DUKES from every era are outraged at the proposal to scrap the famous regiment.

John Swain, 44, of Golcar, was a boy soldier at 16 and then joined the Duke of Wellington's Regiment in 1977.

He is worried that the close bond the Dukes' troops have will be lost if they are merged with other Yorkshire regiments The Green Howards and The Prince of Wales's Own.

Mr Swain thinks losing the badge could end up being far more damaging than some people might think.

He said: "The Dukes have always been recruited from this area, so the history gets passed on through the generations. That means a lot.

"At the moment, and in the past, the lads have been from the same area. They have understood each other and had a bond from day one.

"That is not just good for morale; it is important on the battlefield."

Mr Swain, who left the Army in 1997 after serving 20 years, said many people will not understand why the Dukes are so worried about the military shake-up - the biggest in Britain since after the Second World War.

"It is hard to explain to most people how it feels to be part of a family like the Dukes.

"The troops will do anything for each other, and I am not convinced that would happen if we had a Yorkshire regiment.

"We are living in times where our forces need to be strong and need to know the people they are fighting alongside. These changes can only be bad."

Mr Swain, who has a wife, Lorraine and two children Leroy, 25, and Leanne, 17, still meets his old friends from the Dukes whenever he can.

For him, the years of training, living and fighting alongside fellow Dukes has created a strong bond.

"We get together whenever possible," he said. "We love to get all the lads back together for a reunion, so we can have a laugh.

"The bond will always be there, even if the history surrounding the Dukes is lost," he added.

Do you feel strongly about the threat to the Dukes?

Make your point to Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon by adding your details to this letter.

Post your letters to Save the Dukes, News Desk, The Huddersfield Daily Examiner, PO Box A26, Queen Street South, Huddersfield, HD1 2TD, and we will forward them:

Dear Mr Hoon,

We deplore any threat to the 302-year-old history of the Duke of Wellington's Regiment in your review of the armed forces and strongly urge you to save this cherished name.