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| Lothian Regiment Association | |
|---|---|
| Unit name | Lothian Regiment Association |
| Dates | Mid-20th century–present |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Branch | Territorial Army |
| Type | Regimental association |
| Garrison | Edinburgh |
| Role | Veteran support, heritage preservation |
Lothian Regiment Association The Lothian Regiment Association is a veterans' and heritage organization tied to former territorial units raised in the Lothian region of Scotland, with roots in Edinburgh, Midlothian and surrounding counties. It serves as a focal point for former soldiers of units associated with the Lothians, maintaining links with regimental museums, civic institutions and national commemorations. The association coordinates reunion events, preserves archival material, and engages with charities, local councils and ceremonial bodies.
The association emerged after post‑war reorganizations that affected units such as the Royal Scots, Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders, King's Own Scottish Borderers, Lothians and Border Horse, and other territorial formations. Its founding committees drew on networks established during demobilisation after the Second World War and later restructurings under the Territorial and Army Volunteer Reserve. Early meetings were held in venues associated with the Edinburgh Castle garrison, veterans' clubs and civic halls in Midlothian, linking to civic leaders from City of Edinburgh Council and regional ex‑servicemen's organizations. Through the late 20th century, the association adapted to changes following the Options for Change defence review and subsequent amalgamations affecting Scottish infantry regiments and yeomanry units. It cultivated formal relationships with the Royal British Legion, local regimental museums like the Royal Scots Museum, and heritage bodies such as Historic Environment Scotland.
Membership historically comprises former personnel of battalions and companies raised in the Lothians, including veterans from the First World War and Second World War eras through to later Cold War veterans. Affiliate membership includes family members, museum trustees, and civic dignitaries from institutions including the Scottish Government's veterans' advisers and representatives of the Ministry of Defence. Governance typically follows a council or committee model with posts such as chairman, secretary, treasurer, and regimental historian, and often aligns with the constitution models used by the British Legion, Royal British Legion Scotland and other ex‑service bodies. Branch structures mirror former battalion footprints across East Lothian, West Lothian, and Midlothian, enabling local secretaries to liaise with parish councils and civic lodges including historic locations like the Grassmarket and the Royal Mile.
The association organises annual reunions, remembrance services, and parades in coordination with municipal ceremonies such as those at the Scott Monument and the National War Memorial in Edinburgh Castle. It participates in national commemorations on Remembrance Sunday and anniversaries of engagements like the Battle of Loos, the Gallipoli Campaign, and the North African Campaign, often coordinating with museums including the National Museum of Scotland. Social programmes include talks by historians affiliated with universities such as the University of Edinburgh and guest speakers from regimental bodies like the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The association also sponsors battlefield tours to theatres including the Western Front and the Italian Campaign, contributes to civic parades during events linked to the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo and supports wreath‑laying at regimental graves in cemeteries maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
The association has funded and helped maintain memorials across the Lothians, working with local councils and trusts to conserve monuments at parish churches, civic squares, and former drill halls. It has supported restoration projects for parish memorials in towns such as Dalkeith and North Berwick and contributed to interpretive panels at historic sites managed by bodies like Historic Environment Scotland. Charitable activities include grants to welfare funds for former soldiers, support for occupational therapy programmes, collaboration with the Royal British Legion on veterans' housing initiatives, and sponsorship of educational outreach with schools like George Heriot's School and Boroughmuir High School to promote regimental history. The association often channels funds through registered charities and liaises with the Veterans' Gateway and local branches of the Poppy Appeal.
The association maintains a portfolio of printed and digital materials including newsletters, membership lists, and regimental histories. It has produced commemorative pamphlets on actions involving units raised in the Lothians, bibliographies referencing works held at the National Library of Scotland and cooperative catalogues with regimental museums such as the Royal Scots Museum and the Museum of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. Archival holdings include service sheets, roll books, photographic collections, and oral histories captured in partnership with academic projects at the University of Glasgow and the University of Stirling. The association also contributes material to online repositories and databases maintained by organisations like the Imperial War Museums and the Scotland's War digital initiatives.
Notable members and affiliates have included former officers and senior non‑commissioned officers who served in battalions of the Royal Scots, the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders, and yeomanry units such as the Lothians and Border Horse. Civic figures who have served as patrons or presidents comprise former MPs representing Edinburgh South, Midlothian, and constituencies in the Lothians, alongside retired senior officers who later held appointments in bodies such as the House of Lords or civic posts in the City of Edinburgh Council. Distinguished veterans associated with the association appear in regimental honours lists, campaign histories, and local civic rolls preserved across the National Records of Scotland and regimental museum catalogues.
Category:Military associations of the United Kingdom Category:Scottish regiments