Rayleigh and Wickford MP, Mark Francois, who served as a TA infantry officer during the Cold War, supported the 60th Anniversary of the foundation of the Royal Anglian Regiment, at a special ceremony last weekend.
The Royal Anglian Regiment was created in 1964 by amalgamating a number of the historic County regiments across East Anglia, including the Essex Regiment, into one larger unit, which now recruits soldiers from Essex to Lincolnshire.
The Diamond Anniversary of the Regiment was marked by a service at the Royal Anglian Regimental Memorial, at Duxford, Cambridgeshire, which lists the names of those soldiers killed on active service in post/WWII conflicts, including Aden, Afghanistan and Iraq.
Speaking about his attendance at the special commemorative event, Mark said:
“It was a pleasure to represent my constituents at the 60th anniversary of our local Regiment, the Royal Anglians, whose 5th Battalion (Volunteers) I was privileged to serve in, as a platoon commander, during the Cold War. As part of the event, I even met my old Company Commander, Major Card, who I had not seen for over thirty years. The Royal Anglian Regiment has a proud record of service to the nation and I was glad to help celebrate that recently, at Duxford.”
