Joe Brown

8th Royal Scots Assault Crossing of The Rhine: 1st page

A short continuation of this War-time newspaper cutting is in another frame.The Battalion has a fine War-time record.The 8th RS was re-formed as a Territorial battalion in early summer 1939 under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel J. E. M. Richard OBE TD, and came together as a unit of 500 'civilian soldiers' at a Territorial Camp in Strathpeffer in July 1939.  Mobilised to the Colours at the outbreak of the Second World War in September that year, its companies at Edinburgh, Haddington, Peebles and Innerleithen mustered at Earlston and Lauder to form the War-time Battalion.Three vans were all the transport they could muster. As for equipment, men had rifles and anti-gas respirators, there were only three Bren guns per Company.  It was a great day when the first Bren carrier arrived.By 16 June 1944 the 8RS were in the Normandy Bridgeghead from where they fought their way across France, Belgium and Holland into Germany, ending up just a few miles from the shores of the Baltic. They were the only Battalion during the North-Western Europe Campaign to be involved in the assault crossings of the three major water obstacles of the Seine, Rhine and Elbe. Their casualties were heavy: 441 Royal Scots were killed in action and 861 wounded.The operations of the 8RS gained for the Regiment the Battle Honours of Odon, Cheux, Defence of Rauray, Caen, Esquay, Mont Pincon, Aart, Nederrijn, Best, Meijel, Venlo Pocket,  Rhineland, Reichswald, Cleve, Goch, Rhine, Uelzen,  and Artlenberg.Following the speech of His Majesty King George VI made on the wireless on the 2nd May 1945, there was a broadcast by representatives of Field-Marshal Montgomery's victorious forces and the sole Infantry representative of the 21st Army Group was Private Nelson of 'C' Company 8RS.  Private Nelson was the only member of a rifle company who had served without a break in the Battalion since their landing on the Normandy beaches. [c. The First of Foot, Augustus Muir, 1961.]Joe Brown.

8th Royal Scots Assault Crossing of The Rhine: 1st page
Joe Brown, Jun 20, 2013