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Lovat Scouts - Wikipedia
The regiment was formed in January 1900 for service in the Second Boer War by Simon Fraser, 14th Lord Lovat, Chief of Clan Fraser of Lovat,[1] as the Lovat Scouts .[2][3] Recruited initially from gamekeepers and professional stalkers on Highland estates, the unit was commanded by the Hon.
Second World War
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See also: The British occupation of the Faroe Islands 1940-1945
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Canadian mountaineer and guide William Blacklaw helped train the Lovat Scouts during their mountain training
Lovat Scouts ski training in Alberta, Canada
From May 1940 to June 1942, the Lovat Scouts provided the garrison in the Faroe Islands, protecting against the feared German invasion.[20] The regiment at this time was under the command of Lt.-Col. Sir Donald Cameron of Lochiel, 26th Chief of Clan Cameron.[21] After stationing in Scotland, the regiment was sent to Canada in December 1943 for specialist ski and mountain training. They sailed on the Mauretania for 11 days. They pulled into Grand Central Station, New York and then travelled on the Canadian Pacific Railway eventually arriving in Jasper, Alberta after five days. The training, which took place in remote areas of Jasper National Park, started with basic ski training. The emphasis was on cross country work with the type of load that would have to be carried in action e.g. sleeping bag, rations for two or more days, and a rifle. This was followed by survival instruction—what to do and what not to do to exist and function in very cold conditions e.g. by digging snow holes in which to sleep, or erecting simple shelters from the virgin pine and spruce forests. After this stage, there was instruction and practice in ascents on snow and ice, use of ice axe, crampons etc.[22]
Typically, men would spend three or four weeks at a mountain base, in the vicinity of Mount Edith Cavell, or in the Tonquin Valley—all within the 4200 square miles of Jasper National Park. In that time, squadrons would practice their survival work in expeditions usually lasting about two or three days at a time, with the men sleeping in snow holes. For the remainder of the time, they were billeted in canvas marquees, each accommodating about 25 men, with a large wood-burning stove in the middle that was kept on night and day with logs sawn from the fallen or naturally dead trees in the area.[22] At the end of the three or four weeks on Mount Edith Cavell or in the Tonquin Valley, the men would come down for a few days’ rest and recreation in the chalets in Jasper. Alberta was then a “dry” province, so there was no alcohol.[23] When a few days’ leave was given, most made the 500-mile journey to Vancouver or Halifax, Nova Scotia or Windsor, Ontario, where they were entertained by the locals, many of whom were Scotch expatriates or descendants. The men were also able to get limitless supplies of liquor from over the U.S. border in Montana[23]
By late April, spring was well on the way, and the regiment embarked by train for a journey to Halifax. Their intended embarkation there was delayed when some fell ill with scarlet fever, but training continued with work on river crossing, whether or not the individual soldiers could swim, and route marches. Eventually, all embarked on the converted liner Andes on convoy, which had an uneventful crossing, being in mid-Atlantic on 6 June, the day of the Normandy landings. On landing at Liverpool, the regiment entrained for Aberdeen Kittybrewster railway station, where it spent about three weeks, including spells of home leave.[22]
As a consequence of its training in Jasper, the Scouts was sent to Italy, arriving in Naples in July 1944, to take their part in the relatively fluid situation following the fall of Monte Cassino.[23] The regiment took part in the remainder of the Italian campaign, and the German surrender in early May 1945.[23]
From Elite Sniper 5
