The Washington times., 1915-03-26
GETS HEPBURN AID
FOR OLD REGIMENT
Wife Of Royal Scots Colonel
Writes Banker About Troops
Forbear Commanded.

NEW YORK, March 26.-Thc Royal |
Scots, the senior regiment OF tho
British army, is lighting in France !
where it fought $50 years ago. under
command of Col. Richard c. Dundas.
Its original commander was Sir Johh
Hepburn, and Mrs. Dundas wrote re-
Gently TO A. Barton Hepburn, chalr-
man Of the Chase National BANK
skiing him to help along fund sne
was raising to furnish comforts to Inc
men at the front. Mrs. Daniels sur
missed that Mr.. Hepburn was probaply
a descendant Of Sir John Hepburn,
which proved to be the case,
Mrs. I'undas said IN her letter nnt unn
the Royal scots when at tno ,ai;nn trGm,
and was the first battalion raised ~.
Lord Kitchcner's new army. "ne
added: =, x,,.,+
'"rhat Hepburn's old regiment
and in many cases over the same
ground across which he led them:
while he himself lies W thin reach OF
the sound OF the guns. in the anclcnt
interest. and feel sure you VII 90
what vou can to help the Scottisn
soldiers OF Hepburn's old reSlmeH.
to be as they were then. stronS ~
victory. AL gifts Of money. mhNring nay ~"
sent in care of Coz & Co, u Char'hs
Cross, l.ondon. hope much that you
may be able 10 interest any other
relations OF Sir John Hepburn whom
you may know and any otherS VIZ
feel that they would like to help me.
and that YOU will forgive me tor
troubling you in a matter Wh1ch
feel sure will be very near your
heart as a SCotchnIan.
Mr. Hepburn, in sending q check ior
800. informed Mrs. Dundas that he was
in direct line of descent from Sir John
Hepburn and was quite familiar with
his ancestors campaigns in FRANCE
adding:
MAY the allies win, and that speed
lily. and may the Royal Scots cover
themselves with glory in the present
and the future. as they have done IN
the past"
Army's Senior Regiment.
The Royal Scots, tho first regiment
of British foot-"Right of the Line and
| Pride of the Army''-is not only the
| senior regiment of the British army;
| it is pruba bly, the oldesf regiment in the
| civilized world. The component parts
of which it was originally formed had
historical traditions of their own. some
of which carry the regiments record OF
service to very early periods OF Euro
pcan history.
AS a regiment, in the modern sense oI
the term, it's career began In 1888, whcr
Sir John Hepburn, native OF Athel
stamford in East Lothian, veteran O
the thirty years war who had com
manded Il Scottish brigade under Gus
tavus Adolphus, was permitted b!
Charles | to raise regiment OF Scotch
men for the service of Louis Nlll o
France. Into this regiment we're tncor
porated several groups of SCutrhm"I
/, | al in hc M
these groups were certain Members o
| the ancient Scottish Archer Guard of tn
7 French Kings. so that the regimen
was linked to that famous corps who's
traditional origin Is traced to tho leScn
Diary history of the ninth century.
Hepburn regiment was subsequent
enlarged by the absorption of the rcln
nants Of his old Swedish brigade and h
regiment OF Scots Guards IN tn
French service. commanded by Andre
Rutherfurd. afterward Earl OF Tevio,
son of n merchant burger of EdinburG
The claim TO seniority inherited fror
the Archer Guard was early asserted b
the regiment: II demanded proC edenCe o
the right Of the line of the Who'll, l'rcnc
!. army. \ regiment of Picardy raised i
1562, but from earlier bands. ri1icule
the Scottish pretensions, and one IF II
officers in mOckery suggested that tn
j regiment must have been tn" Guar
of Pontius Plate. The nickname, give
. in dersion, has been accepted us o
honorable recognition of anci i2ntry, sn
! TO this day the Royal Scots are oftc
| ! alluded to as Pontius Pilates Guard
In 1872 Louis XIV gave the regimcr
: declaration of precedence as one {
. the oldest in the French service.
! In French Service.
, Hcpburn's regiment was first nmplo%t
in overrunninC Lorraine and the Pala
inate and in the conquest of Alsar
halo al nc tria Tn,
in the French service until l56l, wht
it was recalled to England by Charl
II. At that time it was commanded
= it's fourth colonel. Lord George Dou
las, aflcrward Earl of Dumbalto
: whose memory is preserved in the reg
mental march still in use, entitl,
"Dumbarton' Drums" In the iolloN
ing year the corps returned o Fran,
and, although recalled TO England
1866. it was again lent to the l'rcn,
. King in 1868, and did not finally sctt
in Great Britain until 1873. Since tn
. it has served as a regular part OF t
U British army.
The regiment has seen an "normo
amount of service. SinCI the days
the carly stuart Kings it annals rc
lister list Of 40 battles AMI siegt
Time and again il has Tough, on I
very ground over which the armies
5 liurop" arc tiGhSnc, today.
u. Its predecessors, the Scottish Archie
J. crusaded with St Louis, King
y France, in the Holy Land and in Egy
RI VII of France they fought at the V
n. tory Of Beauge in 1921 and at the Il
r- aster Of Vcrneuil in 1424. They W.
IS with Joan of Arc at Orleans and
IN Rheims in 1929. with Louis NJ. at
o. rome and Liege in 1868; they eros
w the Alps and were a the siege Of Nap
under Charles VIII. In 1895. Il
e. fouGht at Pavia unC.er Francis |.
It 1925 and at Ivry under Henri ",
III 1880.
he In the Thirty Years war Hepbur
n Scots Brigade when under Gustav
he Adolphus, fought in Poland u
Ir. Germany, on the shores OF the Ba
he and ON the Nistula RutherfuI
a Guards fought at RoCroy, near Sedan
r. 1888 under Coude. when the invncl
III Spanish infantry was defeated for
first time, in 1913. under the same &
d cral, they fought at the great battle
Lens, close to La Rassr. where
or Spanish army was completely ov
I've