ARmy Rumour SErvice

Originally Posted by Cuddles

Actually we ended up with two batteries' history embedded in one battery and in most cases this wasn't a drama... Anyway you say end up like the Royal Artillery like it's a bad thing??

Sorry, I did not mean it in a pejorative manner. Actually, i see it a a means to maintain history and tradition at the same time as moving into the new future.

That some, hopefully, retired and misguided QDG officers are pushing their own special interests is distasteful and demeening to them. The most important thing is to ensure that Army maintains a combined arms manoeuvre capability and a significant element of that rests with a well trained and motivated RAC. There will need to be strong bonds with the Inf, Arty, RE etc in order to embed CA thinking across the piece.

Originally Posted by soprano54

Have I missed something or is this a fcuking wind up? IMHO the RTR have already taken most of the pain of amalgamations within the RAC, tis about time the Cav took some of the pain. Simple amalgamate the QDG and Scots/FijiDG and solve their recruiting problems FFS.

Id amalgamate the QDG with 2 RTR, 2 QTR nice ring about it

With reductions in the RAC, the recruiting area's have got silly. Time to bin recruiting area's and make all RAC units UK wide regiments like the HC. If it means renaming the SCOTS DG so be it.

How about

1 RTR, 2 RTR, 3 RTR, 4 RTR, etc

ALL feeding a HCMR for ceremonials.

Originally Posted by chocolate_frog

How about

1 RTR, 2 RTR, 3 RTR, 4 RTR, etc

ALL feeding a HCMR for ceremonials.

Get out.


Although it would be nice for line cavalry to feed blokes into the meat grinder that is HCMR.

1st Regiment RAC, 2nd Regiment RAC (or should it be 1 Regiment, 2 Regiment) etc.

All feeding HCMR.

11 RAC Regts, 5x Armd (each of 3x CR2 Sqns plus 1x HQ Sqn), 5x BRR (of 2x Tracked Recce, 1x Wheeled Recce/BRF and 1x HQ/C&S Sqn), 1x Mounted Ceremonial (2x Sqns), potentially 1x Demo/Trg Sqn; trickle post between them. Sounds good, at least in the interim.

To my mind each regiment could as easily retain the name and traditions of the existing capbadges. It would mean that for his first tour an officer might "be" a KRH before becoming a SCOTS DG for his second RD tour and then go to the HCMR for his fourth. Clearly the same would be true for soldiers except that inevitably they would move less regularly. Given the number of RAC Sqn Ldrs not serving with their parent regiments at present, this should not be an issue. I see no reason why the ceremonial mount regiment (if it were retained) could not be trickle fed from across the RAC (yes including from the RTR). I think the intent should be a cultural shift so that soldiers (and former soldiers) see themselves as part of the RAC first and foremost and part of whichever regiment they are or have served in second.

I don't think retaining the names is any good. Perhaps the traditions and silver, and the various units could 'hold' the threads to the past, but absolutely stamp out the old names, Rifles stylee. I think the Rifles also swapped silver, so that ALL of the five bns held silverware from all of the antecedant units, so that could be option too.

1 RAC would not be in anyway officially referred to as QDG for example. You'll just end up in a Royal Regt of Scotland scenario, and you'll get blokes saying, 'do X to the KRH, never, that was my first unit and damned good one it was', etc.

Give every one the 'fist' capbadge, and black beret. The precedent for the black beret can be the fact taht Cav units asked for it at the beginning but were told it was an RTR thing. Now it can be an RAC thing. Red and yellow backing to the capbadge and away you go. Perhaps the BRRs could wear recce corps lightings, The two sqns of cermonial can carry on the HCMR capbadges and dress, training could be a come as you are party.

Promotion would be RAC wide.