Scottish actor and Game of Thrones star James Cosmo has been appointed Honorary Colonel of Perth-based army battalion 7 Scots.
The film and TV star, famous for his roles as Lord Commander of the Night Watch and Commanding Officer of The King’s Fusiliers in Soldier Soldier, said he was delighted to take up the position with the 7th Battalion of The Royal Regiment of Scots.
Speaking exclusively with The Courier, the Braveheart actor and MBE recipient, said he hoped he could help bring the work of the army reserve unit into the public domain.
“I was so proud when they offered me the Honorary Colonelship,” said James.
“I was absolutely delighted to accept.
“Through my career I’ve played an awful lot of soldiers and it was nice to be thought of some real soldiers.
“I think this is a great opportunity to bring to notice the great work the battalion is doing.
“During the pandemic they’ve done the most fantastic work and they continue to do so and I’m very proud of them.
“I hope to go up there and visit as soon as I can.”
Honorary Colonels foster pride
The role of an Honorary Colonel is to foster pride and mutual loyalty within the group and show a genuine interest in the unit and personnel to which they are appointed.
James will represent the battalion in both civilian and military communities whilst also taking on the role of a figurehead.
The actor was approached to take up the role after showing interest in the work of the army both in his career and other commitments.
“I started off my career playing corporals and through my career I’ve worked my way up to field marshal,” said James.
“I’ve always enjoyed playing soldiers but I’ve nothing but admiration for real soldiers.
“They do a fantastic job and we should be grateful to them – especially now.”
7 Scots
The 7th Battalion is an Army Reserve Infantry Battalion based in Perth who support the Field Army by recruiting and training soldiers from across the northern half of Scotland.
In recent years 7 Scots have supported operational deployments in Afghanistan and Iraq and currently have people deployed to Kenya, Cyprus and Iraq on operations.
In 2019 members of the battalion trained as part of the NATO Very High Readiness Joint Task Force and were part of the Covid-19 Mobile Testing Units across Scotland.
Lieutenant Colonel Duncan Mackinnon, Commanding Officer of 7 Sots, said he was delighted that James had accepted the appointment.
“We are really looking forward to having him visit, when restrictions allow, and meet his Battalion to see what we do,” he said.
“I have spoken with him on several occasions and I am really struck by his sense of duty and desire to help raise the profile of the battalion and the role reservists play in the army and society.”
