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Background[]
Southern Scotland was on the fringes of the Celtic Alliance throughout the 1990s. Many people assumed that it would eventually reunite with the north under and become part of the Alliance. But the CA's handling of the Troubles in Northern Ireland alienated many in Scotland. By the late 90s an alternative Scottish state was forming, centered on Peebles, and it was in the process of unifying all the communities between the Borders and the Central Belt. In 1998 the council of Wigtownshire, led by in part by displaced and disgruntled people from Ulster, voted to leave the Celtic Alliance, canceling plans of annexation to the north to instead join its southern neighbors.
Violence occurred sporadically during the next decade. Southern Scotland had no regular military, and this gave leeway to paramilitary groups, most with origins in Ulster but with plenty of local members. Paramilitaries harassed outsiders perceived to have connections to the Celtic Alliance nations. After 1998 a CA-built naval facility on the East Pier of Stranraer became a point of particular contention. When Wigtowshire left the alliance, most people understood that the facility would be handed over to local control. The CA interpreted the agreement as allowing for joint control and stayed. The pier thus became the target of sabotage and bomb attacks. By 2010, there was still no solution in sight.
Increasing trade and travel meant more opportunities for those looking to disrupt things. In 2010, not long after a rail line opened between Berwick-upon-Tweed and North Berwick, a militia hijacked a passenger train. Attacks on the Stranraer facility picked up in early 2011. The Celtic Alliance increased the security personnel, and tensions steadily escalated.
WAR[]
23 April 2011
In response to demands sent by various groups in the Galloway region, the Celtic Alliance send a message early in the day to the Chamberhouse in Peebles. It categorically refuses to consider abandoning the Stranraer naval facility. It also states that any attempt to force it or any Celtic Alliance possession to join Southern Scotland will be met with the military strength of the Celtic Alliance.
Chairman Macintire sends a message back saying that their refusal is 'unfortunate'; that the government of Southern Scotland are committed to the return of all Scottish territory to Scottish governance; and that Scottish citizens are free to continue making their demands.
Late on the 23rd of April, a major raid is carried out by two heavily armed fishing vessels flying the Scottish flag together with individual fighters infiltrating the pier from the water. They place explosives that destroy CA patrol boats and most of the facility's stored weapons. The armed vessels then block the entrance to the harbour.
24 April 2011
The CA Executive Commission demands that the Southern Scottish Chamberhouse denounce the attack of the previous night and redress the damage done. MacIntire gives no response.
At 10am a Celtic Alliance merchant vessel attempts to enter Stranraer harbour to relieve the naval facility. After repeated warnings from the vessels blockading the port, including the firing of warning shots across the CA vessel's bow, it continues towards the port. The merchant vessel is then rammed by one of the armed fishing vessels. It suffers serious damage and turns to return to its home port, Douglas on the Isle of Man.
The Scottish vessel is also severely damaged and sinks shortly after 1pm. By late afternoon three more armed fishing vessels have taken up station off the coastline.
26 April 2011
Chairman MacIntire gives a belated response: that the Unionist group that staged the attack did so on its own initiative, that it is a constituent member of the Chamberhouse, and that he lacks the authority to tell it how to pursue its goals. His statement does not address the ongoing standoff at sea around Stranraer, and pointedly avoids denouncing the attack. The Council of Wigtownshire issues a similarly ambiguous response and pledges to fight the Alliance if it attacks its territory.
Irish, Manx, and Northern Scottish leaders make statements calling for a stronger armed response.
Two armed merchant vessels from the Celtic Alliance approached the port of Stranraer at 11am; weapons fire from the Scottish armed fishing vessels was matched with weapons fire from the Celtic vessels. One Scottish vessel was sunk and another damaged, the Celtic vessels were slightly damaged but made their way into the port.
At 3pm two Celtic Alliance Destroyers appeared off the coast (CNDF Dublin and CNDF Wexford). They take up position near the port of Stranraer. They are expected to assist the disembarkation of the two merchant vessels currently in port early on the 27 April.
27 April 2011
The two armed merchant vessels leave the port of Stranraer, they take heavy fire from Scottish ships, joined by gunfire from at least one building on shore. One is rammed by a Scottish fishing vessel, causing severe damage to the hull and some flooding, causing the deaths of men aboard. The Celtic Alliance destroyer CNDF Dublin fires after a stray bullet strikes the bridge. It fires two anti-ship missiles: one misses, and the other hits one of the armed fishing vessel's hull at the water level, blowing the vessel into two. it sinks within minutes, killing several on board.
In a surprise to the Celtic destroyers, the Scottish vessels return fire with their own missiles, which appeared to based on the Exocet missile. Four missiles were launched, one from each remaining vessel: three miss while one strikes the CNDF Wexford between decks one and two, roughly midships. It exploded, killing 27 men outright and causes a major fire on board. CNDF Dublin fires missiles on the remaining Ur Alba vessels, sinking another one and causing the remainder of the Scottish flotilla to scatter. It then moves in to assist the CNDF Wexford.
It takes all injured and non-essential staff off the Wexford and sends its own fire crews aboard to assist in the fire fighting. Both vessels retreat to a safe distance under their own power. It takes 5 hours to put the fire out on the Wexford.
In total 34 Celtic sailors, 7 men on the rammed merchant vessel, and 54 Scottish sailors die in the attacks. A further 44 sailors are injured between the two sides.
28 April 2011
Reports have begun to arrive in the Chamberhouse that the Celtic Alliance are massing troops, planes, ships and landing craft along the Ulster coastline, particularly the port of Larne which is only 30 miles from Stranraer. The Chamber declares war and orders a general mobilization of Southern Scotland's constituent members.
In response several Scottish militias are gathering in Galloway and taken up positions on the high ground to the east overlooking the port near the Luce River, within mortar range of the port itself.
29 April 2011
At 6am three landing craft land at the former Wigtownshire golf club on the south coast. They carry 500 men from the Celtic Alliance Special Forces, with 5 Abbot self propelled guns. They make their way to Stranraer to bolster the military there.
At 12 noon two CA Frigates begin the bombardment of the high ground where the Ur Alba troops are based. After two hours they switch to bombarding the former A75, A710, A711 and A712 roads in order to cut off the supply lines to the Ur Alba troops.
The CADF declares a no-fly zone covering Southern Scotland. A squadron of Saab Viggens attack aircraft flies over the country, including the capital, at the same time as the outbreak of combat. They make no airstrikes but demonstrate CA's ability to launch strikes on any part of Southern Scotland.
29-30 April 2011
During the night of the 29th and into the early morning of the 30th April, the Celtic Alliance lands a further 2000 troops on the beaches around Stranraer territory, they also bring more self propelled guns, tanks and other military vehicles.
At daybreak CA military jets begin bombing Scottish positions on the high ground to the east of Stranraer, Ur Alba troops defend themselves using anti-aircraft guns and surface to air missiles, two CA jets are shot down during the morning, one pilot is killed and another bails out over unfriendly territory, his condition is currently unknown.
Scottish troops began the bombardment of the port town of Stranraer at 10am using mobile artillery and mortars. CA troops in the town have returned fire.
At 1pm, five armed fishing vessels appear to the north of Stranraer territory, two CA frigates and 1 CA destroyer moved north to intercept them. They attack at long range so that the Scots cannot return fire. Three Scottish vessels are seriously damaged and one sinks. The surviving vessels retreat to the port of Ayr. Two frigates follow them and blockade the port to stop them returning to sea.
1 May 2011
At daybreak, four landing craft landed near Ayr: two land at the former Prestwick golf club another two land on the north side of the mouth of the River Doon. In total they land 500 troops, who quickly move to take the port to stop attacks along the waterfront. By 10am the CA troops had taken the south side of the River Ayr and in the north they had moved to with 500 metres of the port itself. The 200 or so Scottish troops based in the port put up a strong resistance but are outnumbered.
At approximately 12.30pm the port facility at Ayr fell to the Celtic Alliance. The surviving 129 Scottish troops were captured and taken to a facility for prisoners of war on the Isle of Man.
Fatalities are 37 CDF troops killed, 58 injured; and 116 South Scottish troops killed, 43 injured, 129 captured.
More than 500 CDF troops have begun moving south from the River Clyde, quickly taking land from reserve troops in the Cunninghame district. Rumours circulate of plans to take Peebles by the end of May.
2 May 2011
During the morning of the 2nd May Celtic Alliance troops begin landing in the newly captured port of Ayr, 1200 troops land and 500 troops begin moving south along the coast, destroying abandoned Ur Alba military facilities as they travel. By the evening of the 2nd they have reached the town of Given.
Another 500 men begin travelling along the Galloway Hills. As nightfall nears, they find that the road has been laid with landmines. They stop for the night in the ruins of the town of Dalmellington. They are exposed to the first hit-and-run attacks by night, suffering several casualties.
Around the port of Stranrear the Celtic troops have begun to push the Scottish troops from the high ground overlooking the town. The high ground of Balmurrie, Drumphail and Carscreugh have been cleared or significantly cleared with the Scots retreating to the ruined town of Newton Stewart. The high ground of Knock Fell and Beneraird has significant numbers of Scottish troops heavily dug in. The CA air force launches a bombing raid against the massed troops near Newton Stewart.
At 2pm a landing craft lands an additional 200 troops at Blackshaw, south of Dumfries. They set up a base at the mouth of the River Nith.
3 May 2011
Advancing from Stranraer, CA forces seize high points around Drumphail and Knockfell. Drumphail falls at 11am, while Knockfell falls after an all-night naval bombardment and a ground attack beginning at daybreak. Knockfell was also heavily mined, and resistance is fierce. It falls only at 6pm with the loss of 129 CA troops, with comparable losses on the other side.
With the fall of Knockfell, the CA troops moved quickly so that by nightfall CA troops were within range of the west of Newton Stewart, which had been subjected to several bombing raids from the CA Air Force. The CA troops dig in for the night under fire from mortar attacks, which appear to be poorly aimed. During the night, Southern Scottish guerrillas re-occupy the heights of Knockfell.
The same morning, the 200 CA troops at Blackshaw came under attack from Scottish troops protecting Dumfries. The CA troops successfully repulsed four separate attacks during the day with minimal loss of life on the CA side.
In the north CA troops are forced to create more intricate defenses around the ruins of Dalmellington in order to maintain their position in the heights of the Galloway Hills.Sporadic rocket attacks continue during the day with no loss of life.
North of Newton Stewart, advancing CA troops engage in heavy fighting with the Scots in the edges of the Galloway Forest. They lose nearly 50 men but by nightfall reach the banks of the River Cree. They set up their night base around a group farm buildings just north of the town.
In the north the 500 men come under heavy fire on their drive southward. They are forced to leave their planned route along the A76 and move toward more secure positions near Ayr.
During the day a force of 300 CA troops landed at Creetown on the east bank of the mouth of the River Cree. They set up base in the town in a bid to surround Newton Stewart. The CA now has troops in position to the north, south and west of the town.
Also during the day a selection of the Cumbrian Militia, supported by detachments of Northumberland and Cleveland army troops, broke across the southern border near the lightly defended town of Annan; while in the east a division of the Royal Cleveland Territorial Army and a contingent of Northumberland Army reinforce the disputed territory in Berwickshire.
4 May 2011
A detachment of the Cumbrian Militia and Northumberland army took the Southern Scottish port town of Annan with very light resistance by 2pm; all Scottish fighters had withdrawn toward Lockerbie before the attack occurred. Together with the Blackshaw landing the day before, this gave allied forces control over most of the shore of the Solway Firth.
In the east, fighters based in Kelso launched an attack on the border town of Coldstream, whose border crossing was maintained by Northumberland forces. The Northumberlanders withdrew and regrouped, reinforced by troops of the he 1st brigade of the Green Howards TA. They broke into the the centre of the town at 2pm, at which time the Scots began a strategic withdrawal to Kelso. This left Coldstream in the hands of Northumberland and Cleveland forces.
Another detachment crossed the England-Scotland border to put pressure on the towns of Jedburgh and Hawick, putting all of the Scottish Borders region under threat of invasion by the English.
In the west the expected attack on Newton Stewart was delayed because CA forces had to regain control of the heights west of the town. The renewed operation to take the heights began just before daybreak with a sustained bombardment from the CA Navy and Air force and mortar and heavy artillery attack from the infantry. The infantry regained Knockfell by midday to find that its defenders had melted into the countryside, and that the hill had been heavily mined.
South of Newton Stewart, the CA beachhead at Creetown found itself under attack from rockets and gunfire on all sides, with the only route of supply or escape back across the river Cree. Heavy fighting began at 10am, much of it street to street and even building to building. The town was held by CA troops and Scottish fighters pulled back at 5pm. The CA had suffered heavy losses, with 29 troops killed and another 21 injured. The Scots suffered even heavier casualties, with 49 dead, 25 injured and 37 captured. The captured fighters were ferried down the river to be taken to the growing POW camp on the Isle of Man.
By nightfall the battle lines were where they had been the previous day, despite a day of bloody fighting. As CA forces set up base for the night they found themselves exposed to the nightly attacks that were starting to become routine.
In Cleveland, HMS Tees has had her sea trials cut short and has docked in Hartlepool to resupply and receive her final armaments to support a run along the Scottish North Sea ports tomorrow.
5 May 2011
At 8am the government of the Celtic Alliance has contacted the Chamberhouse in Peebles and asked for Southern Scotland to surrender to avoid further bloodshed, including combat in and around the relatively populated towns of Dumfries, Lockerbie and Peebles.
The Chamberhouse has responded at 10am by saying that The people of Scotland will never surrender to the imperialistic and hostile invaders that have attack our lands. The Scots will fight to the last man and the last bullet.
After this message was received by the Celtic Alliance, CA troops prepared an assault on Newton Stewart. Advancing from the north, west, and south, the troops had it nearly surrounded by 6pm and the bombardment began shortly after 7pm. The CA Air Force has begun to bomb military targets while the CA Navy has begun bombardment of the town centre.
At the same time, Scottish militia, hidden by sympathetic members of the local civilian population, launched coordinated raids on CA posts in Creetown and Wigtown, cutting off the southern prong of the attack. The group is forced to withdraw, sending detachments to reinforce both towns.
The northern prong also comes under heavy guerrilla attacks while descending from the Galloway Hills. By the end of the day the advance on Newton Stewart again must be called off.
In the North Sea Cleveland's HMS Tees begins sailing up the Scottish coast, accompanied by smaller craft. Their aim is a blockade of the ports of Eyemouth (Where Tees has been sent), North Berwick and Dunbar.
6 May 2011
At daybreak the attack resumed on Newton Stewart despite the lack of any presence on the east bank of the river Cree. Resistance from the town was heavy and the fight continued for the remainder of the day. But by 5pm the CA troops gained control of the heights overlooking the town's east end, at which point Scottish forces quickly abandoned it along routes toward the northeast and southeast. A small force continued to hold the bridge on the east bank of the River Cree until 7pm, at which point they too abandoned the position. Some 25 were captured when the town fell and were transported to the POW camp on the Isle of Man.
Casualties for the day were high.
- Celtic Alliance: Dead - 107, injured - 32
- Southern Scotland: Dead - 172, injured - 47, captured - 32
For all the effort spent taking the town, its strategic value was questionable. Southern Scottish forces still had control of most of the Galloway Hills, and guerrillas remained active in the supposedly pacified rural areas in the lowlands of Wigtownshire, sheltered and supported by the population.
Meanwhile, in the east, RCTA and Northumberland army troops, with the assistance of the CA Air Force, fought off a renewed attack along their lines in the Borders. Despite the hilly terrain, the allied troops loosely hold a front stretching 30 miles from Hawick to Coldstream.
7 May 2011
After the attacks on the Newton Stewart, the CA forces hold in order to reinforce their position. A detachment of Cumbrian and Northumberlander forces, which crossed the border and occupied the town of Annan four days earlier, is ferried to Wigtown to support the occupation, leaving a very small force to hold Annan.
Guerrilla attacks intensify throughout the day along the roads connecting Newton Stewart to the coast. A convoy sent to resupply the occupying force is completely halted, and CA forces must resort to an airdrop late in the day to bring ammunition and other necessities to the forward base.
Attack aircraft make another flyover of Southern Scotland, again without making any strike but demonstrating the CA's military capability.
The CA issues another message to the Chamberhouse to negotiate terms. There has been no reply.
The total troops around Newton Stewart are:
- Celtic Alliance - 2500
- Northumbrian Army - 300
- Rheged Militia - 200
At night, mortar attacks commence upon the town from the heights, which the CA forces have been unable fully to seize.
In the Borders front, Cleveland and Northumberland tighten their western flank, moving forces there closer to the center of the line. This amounts to an abandonment of the westerly towns of Hawick and Jedburgh in order to mass more forces near Kelso, considered the home base of the militia in the region. Sporadic fighting continues up and down the line.
8 May 2011
During the night several hundred fighters, including groups drawn from Ulster and distant parts of Southern Scotland, position themselves along the roads leading in and out of Newton Stewart. Beginning before sunrise, they launch hit-and-run attacks on transports and patrols at several points in the countryside surrounding the town. A few are captured, taken into custody and taken to a new camp near the Cumbrian town of Carlisle.
For the second day, attacks begin on CA transports and patrols, though with greater intensity and with more instances of massed fighters vulnerable to a counterattack. At 10am the CA mount a concerted attack from Newton Stewart and Wigtown, with air support coming from the bases in Ayr and Stranraer. Ground troops fire mortars and artillery at positions known to be housing guerrillas. Celtic Alliance forces advance quickly southward with a detachment of 100 securing the road to Wigtown, the shortest and most defensible resupply route, by midday.
At 10:30am Scottish begin another attack from the high ground north and east of the town. They manage to enter the town, regaining control of the east bank of the river. However, in close fighting they take heavy casualties and by 11:20am they withdraw back to the hills.
The attacks slow down in the afternoon, allowing the CA to transport their wounded to Wigtown. At 3.40pm there is one more major attack from the east, 300 Ur Alba troops attack down the main Galloway Road. They fight well but the majority of them are killed or turned back within the first few minutes of the attack. By 4pm the attack has faltered and the Scots again withdraw to higher ground.
It is becoming clear that their forces cannot hold the town securely with current troop levels. The garrisons in Stranraer and Ayr are also confronting guerrilla attacks, though not as severe as the days-long firefight in Newton Stewart. Officers there are complaining that too much is being unwisely sacrificed to hold a forward base when the beachheads are not yet secure.
In the Borders, Cleveland and Northumberland forces launch an attack on the town of Kelso from the south and east beginning at 11am. The majority of the town falls quickly, but there are two areas of stiff resistance: one near Kelso Bridge near the town centre, the other at the refortified ruin of Roxburgh castle overlooking the town. It takes nearly an hour for the bridge to fall, attacked from both directions. The castle takes another two hours, at which time most fighters flee into the countryside. Casualties on both sides are heavy with 70 allied troops and nearly 100 Scots dying and many more being injured. Late that afternoon, an explosion at the castle kills nearly 20 more allied troops. It had been booby-trapped by the Scots before they fled.
The capture of Kelso represents a strategic gain, in contrast to the CA's capture of Newton Stewart, which looks increasingly like a pyrrhic victory.
The day also sees some of the war's only naval combat in the North Sea. Heavily armed merchant trawlers made an attack on the Tees with improvised rockets. One struck the ship on its side skirts, killing sixteen people. The ship's support vessels, also armed trawlers, stuck back hard. One Scottish vessel caught fire while the other two attempted to fight back with machine gun fire until the Tees managed to fire a main gun and crippled another ship. Its crew and captain were captured. The third trawler fled.
9 May 2011
The order is given for a withdrawal from Newton Stewart. Convoys of troops prepare to return to Stranraer and Ayr, which remain in the hands of the Celtic Defence Force. The withdrawal is effected over the next four days. Northumberland and Cleveland occupy Kelso and parts of Roxburghshire, together with Northumberland's more securely-held territory around Berwick-upon-Tweed.
Negotiations[]
The two weeks of major combat demonstrated that the CDF had not committed enough of a force to pacify the countryside or fight a rural guerrilla war. General officers began to draw up plans for a longer and bloodier campaign and presented them to the Cabinet, which balked at the idea of waging such a war against Scottish civilians, people who were, after all, fellow-countrymen in many ways.
Meanwhile, the reports of battlefield setbacks triggered louder protests, especially in East Ulster and the English Nations of the Celtic Alliance. East Ulster's government had protested the war from the beginning and refused to commit its own territorial defence force. Now these protests became demands. Some media figures floated the idea of seceding from the Alliance; others called on Ulster servicemen to mutiny.
With the withdrawal from Newton Stewart, CA control was limited to a few ports and lengths of coastline. Once the town was fully under Southern Scottish control, the Chamberhouse responded to CA offers to negotiate terms, naming Southern England as a moderator. Talks begin in Exmouth in late May.
After effects of war[]
The death toll for the war was high
- Southern Scotland - 818
- Celtic Alliance - 483
- Royal Cleveland Territorial Army - 27
- Northumberland regulars and Cumbrian Militia - 34
- Scottish Civilians - 197
In addition 274 Scottish fighters were captured and taken to a POW camp outside Douglas, Isle of Man.
The Celtic Alliance had demonstrated its ability to attack Southern Scotland at will and to hold coastal ports; however, it had also failed to pacify the countryside and lacked the political will to commit to a protracted war. In the talks, the Alliance was able to use its continued occupation to extract some major concessions.
Chief among these was a demand that Southern Scotland reform its form of government so that the civil authority would have power over the armed forces. Northumberland negotiators wished to demand that the various militia groups be stripped of their ability to launch attacks on their own initiative. At the urging of the CA delegation, this became a demand to disband the militias altogether. The fighters should be amalgamated into a single armed force under civil control.
The South agreed to enact reforms that were quite close to the CA demands. Chairman Macintire had already earned a reputation as a reformer and had begun calling for something like this anyway - to better prepare to fight the northerners next time. The paramilitaries were incorporated into the Scottish army over the next several months. A few groups refused and were ordered to be disbanded.
The restructuring of the militias required substantial reforms to the Southern Scottish Chamberhouse, which had originally been based almost exclusively around militia representation. To compensate, a new slate of regional representatives would be elected corresponding to the territories of the various armed groups. The power accorded to the guilds was also reduced.
In addition, the allied nations also gained some minor territorial concessions, while some ambiguous borders were clarified, largely in the allies' favour:
- The CA was confirmed in its possession of the pier at Stranraer, and the leaders of Southern Scotland's major factions agreed to cease attacks on it.
- The CA took control of the district of Cunninghame, south of the mouth of the Clyde, a largely unoccupied land that had been disputed with the South.
- Southern Scotland also dropped its claim to the traditional county of Berwickshire, which had been governed as part of Northumberland
- Northumberland severed all connections to Roxburghshire and other lands in Scotland that had maintained loose connections to the duchy.
- The allies withdrew from all other occupied territory, including the key towns of Kelso, Ayr, and Wigtown.