A VETERAN soldier from Basingstoke will be in the thick of the action at a spring rally in London - protesting against proposals to merge Scottish army regiments.

Scotsman Tommy Millar, 63, is backing calls to stop the Government from amalgamating army regiments.

The mass rally, which will be held on Saturday, April 9, is being organised by Save the Scottish Regiments.

Mr Millar said the rally is also being extended to support English regiments that face being cut or merged.

Last year, Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon announced a controversial plan to change the structure of the British Army.

It involves combining Scotland's regiments in to a single unit as part of the Government's army reforms.

It wants to scrap regiments like the Black Watch - which has a long and illustrious history and was one of the first sent forward to Baghdad - to form one super regiment.

English regiments also look set to disappear in the shake-up, such as the Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire regiment, which is being considered for either amalgamation with the Devonshire and Dorset Regiment or disbandment.

Mr Millar, who served with the Royal Scots between 1962 to 1966, until he left the Army to move to Basingstoke to work for Sainsbury's, said the proposals will have a far-reaching impact, not just with the future of British regiments, but for the wider community as well.

The former borough councillor, from Midlane Close, Basingstoke, said: "The rally is not just about saving the regiments, but also making people aware of other effects it could have, such as cutting strong long-standing local links.

"People don't tend to realise the knock-on effects it would have. For example, imagine how Basingstoke and the surrounding area would be affected if RAF Odiham closed down."

In January, the Ministry of Defence claimed that the activities of people supporting the regimental system, such as Save Scottish Regiments, have adversely affected recruitment. Mr Millar said he was not surprised.

"I think it would probably affect recruitment as a lot of people join up because it is a family tradition," he said.

"My old regiment is associated with Edinburgh, the Kings and Scottish Borders is with Dumfries and the Black Watch is from Perth - so if you amalgamate them it loses that family thing,

so obviously it does have an effect on recruitment."