Soldiers salute Irish heritage in St Patrick's Day parade
Soldiers based in Shropshire have celebrated their regiment's Irish heritage with a traditional St Patrick's Day parade.
Soldiers based in Shropshire have celebrated their regiment's Irish heritage with a traditional St Patrick's Day parade.
Hundreds of people turned out to greet the 1st Battalion the Royal Irish Regiment at Clive Barracks in Tern Hill, near Market Drayton, on Saturday.
In keeping with tradition, the commanding officer's wife Diane Weir presented shamrock to soldiers and officers, which were flown in to Birmingham Airport.
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The county's Lord Lieutenant, Algernon Heber-Percy, took the salute as he joined family and friends of the battalion to mark the occasion at the base.
The parade began 11am and featured four guard units, each consisting of about 50 soldiers and three officers.
The event also featured a St Patrick's Day service led by Padre Andy Earl, while a number of awards were handed out to members of the regiment to recognise their efforts on their last tour of Afghanistan.
Captain Ben Davis, 26, was given a Joint Commander Commendation for helping to uncover a number of weapons after receiving information from some local children.
He said: "The event provides an opportunity to keep Irish tradition going and bring everyone together. It brings a little bit of home to the Irish guys in the regiment."
Corporal Christopher Lorimer, 25, said: "A lot of friends and families have flown over from Ireland to be here today."
Addressing the regiment, Mr Heber-Percy said: "I feel very privileged to be asked to be your inspecting officer."
He added how proud people in Shropshire were to have the regiment in the county.
