Page 86 - MERCIAN Eagle 2020

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Staffordshire Regimental
Association
Pte Watchman
Greg & Mandy Hedges
2020 started well with the usual round of public appearances with meets and greets. We also sadly said goodbye to veterans attending their funerals; little did we know that this would become the main stay of our public appearances once lockdown hit the country on the 16th of March.
Luckily on the 5th March we were
able to attend Grenadier Company 1st Battalion with an invitation from Captain Arnold. We attended the company along with representatives from the Staffordshire Regimental Museum on their final day of training at Swynnerton Camp in order to enhance the soldiers understanding of the county and their connections with it.
We gave a short talk on the actions of The Grenadier Company 38th Regiment of foot (Stafford’s) at Bunker Hill June 17 1775 where at bayonet point they broke into the rebel’s fortification putting the rebels to rout. The wider family link was made with the loss at that battle of The Commanding Officer of the 22nd Regiment of foot (Cheshires) on
an advanced party and that, five years later during what became the siege of Boston both the 22nd and 45th (Worcester’s) took part with early in the campaign the 64th of foot (Staffords) having been posted there
so linking our antecedents on the same ground.
We then, to mark the occasion, presented the company with a framed engraved replica 1775 Bayonet which was received by the junior
Grenadier on parade,
which we hope is now
hanging in their company
offices!
We took the opportunity to invite The Lord Lieutenant and his wife Jane to come along to see the company
and for Jane to carry
out her historical role of promoting a Watchman in front of serving soldiers.
To this end Private
Watchman VI was
promoted to Lance
Corporal. We also took
the opportunity to retire from marching duties Colour Sergeant Watchman V and introduce him officially in his retirement livery of scarlet and a sterling round of applause from the company sealed the deal.
We quickly cancelled or had cancelled the forthcoming events of the year, knowing that this would be an ongoing long-term state of affairs and started our daily posts on Watchman’s Facebook page.
Proudly we have managed a daily post and at the time of writing this we are on day 252 and still going strong. The posts are light hearted but aimed at promoting both The Mercian Regiment and The Staffordshire Regimental Association (SRA) alike.
Watchman’s Facebook opens its arms to all EX and serving service men and women and their families helping them along the way with what has become a trying time with COVID-19.
The SRA Regimental day in September was a muted affair but
nonetheless we felt we had to mark it in line with the restrictions which we did successfully at Whittington Barracks.
In November, we launched our own
Watchman’s Facebook opens its arms to all EX and serving service men and women and their families helping them along the way with what has become a trying time with COVID-19
Facebook trail of remembrance to help people remember online in the safety of their own homes the fallen, the trail took
us to surrounding local small villages and hamlets with Watchman V & VI in uniform parading at gravesides and memorials. This was very well received and we are planning to do the same in 2021. This ended with
a final parade at Whittington Barracks
on the 11th again observing the current restrictions. As we walk into December we can only hope that 2021 will be a brighter and less fraught year than 2020 has been.
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