Page 144 - Chronicle Vol 17

World Wars. On Wellington War Memorial, the names of 49 infantrymen from this regiment alone are listed, with many more casualties from other regiments that later formed to become The Rifles.
The parade was made up of all 5 pillars of the regiment - The Regulars were rep- resented by Fire Support Company and Buglers from 5 RIFLES, based in Bulford, Wiltshire and the Reservists were represented by HQ Company 6 RIFLES, based in Wyvern Bks, Exeter. They marched together as a single guard, commanded by Major Chris Groves, since this is how they operate overseas – shoulder to shoul- der, Regular & Reserve.
The Cadets are a vital part of the regimental family, and it was tremendous to see so many of them on parade, drawn from across Somerset. The excellent Somerset ACF Band and Bugles joined us on parade also led the Armed Forces Day National Event in Falmouth on the 24th June 2023, and later in the summer had over 400 Cadets from Somerset on their annual camp on Dartmoor, developing the life skills and resilience that hold such value today.
The Veterans component was represented by the Light Infantry & RIFLES Association led by Lt Col (Retd) Mike Motum and whose oldest marching mem- ber was Jim Durrant (91) who previously served in the 1st Bn Somerset Light Infantry. It was a great honour that he agreed to cut The Rifles Freedom ceremo- nial cake.
The Rifles were honoured and delighted to have received the Freedom of Wellington, which means a huge amount to the Regiment because it helps cement our already strong relationship with the area and community. Our history with the area goes back many years through our forming and antecedent forebearers and it is critical that we continue to nurture one another’s support.
The Rifles enjoyed celebrating the close bond between the 5 Pillars of our regi- ment (Regulars, Reserves, Cadets, Veterans and Communities) as they paraded through Wellington. A Freedom Parade of a Town or City is the perfect way to see those pillars at their best, as we reminded ourselves of the importance of each pil- lar to one another. We all felt very proud to be part of this parade and see the true spirit of our great regiment represented in one place, at one time.
Building relationships with our Freedom towns and cities is a vital part of The Rifles’ ethos, not least because many of our soldiers derive from the local com- munity and continue to work and live in the area once they leave the Army. Being able to march through a town is a rare privilege and our Riflemen will be feeling incredibly proud representing their cap badge and the Regiment as they do so in Wellington. This parade will have given the citizens of Wellington a good insight into their local regiment and reminded our soldiers of those we serve.
On completion of the parade the marching troops received some well earned free beer that had been donated by a local brewery, and had a choice of pies, pasties
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