Rayleigh and Wickford MP, Mark Francois, was on hand along with other Ministers, Peers and Members of Parliament to welcome home soldiers of Twelve Mechanised Brigade when they paid a visit to the Houses of Parliament, following their recent homecoming from Afghanistan.
One of the units which served with distinction in Twelve Mechanised Brigade was the First Battalion the Royal Anglian Regiment which recruits many of its soldiers from the County of Essex and which is the local infantry regiment for the Eastern Counties of England. Soldiers from One Royal Anglian, including their Commanding Officer, Mick Alston MC, were among the representative detachment of some 200 soldiers drawn from the Brigade who were given a tour of Parliament and entertained by MPs and others as a thank you for their service overseas.
Speaking about the event, Rayleigh and Wickford MP, Mark Francois, said:
“It has become something of a tradition that when a Brigade returns from Afghanistan, Parliamentarians give up part of their time to formally welcome them back to the UK with a ceremony in the Houses of Parliament. I attended this event both in my capacity as the Minister of State for Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans at the MOD but also as an Essex Member of Parliament – not least because our local regiment the Royal Anglians were present. The Royal Anglians undertook a difficult tour with distinction and it is important to pay proper tribute to this. I have always believed that we should never take living in a free country for granted and therefore being prepared to praise those people who put their lives on the line to keep us safe at home is important. Also important was the fact that the soldiers appeared to enjoy themselves a great deal and I hope that they dispersed back to their units with fond memories of their visit to the Palace of Westminster.”