Soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, The Royal Anglian Regiment (known as The Poachers) paraded through Stevenage Town Centre on 24th July, cheered on by hundreds of shoppers and local people.
The soldiers recently returned from Afghanistan, where they handed over two of their main bases to Afghan forces. During their time in Afghanistan, the soldiers received knitted hats from our WelHats campaign www.welhats.com. The campaign involved residents in Welwyn Garden City and Hatfield knitting over 3000 hats, some of which were sent to the 2 Royal Anglian, alongside a signed letter from Grant Shapps MP thanking them for their service. It was therefore a great opportunity to see the soldiers in person, having received letters from them during their tour.
The march was in recognition of the mutual friendship and confidence between the Battalion and citizens of the County, as the soldiers were granted ‘Freedom of the Borough’ by Stevenage Borough Council in May 2012. This gave them the right to parade through the town. The Battalion has very close links to Hertfordshire due to much of the recruitment for the Battalion coming from Hertfordshire.
The parade began at the Ibis hotel in Stevenage town centre at 12.15. The soldiers then marched down to the Forum, along Queensway, to finish in the Town Square at 12.30, where they stood to attention as they were inspected. Prayers were read out to commemorate the 21 soldiers from the Battalion who have died over the past 10 years. There was also a Regimental band to provide music.
The residents were thrilled to see the Royal Anglians, cheering and clapping as the soldiers marched past. Some onlookers held flags and even made posters to support the troops, including one mum of a Poacher Corporal. They were joined by Rt Hon Mike Penning MP, the Mayor, the Vice Lord Lieutenant of Hertfordshire, local dignitaries, as well as members of the Royal British Legion.
A ceremonial parade will also be held on 25 June to award soldiers their medals from their recent service in Helmand, Afghanistan.
For more information on this year's wooly hats campaign go to www.welhats.com