No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any other means without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who wishes to quote brief passages in connection with a review written for insertion in a magazine, newspaper or broadcast<BR><BR>The King's Own Scottish Borderers is one of only two Scottish regiments never to have been amalgamated until it joined forces with The Royal Scots to form the 1st battalion of The Royal Regiment of Scotland in 2006. It is also unusual in that it lost its Scottish status between 1782 and 1805, when it served as the 25th (Sussex) Regiment of Foot.<BR><BR>Formed in Edinburgh in 1689, its first operational role was to defend the city during the period of turmoil following the accession of William and Mary of Orange. That same year the regiment fought at the Battle of Killiecrankie, where it withstood a ferocious charge by the Highlanders supporting James II and in return the regiment was granted the unique privilege of recruiting in the city by beat of drum at a time of its own choosing. Since then the regiment has fought in most of the major campaigns undertaken by the British Army and it is one of the six regiments that repulsed French cavalry at the Battle of Minden in 1759.<BR><BR>In 1887 the regiment became The King's Own Scottish Borderers and recurited its soldiers from the Borders, where it was always known by its initials as the KOSB (though never Kosbies). It served with distinction during the two world wars of the twentieth century and achieved nationwide fame in 1915 when Sergeant Piper Daniel Laidlaw won the Victoria Cross during the Battle of Loos. Despite coming under heavy fire he played his pipes in full view of the enemy, encouraging the Borderers with the sound of the regimental quick march, `Blue Bonnets o'er the Border', and the regimental charge, `The Standard on the Braes o' Mar'.<BR><BR>In common with the other books in the series, this concise account of The King's Own Scottish Borderers puts its story into the context of British military history and makes use of personal testimony to reveal the life of a unique and colourful regiment.