Australia Recruits British Squaddies While Army Remains Short-staffed

British squaddies are being offered a new life as Australian "diggers" under a recruitment drive aimed at tackling a shortage of young soldiers in the Antipodes. The Australian army wants to lure up to 300 British recruits each year to inject youthful vigour into its ranks, which have an average age of 30.

Squaddies will be expected to swap their berets for traditional Australian "slouch hats": floppy headgear made from khaki felt with the sides turned up. But they will still serve the same ultimate boss - the Queen.

Successful applicants will be required to apply for Australian citizenship, allowing them to permanently leave Britain's garrison towns for destinations such as Sydney, Melbourne or Queensland's Gold Coast.

The Australians sent a team of officers to London this month to vet potential recruits. The package on offer for applicants includes free flights for the family, accommodation in Australia and relocation expenses for those prepared to sign up for at least four years.

Colonel Mike Milford, the Australian army's director of personnel, told Australian media that he had already received scores of written inquiries from British personnel keen to emigrate.

He said he was particularly interested in servicemen with experience in special forces, aviation or technical trades. "We have trades we consider we are short in," Col Milford said. "It's the basic soldier experience we are looking for."

A spokesman for the Australian defence department in Canberra said the British army had been informed of the initiative and had no objection.

However, the initiative is likely to prompt raised eyebrows, given Britain's difficulty in persuading its own youngsters to commit to a life of fighting for their country.

The British armed forces are 3,120 short of their required manpower of 191,090. The shortfall is largely among trained, full-time soldiers where the army is 2,280 below its target of 100,770 staff.

British army chiefs have invested heavily in glossy advertising to convince potential recruits that there is more to military life than cold showers, long marches and bad food.

A MoD spokesman said any soldiers joining the Australian army had completed their required service in Britain.

"Both the British and Australian army have a long history of recruiting soldiers who have previously served in the other's armed forces," he said.

But the present campaign is likely to be on a scale not seen before.

Australian squaddies earn more, in standard of living terms, than their British counterparts.