Royal Engineers lead Freedom of the Town parade through Newbury for first time in a decade

The Corps of the Royal Engineers exercised their Freedom of the Town with a parade through Newbury town centre on Armed Forces Day (Saturday, June 28) for the first time in more than 10 years.

The Freedom, granted to the regiment in 1997, is a medieval practice whereby civic authorities allowed troops to enter a settlement ‘in column form’ once they established the military commander posed no threat.

The regiment has exercised the Freedom on four occasions in 2002, 2009, 2014 and now.

The parade also celebrated the 200th anniversaries of the 13 Geographic Squadron (formed in 1824), 14 Geographic Squadron (1825) and 16 Geographic Support Squadron (1825), all sub-units within with 42 Engineer Regiment (Geographic), based at Denison Barracks in Hermitage until 2014.

The Royal Engineers, represented by the Royal School of Military Survey, 42 Engineer Regiment (Geographic), the Military Survey (Geographic) Branch of the Royal Engineers Association and the Nottinghamshire Band of the Royal Engineers left the Newbury Royal British Legion at 10.30am.

They marched through the town centre along Northbrook Street to the beat of drums before assembling in the Market Place, where they were greeted by crowds who had turned out in the searing heat to observe the proceedings.

Mayor of Newbury David Harman, Lord-Lieutenant of Berkshire Andrew Try and Colonel Alex Harris, Commander Royal Engineers (Geographic), inspected the troops, while the Nottinghamshire Band of the Royal Engineers entertained onlookers with renditions of modern classics such as Britney Spears’ Toxic, Bon Jovi’s Livin’ on a Prayer, Rick Astley’s Never Gonna Give You Up and tunes from Six The Musical.

Salutes, prayers and speeches followed.

Addressing the crowd, Mr Harman said: “These distinguished squadrons have served the UK with exceptional expertise and unwavering dedication for two centuries.

“Their work has often been behind the scenes, precise, technical and crucial, and their impact has been far-reaching and enduring.”

Mr Try: “Let us us also take this opportunity to extend our heartfelt gratitude to all those who serve or have served across His Majesty’s Armed Forces in the Royal Navy, the British Army, the Royal Air Force and the Reserves. Your courage and commitment do not go unnoticed.”

Mr Harris said: “Since 1949, every soldier and officer within the Survey and Geographic Trade served at their technical careers here.

“The forebears of the soldiers you see today have a rich history of accomplishments.

“The origins of Ordnance Survey rest with the Royal Engineers, and many of the global international boundaries have fingerprints of sacrifice over them.

“We once again find ourselves in an uncertain world, with the threat of a large-scale conflict looming, both on European soil and more broadly across the globe.

“God willing, diplomacy will reign strong, preventing such conflict, and bring a swift resolution to those nations suffering conflict today.

“However, should the worst happen, be in no doubt, the soldiers and officers you see in front of you will be put in harm's way, and they will respond with courage, resolve and commitment.”

Three cheers were given as a final general salute before the troops vacated the Market Place.

Collections were made by the Newbury Sea Cadets on behalf of the Armed Forces charity SSAFA before and after the event.

Royal Navy veteran Jim Holland said after the event: “[Armed Forces Day] is a real opportunity to celebrate our frontline forces, the young men and women that are giving our liberty to protect our freedom as a nation.

“Post service veterans are a forgotten community and they are also marginalised unlike in the USA, where they are celebrated.”

Mr Holland co-founded the charity Carma in 2022, providing positive pathways to employment for veterans and service leavers through nature-based tasks, which has involved planting trees as far as Scotland and Wales.

There have been Military Survey/Royal Engineers (Geographic) units based at the barracks in Hermitage since the School of Military Survey relocated from Longleat Park in 1948.

The 42 Survey Engineer Regiment relocated with the school in 1985 before moving to RAF Wyton in Cambridgeshire in 2014.