Scots soldiers continue wartime tradition with blanket design competition
4th Battalion, the Royal Regiment of Scotland, are spending the festive period deployed in Cyprus.
Scottish soldiers have kept a wartime tradition going as they continued their annual blanket-decorating competition while deployed abroad.
Soldiers from 4th Battalion, the Royal Regiment of Scotland (4Scots) have been based in Dhekelia, Cyprus, since August.
In the run-up to Christmas, they have been decorating blankets which are then hung up for others in the battalion to see, often reflecting on the year gone by.
The tradition dates back to the Second World War, when soldiers deployed in harsh conditions sought to bring some Christmas cheer to bleak positions.
A regiment-wide blanket decorating competition evolved during the war, with the owner of the best-looking blanket crowned the winner.
The troops will remain in Cyprus over the festive season as part of the British Army’s high-readiness standby force.
This year’s competition saw another noteworthy entry from last year’s winner, Corporal Lewis Devlin-May.
His blanket depicts a stag standing among poppies, and is designed to remember those who came before.
Major Jamie Mackinnon of 4Scots said: “It’s important to keep these traditions going when you’re at home, but they matter even more when you’re serving abroad.
“They help keep the battalion connected, remind the Jocks of home, boost morale, and it gives everyone a chance to pause and reflect on the year.
“It’s been a big year for us at 4Scots, and across the wider Royal Regiment of Scotland, so the chance to continue a fun tradition and get creative ahead of the festive period means a lot to the Jocks, even while they remain focused on the job at hand.”
