Somaliland Scouts

This article is about the military unit. For the youth movement, see Scouting in Somalia.

British Somaliland Scouts

The Somaliland Scouts was a Brigade in the British Army. It was established after the liberation of British Somaliland from Italy in December 1941 and the dissolution of the Somaliland Camel Corps, which was formerly tasked with the defense of the protectorate.^[1]

History

Originally formed as the Somali Guard Battalion, and tasked with defending the border between British and French Somaliland, the brigade quickly rose in size and importance. It later became the Somali Companies in June 1942, before finally being renamed to the Somaliland Scouts in August 1943.^[2]

In 1960, upon the merger of British Somaliland and Italian Somaliland to form the Somali Republic, the Somaliland Scouts became the nucleus for the new Somali National Army.

References

1. Somalia The Warrior Tradition and Development of a Modern Army
2. Somaliland Scouts Archived August 17, 2007 at the Wayback Machine