2nd and 3rd Lines of the 5th King's Own Scottish Borderers

Formation of the 2/5th and 3/5th KOSB

As mentioned previously, the organisation of Territorial Force battalions was altered in September 1914 to deal with the different terms under which men had volunteered: for home service only, or home service and overseas if required.

Soon after mobilisation, men who had enlisted for home duties only were given the opportunity to sign up for Imperial War Service, i.e., if required, they agreed to serve overseas in a theatre of war. The majority of 5th KOSB men did sign the new terms but others decided to stick with their original terms of enlistment. Consequently, the battalion had a mixture of both categories, so it was split into first and second line units and given the fractional designations, 1/5th and 2/5th KOSB. Initially, the second line battalion was for home service only, but later in the war most of these men did serve overseas.

By the summer of 1915 most T.F. battalions had formed a third line (3/5th); these battalions were used for training and supplying drafts of men to both the first and second line battalions.

2/5th KOSB

The second line of the 5th (Dumfries and Galloway) King's Own Scottish Borderers was formed in September 1914 at Dumfries. In January 1915 the battalion was attached to the 194th Brigade of the 65th (2nd Lowland) Division, a wholly 2nd-Line Territorial Force Division.

65th (2nd Lowland) Division

194th Brigade

195th Brigade

196th Brigade


January 1915 194th Brigade, 65th (2nd Lowland) Division
August 1915 Rumbling Bridge & Milnathort
November 1915 Falkirk area, and formed No.14 Battalion in 194th Brigade with 2/4th KOSB
January 1916 Absorbed 2/4th KOSB & resumed identity as 2/5th KOSB
February 1916 Chelmsford
January 1917 Ireland (Ballykinler)
July 1917 Ireland (Curragh)
15 May 1917 Disbanded

3/5th KOSB

The third line of the 5th (Dumfries and Galloway) King's Own Scottish Borderers was formed in March 1915 at Dumfries, and remained there until early 1916. Initially, it supplied reinforcement drafts to the 1/5th and 2/5th KOSB, but in later stages of the war men who had trained in this territorial reserve unit could be transferred for active service to any KOSB battalion - regular, territorial or service battalion.

March 1915 Formed at Dumfries
Early 1916 Ripon, Yorkshire
8 March 1916 Became 5th (Reserve) KOSB
1 Sept 1916 Absorbed by 4th (Reserve) KOSB at Catterick, Yorkshire in Lowland Reserve Brigade
October 1917 4th (Reserve) KOSB to Dunfermline where it remained as part of Forth Garrison