Due to the level of recent operations HRH The Duke of Kent, Colonel emeritus, set up this fund to support our wounded and the families of those killed on operations. The fund enables the Regiment to provide support in three areas:
- Support to the families of those killed in action by responding promptly to problems of bereavement and hardship.
- Support to those wounded on operations, particularly those who have had to leave the army; to assist in finding them new employment and to help them become active family and community members.
- Support to the families of those seriously wounded or injured in prolonged recovery situations.
The Regimental Trustees have wide discretion to use the Colonel’s Fund to enhance the welfare of Scots Guardsmen on operations and that of their families at home. Furthermore, they will be able to use capital as well as income if they deem it necessary. The rate of operational deployments and the nature of those deployments has resulted in a much higher casualty rate across the Army – fatal and non fatal, physical and mental – than has been since the Falklands Conflict. Some mental casualties will not become apparent for many years, even decades. As an Infantry battalion the Scots Guards are likely to find themselves among the most frequently deployed parts of the British army.