Page 143 - Chronicle Vol 17

Somerset ACF and the Light Infantry and RIFLES Association, as well as the Wellington School Combined Cadet Force which included their own band. The Colonel Commandant of The Rifles, Lt General TR Copinger-Symes CBE along with the Mayor of Wellington Councillor Marcus Barr and the Lord Lieutenant of Somerset, Mr Mohammed Saddiq took the salute.
The award of the Freedom of Wellington has been a great privilege and reflects the strong links that exist today between this town and our Regiment (three offic- ers on parade were former pupils of Wellington School, and a member of the Salamanca Band lives in the town.) It also reflects a connection that runs back through centuries, forged in the time of the Duke of Wellington, who took his name from this town.
The honour of granting “Freedom” to military regiments dates back centuries to the medieval age. In this time, the town’s or city’s municipality would grant the freedom to a military unit that has earned their trust. This would allow them to freely parade through the streets, itself a symbol of the bond between the regi- ment and the citizens of the town. The significance of this honour is now entirely ceremonial, though regiments granted the freedom of a town are still permitted and cordially invited to march through the town on ceremonial occasions. In Wellington, The Rifles had the honour and distinction of marching through the town with “bugles sounding, bands playing, and swords fixed”. The Regiment was presented with a hand-finished “Freedom Certificate” created by a local artist to commemorate the occasion and The Rifles presented Wellington Town Council with a Silver Bugle which reflects the very essence of our regiment.
The freedom of a town is traditionally granted to a regiment that holds ties with an area, either through its historical battles or in the location in which it gains most of its recruits. In the case of Wellington and The Rifles Regiment, there are ties in both respects. The historical connection dates to the Peninsular War and Waterloo, where Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington led antecedent regi- ments of The Rifles into battle against Napoleon’s forces.
The Somerset Light Infantry, one of the forming regiments of The Rifles, recruited from the Wellington area for many years, especially during the First and Second
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