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Introduction to The Royal Regiment of Scotland

Major General WEB Loudon CBE
Colonel Commandant

Photo of Major General Loudon

As Colonel Commandant of the Scottish Division may I welcome you to the new Royal Regiment of Scotland Website. We are serving in the Army in an exciting time, with Future Army Structures being introduced and the Commander in Chief's vision for the Balanced Force being shaped. Implementing the changes needed to do this is not going to be simple, however we should craft our future in a spirit of opportunity with 3 guiding thoughts. Firstly that we must fight for, and succeed in, the best possible roles the British Army can offer. Secondly we must recruit and the Royal Regiment of Scotland is being created as a Regiment with style and quality that will continue our proud record of service and our tradition of providing the Infantry with its very best Infantry. And finally, that with the move away from the Arms Plot we have raised peoples' expectations and on the issues of choice and stability - we must deliver those expectations.

Vision

We are:

The Nation's Regiment, founded on the enduring bedrock of our historic regiments; united by our past and confident in the future. We will excel in the best roles that our Army can offer, sustained by the pride and support of our communities. Our success will be guaranteed, as it always has been, by the courage, good humour and selflessness of the Scottish Soldier

Formation Day

There has been excellent progress on all the plethora of issues for The Royal Regiment of Scotland’s formation. We have been honoured that the Queen is our Colonel-in-Chief with Her Majesty, The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales, The Duke of York and The Princess Royal all maintaining their old Regimental links as well as kindling new links with our Territorial Battalions with the appointment of The Princess Royal and The Prince of Wales as the 6th and 7th Battalions first Royal Colonels.

On Tuesday 28 March there will be events at all battalion locations as well as centralised events in Warminster, London and Northern Ireland to mark the formation of our new Regiment. This will be a hugely important and emotive day. We must look forward in all we do, but if we are to make the retention of the golden thread mean anything we must also embrace the best of the past in what we do in the future. I know that those events will do just that.

Formation Day marks the beginning of a new era, it does not mark the completion of all the work that is ongoing. Whilst the first Regimental Directive has been issued, we must write Regimental Standing Orders, put the financial arrangements for the new Regiment on a sound footing, man and work out the precise split of responsibilities between the Regimental Headquarters in Edinburgh Castle and Home Headquarters and many other details.

So my message is clear — carry on the same way working hard on the details of our Regiment. We are creating something new and vibrant that needs to have firm foundations.