A Sad Day for Welsh Soldiers
On Thursday I was in the House of Commons for the announcement by the Defence Secretary. We were told that the 2nd Battalion The Royal Welsh would be scrapped as part of the Government’s reduction in the size of the army from 102,000 personnel to 82,000.
Welsh MPs were pleased that the Queen’s Dragoon Guards were not going to be cut but it was generally felt that this was a hollow victory because the Government were taking away 600 jobs by axing the 2nd Battalion The Royal Welsh.
With unemployment high in Wales, I am very concerned that many soldiers will find themselves on the “dole”. The Ministry of Defence has given assurances that as many new jobs as possible will be found but the reality is many young men and women will face a difficult time as civilians.
There is now a very real concern that with such large cuts the British Army will be incapable of fulfilling a meaningful role across the world. It is certain that Britain will never again be able to play a role in two major conflicts simultaneously. In future, the army simply will not have the capacity to fight in two conflicts at the same time, as we did in Iraq and Afghanistan.
There is also the point which many people, myself included, sometimes find difficulty understanding fully. The British Army has proud traditions and much of the camaraderie which makes the British Army such an effective fighting force comes from the fact that its soldiers strongly feel that they have a sense of duty and loyalty to their own particular fighting unit. The 2nd Battalion The Royal Welsh is one of those army units with an extremely proud tradition. Although The Royal Welsh was only created in 2006 through the amalgamation of the Royal Regiment of Wales and The Royal Welch Fusiliers, its history can be traced back to the 17th Century. Arguably, its proudest moment was in Rorke’s Drift where about 100 Welsh soldiers held out against thousands of Zulu warriors.
Like everyone else, I realise that public spending cuts have to be made. But I am worried that these cuts are undermining Britain’s influence in the world, destroying the life chances of hundreds of young people and weakening the morale and sense of purpose of our remaining armed forces.
Wayne David
Labour MP for Caerphilly