What's Happened to Scotland's Infantry?

To you and I there seems no shortage of reasons. Yet commentators say military chiefs are much puzzled and cannot appreciate the reason for the all time low in recruitment. They recall how Scotland had been providing 14% of Britain's military personnel from only 9% of the UK's population and cannot understand why much-merged Highland regiments now packaged up into one have lost their appeal.

The Government chose to ignore the "Save the Argyll's" campaign; shrugged off appeals to save the Cameron Highlanders, and the Gordons and even disposed of regimental bands. Fortunately the Ghurka's survived to enable the Royal Scots to take on 100 Ghurka riflemen - now billeted in Fort George - to bring them up to strength. For Britain's oldest infantry regiment to be in such a state underlines the absolute folly of Government thinking that tradition, military history and military pride are of little consequence in Scotland.

Just prior to amalgamation in 1994, the then regimental journal of the Queen's Own Highlanders (Camerons and Seaforths) commented: "In what has become familiarly ignoble style, the Secretary of State for Defence has set his signature to the order for the abolition of the Infantry's regimental bands. "Yet another military instituation with a long and honourable history and with a splendid record of public service and public appeal has been expunged from the armed forces "What many people regard as a philistine act should not be allowed to pass without record, for the bands have earned their own place in the history of the British Army. "Since the time of their formation in the late 18th century, our antecedent regiments, the 72nd, 78th and 79th Highlanders were probably never without their bands of music."

The addition of the Gordon's and the further name change to The Highlanders was resisted but the Army Board went for Royal approval and gained it. So five pre-1881 regiments were lumped together, individuality gone despite the best efforys of the amalgamation committee to save a little from each. But that is only part of the about-turn-quick-march reaction from the young Highlanders who once saw a soldering career as their great ambition.

Today the prospect of repeated sessions of military police work in Northern Ireland offers little in real soldiering, particularly in the streets of Belfast. And while service in foreign parts, even if it is no further afield than the Balkans, does have some attraction. The role of security guard duty for the Saudi royal family and their oil wealth can have had little to commend it.

This action may have prompted would-be soldiers to ask themselves just why they would take Royal shilling ? Would service to their Sovereign, their country and their regiment be of prime importance? In the past it drew generations of Highlanders to the colours. But, despite all the patriotic hype those who found themselves in the Gulf conflict witnessing the American's "turkey shoot" all to support a suppressive feudal dynasty, its vast wealth, its political power and commercial influence.

In the Falklands they fought Argentinian forces again for political and financial gain. In other trouble spots the motive behind sending in our troops would appear equally questionable and having little to do with soldiering, at least not the soldiering that had drawn previous generations of Highlanders to the colours. No, all things considered, should our military experts seek to uncover the reason why so many young Highlanders are heading away from army recruiting centres? I would state that they really do not have far to look.