MECHANISATION?

Evening Post, Volume CXXIV, Issue 133, 2 December 1937, Page 32

MECHANISATION?

THE SCOTS GREYS' FUTURE

Sir Victor Warrender, Financial Secretary to' the War Office has stated in the House of Commons that it had not yet been decided whether or not Z TnShanise' =the Royal Scots Greys, says the "Daily Telegraph and Mornln|c^ttis'h members have signed a round robin to the Secretary for War (Mr Hore-Belisha) protesting against the proposal. A question will be put in various forms by three Scottish members in the House of Commons If they consider the replies unsatisfactory they intend to raise the matter on the adjournment.. The publicity given to the' possibility of mechanising this famous cavalry-regiment will, they believe, enable, public opinion- to convince the Minister, of the unpopularity of■ such ,a step. ■ ■ ; ■ ■ , The Household Cavalry does not come within the mechanisation proposals; and it is argued that the Greys' have, in-effect, always acted as the Household Cavalry-for Scotland. At the time of the Coronation they took duty in Edinburgh in the same way as the Guards in London. •; The Duke of Atholl, in a statement, appealed to the Army Council for delay before finally deciding to do away with the Scots Greys. He urged that if it is to be kept as a cavalry, regiment, its depot should be in.Scotland, with at the least sufficient number of men ■to serve as a Royal escort. The rest of the regiment would then be'available for service as a full cavalry unit. "Everyone realises that the British cavalry had to be' reduced," he said. "But would it not be possible either to have a cavalry tank pool, or a tank regiment for certain regiments, or groups of regiments? "Scots feel very deeply on the proposal to do away with the Greys. Recruitment of the type of men who used to join the, Greys will cease."