The brigade saw active service in both the First and the Second World Wars with the 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division.

[2] After the Volunteers were subsumed into the new Territorial Force (TF) under the Haldane Reforms of 1908,[3][4] the Scottish Rifles Brigade formed part of the Lowland Division of the TF with the following composition:[5][6][7][8][9][10][11] The Lowland Division was mobilised for full-time war service in early August 1914, and most of the men, when asked, volunteered for overseas service.

In the late 1930s many of the Territorial Army's infantry battalions were converted into other roles, mainly anti-aircraft and searchlight units.

They were then trained in airlanding operations but were again never utilised in this role either, due mainly to the disastrous events that occurred during the Battle of Arnhem where the British 1st Airborne Division was virtually destroyed.

At the age of 19, he was the youngest British or Commonwealth soldier to be awarded the VC during the Second World War.