The Lovat Scouts was an army unit first formed during the Second Boer War in January 1900 as a Scottish Highland yeomanry regiment of the British Army.
When war broke out on 4th August 1914 the 1st and 2nd Regiments of the Lovat Scouts and their ponies mobilized at Beaufort Castle. They joined the Highland Mounted Brigade at Huntingdon. They were the first known military unit to wear a ghillie suit and in 1916 formally became the British Army’s first sniper unit, then known as “sharpshooters”.
As they were initially recruited from gamekeepers on Highland estates they were already well practiced in the arts of marksmanship, fieldcraft and military tactics. They were also phenomenal woodsmen always ready to tempt fate, but also practitioners of discretion: “He who shoots and runs away, lives to shoot another day.”
Artist Response
It was hard to adjust in the environment at first, but I got a lot of support from my teachers and classmates, which I will always be grateful for. At the moment I have been studying S2 Art and Design.
The title of my story is “The Lovat Scouts”, I entered very late into this project, so I had to rush. But during the process, after doing some research I learned how powerful, fearless and passionate the Highlanders are. I also learned to print a plate, it was a very interesting process and I would love to do it again.
The image I made was of a British soldier standing in front of a beautiful scenery in Moray Firth.
I really enjoyed this project, it helped me socialise and work with people from other classes.
Aisha Siddiqi
Inverness High School
Aisha is nearly 14 years old and currently attends Inverness High School (IHS). She has lived in Inverness for approximately 2 years now, and originally came from Copenhagen, Denmark.
