ON a cold and blustery day, the Green Howards' flag flew out high above the town that the regiment has called home since 1873.

"We don't usually fly the flag in winter," said Paul Cooper, a former Green Howard and now an assistant at the regimental museum in Richmond, North Yorkshire. "But we've just been saved."

At the museum there was a sense that yesterday's announcement was the lesser of two evils for the Green Howards.

When news of the cuts was first announced in July, there was a fear that the Green Howards would be disbanded or amalgamated into a huge northern regiment.

In recent weeks, speculation mounted that the most likely outcome was the creation of a three-battalion Yorkshire Regiment, made up of the Prince of Wales's Own from York, the Green Howards and the Duke of Wellington's, which has its headquarters in Halifax.

The Green Howards, which was raised in 1688, is one of only two English regiments never to have been merged with another unit. But it has been known as the Yorkshire Regiment before.

In 1881, the Green Howards became The Princess of Wales's Own Yorkshire Regiment. Following the South African War, the word Alexandra was added.

Then in 1920, regiment became The Green Howards (Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own Yorkshire Regiment).

Major Roger Chapman, curator of the Green Howards Museum, said: "It is the first time in 316 years that the regiment has been merged so that is fairly dramatic in our regimental history.

"We were called the Yorkshire regiment in the Great War so I think we can live with that. We will make it work.

"It is very important that it is called the Yorkshire regiment because we want to retain our link with the county. It is also important that we can retain our identity within the regiment."

In addition to 520 serving soldiers, the Green Howards has Territorial Army companies in Middlesbrough and Scarborough, 20 cadet detachments and 28 branches of the Green Howards Association.

The regiment fought its first campaign at the Battle of the Boyne in the 1690s. Since then it has taken part in many conflicts, including the American War of Independence, in 1774, and during the 19th Century, the Crimean and Boer Wars.

During the First World War 24 battalions of the regiment. More than 7,500 soldiers were killed and nearly 24,000 were wounded.

For the Second World War, 12 battalions were raised with two battalions among the first to take part in the D-Day landings in June 1944.

One Green Howards veteran, who served with the Territorial Army and who did not want to be named, said: "They have been trying to do these cutbacks for years.

"After every war they seem to say we have got too many soldiers.

"After the First World War there must have been a lot of regiments dispersed because when the Second World War started, they did not have enough."

Richmond Mayor Russell Lord said he did not think yesterday's announcement would affect the Green Howards' ability to recruit soldiers from the Richmond and Teesside areas.

"They will still have the local link with Richmond and places like Middlesbrough and Scarborough," he said.

"We do have a close association with the regiment and it is a very proud association.

"The traditions will continue. The regiment may lose some of its identity, but it can never lose its history."