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The Ancients
Their origin and a few details relative to the Brotherhood
This Association was founded in February 1905, when service with the Regiment was purely voluntary. In those far-off days it frequently happened that on the death of highly respected London Scots, their friends in the regiment through lack of information, were prevented from paying their last respects to their old comrades. Inorder that something should be done to rectify this matter, a few members of the Sergeants' Mess who wore the Volunteer Long Service Medal decided among themselves that an association, now known as "The Ancients," should be formed.
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The founders, being serving sergeants, approached their C.O. with a view to securing his approval, but before this was given the late lt. Col. JW Grieg (subsequently Col. Sir J. Greig) asked for a copy of the proposed rules. Draft rules were framed, submitted and approved and the first official meeting was held in the Sergeants' Mess on 6 th March 1905, when there was a full attendance of the nine founder-members. It was then decided that the annual general meetings should be held on a convenient date as near as possible to 14th February , for it was on St. Valentine's day 1895, at Headquarters that the first presentation of Volunteer Long Service Medals was made by General Lord Methuen to nearly 1,000 Volunteers from the Home District.
As most of the above-mentioned rules dealt with such matters as title, notice of meetings, office bearers, subscription and the like, it is obvious that tradition rather than rules govern the activities of The Ancients. The objects of the brotherhood are to maintain the prestige of the Regiment, to knit friendships, to keep old members in closer touch and to ensure a representative attendance at the funeral rites of a member.
Membership was originally limited to twenty-one, but this was later increased to twenty-eight. Each new member is elected for life. Prospective members must have completed twelve years' service, part of which must have been as a sergeant in the Regiment. The original rule governing eligibility was even more stringent, as each new member had to be a serving sergeant at the time of his election. This condition was cancelled during the first World War, when many sergeants with long service were granted commissions.
From 1905 onwards 121 members have been enrolled and seventy of them were elected after 4th August 1914. Of this latter number of Ancients commissions were granted to thirty-nine, of whom twenty-one were posted to our Regiment. It is source of pride to The Ancients that four of their members commanded battalions of the Regiment during the two World Wars and three became colonels in other units.
The Chairman and Secretary of the association are known respectively as '"Mine Ancient" and "Scrivener" and all members, irrespective of their military rank, are addressed as Brother. Mine Ancient holds office for one year.
The chain of office, designed by the late Pipe Major Robertson and worn by Mine Ancient, bares links showing the names of two Scriveners who, between them, held the office from 1905 to 1955. The chain is kept in a glass-fronted case in the Sergeants' Mess together with the name of Mine Ancient and his year of office.
In April 1925 Brother Robert S. Darling gave a dinner to celebrate his 50 years with the Regiment and The Ancients took this opportunity to present him with a memento; a Regimental Badge in the form of a medallion. Major Rutherford Young saw it on display in an antique market and kindly presented it to The Ancients in 1975. It has now become the badge of office for the Vice Mine Ancient.
At the 50th Annual General Meeting The Ancients broke with tradition and unanimously elected John Gibson as Mine Ancient for the second time, in recognition of his outstanding service in the office of Scrivener for twenty-nine years.
Click here for the Roll of the Ancients.
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