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17-08-2005 Scotsman Army stamp of change as super-unit cap badge is unveiled By Gethin Chamberlain Chief News Correspondent THE army yesterday unveiled the emblem that it hopes will help stamp a sense of identity on Scotland's new super-regiment and reverse a worrying slump in recruitment north of the Border. Admitting that the war in Iraq and uncertainty over the future of the Scottish regiments had hit recruitment, Major General Euan Loudon, Scotland's most senior serving soldier, said he hoped that the public would now accept the merger of the country's existing infantry regiments into the Royal Regiment of Scotland and begin to take a pride in the new unit. The first step in the creation of the new regimental identity came at Edinburgh Castle yesterday with the unveiling of the cap badge, which has already received Royal Assent. A simple design of a lion rampant in front of a Saltire, surmounted by a Scottish crown, the badge will replace the individual insignia of the regiments when the merger takes place - expected by next March at the latest. The single design will disappoint campaigners fighting to save the regiments, who thought they had secured a commitment last year to retain individual cap badges. But the army hopes it can mollify some of the complainers by making concessions elsewhere, in particular allowing the wearing of kilts or trews depending on tradition, and retaining the tradition of wearing hackles. However, there is bad news for some members of the Royal Family; they are to lose their positions as colonels-in-chief of the individual regiments. Instead, the Queen will become colonel-in-chief of the merged unit, while the Prince of Wales (the Black Watch), the Duke of Edinburgh (Highlanders), Princess Royal (Royal Scots) and Prince Andrew (Royal Highland Fusiliers) will be demoted to deputy colonels-in-chief of the constituent battalions. The establishment of the new regiment has been mired in controversy since it was first proposed, but yesterday's announcement is a sign of the army's determination to put the arguments behind it and press ahead with plans to make the new regiment a success. Senior officers say soldiers are now tired of the debate over the future of the regiments and just want to get on with life under the new structure. But the army is also acutely aware that it needs to get the new regiment up and running quickly and cleanly if it is to address the recruitment shortfall. Yesterday Maj Gen Loudon, the Colonel Commandant of the Scottish Division, blamed the recruitment problems on uncertainty over the future of the regiments coupled with the involvement in Iraq and other concerns about army life. "You can't pretend that the recruiting environment is benign but that is not solely because of the formation of the new regiment," he said. "There is Deepcut, Iraq - there is a whole lot of stuff and also people not being quite sure about what it is they are going to join." The new regiment will also have a new motto "Nemo Me Impune Lacessit" [No-one Assails Me with Impunity], a Scottish motto previously adopted by three of the regiments. The new badges will cost about GBP 6 each and will be made by the Birmingham firm which has traditionally supplied the army. The design was displayed to the public for the first time last night when it was projected on to the front of Edinburgh Castle during the Tattoo. Opponents of the reorganisation remained unimpressed. The SNP leader, Alex Salmond, said: "It is tragic that our historic Scottish regiments should be stripped of their cap badges and stripped of their identities. Amalgamating the regiments will destroy the all-important local links which have meant so much to families and communities across Scotland."
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................................................................................................................. Copyright ©2004 Gethin Chamberlain. All rights reserved. |
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