Historic regiments to be given their marching orders

Historic Army regiments will disappear and many others may be merged in the most far-reaching reforms to the infantry in many years.

Other proposals include a reduction of the "arms plot" which sees Army units moving their home bases every few years. This is likely to be welcomed, particularly by soldiers with families.

The regiments to be axed may not be named next week but sources said the Black Watch and the Highlanders were the most vulnerable. The Black Watch fought at Waterloo and helped take Basra in the last Iraq war. Recently, however, it has had severe recruiting problems.

After years of cuts, most infantry regiments now consist of only a single regular battalion - about 650 men - which defence chiefs believe is often too small to be efficient.

Senior officers want to abolish a few of the most undermanned single-battalion regiments and merge the others into multiplebattalion regional regiments.

This would, they say, allow "more flexibility" in how soldiers are used, while preserving some local links.

Proposals to axe historic, singlebattalion county regiments such as the Staffords and the Cheshires caused outrage under previous defence reviews, and were eventually dropped.

The Ministry of Defence hopes to soften opposition by allowing merged battalions to keep their old names and traditions within the new umbrella regiments.

Critics say that the identity provided by the regimental system is fundamental. "Soldiers don't fight for Queen and Country, or the Army as a whole," said one battalion commander. "They fight for their regiment and their mates."

But senior officers say the plan could preserve some regimental identity while boosting efficiency.

The plan is likely to be tested in Scotland, with the existing seven Scottish single-battalion infantry regiments reduced to five, grouped in two new regional "super-regiments".