A RADICAL shake-up of the Army, which will include the creation of a new North West regiment, will be put to ministers for approval.
Under the changes 19 battalions - including the Queen's Lancashire Regiment - will be merged into multi-battalion units, with four scrapped altogether.
The QLR would be amalgamated with the Carlisle-based King's Own Royal Border Regiment and the Liverpool-based King's Regiment to create a new brigade, expected to be called the Royal Lancashire Regiment.
Following the news of the move, the Evening Telegraph launched a campaign to save the identity of the regiment and its Lancashire name.
Under proposals agreed by the Executive Committee of the Army Board yesterday, the three battalions will incorporate the names of the old regiments in their titles.
The revamp proposed by Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon must now be backed by MPs, including Prime Minister Tony Blair.
An announcement on the future structure of the Army, including the new North West Regiment, was to be made in the Commons by Mr Hoon before Christmas, although a dispute over which will be the fourth regiment to disappear looks to have stalled the process.
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