An Irvine squaddie has reportedly vowed to ‘leave the army’ after being ridiculed when his face appeared on a poster campaign under the word ‘Snowflakes’.

Scots Guard Stephen McWhirter was one of 25 soldiers chosen to appear in the ad campaign but according to reports he didn’t know his picture would be used on the Snowflakes poster.

However Army chiefs have hit back saying all those who took part in the campaign were consulted in advance and specifically, “Guardsman McWhirter knew in advance that the word ‘snowflake’ would be used with his image and knew the design of the poster.“

The 28-year-old, who is based at Wellington Barracks in Westminster, appears on a poster reminiscent of Lord Kitchener’s “your country needs you” campaign, alongside the words: “Snowflakes your army needs you and your compassion”.

Snowflakes is a derogatory term used for people who are overly sensitive and get easily offended.

But after the posters went public another soldier wrote on Gdsm McWhirter’s Facebook page “Imagine the Army taking a photo of you and writing ‘snowflakes’ in massive bold letters above your head. I’d be signed straight off.”

To which the Guardsman allegedly replied: “Don’t f*****g worry mate, I am.”

But Colonel Ben Wilde, assistant director of Army recruiting, said all soldiers involved in th e campaign were fully aware of what their posters would say.

He said: “The soldiers who took part in this campaign were all volunteers who understand that the Army needs to reach out to all parts of society to find the best people for its ranks.

“The volunteers gave their permission to appear on TV and in the posters and were fully informed about the striking language and how it would resonate with young people with a wide variety of valuable skills.”