Senior troopers declare Commonwealth recruits ‘lack respect’
An extraordinary row broke out between military chiefs and senior soldiers in the Army’s most prestigious regiments over recruits from Commonwealth nations.
In a hugely controversial letter sent to top brass, experienced troops accused Commonwealth applicants of being interested only in sending money back to their families.
Among the astonishing allegations is that the mostly African recruits they refer to lack respect for the Guards regiments and have only ‘half-hearted allegiances to King and Country’.
The letter was written by non-commissioned officers (NCOs) at the Infantry Training Centre (ITC) at Catterick, North Yorkshire.
They told the Major General Commanding the Household Division, James Bowder, that the issues threatened the very existence of the centuries-old regiments.
Tradition and identity: The Scots Guards march out of Buckingham Palace during a Changing of the Guard ceremony (file image)
A Drill Sergeant shouts orders at his troops during at Stirling Castle (file image)
The letter, dated June 23, comes after applications from the Commonwealth to join the Army reached 16,990 last year.
In a statement, the Army accused those behind the letter of falling ‘short of the values and standards’ of the defence forces.
Arguably the best-known Army soldier of recent decades was Grenada-born Johnson Beharry, who was awarded the Victoria Cross after saving members of his then unit, the 1st Battalion Princess of Wales‘s Royal Regiments, from two separate ambushes in Iraq in 2004.
One highly contentious claim in the letter is an alleged failure by overseas recruits to follow commands – despite their ability to speak and understand English being tested as part of their visa applications.
The letter says: ‘A large majority of Commonwealth students struggle to understand what is being asked of them, making even the most basic tasks problematic. Often other recruits have to translate information into their native language.
‘When training progresses on to platoon attacks, this could be a ticking time bomb.’
The last reference relates to the use of live ammunition on these manoeuvres and on the ranges –with any misunderstanding having the potential to result in an accidental death.
The letter also claims the morale and performance of training staff have been adversely affected, with some ‘losing purpose and pride in their work’.
Earlier this week, the Mail obtained video footage of an enraged instructor ordering a black recruit to lie in a puddle and do press-ups.
Footage obtained by the Mail shows an Army instructor forcing a black recruit to lie in a puddle and do press ups
He then screamed obscenities and insults at the recruit and threatened to ‘punch his head in’.
This instructor has been dismissed from ITC and could face further disciplinary action from his unit, the Coldstream Guards.
The authors of the letter stressed some foreign recruits were ‘exceptional’ and insisted they recognised the historic contribution of Commonwealth soldiers to the Army.
They wrote: ‘This letter is well intentioned and serves only as a rhetoric for ensuring the survival of the Foot Guards.
‘I greatly respect and admire the countless heroic acts that have come from units akin to the 11th Sikh unit in Burma during World War Two. But we are steadily losing our identity as a division.
‘For many of these [Commonwealth] recruits, there is no aspiration to join the infantry, let alone the Guards.
‘Their primary concern is to secure visa extensions in order to provide for their families back home.
‘We believe this issue needs to be rectified. We came to ITC Catterick to train recruits to the best of our abilities. Under current conditions this is unattainable.’
An Army spokesman said: ‘The views expressed in this letter fell short of the values and standards of the British Army and appropriate actions have been taken.
Citizens from the Commonwealth have a long tradition of serving with distinction… and remain an important and highly valued part of the fabric of the Army.’
