They're changing (white) guards at Buckingham Palace - embarrassing spectacle!

Perhaps they don't have any ethnic minority members to choose from - i.e. they're not interested. It would be interesting to know the figures.

My son knew of someone who was in the regiment about 15 years ago who reported he was the only black face because all the others had been bullied until they left. But haven't times changed?

I don't know....

jess , maybe they are on active duty.

and the white ones aren't. I can see I am going to have to bother my MP about this one if GNers don't have any inside info.

I'm sorry to argue but having watched the jubilee quite a lot I distinctly saw military personnel of various ethnic backrounds.

What are you saying?

This country is proud of all of our serving personnel, inclusive of their ethnicity. Did you not see the programme where they went to the stables, definately viewed soldiers representing those you feel are what? refused to join certain regiments. They were proudly on parade too.

There is bound to be a higher ratio of white servicemen and women. Same as the police, ambulance, navy and R.A.F. Has nobody noticed this country is predominately of white skin.Surely it is obvious it therefore will follow there will be more white service personnel in sight.

The likes of the Gurkha Regiment are dear to the heart of the U.K.
Would it therefore follow Private Harry only got his V.C. because he was non white and we as a country wanted to be politicaly correct. Ofcourse not it was because he was a brave, proud soldier serving this country and respected irrespective of his skin colour.

I am saying that the ones that are outside BP are all WHITE!!! There is no ratio.
The red coat and bearskin regiment whatever they are called.
Look at the images on the internet if you don't believe me pogs. There are dozens and dozens of pics and not a brown face to be seen!

Jess M

Are you honestly saying only ethnic service men and women are fighting abroad??

Or I have read your comment badly.

In 2010, out of 108,870 Army personnel, 9.4% were ethnic minorities (10,010) (peculiarly, 2,890 of personnel are of "unknown" origin! Presumably these are horses (who all have regimental numbers), regimental mascots (goats and dogs!) or martians). The Army seem to have a better record than the Navy and the RAF. In 2002, questions were asked in the House of Commons as to why the Guards and Household regiments (the guys in the red coats and bearskins, and the cavalry) had so few ethnic recruits. Things have improved since then, I'm sure, but they are elite regiments and have always been fussy about who, -of whatever ethnicity-, they take. It would be interesting to know how many ethnic minority applicants the Guards regiments have. If they are not applying, it's academic. I'm not saying the system's perfect, but are we saying there is a policy of active discrimination going on? I'd like to think not.

Yes, that's what I meant in my first post, artygran - are ethnic minority members actually applying? And if not, why not?

Apart from the fact that the Queens Guard is made up of Foot Regiments, is it maybe do do with a certain height requirement?
It would not do to have a six footer standing next to maybe a diminutive Ghurka, well not in the show parade anyway, although I know which one I would like next to me if I needed personal protection.

Foot and Horse Guard , even.

Seems there has been ONE black guard outside Buckingham Palace (can't believe I'm typing this). Here's an article about this issue:

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/5333874.stm

Just been trawling the internet to find out more - I'm intrigued! It seems that 3 years ago the palace/metropiltan police advertised for security personnel to guard the queen 'from GBLT and ethnic groups' as these were under-represented. Appointments would be made 'purely on merit.'

So that's alright then. Seems only white males are of merit. I assume the same applies to the BH guards?

Seems it is so rare that the first black guard has a museum profile from 5 years ago, but there is not a mention of any black and asian guards being appointed since.

So that means you are actually calling the Guards Regiment racist.

Each to his own I guess.

Who is calling the regiment racist POGS? I would like to know more before such emotive allegations are considered. There is an anomoly here for some reason. It occurs in other small organisations. Stastically, you would expect to see a percentage of guards from ethnic minority groups, but it may be that they are over-represented elsewhere. Does anyone know why the Queens's guards appear to be all white?

It would certainly appear pogs that either:

They are not recruiting in a way which represents the UK population
or
Word has got out amongst ethinic minorities that it is not a friendly environment
or
There is a disproportionate dropout of black recruits
or
Both

and that ethinic minorities in the army are not spread evenly across the regiments.

Seems that my DS's friend's mate was indeed as he said the only one ever!

It is not height, there were short ones there, including at least one woman.
About 10% of the UK population are non white and if you take out the Scots N. Irish and Welsh (who are whiter on average) and the retired population (ditto) you have in the English young workforce a rather greater percentage. As is obvious if you go into any large workplace - ethnically diverse and most of the will be UK citizens.
Yes there are small employers who do not reflect this but this is a large employer.

I remember reading reports that Prince Charles was embarrassed at the poor representation of ethnic minorities in the guards regiments. I googled 'Prince Charles and Black Guardsmen) and found several newspaper reports.

I found this data by Googling: I think this was in 2010.

"The most recent figures from the Defence Analytical Services and Advice (DASA) show that ethnic minorities make up only 6.6% of UK regular forces.

The figures examine trained and untrained personnel and excludes Gurkhas, Full Time Reserve Service personnel and mobilised reservists. The army have the highest number of personnel from ethnic minorities at 9.4% in 2010 whereas the number is much lower in the naval services at 3.4% and the royal air force at 2.1%

The results from the last census in 2001 showed that ethnic minorities made up 7.9% of the total UK population."

Your data, Mamie, came from the same source as mine. If 10% of the UK population are non-white, then 9.4% of Army numbers can't be underrepresentation, can it? DH was in the Army for 22 years. He had a number of non-white colleagues during his service. They were all Afro-Carribean or of South Pacific origin. I don't recall any of Asian extraction in all that time, although I had a friend whose husband was Singalese. I don't think that there are many applications to the Armed Forces from the Asian community and it would be interesting to find out why (except that they have a higher expectation of their children, perhaps, than for them to become cannon fodder!). How do the recruitment figures stack up against, say, the Police Force? At the end of the day, it may be academic; if they go on cutting numbers at a rate of knots, there will be no Army to recruit into. Many of the historic regiments have suffered cut-backs or disbandment and who is to say that the Household regiments may not go the same way in years to come? Very sad.

Appears it is not the army, but this particular regiment?
Pity it is the showcase regiment in London isn't it.

Sorry Artygran, had missed your post. Have to say I watched Trooping the Colour and thought there were quite a few guardsmen from ethnic minorities. As you say, very sad about the historic regiments.

whenim.

If I have made 'emotive allegations' it is because I genuinely cannot understand how to view some of the comments made. I have read the thread again and still feel the point to this topic is 'ethnic', not black please,
soldiers are not recruited to the regiment beacause of skin colour.

POGS the only time I have referred to a black guard is when I mentioned the one black person who is cited in the records as being the first black queen's guard in 2007. The rest of the time I have said 'ethnic.' I certainly don't think that anyone should be recruited as soildiers on grounds of the colour of their skin, but I have said that there seems to be an anomoly here, as yet unexplained, why all the guards appear to be white. I'm really interested to know what that's about and knowing that the way palace staff are recruited, and that there appears to be an appropriate representation of staff from black and ethnic minority groups around the royal households, the first thing that came to my mind wasn't racism. I genuinely wonder what this is about?