Freedom honours for regiment (From Stroud News and Journal)

Freedom honours for regiment

A PROUD display of military pageantry provided an impressive spectacle on Saturday as the modern descendants of the Glorious Glosters were granted the Freedom of the District.

Will Saunders was there to witness the momentous occasion

Despite the rain, applauding crowds lined the streets of Stroud and Nailsworth to welcome the men of the Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment on Saturday.

The parade, not seen in Stroud for more than a decade, brought roads to a standstill as splendidly-uniformed troops marched with drums rattling, colours unfurled and bayonets fixed.

Colonel of the Regiment Gen Kevin O'Donoghue CBE received the honour from Stroud District Council chairman Sybil Bruce outside the Stroud Subscription Rooms as hundreds of onlookers thronged to see the display.

This was followed by a march through the centres of Stroud, Nailsworth and Dursley as the regiment, together with contingents from the Territorial Army, cadet force and veterans of the Regimental Association, completed a whistlestop tour of the district.

Several of those marching in the regiment came from the Five Valleys. Private David Brown, 25, from Uplands was cheered on by his family and two-year-old daughter Mia.

"I am very proud," he said. "We have had a really good reception, especially in Stroud. There were a lot of people out and that is the first time I have heard people clapping."

Other Five Valleys soldiers included Nailsworth L/Cpl Mark Greenway and former Stroud resident Major Mark Spandler, who now lives in London.

"The last time I came here to parade was for the regiment's tercentenary in 1994," said Major Spandler. "It is nice to be back. This is probably the best reception we have had."

Stroud MP David Drew was impressed with the display. He told the SNJ: "I just find with the quality of the people and the level of commitment they show, you realise why the British army is always in such high demand around the world."

In his speech Gen Kevin O'Donoghue said the Army had always derived its strength and spirit from fostering a close relationship with the community.

"Today's ceremony will strengthen and retain links forged over many generations. The regiment now extends across four counties - young men are recruited from Bristol, Berkshire, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire and I am in no doubt that these regional links are one reason why infantry battalions continue to serve with honour wherever they are called upon to defend our national security or act as a force for good anywhere in the world," he said.

Handing over the award to Gen O'Donoghue, Chairman of SDC Sybil Bruce said: "The reasons for our granting the Freedom of the District to the RGBW as it is known as the same as they were for the Glosters 19 years ago.

We seek to strengthen the close association which has always existed between the District and their local Regiment. It is also an endeavour by the council to show the respect and honour it feels towards its local

Regiment and also to perpetuate the close friendship and mutual respect which exists between us."

In a display of military chivalry, one soldier went to the rescue of an elderly Stroud resident who became ill during the parade.