Raising The Flag For Armed Forces Day

Published on: 16 Jun, 2016
Updated on: 19 Jun, 2016

Almost a year after Guildford hosted Armed Forces Day, the town will be raising the flag to honour this year’s event.

The Armed Forces Day flag will be raised at Guildford Castle on Monday, June 20 to mark the beginning of the week leading up to Armed Forces Day, Saturday, June 25.

Deputy Lord Lieutenant Brigadier Paul Evans, will join the Mayor of Guildford, Cllr Gordon Jackson, Guildford Borough Council leader, Paul Spooner, Lt Col James Sunderland, 27 Royal Logistics Corps and representatives of our local military and civilian community at the special flag-raising ceremony at the Castle Grounds (Castle Street entrance) on Monday at 10am.

The mayor said: “Guildford has a proud tradition of supporting the military, and Armed Forces Day is a great opportunity for us to show our appreciation for the contribution made by our service men and women – past, present and future. Flying the flag for Armed Forces Day helps raise awareness of the vital role of our Armed Forces”.

Two 81mm mortars from the 3rd Battalion, The Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment will be on show at the flag raising ceremony. Corporal Wheeler of the Army Medical Services Band will play a fanfare as the flag is raised at approximately 10.30am. The flag will remain in place until after Armed Forces Day, Saturday June 25.

To commemorate the National Event hosted by Guildford in 2015, a special selection of photos will be on display in the Castle Keep until Sunday June 26, featuring images from the Cathedral, the High Street parade and the spectacular show in Stoke Park.

As part of the Heroes Welcome scheme, admission to the Castle Keep is free to Armed Forces personnel and their families throughout Armed Forces week.

To mark Armed Forces Day itself, the Historic and Vintage Military Vehicle Rally and Show will take place at Loseley Park on Sunday June 26 where a range of military vehicles will be on display alongside World War re-enactors. The event is led by Guildford Borough Council, ABF The Soldiers’ Charity and Loseley Park.