At the end of The Great War, when other regiments were considering erecting monuments to their Fallen, a Royal Scot Officer decided that a Club for all ranks would be the best way to honour the memory of 11,162 Royal Scots who had been killed. His name was Colonel The Lord Henry Scott, the younger son of the sixth Duke of Buccleuch.
In 1919 he called a meeting of distinguished Scots connected with the Regiment and put his plan to them. As a result the Royal Scots War Memorial Fund was formed, Trustees appointed and a Public Appeal made which yielded £2000 in the first week, growing substantially to £17000. In property values today this is the modern equivalent of about £5 million.
In 1921 No’s 30 and 31 Abercromby Place were acquired, No. 29 being bought some years later. The buildings were then altered and adapted to become The Royal Scots Club. The Hepburn Suite and what was then the Billiards Room (now part of the fitness complex) were built to the rear of the building in 1929. The Club was a success from the start with Lord Henry as Chairman; an office he held until 1944.
After World War II, a second Book of Remembrance was placed in the Memorial Cabinet at the Club Members Entrance with the names of the 1,231 Members of the Regiment who lost their lives in that conflict.
Membership reached its peak in 1946 when there were some 4,540 members but only a decade later numbers began to dwindle as time took its toll on those of the 1914 – 1918 war. In 1957 sons of Members were admitted, then men who had served in any of the Armed Forces and finally the Club become open to anyone duly proposed by a Member
In 1991 the current Chairman of Trustees, Brian Adair, introduced a Management Plan that represented the beginnings of the Club as it is today. A major refurbishment commenced in 1996 with the development of all of the Club’s bedrooms, meeting rooms and public areas. The basement areas of the Club were converted from the old Flying Scot Health Club and leased to Fitness First as a new fitness centre.
A membership drive commenced in 1998 culminating in the Club now having some 1500 members from all walks of life. For those applicants who do not know an existing member then the names of two referees must be supplied.
In 1999 it was agreed with the Institute of Directors that they should enjoy corporate membership and they have their Scottish Office located here in the Club
Today the Club has a wide range of facilities. However you do not need to be a member to take advantage of those facilities – all of our bedrooms and meeting rooms are available on the open market, and indeed today we have a significant amount of corporate clients who enjoy the atmosphere and facilities of the Club.
