Local veterans say they feel left out and disrespected by not being invited to take part in Stirling’s Armed Forces Day parade.
Hundreds of military personnel, past and present, took part in the Armed Forces Day parade through Stirling on Saturday.
The Royal Regiment of Scotland exercised their Freedom of the City status by stepping off from Stirling Castle and marching to the Stirling Smith Museum.
The SCOTS and the armed forces community were greeted at The Smith by Provost Douglas Dodds on behalf of the people of Stirling, before an entertainment programme was hosted in the gardens.
However, the president of the Stirling Branch of the Royal British Legion Scotland said he was “disgusted” that the majority of the association were not invited to take part in the procession.
James Mann told the Observer: “The majority of the procession consisted of the Royal Regiment of Scotland.
“I have received quite a lot of complaints from the general public that they would have liked to have seen a lot more associations take part as in years gone by.
“It was not an Armed Forces Day as we know it. No Royal Navy, RAF, Argylls, cadets and not enough veterans etc, who all have standards which would have been on parade.”
Mr Mann asked that the RBLS – the biggest Armed Forces organisation in Britain – is involved in any future service topics, adding: “Our secretary of the RBLS organises the Remembrance Day Parade in the city of Stirling in November and it always goes without a hitch and there is a lot that goes into the organisation of the event.
Another veteran said: “There are many veterans in the Stirling area who had questions regarding this parade and would have been proud to take part but were not included. The 43 Squadron Royal Air Force were formed in Stirling and I served in the Royal Air Force, I have relatives and friends who have served in the Royal Air Force, the Royal Navy and other regiments of the Army, why do none of these veterans matter?
“The decision not to include other veterans is unacceptable. This is a slap in the face of all other veterans.”
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Armed Forces Day is a UK-wide Ministry of Defence initiative to honour and celebrate the work of the armed forces and those who support them. It aims to raise awareness about the contributions of the Royal Navy, Army, Royal Air Force, reservists, veterans, cadets and the wider armed forces community, including service families.
Some of the online criticism for the participation in the parade appears to have been levelled at Stirling Council.
However, a Stirling Council spokeperson said the authority was not responsible for issuing invites to take part.
As the Observer went to press it was unclear who had control over how the parade was constituted.
The council spokesperson added: “Stirling Council was pleased to facilitate The Royal Regiment of Scotland in exercising their rights to march under their Freedom of the City status as part of Armed Forces Day.
“It was not the responsibility of the council to extend invites to march, although we were pleased to welcome all members of our Armed Forces community, past and present, who participated.”
Following the parade, Stirling Council leader, Cllr Chris Kane, said: “The Royal Regiment of Scotland and members of our armed forces community brought colour and spectacle to the streets of Stirling as they participated in the march from Stirling Castle to the Stirling Smith Museum.
“Stirling has a rich military tradition, history and heritage and we are proud to support Armed Forces Day.”
Stirling Council’s Armed Forces Champion, Cllr Gene Maxwell, added: “The parade was hugely enjoyable and a great opportunity to welcome the Royal Regiment of Scotland to Stirling. I particularly appreciated the opportunity to meet soldiers, veterans and families in the lovely garden of the Smith Museum afterwards.”
