Page 80 - Mercian Eagle 2013

Lichfield Half Marathon By Lt James McNeil
On Sunday 5th May, 25 members of C Company, 3rd Battalion, Mercian Regiment ran the Lichfield Half-Marathon in boots to raise money for the Mercian Regimental Charity. The event was a success culminating in raising £1,500.
Lichfield is the spiritual home of 3 Mercian (Staffords) and this was evident in the high levels of support that we received from the towns and villages surrounding the Cathedral city. The run gave soldiers the chance to meet members of the public, represent their Battalion, and test themselves in an arduous challenge.
Training for the run has been an ongoing daily event across
the Bergan-Hohne range areas surrounding Bad Fallingbostel in Germany. Training NCO, Sgt Buckler, prepared the racers with consistent high-intensity, mid-distance runs. This was crucial in our ability to perform well on the day.
The Mercians split into three teams, the fastest of which ran
the 13 miles in 1 hour 45 minutes. The run itself was made more challenging by the unlikely addition of hot weather across the Midlands, but the lads soldiered through, spurred on by the support of the crowd and fellow racers. The race finished in view of Lichfield Cathedral.
C COY Lichfield half marathon team
The final rendezvous was in the centre of Lichfield centre in
the King’s Head pub, the pub in which the Staffords were formed 300 years ago. The Mercians would like to thank KP Events for organising a fantastic event and assisting us to raise this exceptional amount of money for a charity very close to all of our hearts.
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Trip to the 55th International Military Pilgrimage at Lourdes, 22-28 May 13 By Lt Christopher Bermingham
May 2013 saw 3 MERCIAN send a party of 18 pilgrims to Lourdes, France. It was time for the annual International Military Pilgrimage (IMP) to Lourdes, this being the 55th. The first Military Pilgrimage
was set up just after the Second World War to help build the bridges of reconciliation between France and Germany. The stage for this meeting was Lourdes, a holy pilgrimage site for many Roman Catholics, where Our Lady, Jesus’ Mother Mary, is thought to have shown herself to St Bernadette at the grotto of Lourdes. It is also a place which is linked with miracles of spectacular healing. The location was picked to highlight the similarities which both nations shared
in religion, morals and brotherhood. It was also a place where both nations could reflect and pray for those that they had lost in the war. As the years went by the success of the IMP grew with more and more nations being invited to it. Now at the 55th IMP there are over 30 nations and over 17,000 people who attend it from all three services.
The journey from Fallingbostel, Germany to Lourdes was long but by no means a boring journey. After reaching Hannover by bus we boarded the special pilgrimage train service, where we met the
other pilgrims from British Forces Germany (BFG). The first rest stop from the train was at Worms, at the border of Germany and France. Here is where the pilgrimage officially started with a church service in Worms Cathedral incorporating every nation who would go onto Lourdes on the special pilgrimage train service; military pilgrims from BFG, Germany, Norway and Slovakia. After gathering supplies it was time to get back on the train, to relax and socialise with your new pilgrim friends at the on board bar and disco. Each nation would bring forward their best singers and put on their most famous pop music but it was the BFG who would steal the show. On board
was the Gurkha Rifles Band, with their drums, bagpipes, brass instruments and overall showmanship. Afterwards all the nations broke up into small groups and spread themselves among their new friends, whether it was playing cards, dancing or finding out what each of the badges on each others uniforms meant. Fortunately
the common tongue onboard the train was English so the language barrier was not a limiting factor. As the night drew to a close everyone went back to their cabins and by midday the next day the
Service at the Grotto of our lady
THE MERCIAN EAGLE