Scots Guards welcome new faces as recruits hit 200 in year

Published on Wednesday 16 December 2009 21:42

THE Scots Guards welcomed their 200th recruit yesterday in a formal ceremony at Edinburgh Castle.

Stuart Leslie, 22, joined six comrades, aged between 16 and 30, to be sworn in at the regiment's castle barracks.

Leslie was the 200th recruit into the Scots Guards since April, the start of the army recruiting year. Following in the footsteps of his grandfather – who was also a Scots Guardsman – he said: "It is going to be great to get out there and support the lads. Between now and January I am going to try and not get too unfit."

The new soldiers all swore an oath of allegiance to the Queen at a ceremony at the regimental headquarters in Edinburgh Castle, witnessed by family and friends.

With a father and two uncles in the army, Matthew Booth, 20, had wanted to join the army since he was three years old.

He said: "Aside from the lifelong ambition to join up, the recession and the general lack of jobs has also helped my decision."

Ross Hayworth, 19, is another of the recruits who has always wanted to join up. Currently a butcher in Galashiels, he added that he felt the cause in Afghanistan was worth fighting for and "definitely something I would like to be a part of".

Annan-based Logan Thomson, 16, is one of the youngest recruits. He said: "I will be well missed by my friends, but I have seen how the guys live and I know that this is the life for me."