End of the line for Fusiliers

Warwick District Council and town councils across the district joined forces to lobby the government in hope of saving the regiment from being axed in nationwide spending cuts for the armed forces.

Thousands of signatures were collected by members of the public and a protest march on Parliament was attended by hundreds of supporters earlier in the autumn.

But in a letter to councillor Michael Doody, leader of Warwick District Council, the government’s position not to withdraw its initial decision was made clear.

In the letter, Andrew Robathon, MP from the Ministry of Defence wrote: “I can assure you that none of the decisions surrounding the withdrawals and mergers that were announced on 5 July were taken lightly.

“While I appreciate that this decision has come as a great disappointment to those serving with RRF and those with connections to it, unfortunately it was simply not possible to save every unit.”

Cllr Richard Davies, vice chair of the district council, said: “This is very sad news for the brave local lads who are proud members of this fine regiment.

“The people who signed our Petition thinking ‘I don’t suppose it will do any good’ have been proved right and that is very sad.

“We wrote to the government beseeching them to reconsider and it was worth a try. We continue to hope that they will for all of our sakes.”