Clyde Brigade

The Clyde Brigade was a Scottish infantry formation of Britain's Volunteer Force from 1888 to 1902.

Origins

The enthusiasm for the Volunteer movement following an invasion scare in 1859 saw the creation of many Rifle Volunteer units composed of part-time soldiers eager to supplement the Regular British Army in time of need. The Stanhope Memorandum of 1888 proposed a comprehensive 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. Under this scheme a number of Volunteer Battalions in Southern Scotland would assemble together at Glasgow as the Clyde Brigade.

Organisation

From 1888 the Clyde Brigade had the following composition:

1st Volunteer Battalion, Royal Scots Fusiliers
2nd Volunteer Battalion, Royal Scots Fusiliers
1st Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers
2nd Volunteer Battalion, Scottish Rifles
3rd Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteer Corps
[4th (Glasgow, 1st Northern) Lanarkshire Volunteer Force|Rifle Volunteer Corps|4th Volunteer Battalion, Scottish Rifles]
5th Volunteer Battalion, Scottish Rifles
1st Volunteer Battalion, Highland Light Infantry
2nd Volunteer Battalion, Highland Light Infantry
3rd (Blythswood) Volunteer Battalion, Highland Light Infantry
9th Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteer Corps
5th (Glasgow Highland) Volunteer Battalion, Highland Light Infantry
1st Volunteer Battalion, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
2nd Volunteer Battalion, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
3rd Volunteer Battalion, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
5th Volunteer Battalion, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
1st Dumbarton Rifle Volunteer Corps
Supply Detachment, Army Service Corps

The Brigade Headquarters was at 137 St Vincent Street, Glasgow, and the brigade commander was Colonel Sir William Cuninghame, VC, appointed 17 October 1888.

Reorganisation

With a total of 17 battalions this brigade was larger than most VIBs and in 1890 it was split into two, the Volunteer Battalions of the Royal Scots Fusiliers and Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders continuing in the Clyde Brigade, while the Scottish Rifles and Highland Light Infantry formed a separate Glasgow Brigade. Sir William Cuninghame went to command the Glasgow Brigade and was succeeded in command of the Clyde Brigade by Col Sir Donald Matheson, commanding officer of the 1st Lanarkshire Engineer Volunteer Corps and Honorary Colonel of the Clyde Division, Engineer Volunteers, Submarine Division. The new HQ of the Clyde Brigade was at 142 West George Street, Glasgow.
Sir Donald Matheson resigned in 1898, after which the HQ was moved to Stirling and the Officer Commanding 91st Regimental District became ex-officio brigade commander.

Boer War

All the battalions provided volunteers to serve alongside the Regular regiments in the 2nd Boer War and gained the Battle honours South Africa 1900–01 or South Africa 1900–02.

Disbandment

The Volunteer Infantry Brigades were reorganised in 1902 and the Clyde Brigade was split up. The seven Volunteer Battalions of the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders constituted the new Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders Brigade, while the two VBs of the Royal Scots Fusiliers joined the existing Scottish Border Brigade.