8 February 1746: 5,000 Hessian auxiliaries disembarked at Leith. They were commanded by Prince Frederick of Hesse-Kassel, the son-in-law of Britain’s King George II, and had been summoned to replace Dutch and Swiss auxiliaries that had been recalled. The seasick Germans were glad to get ashore although the Duke of Cumberland wasn’t too keen in using them in Scotland and thought it best that they should be sent to fight in Flanders. In the end they provided vital service, guarding Stirling and Perth and marching to the relief of Blair Castle which was under siege by Lord George Murray.
