Story from BBC NEWS:
November 30 2005
Campaigners battling against the UK government's decision to amalgamate the six Scottish army regiments are gathering in London.
Save the Scottish Regiments has chosen St Andrew's Day for a final push.
It will hand a petition containing more than 150,000 names opposing the merger to No 10 Downing Street.
The protest comes less than a week after the Queen gave Royal Assent for the new Royal Regiment of Scotland to be formed by March 2006.
The Queen also gave her formal seal of approval to the individual battalion numbers.
The current six regiments will become five battalions of the new Royal Regiment of Scotland.
The 1st battalion of the new regiment will see the Royal Scots and The King's Own Scottish Borderers battalions merged on 1 August, 2006.
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The Royal Highland Fusiliers are to become the second battalion and the Black Watch will be 3 Scots.
The Highlanders are 4 Scots and The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders are to be the fifth battalion of the new super-regiment.
Opposition politicians will join ex-majors and brigadiers at Westminster to hand in the petition calling for a change of heart.
The organisers said they would not give up, even after the merger has happened.
Scottish National Party leader Alex Salmond said: "Scotland's historic regiments provide the army with the best infantry soldiers in the world bar none."
"The strong links that exist between the regiments and the communities they serve is one of the key reasons behind their success."
"Just as they have served the people of Scotland so well over the years, it is right for us to get behind the regiments and give them the same support. Scotland's regiments matter to their communities and to Scotland."
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