Troops receive warm welcome in Southend

Hundreds of people lined the High Street today to watch the Royal Anglian Regiment on its homecoming parade.

The parade began at Victorian Square, outside the Odeon cinema, and moved down the High Street, ending at Royal Terrace.

During the parade, the troops were inspected by the Mayor, Cllr Ann Holland, as well as Brigadier David Clements, Deputy Colonel of the Royal Anglian Regiment, the Lord Lieutenant of Essex Lord Petre, and the High Sheriff of Essex Michael Hindmarch.

Cllr Holland made a speech to the troops during the parade, in which she said: “This is truly a great day.

“We are both honoured and proud of our association with you, our County Infantry Battalion, and we are proud of the way in which you deal with the difficult and gangerous job that you do on our behalf; we applaud your efforts and we are delighted to welcome you back from your most recent arduous tour in Afghanistan.

“In the midst of this parade we must particularly remember the five comrades who died on duty on your last tour together with the families they have left behind.”

The Mayor’s speech was followed by a speech from Brigadier Clements, who said: “ The past year has been a very significant one for the Regiment and for the 1st Battalion on parade today.

“Last Autumn the soldiers you see before you returned to Afghanistan for their thrid six-month tour. Having been well-trained at short notice, they have… contributed hugely to progress in that troubled land.

“Their involvement in this complex and dangerous campaign has been extremely varied.

“They have taken part in hard fighting against well-motivated insurgents, trained and mentored the increasingly abel Afghan National Army and Police, and supported local governance and development programmes.

“They proved themselves to be consummate professionals; determined and tough when required, but compassionate, humane and sensitive to the plight of the Afghan civilians they were there to help.

“This has been the British Infantry at its best; quite simply the finest force of its kind in the world.”