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Birth of a new Scottish super-regiment - 'The Royal Regiment of Scotland'
It is in truth not for glory, nor riches, nor honours that we are fighting, but for freedom -- for that alone,
which no honest man gives up but with life itself. (Declaration of Arbroath) . . . . . read more
APPOINTMENT OF NEW ROYAL COLONELS (by Battalion)
THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT IS ISSUED BY THE PRESS SECRETARY TO THE QUEEN
Buckingham Palace press releases
28 February 2006 . . . . . read more
The Decision
On the 16th December 2004, the historic formation of a new Scottish super regiment in the Scottish Division,
was announced to the House of Commons in the Westminster Parliament, London,
by Geoff Hoon, the Secretary for Defence.
According to the Labour Party plan, these changes will be implemented in 2006 - 2007, by that time, the various arms plot moves . . . . . are expected to have been enacted.
However, there is likely to be a UK General Election in the Spring of 2005 and the Conservative Party have stated that, if they are voted back into Government, they will reverse these decisions.
The Royal Scots and The Kings Own Scottish Borderers will amalgamate, along with another four Regiments, to form the Royal Regiment of Scotland
the King's Own Royal Border Regiment, the King's Regiment and the Queen's Lancashire Regiment will amalgamate to form two new battalions within the new King's Lancashire and Border Regiment
the 19 Mechanised Brigade will start to change into a new 'light brigade' in January 2005, ready to be deployed, if required, in 2006 when it will serve as the contingent NATO response force
the Royal Welch Fusiliers and the Royal Regiment of Wales will combine to form the Welsh Regiment
the Parachute Regiment, Gurkhas, Royal Anglians, Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, Princess of Wales Royal Regiment, Royal Green Jackets and Light Infantry will continue as multi-battalion regiments
the Guards Regiment and Royal Irish will continue to be organised on their current basis
The infantry will lose four battalions.
The remaining 36 battalions will be increased in establishment.
The Army Board decided that one of the four battalions to be lost should come from the Scottish Division.
In addition, they also decided that these cuts, together with the ending of the 'arms plot', would permit an effective reorganisation of the infantry and the formation of larger regiments, better equipped to meet the demands of the 21st Century.
. . . . . read more about the new Army Structure.
The Royal Regiment of Scotland
A new super regiment is to be formed which will be known as The Royal Regiment of Scotland.
It will have seven battalions, two of which will be in the Territorial Army.
The Kings Own Scottish Borderers and the Royal Scots are to be amalgamated to form a new Battalion.
The Council of Colonels
The proposal to create one single Scottish Regiment from the current 6 Scottish Regiments was decided by the Government and the Colonels of each of the Regiments on the Executive Committee of the Army Board (ECAB), under the chairmanship of the Chief of the General Staff, General Sir Mike Jackson (The Parachute Regiment).
The Council consisted of:
Major General (Retired) Mark Strudwick - Royal Scots
Voted for disbandment and amalgamation of his own regiment.
Major General John Cooper - Kings Own Scottish Borderers
He was not at the last Council meeting, but his deputy (Brigadier Andrew Jackson) was the only one at the meeting to vote against disbandment and amalgamation.
Major General Euan Louden - Royal Highland Fusiliers
Voted for disbandment and amalgamation of the Scottish regiments at the last Council meeting.
Lieutenant General Sir Alistair Irwin - Black Watch
He wrote a paper that initiated the demise of the Scottish regiments and voted for disbandment and amalgamation at the last Council meeting.
Brigadier Hughie Monro - The Highlanders
Voted for disbandment and amalgamation of the Scottish regiments at the last Council meeting.
Major General Andrew Graham - Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders
Voted for disbandment and amalgamation of the Scottish regiments at the last Council meeting.
Reaction from the Westminster Parliament
Geoff Hoon stated that such a wide-ranging restructuring of the Army was required in these modern times, to prepare an Army fit for the challenges of the future.
"The over-riding requirement is to make significant enhancements to the key specialist capabilities," Mr Hoon told the Commons. "These are new capabilities - not cuts."
Across the floor of the House of Commons, Annabelle Ewing, the Scottish National Party Member of Parliament in whose constituency is located the Black Watch Regimental Headquarters, described Geoff Hoon as "nothing but a back stabbing coward". She was furious that the Black Watch, who had just returned from representing their Country in the conflict in Iraq, where they had lost the lives of brave young soldiers, was being treated with such disloyalty by the Government.
The Scottish Conservative MP, Michael Ancram described the announcement as "a dark day for our armed forces" and further stated, "Our Armed Forces deserve better than to be betrayed in this appalling manner by their Government."
Reaction from the Holyrood Parliament
Jack McConnell, the First Minister of the Scottish devolved Parliament, expressed his disappointment at the Westminster plans. He had earlier stated that the identities of all six Scottish Infantry Regiments should be retained and that the Kings Own Scottish Borderers and Royal Scots should not be merged.
He later said: "While I recognise that the Secretary of State for Defence has to listen to views of the Army chiefs and I am pleased that the names and elements of the identities of Scottish Regiments have been retained, I am disappointed that these proposals have not gone as far as I would have liked."
In a vote at the Holyrood Parliament on the fate of the Scottish Regiments, the governing Labour party was defeated. MSPs voted by 61 votes to 59, with seven abstentions, to back a Tory resolution condemning "any cuts and mergers" and calling for the existing six Regiments to be retained.
Reaction from the People of Scotland
The people of Scotland deeply resented the proposed loss of their Regiments and saw it as the decimation of hundreds of years of tradition, of history and of distinguished service to the Crown.
They also saw it as the destruction of 6 unique Regiments which had for centuries consisted of many generations of the same families from the distinct Regimental recruitment areas of Scotland.
There were many well-supported protest marches in the major towns and cities of Scotland.
Jeff Duncan, organiser of 'The Save the Scottish Regiments' campaign, said,
"It is only a matter of time before all five Regiments are wearing the same uniform and the bracketed names are dropped.
This is a meaningless gesture in the greater picture of almost 400 years of proud service to the country.
The appalling decision to merge the Royal Scots with the King's Own Scottish Borderers will be remembered by all patriotic men and women of Scotland as the ultimate act of betrayal by this Labour Government and those cowardly, so-called Scottish MPs and MSPs - mainly Labour - who deserted the men of those Regiments in their hour of need."
Footnote:
It costs £17.5 Million per annum to maintain one UK Infantry Regiment.
Contrast that with the proposed expenditure on Technology by the UK Defence Procurement Agency.
JOINT STRIKE FIGHTER: £7-£10 Billion
ASTUTE Attack Submarine: £3,498 Million
NEW NIMROD MRA4: £3.5 Million
2 x LARGE AIRCRAFT CARRIERS: £4 Billion
WATCHKEEPER: - unmanned air vehicles, sensors and ground control stations: £51.7 Million
TYPHOON: - 89 new Typhoon combat jet fighter aircraft (they are now approximately 20 years behind schedule): £4.3 Billion
Six years ago the MoD announced a new initiative to procure defence equipment FASTER, CHEAPER and BETTER, but it has failed to deliver.
The so-called 'Smart Acquisition' process has badly let down the ARMED FORCES.
A recent report pinpointed that the delays were caused by 'endemic and systemic' problems in the DEFENCE PROCUREMENT AGENCY during the years 2002-03.
Delays, which in some cases have been as long as 18 months, and have seen increases in over-spend of a staggering £3.1 billion in the Defence budget.
This widespread profligation of public funds has to be met by the UK taxpayer.
Perhaps the most disingenuous statement made by Geoff Hoon during his 16 minute House of Commons speech was that the decision to amalgamate the Scottish Regiments was not taken for political or financial reasons.
Equally significant was the fact that he did not give an assurance that in the future, the new Regiment's name will not replace the old regimental names. If that should happen, the famous names of these Regiments will be lost forever, after hundreds of years of distinguished Scottish military history, created in the service of the Crown and Country.
Footnote:
The contents of this web site are an interested observers record of the events leading up to the creation of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The web site also reflects how this significant historical event was perceived by many of the people in Scotland who were deeply concerned that the traditional Scottish family regiments would lose their unique identities.
It is not the intention of this web site to discourage any young person from applying to join a Scottish Regiment. In fact, enlisting in the Royal Regiment of Scotland is still a very worthwhile career for anyone who seeks adventure, travel, comradeship and the opportunity to serve their country, while enhancing their personal skills and life opportunities.
The following web link will provide a potential recruit with comprehensive information regarding the Army in general, and more specifically, the Royal Regiment of Scotland.
http://www.army.mod.uk/infantry/regiments/SCOTS.aspx
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