mutiny, members of the Regiment have earned a further nine Victoria Crosses.
Since World War II the 1st Battalion has served in Palestine, Korea, British Guiana, Berlin, Suez, Cyprus, Malaya and Singapore, Borneo, Aden, Germany, Falkland Islands, England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Boer War Statue commemorating the A&S Highlanders at Stirling Castle


Photo of the A&S Highlanders in Berlin in the 1950s.


The Highlanders were also involved in the most recent known bayonet charge, in Basra, Iraq.

On 21 May 2004, Mahdi militiamen engaged a convoy consisting of approximately 20 British troops from the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders 55 miles north of Basra. A squad from the Princess of Wales regiment came to their assistance. What started as an attack on a passing convoy ended with at least 35 militiamen dead and just three British troops wounded. The militiamen engaged a force that had restrictive rules of engagement prior to the incident that prevented them from returning fire. What ensued was an example of irregular warfare by coalition troops that achieved a tactical victory over a numerically superior foe with considerable firepower.

So what happened?

In May 2004, approximately 20 British troops in Basra were ambushed and forced out of their vehicles by about 100 Shiite militia fighters. When ammunition ran low, the British troops fixed bayonets and charged the enemy. About 20 militiamen were killed in the assault without any British deaths.

The bayonet charge appeared to succeed for three main reasons. First, the attack was the first of its kind in that region and captured the element of surprise. Second, enemy fighters probably believed jihadist propaganda stating that coalition troops were cowards unwilling to fight in close combat, further enhancing the element of surprise. Third, the strict discipline of the British troops overwhelmed the ability of the militia fighters to organize a cohesive counteraction.

By: Brant