About Us

The inaugural Tri-Service Volunteer Officers’ Ball was held in the Roxburghe Hotel, Edinburgh in the spring of 1956. It was created by Capt Douglas Lister, then Battery Captain ‘S’ Battery 519 Regt RA. The late Col Douglas Spratt chaired the organising committee for over 20 years.

After brief appearances at The George Hotel and the North British Hotel (now the Balmoral) on Princes Street, for around fifty years it was held in the Assembly Rooms on George Street. With the Assembly Rooms’ closure for refurbishment in 2010, aligned with the gradual decline in serving Reserve Officers in Scotland, it was appropriate to reconvene at other venues across the capital and widen the appeal of the event to serving and former regular officers in Scotland.

At the same time, the Scottish Military Ball Trust was formally constituted to raise funds and awareness for good causes, both military and civilian, whilst providing through the annual ball an evening of good food, great company, and Scottish reeling. Since then the Ball has been held in the Sheraton Grand and the Royal Scots Club until the 60th Ball which marked a brief return to the Assembly Rooms.

In 2026 the Ball celebrated 70 years of military camaraderie and friendship, continuing to be the only annual tri-service black-tie social gathering for all ranks, Regular and Reserve. Our Trustees and Organising Committee are volunteers representing all services and ranks. New Trustees and Committee Members are always welcome!