The Blythswood Rifles was a Scottish Volunteer unit of the British Army. Raised in Glasgow from 1859, it later became a battalion of the Highland Light Infantry. During World War I it served at Gallipoli, in Egypt and Palestine, in Ireland, and on the Western Front. Converted into an anti-aircraft artillery regiment just before World War II, it served in The Blitz and in the Middle East during the war, and continued in the postwar Territorial Army until 1955.
Origin An invasion scare in 1859 led to the emergence of the Volunteer Movement, and Rifle Volunteer Corps (RVCs) composed of part-time soldiers eager to supplement the Regular British Army in time of need began to be organised throughout Great Britain.Beckett.Grierson, pp. 1–12.Spiers, pp. 163–168. The 2nd Administrative Battalion of Lanarkshire RVCs (shown in the Army List as the 4th Admin Bn until March 1861) was formed in Glasgow, Lanarkshire, on 4 July 1860 to administer 11 company-sized RVCs that had been raised in that city:Beckett, Appendix VII.Frederick, pp. 257, 259.Grierson, pp. 265–269.Westlake, Rifle Volunteers, pp. 127–138. 30th (1st Central) Lanarkshire RVC – recruited in the East Central district of Glasgow, services accepted 28 December 1859, disbanded 1865 31st (Central Blythswood) Lanarkshire RVC – recruited from leather trade workers, services accepted 21 December 1859 38th (Rifle Rangers) Lanarkshire RVC – recruited from mechanics in the Central district of Glasgow, services accepted 29 December 1859 45th (Grocers) Lanarkshire RVC – recruited from grocers, services accepted 10 January 1860 46th (Grocers) Lanarkshire RVC – recruited from grocers, services accepted 10 January 1860 47th (Grocers) Lanarkshire RVC – recruited from grocers, services accepted 10 January 1860 75th (2nd Company, Leather and Boot Trade) Lanarkshire RVC – recruited from leather workers, services accepted 29 February 1860 84th Lanarkshire RVC – recruited from members of the grain and provisions trades, services accepted 24 April 1860 86th (Tailors) Lanarkshire RVC – recruited from tailors, services accepted 7 May 1860 88th (Fleshers) Lanarkshire RVC – recruited from butchers, services accepted 9 May 1860, disbanded 1864 96th Lanarkshire RVC – services accepted 29 November 1860, later increased to two companies 97th (Glasgow Guards) Lanarkshire RVC – four companies recruited from men of exceptional physique, services accepted 30 July 1861; transferred to 1st Lanarkshire Engineer Volunteer Corps 1863Westlake, Engineer Volunteers, p. 10.
On 20 June 1865 the 2nd Admin Battalion was consolidated as the 31st Lanarkshire RVC (taking the number of its senior surviving company) with headquarters (HQ) in North Frederick Street, Glasgow. In June 1869 it received the additional title The Blythswood Rifles in honour of its Commanding Officer (CO), Archibald Campbell of Blythswood House, who later took the title of Lord Blythswood. Campbell had served with the Scots Fusilier Guards in the Crimean War and had retired with the rank of 'Captain and Lieutenant–Colonel'. He was commissioned as Lt-Col in command of the 31st RVC on 1 December 1864.Army List, various dates.Archibald Campbell at The University of Glasgow Story.Archibald Campbell at Grace's Guides.
In 1873, the Blythswood Rifles absorbed the 5th Lanarkshire RVC, previously the 7th Admin Bn formed in September 1860 to administer the following Glasgow RVCs: 5th (1st Eastern) Lanarkshire RVC – services accepted 24 September 1859 21st (Parkhead Artisans) Lanarkshire RVC – recruited in the Parkhead district, services accepted 5 December 1859 34th (1st Rifle Rangers) Lanarkshire RVC – services accepted 27 December 1859 35th (2nd Rifle Rangers) Lanarkshire RVC – services accepted 27 December 1859 58th (1st Eastern Artisans) Lanarkshire RVC – services accepted 10 February 1860 59th (2nd Eastern Artisans) Lanarkshire RVC – services accepted 21 February 1860 64th (1st Rutherglen) Lanarkshire RVC – recruited at Rutherglen, services accepted 18 February 1860 65th (2nd Rutherglen) Lanarkshire RVC – recruited at Rutherglen, services accepted 18 February 1860 66th (Eastern Rifle Rangers) Lanarkshire RVC – services accepted 17 February 1860 90th (Whitevale) Lanarkshire RVC – recruited in the Whitevale district, services accepted 24 May 1860
The initial 12 companies in the 7th Admin Bn (consolidated as the 5th Lanarkshire RVC in 1860) had been reduced to 10 in 1864 and dwindled thereafter until it was absorbed into the 31st.
Volunteer Force
When the RVCs were consolidated in 1880, the battalion was renumbered as the 8th (Blythswood Rifles) Lanarkshire RVC. Under the 'Localisation of Forces' scheme introduced in 1872 by the Cardwell reforms, the 31st Lanarkshire RVC had been grouped with the 73rd (Perthshire) Regiment of Foot, the 90th Regiment of Foot (Perthshire Volunteers) and the 2nd Royal Lanark Militia in Brigade No 60. However, this affiliation was broken up in the Childers Reforms, under which the battalion became a volunteer battalion of the Highland Light Infantry (The Glasgow Regiment) (HLI) on 1 July 1881. It was formally redesignated as the 3rd (Blythswood) Volunteer Battalion, Highland Light Infantry in December 1887.
The Stanhope Memorandum of December 1888 introduced a Mobilisation Scheme for Volunteer units, which would assemble in their own brigades at key points in case of war. In peacetime these brigades provided a structure for collective training.Beckett, pp. 135, 185–186.Dunlop, pp. 60–61; Appendix A.Spiers, pp. 228–229. Under this scheme the Volunteer Battalions of the HLI were included in the Clyde Brigade, later the Glasgow Brigade based at Hamilton.
Lord Blythswood was succeeded as Lt-Col Commandant in 1897 by Colonel W. Clark, VD, who had been the unit's second Lt-Col since 1877. Sixty-one volunteers from the battalion served alongside the Regulars in the Second Boer War, mostly in the 1st 2nd and 3rd Volunteer Service Companies of the HLI, earning the battalion its first Battle honour: South Africa 1900–02.Leslie.
In 1902 the battalion built a new drill hall at 69 Main Street, Bridgeton, Glasgow, while musketry training was carried out at a range at Gilbertfield near Cambuslang. In the same year, the Volunteer Brigades were reorganised, and the HLI battalions split from the rest of the Glasgow units to form their own Highland Light Infantry Brigade, still based at Hamilton.
Territorial Force When the Volunteers were subsumed into the new Territorial Force (TF) under the Haldane Reforms of 1908,Dunlop, Chapter 14.Spiers, Chapter 10. the battalion became the 7th (Blythswood) Battalion, Highland Light Infantry.London Gazette 20 March 1908. The HLI Brigade now formed part of the Lowland Division of the TF.Thompson, pp. 3–5.Becke, Pt 2a, pp. 109–115.52 (L) Division at Long, Long Trail.Conrad, British Army, 1914.
World War I Mobilisation The Lowland Division had been attending annual camp on the Ayrshire coast when the order to mobilise was received at 17.25 on Tuesday 4 August 1914. On return from camp the troops undertook guards and patrols at vulnerable points around Glasgow and the River Clyde. 7th HLI was under Lt-Col J.H. Galbraith, TD, commanding officer (CO) since 20 December 1911 . The division completed its mobilisation by 10 August and proceeded to its war stations, with the HLI Bde at Dunfermline. The troops were billeted in all manner of buildings. Through the winter of 1914–15 they dug and wired defensive positions, provided guards and patrols and undertook rigorous training.HLI at Long, Long Trail.
Recruitment On 10 August, units of the division were invited to volunteer for Overseas Service, and the majority did so. On 31 August, the War Office authorised the formation of a reserve or 2nd Line unit for each unit where 60 per cent or more of the men had volunteered for Overseas Service. The titles of these 2nd Line units would be the same as the 1st Line original, but distinguished by a '1/' or '2/' prefix. In this way duplicate battalions, brigades and divisions were created, mirroring those TF formations being sent overseas. Where recruitment was good, they also formed 3rd Line unitsBecke, Pt 2b, p. 6.Thompson, pp. 5–6.
1/7th Highland Light Infantry The Lowland Division was warned for overseas service on 5 April 1915, and the infantry battalions received Long Lee Enfield rifles modified to take modern ammunition chargers. On 7 May the division was informed that it would be employed in the Gallipoli Campaign, and equipment such as sun helmets and water carts was issued. On 11 May the division was numbered as 52nd (Lowland) Division and the brigades also received numbers, the HLI becoming 157th (Highland Light Infantry) Brigade. 1/7th HLI and the bulk of 157th (HLI) Bde embarked aboard the troopship Transylvania at Devonport Dockyard and sailed on 26 May, via Gibraltar and Malta, disembarking at Alexandria in Egypt on 5 June and going into camp at Aboukir.Thompson, pp. 7–11.Westlake, Gallipoli, pp. 205–207.
Gallipoli Although some elements of the division had gone direct to the Gallipoli Peninsula, and others sailed on quickly from Alexandria, 157th (HLI) Bde on the Transylvania was turned back to Alexandria and the troops went back into camp. The battalion was not re-embarked until 28 June (aboard the Mauitor), arriving at Mudros on 1 July, Imbros on 2 July, and finally landing at Cape Helles on 3 July.Thompson, p. 14.
1/7th HLI moved into the firing line and support trenches on 5 July for its first short tour of duty under the guidance of the Royal Naval Division. It was back in the line on 11 July and took part in the attack on Trenches E10 and F12 on 12 July (the action at Achi Baba Nullah). Under the command of Lt-Col Galbraith, the battalion advanced at 16.50 on the right of the brigade in four waves. Despite heavy shrapnel, machine gun and rifle fire, it took the Turkish front and support trenches without much difficulty, and the two leading waves pushed on to the third line, Trench E12. They discovered too late that this was nothing more than a scrape in the ground and offered no cover. They tried to hold on to this until the trench behind (E11) had been. consolidated, but casualties were heavy and at 18.00 the CO allowed the leading waves to withdraw to E11. Consolidation was difficult because of the number of dead in the trenches. The following morning the battalion came under heavy enfilade fire and retreated, but Lt-Col Galbraith rallied the men, charged, and re-took their positions by 07.00. By the time it was relieved on 15 July, 1/7th HLI had lost six officers and 40 other ranks (ORs) killed, 2 officers and 149 ORs wounded, and 53 ORs missing.Aspinall-Oglander, pp. 105–106.Thompson, pp. 78–81, 102–128.
For the next three months, 1/7th HLI alternated with 1/5th and 1/6th HLI in the front line at 'the Horseshoe' and 'Argyle Street', broken by spells in reserve in the 'Redoubt Line', 'Wigan Road' and 'No 1 Australian Lines'. On the night of 20 October the battalion made a small attack on Trench H11A, and established a 'bomb sap', then repulsed a Turkish counter-attack (total casualties 2 killed and 8 wounded). Moving up into the firing line on 21 November the battalion suffered shellfire and several Turkish attacks, which were easily repulsed. Manning recently captured tranches G11A and G12 on 21 November, 1/7th HLI endured heavy bombardment and bombing from aircraft. Being on the high ground on the west of the Nullah, the battalion was able to bring down enfilade fire on the Turks attacking the neighbouring 1/5th HLI, and the Turkish attack failed.Thompson, pp. 160–161, 184–185.