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...Britain's growing "foreign legion" - equal to almost a dozen Army regiments - has led to renewed warnings that the Forces are struggling to retain and recruit British citizens to their ranks. The figures emerged as the House of Commons defence committee launched an inquiry into recruitment and retention in the Armed Forces and they follow growing criticism of the Government's alleged under-resourcing of the military.

Official defence data show that there are 7,240 Commonwealth personnel in the Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force.

Some 2,030 are from the small nation of Fiji. There are 880 South Africans, 790 Ghanaians and 600 Zimbabweans. The MoD figures exclude the 3,700 Nepalese Ghurkhas serving in the Army...

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Irish recruitment into British Army doubles
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/breaking-news/ireland/article3795415.ece
Thursday, June 12, 2008

Latest figures just released in the North show that the number of people from the Republic applying to join the British Army doubled over the past year.

Figures released by the British Army Recruitment in Northern Ireland reveal that 10.5% of all enlistments there came from south of the border...

...Quoting Lieutenant Paddy Bury from Wicklow now serving in Afghanistan with The Royal Irish Regiment, he said, Irish men join for a challenge, adventure, travel and camaraderie.

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British army recruiting Caribbean young men and women
http://www.anguillalife.com/news/stories/regional/2942.php
Date Posted: July 08, 2008.

British Army reps are on their way to Jamaica after wrapping up the latest leg of their recruitment drive in the Caribbean on the Island of St. Lucia.

Their six-week recruitment drive in St. Lucia saw some 600 applicants initially undergo academic and medical tests, leading to the selection of 186 men and women, between 17-24 years old. It followed a campaign that started in March which first led to similar recruitments in Belize, Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines...

...Candidates are expected to arrive in the UK for full training by November.