Tour of an epic history with Pontius Pilate's Bodyguard

Known primarily as an Edinburgh and West Lothian regiment, the Royal Scots - senior infantry regiment of the British army - nevertheless also recruited heavily around Falkirk and across the central belt.

Six Falkirk FC players, and an unknown number of Bairns supporters, were among those who joined the famous MacCrae’s sportsmen’s battalion of the regiment during the First World War.

As part of the run-up to November’s centenary of the Armistice which ended the war it has unveiled an App aimed at people who can’t easily make the trip to the museum in Edinburgh Castle,

During the 1914-1918 war the Royal Scots raised 35 battalions (each of around 1,000 men), and received 71 Battle Honours and

six Victoria Crosses.

The regiment lost 11,313 men during the course of the war.

Formed in 1633, the Royal Scots was the oldest regiment in the British Army, hence its unofficial nickname “Pontius Pilate’s Bodyguard”, and fought in battles ranging from Culloden - on the government side - to Waterloo, and inevitably played a major role in both World Wars and subsequent campaigns.

The new App can be downloaded from Google Play or Apple App store using a search for “Royal Scots”.

Colonel Martin Gibson said: “Our latest exciting initiative is available to enhance the experience of visitors to our Regimental Museum in Edinburgh Castle, which is visited by half a million people a year, and worldwide visitors to our website who wish to learn about our history”.

The Royal Scots recently launched its interactive First World War Roll of Honour as part of a wider project aimed at ”virtualising” much of the regimental history.