Members of The Royal Regiment of Scotland travelled down from Edinburgh this week to meet up with Dumfries and Galloway Council’s Armed Forces Champion, Councillor Archie Dryburgh.
Councillor Dryburgh met with Lance Corporal Stephen Wishart from the Regiment in order to place a banner promoting recruitment to the Regiment on the front of the Mid Steeple in Dumfries.
Lance Corporal Wishart joined The Royal Regiment of Scotland (1 SCOTS) in 2011, finishing his basic training on a Thursday and being sent to Kenya the very next day. Following this he subsequently served at Camp Bastion in Afghanistan for 7 months and is now based in Belfast. He is one of a number of soldiers who have visited the town over the past few weeks and said this was because “The Regiment is currently on a nationwide recruitment drive, with a different area being allotted to each team and we have found that Dumfries and Galloway is one of the best areas for support and recruitment to the Regiment.”
The Royal Regiment of Scotland was formed on 28 March 2006 from the merger of the Scottish Infantry Regiments. There are five Regular Battalions and two Territorial Army Battalions in the Regiment. The first Battalion was formed from the merger of the Kings Own Scottish Borderers and the Royal Scots and now forms the Royal Scots Borderers.
Councillor Dryburgh served in The Gordon Highlanders from 1979 to 1985, transferring to the TA in 1986, and then to the Army Cadets in 1988 until 1994. He said: “Dumfries and Galloway Council is always happy to lend support to our Armed Forces. Many brave local men and women carry out difficult and frequently dangerous jobs on our behalf. The Council granted the Freedom of Dumfries and Galloway to The Royal Regiment of Scotland in 2008, the first Council in Scotland to do this, in recognition of the outstanding service given by the national regiment, and the excellent relationships developed between the local communities in our region and The Royal Regiment of Scotland.
Dumfries and Galloway Council was also one of the first council’s in Scotland to sign up to the Armed Forces Community Covenant. The Community Covenant is an endorsement of the good relations which exist between the people of our region and the Armed Forces, not only serving personnel, but also Veterans and their families. The Armed Forces and Ministry of Defence continue to provide assistance to our region when needed, not only in a practical capacity, but also through grants such as the award to The Devil’s Porridge Museum in Eastriggs. The least we can do is assist them in return, through their recruitment drive.”
Suitable applicants are currently being sought from all areas of the region. For more information or to apply, go online to: www.armyjobs
Photograph show Councillor Archie Dryburgh, Dumfries and Galloway Council’s Armed Forces Champion with Lance Corporal Stephen Wishart
