Hi TTH I agree, it's training and experience that makes a Regt e.g. the British Army in the Peninsular, all Regts numbered English, Irish, Scots and Welsh (except the Guards of course) and they did alright. Some of our younger Regts i.e. the Paras, SAS and, as they were then, the KRRC and the Rifles (not the new ones) all of these became elite units in their time. Not because of recruiting area, but because of service (continually abroad for the length of the war), experience (always fighting, even Wellington prefered combined Bns of veterans to full Bns of green troops) and training (3 rounds per minute under any conditions and a clean weapon - oh and iron discipline). I don't think a massively increased TA is a good an idea. Not so much because they might not turn up (for training nights and weekend camps) but a. we might not be able to incentivative enough of them to join and b. it would be easy for future governments to decrease their size and equipment i.e efficiency, without to many people knowing about it, until the acid test arrives of course!
Oh also, while I'm banging on about Regts. I served with the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards. This Regt was made up of 3rd Dragoon Guards (Welsh), the 6th Dragoon Guards (English) and the 2nd Dragoons (Scots Greys). Both the Welsh and English Regts are Senior because they were converted Horse Regts (converted from the heavy prestigious Horse to Dragoon Guards, to save money oddly enough! whilst giving them a nicer name, like a vehicle mechanic been called a technician but with no increase in money). The Dragoons were looked down on by the Horse as they started as mounted infantry on nags and then rose to be cavalry on the cheap. Yet if you look at their cap badge you only see the Scots Greys Eagle, I know you can just see the carbines, but you've got to agree the Eagle is very big. And they try not to recruit from England and Wales but they cannot stop family members applying. The Queens Royal Hussars are an amalgamation of 2 x Engish Regts ((Middlesex, Berkshire and Essex), 1 x Scots Regt (Cunninghams Dragoons) and 1 x Irish Regt (look at all of their history), yet if you look at their cap badge you would only see a harp. Life's not fair, so there
Some of our younger Regts i.e. the Paras, SAS and, as they were then, the KRRC and the Rifles (not the new ones) all of these became elite units in their time. Maybe a little controversial, but do we really still need a Parachute Regiment? The idea was that they would be dropped behind the enemy lines and capture territory, fighting on until relieved. Or, as the spearhead of a larger attack. Provided the Government doesn't completely cut our helicopter fleet, a Bn of approximately 600 infantrymen from any Infantry unit could be transported to carry out the same function in 15 Chinooks. The other advantage is that I would anticipate that there would be fewer casualties than there are during a jump, as even in peacetime, bad landings incapacitate a fair few of the participants. And as a slight aside, I have a colleague who did far more jumps when he was the PSI of a TA airborne unit than he did during the same period with a regular airborne battalion.
The Queen's Own Deserters (Runaways & Hidebehinds) That's good enough to be in Waugh's "Sword of Honour."
We could call it the British Expeditionary Force (B.E.F) or would that just be one name too far?? Sure you dont mean the British Experimental Force?
Royal Marines and Paras may face merger in controversial military shake-up | Mail Online "The Royal Marines could be merged with the Paras to form a new expeditionary brigade under a controversial military shake-up. Two years on and this still hasn't happened- Could this me another case of the Mail selling papers? I guess their get out clause is the use of the word 'could'
Young man - Never joke about the BEF drew there was no pun intended against the BEF.it was meant against the brass who dream up these amalgamations.having served with the Royal Ulster Rifles myself,it broke my heart to see their end.:mellow:
