In pictures: Nottinghamshire’s largest Armed Forces Day celebrations were held here in Newark
Nottinghamshire’s largest Armed Forces Day celebration took place in Newark on Sunday.
Hundreds watched the town’s mini-version of Trooping the Colour, which itself took place at the weekend.
Armed Forces Day, unlike Remembrance Day that honours those who went before, celebrates the roles of today’s servicemen and women and gives thanks for the work that they do here in the Uk and abroad.
Things began with a march from the London Road Carpark to the Market Place led by the Band of RAF College Cranwell.
The faultless musicians were followed by marching personnel from Cranwell, standard bearers, veterans, Newark Sea Cadets, 1260 (Newark) Squadron Air Cadets, Newark Army Cadets, and, for the first time, members of the Magnus Academy Comibed Cadet Force.
Once inside the Market Place, the parade looped around to the town where it formed up in ranks ready for inspection.
Once the rows of impeccibly turned out starched uniforms were ordered into a perfect symmetry, the ranks were inspected by the King’s representative in Nottinghamshire, Sir John Peace, senior officer on parade, Group Captain Tina Jessup, station commander Cranwell, visiting dignitaries from twin towns in Poland and Germany, and Newark’s new mayor, Pamela Ball.
Each paused for conversation as they inspected those on parade.
The ensign was then hoisted and Sir John and the mayor addressed the several hundred people gathered.
In his speech, Sir John proclaimed the Newark event to be the largest Armed Forces Day showing in the whole of Nottinghamshire.
The mayor talked about Newark’s proud association with the armed forces and reminded people that they were standing on the very spot that men from the town enlisted in the Sherwood Foresters had paraded on their way to join the first world war.
She also recounted the three ships that had borne the name in service of HMS Newark.
After, the speeches, the parade reformed and marched passed a rostrum where the salute was taken by Sir John, Wing Commander Wilson and the mayor.
There was spontaneous applause as the ranks filed passed, leaving the Market Place the way they had entered.
The parade then disbanded on its return to London Road.
Sir John and the others then warmly greeted the many veterans who had attended, a large number of them elderly, who had been provided seating protected from the sun with a grand view of the proceedings.
Throughout the day, veterans mingled with people who had come along to share in the day.
These included members of the Royal British Legion Bikers’ Group in Nottinghamshire and the Newark Branch of the Parachute Regimental Association.
There was even a Fox Armoured Fighting Vehicle that had seen service with The Life Guards for children to clamber over and have their pictures taken.
Daz Wilson, a member of the RBL Bikers said that many of their members were present to honour latterday pals who had lost their lives either in foreign lands or subsequent to the horrors of what had witnessed and those still suffering with those effects today.