Surinder Bhullar, 47, from Slough, Berkshire, said: “He deserves respect and he will stay strong. That includes wearing his turban instead of a bearskin, no matter what other soldiers say. He is observing his religion”.
The argument presented by Bhullar's colleagues was backed by senior members of the Scots Guards' regimental association. Unlike serving personnel, these retired officers are allowed to speak publicly.
David Cuthill, chairman of the Dundee branch, said today: “It should be regiment first and religion second. A guardsman is not a guardsman if he's not wearing his bearskin.
“Hundreds of years of tradition should be protected. I appreciate his predicament, but if all the other guardsmen are in bearskins and he is in a turban, it is going to look ridiculous”.
