Royal Regiment of Scotland to be given the Freedom of Falkirk

Councillor Margaret Anslow, who is herself a veteran, proposed the honour in a motion presented to Falkirk Council this week.

She asked the council to award the Freedom of Falkirk to the SCOTS in recognition of its long and proud association with Falkirk, saying it would “formally honour the historical relationship between the SCOTS and Falkirk as well as lay the foundations for the future”.

Cllr Anslow said: “I feel quite honoured and proud to present this today as Falkirk Council’s veterans’ champion.

“Having served in the Armed Forces and RAF, I can from the heart that we value greatly the support we have from the public.

“The Freedom of Falkirk is one of the ways we show the armed forces how we respect and honour them.”

The Royal Regiment of Scotland (SCOTS) was formed in March 2006 when the Royal Scots, Royal Highland Fusiliers, King’s Own Scottish Borderers, Black Watch, Highlanders (Seaforth, Gordons & Camerons) and Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders were amalgamated into a single large Scottish regiment.

Many of these antecedent regiments had over the previous decades been granted the Freedom of several Scottish local authority areas, cities or towns and even overseas, in some cases.

The Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders were awarded the Freedom of Falkirk in 1972.

Cllr Anslow told members that since the new regiment’s formation, 16 local authorities or cities in Scotland have granted SCOTS freedoms of their areas.

Grangemouth councillors Robert Spears, who is also a veteran, said he had great pleasure in supporting the motion.

He said: “Veterans do greatly appreciate the support of their town – not just when they are away fighting wars but also when they come back because anyone who goes to fight in a war never comes back the same person and they rely on the people they have been fighting for to fight for them.”

There was unanimous support for the motion.