The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Minister gives to traditional commitment golden thread
THERE WILL be no attack on the “golden thread” of famous Scottish regimental names like The Black Watch, the UK Armed Forces Minister confirmed yesterday.
Nick Harvey said it was a “complete misunderstanding” of the UK Government’s defence restructuring to say the Scottish battalions would be stripped of their names and cap badges.
Raised in Perthshire and synonymous with its Tayside and Fife recruitment patch, The Black Watch has a proud history.
It was an infantry regiment until 2006, when it became a battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland as part of an earlier defence reorganisation.
At that time supporters were assured cap badges would be retained as a so-called “golden thread” to keep tradition alive.
And speaking yesterday during a Westminster Hall debate secured by SNP MP Pete Wishart, Mr Harvey gave a clear guarantee that situation would continue under the latest review.
“What we are looking at is the future structure of the army,” he said.
“It is not part of that work to remove from the battalions of the Royal Regiment of Scotland the traditional names and cap badges.”
Mr Harvey’s words came just an hour or so after Prime Minister David Cameron also expressed his commitment to the historic regiments.
Responding to a question from Labour’s
Dundee West MP Jim Mcgovern at the House of Commons, Mr Cameron said: “I very much want us to keep the regimental structure that we have, I think it is very important.
“Obviously, though, at the same time we need to deliver this big change in our armed forces which is going to deliver, actually, a larger army, but a better balance between a professional army and a territorial army.
“We are looking at exactly how that can be done while saving the important regiments that people, like me too, feel so strongly about.”
The fears about the famous regimental names erupted earlier this month amid reports that Defence Secretary Philip Hammond was poised to scrap the names as part of defence cuts that will see military personnel reduced from 102,000 to 82,000.
The Courier subsequently revealed the plan could see The Black Watch merged with The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders under an amalgamated name.
It was unclear last night whether that plan was still on the table.
Mr Wishart said: “While taking some encouragement from the minister apparently ruling out any threat to the golden thread of regimental names, cap badges and insignia, it is disappointing that he did nothing to unequivocally end the uncertainty over the future of our historic units.
“This is an issue about numbers as well as names.”
The MP pointed out that less than 3% of regular army units are now stationed in Scotland.