2006 - Present Day
On 12th May 2006, the London Regiment transferred from the Queen's Division to the Household Division. The Regiment's F and G (Royal Green Jacket) Companies came under command of the Royal Rifle Volunteers preparatory to that regiment becoming 7th Battalion, The Rifles. The London Regiment is now tasked with operational support to any of the Foot Guards regiments requiring it, but within the London Regiment there is a specific pairing of companies to the Guards: The London Scottish is paired with the Scots Guards, the London Irish with the Irish Guards, the Fusilier Company with the Grenadier Guards and the Queen's Regiment Company with the Coldstream Guards. HQ Company is paired with the Welsh Guards and, to give the Welsh Guards an infantry focus to link to, rifle platoons stripped out of the other companies are to be established under HQ Company. The departing F (RGJ) Company had the London Regiment's Mortar Platoon, and with both the London Scottish and Queen's Regiment Companies having Machine Gun Platoons, the London Scottish was tasked to establish a new Mortar Platoon. This is located at the Catford outlying platoon location. The Permanent Staff Instructors (Regular Senior NCOs supervising training in TA units) are to come from the newly associated regiments and the London Scottish has already welcomed both a new Senior PSI and a Mortars PSI from the Scots Guards, saying farewell to a long association with the Highlanders and Gordon Highlanders before them.
With the new alignment within the Household Division, London Scottish soldiers now wear the blue-red-blue Tactical Recognition Flash (TRF) of the Guards on the right shoulder of their uniform and have lost the unofficial blue thistle on Hodden Grey that had been worn since the late 1990s. Rumours of the adoption of a common London Regiment cap-badge, khaki berets (Guards style) and the loss of stable belts all abounded in the run up to the 2006 re-alignment. However, all the indications are that the Scots Guards, although pleased to have the London Scottish in support of them, are equally happy for the distinctions of uniform to continue. In the meantime, the Regimental HQ continues to use the 1999-2006 design of the London Regiment device, rather than reverting to the 1993-1999 version. New supplies of Regimental tie have yet to be ordered and there is much interest to know whether it will be the 1993-1999 or 1999-2006 version.
The benefit of the new alignment with the Guards swiftly materialised. The London Regiment's mobilised Company for Op HERRICK 6, Somme Company, deployed to Afghanistan from March to October 2007 with a platoon's worth of Grenadier Guardsmen, who were evenly spread out across the Company.
Looking forward from 2007, the Serving Company hopes to be able to undertake training with the Warrior IFV-equipped 1st Battalion Scots Guards, stationed in Germany, developing closer relations with both them and F Company, Scots Guards, the Public Duties Company based in London. The London Regiment already having been warned off, London Scottish soldiers are looking forward to going to Afghanistan in 2010 with another composite Company, to be called Arras Company.
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