Regimental depot
Cameron Barracks, Inverness
Battalions of the Regular Army
1st Battalion
August 1914 : in Edinburgh.
14 August 1914 : landed at Le Havre as Army Troops.
5 September 1914 : joined 1st Brigade in 1st Division.
19 March 1916 : when 1/4th Bn was disbanded (see below), some of its troops eventually joined the 1st Battalion.
2nd Battalion
August 1914 : in Ghorpuri Barracks, Poona, India.
14 October 1914: departed on troop ship “Saturnia”, landing at Devonport on 16 November .
Moved to Winchester and came under orders of 81st Brigade in 27th Division.
20 December 1914 : landed at Le Havre.
Moved to Salonika, arriving 5 December 1915.
3rd (Reserve) Battalion
August 1914 : at Inverness.
A training unit of the Special Reserve, it moved on mobilisation to Cromarty and then Invergordon.
Moved to Birr (Ireland) in November 1917, going on in March 1918 to Ballyvonare, Limerick in April and later back to Ballyvonare.
Battalions of the Territorial Force
1/4th Battalion
August 1914 : at Inverness. Part of Seaforth & Cameron Brigade in the Highland Division. Moved to Bedford
20 February 1915 : left the Division and landed at Le Havre, and three days later joined 24th Brigade in 8th Division on the Western Front.
8 April 1915 : transferred to 21st Brigade in 7th Division.
20 December 1915 : transferred to 91st Brigade in same Division.
7 January 1916 : transferred to 154th Brigade in 51st (Highland) Division.
28 February 1916 : left the Division, moved to base and was disbanded. It is known that more than 200 of the 1/4th Battalion men were physically sent to join the 1st Entrenching Battalion, a collection of men of mixed regiments that was used to provide manual labour behind the lines, before the establishment of the Labour Corps in 1917. At later dates it also send drafts to 19 Infantry Base Depot. Just over 100 remained as a “Base” and September 1916 appear to have been at Camp BB at Etaples. It appears to have been disbanded in February 1917.
2/4th Battalion
Formed at Inverness in September 1914 as a second line battalion.
January 1915 : attached to 2nd Seaforth & Cameron Highlanders Brigade, 2nd Highland Division. Moved to Fort George in April 1915 and Blair Atholl in July, going to Aberfeldy in October 1915.
October 1915 : formation became 191st Brigade in 64th (2nd Highland) Division.
Was called No 3 Battalion between November 1915 and January 1916.
Moved to Norwich in March 1916, going on to Blickling Park (June), Kelling (July) and Cromer (October 1916). Disbanded in February 1918.
3/4th Battalion
Formed at Inverness in April 1915 and moved to Ripon in November 1915.
8 April 1916 : renamed as Reserve Battalion at Ripon.
July 1916 : disbanded.
10th (Lovat’s Scouts) Battalion
Formed in Cairo on 27 September 1916 from dismounted 1/1st and 1/2nd Lovat’s Scouts (Yeomanry units).
20 October 1916 : moved to Salonika and there attached to 82nd Brigade in 27th Division.
June 1918 : left the Division and moved to France, attached to Lines of Communication.
Battalions of the New Armies
5th (Service) Battalion
Formed at Inverness in August 1914 as part of K1 and came under orders of 26th Brigade in 9th (Scottish) Division.
Moved to Aldershot and in February 1915 went to Bordon.
Landed at Boulogne on 10 May 1915.
6th (Service) Battalion
Formed at Inverness in September 1914 as part of K2 and came under orders of 45th Brigade in 15th (Scottish) Division. Moved to Aldershot and in November went to Bramshott.
Moved to Basingstoke in February 1915, then Chisledon in April.
10 July 1915 : landed at Boulogne.
7th (Service) Battalion
Formed at Inverness in September 1914. Moved to Aldershot in November 1914 and on 13 January 1915 came under orders of 44th Brigade in 15th (Scottish) Division. Moved to billets at Liphook in January 1915, then next month to Cirencester. Moved on to Chisledon in April 1915, then Tidworth in May.
9 July 1915 : landed at Boulogne.
10 June 1918 : reduced to cadre, with almost 400 troops being transferred to 6th Bn.
14 August 1918 : disbanded in France.
8th (Reserve) Battalion
Formed in Invergordon in November 1914 as a K4 Service Battalion, under comand of 101st Brigade in original 34th Division. Moved to Inverness in February 1915.
10 April 1915 : became a Reserve Battalion. Moved to Striling in March 1916.
1 September 1916 : converted into 40th Training Reserve Battalion of 9th Reserve Brigade at Stirling.
Other Battalions
9th (Labour) Battalion
Formed at Blairgowrie in August 1916.
Moved to France on 6 September 1916, attached to Lines of Communication.
Transferred as 7th and 8th Labour Companies to the Labour Corps in April 1917.
11th (Garrison) Battalion
6 June 1918 : formed at Etaples.
11 June 1918: now as Le Cinq Rues it was brought up to strength by arrival of a draft of over 750 men. They were of Bi medical category and drawn from 29 different units of the Labour Corps.
16 June 1918: came under command of 120th Infantry Brigade in 40th Division.
29 June: a further draft of 251 men arrived.
4 July 1918: a further draft of 50 men arrived from Garrison Battalions Base Depot.
16 July 1918: the word Garrison was dropped from battalion’s title.
1st (Home Service) Garrison Battalion
Formed in Invergordon in February 1917. In August 1917 became the 18th Bn, the Royal Defence Corps.
Links
Other British infantry regiments
Books
Historical records 1st to 4th Battalions (free PDF download)
Historical records 5th to 11th Battalions (free PDF download)
The history of the 7th Battalion (free PDF download)