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RHQ – Chester
The Chester office of RHQ quietly works in support of the Mercian Regiment by looking after Regimental business in the north
west part of The Regiment’s area. This is a varied task and involves dealing with people from all walks of life on a wide range of subjects.
for the welfare of our soldiers. We were helped with this by a group of ladies from the village of Guilden Sutton, just outside of Chester who were encouraged by Mrs Sue Proctor, a Deputy Lieutenant and former Lord Mayor of Chester who has always been a good supporter of both the Cheshire
Regiment and now the Mercian Regiment. By the time the Battalion returned in April, we had packed and posted 325 shoe boxes and jiffy bags.
Much of the Spring was taken up with preparation work
in support of the
Presentation of Colours parade and the 1st Battalion’s Homecoming Marches which followed soon afterwards. The Homecoming Marches involved working together with 5 local authorities and 3 police forces. Despite the poor weather in the middle of June, there was an impressive turnout in each of the 11 towns visited and the reception was full of warmth.
Then work began in earnest for the very important Laying Up of the Colours of
The 22nd (Cheshire) Regiment in Chester Cathedral. The day dawned and the 1st Battalion, together with the Cheshire Regiment Association marched from Chester Castle to Chester Cathedral to a service which commemorated the 99th Anniversary of the Battle of Mons and during which the Colours of the 1st and 3rd Battalions of The 22nd (Cheshire) Regiment. A large congregation witnessed this poignant moment in the life of the Regiment when the Colonel of The Regiment handed over both sets of Colours to the Vice-Dean for safekeeping. Following the service,
the 1st Battalion formed up and marched through the streets of Chester. The salute was taken by The Lord Lieutenant of Cheshire, David Briggs MBE and the Lord Mayor of Chester, Cllr Jill Houlbrooke. Following the parade, the Lord Mayor kindly invited the Battalion, their families and
the Cheshire Regiment Association to a reception in the Town Hall.
With the 1st Battalion
deployed on Op Herrick
for the first four months
of the year, we helped
host the UWO’s “Inform
Home” briefings and
welcomed the local
families of soldiers to
events in the Cheshire
Regiment Association
Club. Some people
wanted to meet up a little more often and share their experiences and worries with others and so a monthly coffee morning was held and anyone who wished to drop in was made most welcome. These coffee mornings soon turned into parcel packing sessions when everyone lent a hand to fill shoe boxes with some of the many gifts which members of the public had donated
The Homecoming Marches involved working together with 5 local authorities and 3 police forces.
The Colours Laid Up
THE MERCIAN EAGLE