A Scots Guardsman says he is planning to quit the army after his picture was used below the words “snow flake” in a controversial ad campaign.

Stephen McWhirter, 28, slammed the army advertisement posters and told colleagues he was not told his photo would be used in this way.

According to friends, the guardsman, based at Wellington Barracks in Westminster, has been inundated with mocking messages and left open to ridicule, the Daily Mail reported.

The soldier expressed his fury on Facebook while speaking to other troops about the £1.5 million ($A2.68 million) campaign.

One soldier wrote: “Imagine the army taking a photo of you and writing “snow flake” in massive letters above your head. I’d be signed straight off.”

Guardsman McWhirter responded: “Don’t f***ing worry mate, I am.” He added that he would formally submit his resignation as soon as he could.

Another soldier suggested he should complain due to “corporate bullying and harassment”.

The Guardsman joined the army in 2016. Under the terms of his employment he will be able to hand in his resignation in five months.

The army has been forced to defend its controversial posters, which target a millennial audience and seek to persuade “snow flakes, phone zombies, binge gamers and selfie addicts” to use their positive traits to join the forces.

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson defended the recruitment drive, saying “people are fundamental to the army”.

“The Your Army Needs You campaign is a powerful call to action that appeals to those seeking to make a difference as part of an innovative and inclusive team,” he said.

“It shows that time spent in the army equips people with skills for life and provides comradeship, adventure and opportunity like no other job does.”

At the same time, British MP James Cleverly said people had missed the point of the ad campaign, tweeting that the army is about turning people who are “not up to the mark” into “world-class soldiers”.



People criticising the @BritishArmy’s new #snowflake recruitment campaign are missing the point.



The army has always recruited from the society it serves and often from those who some describe as “not up to the mark”.



It then turns those recruits into world class soldiers pic.twitter.com/RgeFSHGvHN — James Cleverly (@JamesCleverly) January 4, 2019