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We are small, local museum devoted to passing on knowledge on The Royal Highland Fusiliers, its history (their predecessors Highland Light Infantry and Royal Scots Fusiliers), people and impact. As well as sustaining memory of British troops all over the world, including regiment successors 2nd Bn The Royal Regiment of Scotland.
Nowhere to go & nothing to do this half-term - come to the RHF Museum at 518 Sauchiehall Street!
Loads of fun, including a free-to-enter competition!
And, best of all, entry is totally free!
We are open from 9am to 4pm (Mon-Thu) and 9am to 3pm (Fri).
Our Half-Term event runs from Fri 7 Feb until Wed 12 Feb (inclusive) - look forward to seeing you!
Some recent photographs of members of the Regiment meeting the Duke & Duchess of Sussex!
The Museum welcomed Staff & Volunteers to the annual Christmas lunch on Monday - this year, 35 staff & volunteers attended the event of the year!
It was a bit of a squeeze, but we managed to fit everyone into the Colonel of the Regiment's Room for a fun-packed afternoon! As usual, the festivities kicked off with a traditional, Christmas supper of choice from a local chippy - getting 35 suppers from the chippy to the plate while still hot has become a well-honed operation: suppers are labelled with diner's name & supper; collected from the chippy, rushed back to the Museum, before being distributed quickly & efficiently by our team of runners & servers supervised by Steven!
Our shop ladies, Nikki, Liza and Hannah, kept everyone well-plied with the demon drink and, after a few words of welcome from the Regimental Secretary, the assembled throng pulled crackers, donned silly hats and played even sillier games! Pass the bomb turned out to be a little more dangerous than anticipated, even though, Willie, who had lovingly crafted the bombs assured us that they had been deactivated!
A visit from a grumpy old man and the usual array of strange presents concluded the formal part of the party and party-goers were free to socialise.
Joking apart, this is the one time in the year, where we get our staff and volunteers together to thank them for all the hard work and effort that they put in during the year - it is a truism to say that we could not run the Museum without their continued support and we are extremely grateful.
We are always looking for new volunteers and if you would like to join our merry throng, we would be delighted to see you - all sorts of stuff to do from family research, cataloguing and museumy-type stuff to can collections & outreach. No previous experience or references are needed - just get in touch, come in for a chat and we can almost certainly find you something interesting to do!
Always delighted to see veterans who are at a loose end - you can help to identify people & places in photographs, make videos or help with general museum stuff.
There is always lots to do - and, don't forget, you get to enjoy our annual Christmas party!
Incidentally, the photographs are courtesy of Linda Drummond, who volunteers in the White Hackle social club and has just (somewhat rashly!) offered to help at can collections - so, big thank your to Linda!
The Royal Regiment of Scotland
Today we celebrate St Andrews Day. The Royal Regiment of Scotland are proud of our Scottish heritage. Whether you are from Scotland or elsewhere, you are always made welcome in the regiment!
Happy St Andrews Day!
Tremendous result at Central Station!
At our can collection in Central Station on Friday, our team of veterans raised an impressive and very welcome £1,040.56 for the Royal Highland Fusiliers Museum Heritage Appeal!
A huge thank-you to everyone who gave up their time to help at a very chilly Central Station - it is very much appreciated!
And, also, to the amazing support from everyone at Central Station and who took time to chat at our Museum table - Bugle proved to be a bit of a star - much admired by many passers-by!
Hopefully, we can do it all again next year - we will keep you informed and will be undoubtedly calling for volunteer can collectors - so watch this space!
Chilly morning at Central Station in Glasgow; but, warm welcome from travellers!
One of our veterans, Willie, collecting with us today at Central Station today. Willie also is a mainstay of our outreach programme to local primary schools. What would we do without him?
Bugle is front and centre at our can collection at Central Station today - if you are around - come and see us at our table
"They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them."
These familiar lines were part of a much longer poem, “For the Fallen” by Laurence Binyon. He wrote the poem while sitting on a cliff-top at Pentire Point in Cornwall – a plaque now marks the spot – in mid-September 1914, a few weeks after the outbreak of the First World War; soon after the retreat from Mons and the Battle of Le Cateau.
Laurence said that the four lines, so familiar to us all and known as “Binyon’s Lines”, came to him first.
In 1915, despite being too old, at 46, to enlist in the armed forces, Laurence Binyon volunteered at a British hospital for French soldiers, Hôpital Temporaire d'Arc-en-Barrois, Haute-Marne, France, working briefly as a hospital orderly. He returned in the summer of 1916 and took care of soldiers taken in from the Verdun battlefield. He wrote about his experiences in For Dauntless France (1918) and his poems, "Fetching the Wounded" and "The Distant Guns", were inspired by his hospital service in Arc-en-Barrois.
Laurence was an English poet, dramatist and art scholar, who was short-listed to be the Poet Laureate, he went on to be the Professor of Poetry at Harvard University.
Laurence died on 10 March 1943, aged 73 years.
To the Fallen:
With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children,
England mourns for her dead across the sea.
Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of her spirit,
Fallen in the cause of the free.
Solemn the drums thrill: Death august and royal
Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres.
There is music in the midst of desolation
And a glory that shines upon our tears.
They went with songs to the battle, they were young,
Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,
They fell with their faces to the foe.
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
They mingle not with their laughing comrades again;
They sit no more at familiar tables of home;
They have no lot in our labour of the day-time;
They sleep beyond England's foam.
But where our desires are and our hopes profound,
Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight,
To the innermost heart of their own land they are known
As the stars are known to the Night;
As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust,
Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain,
As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness,
To the end, to the end, they remain.
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
“In Flanders Fields” by John McCrae, May 1915.
Major John McCrae was serving as the military doctor and second-in-command of the 1st Brigade, Canadian Field Artillery; when on the evening of 2 May 1915, in the second week of fighting during the Battle of Ypres, he began to pen this poignant poem.
Accounts vary as to exactly why he wrote the poem, but, it is generally accepted that the death of his friend, Alexis Helmer, was the main inspiration, as were the poppies that sprang from the ground between the many graves in the burial ground.
During 1915, John sent his poem to The Spectator magazine, but it was returned to him unpublished; however, Punch magazine subsequently published it on 8 December 1915.
Sadly, on 28 January 1918, while commanding No 3 Canadian General Hospital (McGill) at Boulogne, John died of pneumonia and was buried in the Commonwealth War Graves Commission section of Wimereux Cemetery.
And so, John’s legacy, the poppy, in its many versions, has become the universal emblem of remembrance – the Canadian poppy featured below is particularly distinctive.
Do you need a Regimental tie for Remembrance Day - we have them all:
Royal Highland Fusiliers
Royal Scots Fusiliers
Highland Light Infantry
Royal Regiment of Scotland
Glasgow Highlanders.
Drop into the Museum shop or shop online at www.rhf.org.uk
The ladies will be delighted to help you - contact them at [email protected] or 0141 332 5639.
The Museum shop is now a Hallowe'en-free area!
Nikki and Alice, our Italian Intern Europe intern, spent yesterday taking down all the decorations and setting up our window to commemorate Remembrance.
We are very grateful to Tony "the Pony" McDowall, an Argyll veteran, who very kindly donated the amazing "Tommy", who forms the centre-piece of the window display!
Meet our new team of Museum Attendants at the Museum!
You may all remember that Maureen, Museum Attendant for over 20 years retired earlier this year; and, our new team will consist of three part-time ladies, who will all be delighted to welcome you to the Museum and shop.
Nikki, who has been holding the fort single-handedly, for the last few months, is a Glaswegian, married with a son, who is talented young footballer - one to watch for the future!
Hannah also lives in Glasgow, has one daughter and enjoys reading, which will be useful for answering all those questions on regimental history!
And, finally, Lisa, also a Glaswegian, is married with a young son and will be trying to teach us all about Twitter and Instagram - so don't forget to follow our tweets!
There is one thing that our ladies all have in common, they love to listen, chat, keen to help and will always greet you with a smile - so drop into the Museum soon and meet them all!
Here is a Christmas charity record from our Fire & Rescue Service - who do such to keep us safe!
https://thefiretones.com/?fbclid=IwAR3t2VrDid9v5ddtXQe1WME1fTmThCuUR-gD0ggeSCjsAQ6kPEgiu6LI0bk
The Fire Tones - Christmas No.1!
A huge thank you to everyone who helped with the can collection at Central Station in Glasgow on Friday 13 September - your help was greatly appreciated.
We collected a tremendous £632.42; which will go into the Museum Appeal fund and we think is pretty good for our first solo attempt at collecting money at Central Station.
We are also very grateful to all those who donated pennies and supported us on Facebook. However, we are doing it all over again on Friday 22 November and are looking for volunteers to help us to collect even more money for the Museum Appeal.
So, if you could spare an hour or so on Friday 22 November between c0800 and c1430; we would be tremendously grateful and you would be helping the Museum Appeal to ensure a sustainable future for the Museum!
Today is Assaye Day, commemorating the Battle of Assaye in 1803 and it is traditional to send greetings to our sister regiments, members of our Regiment and our readers!
General Arthur Wellesley, later the Duke of Wellington led the British attack at the Battle of Assaye on 23 September 1803 during the Second Mahratta War, opening the way for the British conquest of Central India.
For their part in the Battle, The 74th Highlanders (later amalgamated to become The Highland Light Infantry) and The 78th Highlanders (later The Seaforth Highlanders) were awarded the Assaye Colour by the East India Company; however, the 78th did not continue to carry their Colour and thus, The 74th Highlanders and their successor regiments became the only British Infantry regiment to carry a third Colour.
The 19th Light Dragoons were awarded an Assaye guidon, which continues to be carried by The Light Dragoons, the successor regiments.
The Iron Duke said that of all his battles Assaye was ‘the bloodiest for the numbers that I ever saw’. It was fought against the Mahrattas, a formidable Hindu confederacy of warriors and marauders who dominated much of Central India
An opportunity to deal with these ‘wily scoundrels’, as the East India Company thought them, arose in October 1802 when a rebellion forced the Peshwa of Poona to flee his capital. He appealed to the Company, agreeing to accept its authority if he was restored to Poona. The Peshwa was theoretically the overlord of various powerful Mahratta princes, including Daulut Rao Scindia of Gwalior, who had a formidable army of infantry and artillery, with European officers – French, German, Portuguese, American and British – and a horde of horsemen.
In command of the Company’s army was Major General Arthur Wellesley, brother of the Governor-General of India, Marquess Wellesley. His force was made up of two British regular infantry regiments, the 74th and 78th of Foot, Company sepoys and infantry from Hyderabad + the 19th Light Dragoons, Company cavalry and some Mysore and Mahratta horsemen. Wellesley entered Poona in April 1803. The Peshwa was restored to his throne and Scindia, lurking to the north, was sent orders to submit to his authority.
In September, Wellesley received intelligence that the Maratha had created an encampment and planned to attack as Wellesley had divided his Army and only had half his force.
The Maratha Army of nearly 70,000 infantry and cavalry was under the command of Colonel Anthony Pohlmann, a German native, who was previously a Sergeant in the British East India Company - and had sold his services to the highest bidder. Pohlmann had received word that Wellesley and Stevenson were planning to converge on his camp, and established himself on the far side of the River Kaitna and River John, and fortified the only two fords that were thought to exist - believing they would destroy the British red coats when they attempted to cross the river.
When Wellesley first saw the fields that would become the battle field, he feared crossing the river at the known fords, until he saw the villages of Peepulgaon and Waroor on opposite sides of the river. Despite local intelligence that no ford existed, Wellesley knew that the two neighbouring villages must be connected. He was right. Wellesley's Army was able to cross the river with little resistance from the Maratha Army.
During the crossing, the Maratha cannons fired on the crossing infantry units - and started to do their damage - the fords did not allow the British to bring their artillery across the river - and the Infantry and Indian units would advance in a tight line within musket range of the gunners. The Maratha had 98 cannons firing at the advancing the British line, which would cause major casualties on the advancing British line.
Where the battle was won was on the 74th and 78th Highlander Infantry Front - both units sent a battalion of pickets marching towards the firing artillery - and continued to within musket range. The Maratha had never seen a single unit so determined - as the kilted 78th continued their advance - following the volley musket fire - they charged with bayonets which caused the gunners to abandon their positions. When the awaiting Maratha saw their gunners where overrun by a single British unit - many began to run in fear. The 74th had misunderstood Wellesley's orders and on their approach came too close to the village of Assaye. Assaye - which meant they were partly surrounded by the remaining Maratha artillery and the artillery from Assaye. The 74th used the bodies of their dead comrades to protect themselves from the continued oncoming fire, while at the same time attacked by the Maratha cavalry from their rear. Wellesley realized that if the 74th was destroyed the right flank would be open - and sent in British cavalry to support them.
Once the cavalry arrived to support the 74th - the remaining Maratha Army began to flee - and Wellesley - with his Army of approximately 10,000 infantry and cavalry - had defeated the Maratha Army of 70,000 - but this came at a great cost. The British East India Company and the British Army suffered 428 killed, 1138 wounded and 18 MIA, while the Maratha army - suffered more than 6,000 casualties and lost 98 cannons captured.
The 74th started with a strength of about 500 men - had ten officers killed, 7 more officers wounded. Another 124 men from the ranks were killed and another 270 wounded. the 74th Picket Battalion only had 75 men remaining.
Stevenson and his Army never made it to the Battle - although they were only 10 km West - he was mislead by his guide - who he later executed believing that he was purposely mislead. Wellesley for the rest of his career described Assaye as his Greatest victory, but the "bloodiest for the numbers that he ever saw"
518 Sauchiehall Street
Glasgow
G2 3LW
| Monday | 13:15 - 16:00 |
| Monday | 09:00 - 12:30 |
| Tuesday | 13:15 - 16:00 |
| Tuesday | 09:00 - 12:30 |
| Wednesday | 13:15 - 16:00 |
| Wednesday | 09:00 - 12:30 |
| Thursday | 13:15 - 16:00 |
| Thursday | 09:00 - 12:30 |
| Friday | 13:15 - 15:00 |
| Friday | 09:00 - 12:30 |
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