THE Prince of Wales's Own Regiment, which recruits from Huddersfield, faces the axe.
The Yorkshire regiment, the oldest line infantry regiment in the country and better known as the ``Yorkies", could be disbanded after 300 years in the most radical overhaul of the Army since the Second World War.
The cuts could see 10 regiments disappear and about 9,000 soldiers lose their jobs.
The news comes as increasing numbers of troops withdraw from Northern Ireland.
Under the Joint Declaration signed by the British and Irish governments, just 5,000 Servicemen will remain from 14,500 now on duty in the province.
The PWO's 1st Battalion is about to finish a two-year tour of duty in Omagh, Northern Ireland, before returning to base at Catterick in North Yorkshire.
They will then leave for Bosnia in March. The PWO has served in Cyprus and the first Gulf War. Throughout its history it has fought in the Crimea, the Boer War and both World Wars.
A Government White Paper on the future of the Armed Forces is expected within weeks.
Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon hinted at cuts in the summer, saying military supremacy was now based on technology rather than troop numbers.
But Tory MPs have criticised the infantry cuts in the current world climate and the ``war on terror".
