1,000 at Mercian Regiment Memorial
The first Sunday in July always sees the Mercian Regiment's memorial ceremony at the Crich memorial tower in Derbyshire, originally the Sherwood Foresters' memorial but nowadays encompassing the Mercian Regiment and all its antecedent regiments across the five counties. About 1,000 people were present on the very hot afternoon of 1 July, including 24 local Mayors from Mercian towns and cities, a number of serving soldiers and reservists, and of course many returning 'old soldiers' from the Worcestershire & Sherwood Foresters, Cheshires and North and South Staffordshires, all tirelessly organised and supervised by the Regimental HQ team under retired Lt Colonels Paul Woolnough and Bill Temminck.
The Bowyers' Master is invited as one of the VIP guests, and Tony Kench was delighted to be able to attend this most moving ceremony, at the top of the Crich hill, and to join in the placing of memorial wreaths. The 'Last Post' is sounded, everone sings 'O God Our Help in Ages Past', and the ceremony ends with a resounding, forward-looking 'Reveille'. During the relaxed socialising afterwards, there was the opportunity to meet (as photographed) the new Commanding Officer of 4 Mercian, Lt Col Fraser Cuttle, and the new Commanding Officer of 2 Mercian, Lt Col Mark Davis. And indeed to meet the Regiment's latest Derbyshire Ram official Mascot, Private Derby XXXII.
Archived event reports
- A full list of archived event reports is available in the Members' area