Local Regiment Exercises its Right to March Through the Town

Published on: 29 Jun, 2014
Updated on: 2 Jul, 2014

The Princess of Wales’s Regiment marches up the High Street with band playing, colours flying and bayonets fixed.

Guildford’s local army regiment exercised its freedom of the town yesterday (Saturday, June 28) by parading in the High Street with bayonets fixed, colours flying and band playing.

The PWRR band is led by the drum major and, behind him, the bandmaster.

The Princess of Wales’s Regiment (PWRR) is England’s senior line infantry regiment. A predecessor, the Queen’s Royal Regiment, raised in 1661, used to have its depot at Stoughton Barracks. It was granted the freedom of Guildford just after the end of the Second World War, and this civic right has now been inherited.

The colour party. Each regiment has two colours, a Queen’s Colour, here on the left, and a Regimental Colour. They bear the battle honours won by the regiment and are held in reverence as they represent the regiment’s spirit and all those who have fallen and served. In former time these would be the visible flags that the regiment would rally around on the battlefield. The PWRR colours have the oldest battle honour awarded in the British Army – Tangier 1662-1680.

Crowds gathered around Holy Trinity Church where the Lord-Lieutenant of Surrey, Dame Sarah Goad DCVO, JP and the Mayor of Guildford, David Elms, took the salute and inspected the 70, or so, soldiers on parade from the 3rd Battalion of the regiment.

One of the two divisions guarding the colours, led by the commanding officer of the 3rd Battalion, Lt Col John Baynham.

The parade comprising a band, a colour party, and two guard divisions, all commanded by Lt Col John Bagnham, marched up the High Street at 2pm to applause from onlookers.

The Mayor, David Elms, pauses to speak to a soldier during his inspection.

After the inspection, a service, with prayers, a hymn (I Vow To Thee My Country) and the National Anthem, was conducted by Canon Robert Cotton. The parade was addressed by the Mayor who told the soldiers how proud Guildford was to be associated with the regiment and how impressive was their bearing and smartness their prowess was respected and feared throughout the world.

Colonel Patrick Crowley, a deputy colonel of the regiment, who as a boy was a member of the Surrey Army Cadet Force at his school St Peter’s in Merrow, responded by thanking the Mayor on behalf of all the troops.

Deputy colonel of the regiment, Col. Patrick Crowley who went to school in Guildford, replies to the Mayor.

He informed those present that many of the soldiers present had volunteered to be attached to regular battalions and carry out tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan and training in Kenya.

Fortunately for all present, the heaviest rain showers on Saturday fell just before and after the parade, which was watched by many Queen’s Regiment veterans as well as civic dignitaries.

A reception for the participating troops and invited guests was held afterwards in Holy Trinity Church.

Following the parade a reception was held in Holy Trinity Church.

Since the amalgamation of the Queen’s Regiment with the Hampshires in 1992, the resulting Princess of Wales’s Regiment has been known by the nickname The Tigers.

The regiment, which recruits from Surrey, Sussex, Kent, Middlesex and Hampshire, comprises three battalions, each of around 700 soldiers. The 1st and 2nd Battalions are made up of regular, full time soldiers and the 3rd Battalion of part time reservists.

Pte Dan Danario and Cpl Ali Kay, two soldiers from the regiment who come from Brighton. Cpl Kay has served in Afghanistan and Pte Danario has volunteered to do so soon.

The regiment came to national notice in 2005 when Private Johnson Beharry (now a sergeant) of the 1st Battalion was awarded the Victoria Cross for saving the lives of his comrades under fire. Pte Beharry was a driver of a Warrior armoured vehicle which was caught in two separate enemy ambushes in Iraq.

His story is included in the book Dusty Warriors written by the late TV military historian and author Richard Holmes who was himself was the colonel of the regiment from 1999 to 2007.

Share This Post