Our heroes on parade
Tuesday 14th October 2008, 2:00PM BST.
Schoolchildren waving flags on Cheshire Street. Pictures: Ian Sheppard
More than 1,000 people lined the streets of Market Drayton today as hundreds of soldiers marched to mark their return from Afghanistan.
About 300 soldiers from the 1st Battalion of the The Royal Irish Regiment, based at Tern Hill, paraded through the town’s streets with bugles, pipes and drums playing.
See our photo gallery below
The battalion was led by its regimental mascot, an Irish Wolfhound called Brian Boru VIII, which, just like the soldiers, was wearing desert combat uniform.
The soldiers later enjoyed a special church service to commemorate their return from a six-month tour of duty in Helmand Province.
During their time in Afghanistan they helped to move a hydroelectric turbine through the heart of Helmand Province to the Kajaki Dam.
Today’s parade started from the town’s Royal British Legion Club and the soldiers were applauded by the mass of people who turned out to support them.
Balloons lined the streets and people, including young children, held flags to honour the troops.
Lieutenant Colonel Ed Freely, commanding officer of the regiment, said: “It’s a great honour for us to be invited to parade through Market Drayton.
“We have not been based at Tern Hill for long, but the people of the town have taken us to their hearts and couldn’t have been more welcoming to the regiment as a whole. This parade is an opportunity for us to say thank you to the residents for their continued support.”
Councillor Rob Bentley, the mayor of Market Drayton, said: “It’s important we show our appreciation for the courageous and brave work they have undertaken, serving abroad for the last six months.”
Troops and their families also prayed for the family of Ranger Justin Cupples, a member of the regiment who was killed last month while serving in Afghanistan.
During the 30-minute church service, the Reverend Martin Tanner, priest in charge of St Mary’s Church, said: “We want to mark your return, we want to remember the ranger who did not return and we want to support and pray for your well-being before you disperse for well-earned leave.”
By Abigail Bates
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It’s easy to get a thousand people to line the streets when they’re school children. And here’s my problem with these type of parades: why are we introducing such young children to the idea of warfare? It’s warmongering yet again. How can we ever build a better society and a better world until we stop celebrating international conflict?
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Well done to all our brave boys and girls. God bless them all. They deserve a heros welcome.
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No matter how ever we try to build a better society there is always someone trying to destroy it.!! Why not celebrate the soldiers with a heros welcome.v
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As a teacher I see the children swell with pride as thet look as the picture I have in my room of the royal irish. They learn to stand for justice when called to and there is a time when that is the way it has to be…but the victory is truely in the sacrifice made from those returning and not returning…
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Mr Peasbody wants to get his facts right! 1000 adults lined the streets, the children were extras. It was a very moving sight and local people wanted to show their support for these brave lads and girls, some of whom did not return. The world is in such a turmoil because of people like Peasbody. We need to show our youngsters what loyalty and dedication are. Our troops are the epitome of that. I am not a supporter of the war, but I do think our troops need our support. We will never build a better society when we have a government hell bent on wrecking it, with lies, deceit and the destruction of values which have stood for centuries. Get behind our troops Mr Peasbody!
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It was a great and worthwhile event, a fantastic atomosphere and spectacular to see – there were people even leaning out of their windows if they were fortunate enough to live on route of the parade. Well done to these brave soldiers to trying to build a better world.
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In reply to Mr Peasbody, no one is celebrating the conflict just acknowledging the great job that our boys did over there to try and bring a country to peace. If he had a son in the army he would think that its about time they were shown how must we appreciate their dedication. I would also like to remind him some have not come back. I for one am very proud of all the boys who put their lives on the line to help others.
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Bless them. Heroes, everyone of them!
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The 1000 people were NOT just children. Local schools were represented, however the streets were lined with people of all generations including families showing our respect and gratitude. We must involve our children in recognising those who fight and give their lives for our country. Too often nowadays people criticise children for lack of respect. For my children this will not be the case.
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In response to H. St. John Peasbody:
I think you should seriously reevaluate your ill informed comments.
How can we ever hope to build a better society, a better world when there are regimes, states and ideologies opposed to the things that we take for granted?-freedom of speech, equality, diversity, religous freedom etc.
I do not want to live where the values we hold dear are subjugated and oppresion is the order of the day!
If these Parades are the celebration of war mongering – then long may they continue, free nations of the world should always have the MORAL COURAGE to oppose those that would threaten the liberty and freedom of others (and there are numerous examples, past, present and possibly future)…
The world is indeed a sorry place if freedom is not worth fighting(in whatever way you want to quantify) for!
“An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last.”
- Prime Minister Winston Churchill
Soldiers do not choose the conflicts they fight in, they merely serve.
“War is the continuation of Politics by other means”
- Von Clausewitz
Perhaps ou should be addressing your views to the politicians!!!…
The men and women of the British Armed forces deserve the support of the public, they are real HEROES, they perform feats of arms, capture hearts and minds, reconstruct, firefight, civil aid and the list is endless with scant resources and often under the most demanding of conditions – our Armed Forces are the best in the world, I SALUTE THEM!
Peace will come soon to stay, and so come as to be worth keeping in all
future time. It will then have proved that among free men there can be no
successful appeal from the ballot to the bullet, and that they who take such
appeal are sure their cases and pay the costs.
- Abraham Lincoln
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H. St. John Peasbody – dear oh dear you have put your foot in it again old bean.
War is a part of human nature whether you like it or not us humans have been warring since we evolved from fish or monkey’s whichever form of evolution you follow.
War is a part of human nature which you will never erradicate.
You just have to look at how many people wtach football matches (war on a smaller scale, 2 sides fighting each other)
or even wrestling or ultimate fighting on TV.
Liberals state war is bad but EVERYONE on this planet today has survived up to the modern day because our ancesters were better at fighting than the people they were fighting against.
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Peasbody has either never been affected by war, simply chooses to ignore it, or was affected and sadly is very bitter for the experience. He has no place on the planet to badmouth our troops! He has no respect. WELCOME HOME LADS & LASSES. I FOR ONE AM EXTREMELY PROUD OF YOU ALL :) I hate war with a passion, nothing to me will ever justify the killing of innocent people that sadly get caught up in the conflict. But our troops are doing a fine job in afganistan how dare he slate them.
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if i was peasebody i would stick to his horse and little fi fi which he may know more about.
thanks to all our brave lads doing a useful job. well done
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I have never badmouthed our troops, “sweetparadise”.
Once again, we read the typical short-sighted arguments by those who’ve never set foot outside Shropshire. Look at the global picture and think long and hard about your narrow views that you’ve allowed the state to indoctrinate you with.
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Mr Peasbody, you’re not the only person with a passport and you’d be amazed how far reaching this internet is as I don’t live in Shropshire and yet not surprisingly believe the same! I do not know this regiment and have no link whatsover to the services but I do know that its because of these brave men and women and those that have gone before them that you and I have the freedom to share our views and live in a free society. I wasn’t there to welcome them home but wish that I had been. They deserved this hero’s welcome because thats what they are. Well done to all of these brave soldiers and welcome home.
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Diane: this is not a free society. Thanks to the actions of the US & UK governments, we are watched and monitored 24/7 in so many ways. Do you really call that free?
With regards to the rest of it – you miss the point completely.
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Mr Peasbody, If these soldiers didnt risk their lives for our country do you truly believe it would be a better place? Shame on you, get your head out from the world you are living in and say sorry to the brave ones that risk everything for us…
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I agree with Peasbody’s last comment about surveillance. I believe the threat is exaggerated in order to gain the opportunity to spy on us and monitor our every move. That’s not freedom. As for his earlier comment, I can’t agree. We need to get behind our soldiers, sailors and airmen – they don’t decide the politics. We need to pressurise our governments into better ways of settling THEIR disputes. They should act in OUR interest – and abide by public opinion on decisions to go to war. Don’t forget that Blair lied and people died.
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while not agreeing with harold peasebody’s comments, when looking at the picture at the head of this article, 85% of the people pictured are children and this may account for his initial comments.
i congratulate our boys on the job they have done as i roundly condemn bush and blair for putting them out in iraq and afghanistan in the first place. wrong excuse, wrong dossier, wrong wars wrong everything. hopefully gordon brown will be bringing our boys in iraq back home.within 6 months. as for afghanistan i condemn members of nato who will not send troops out there. they should be thrown out of nato.
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Peasbody – I think it is you that has missed the point completly. You have your views and are allowed to express them because governments (not only US/UK) decide to take a stand against those that would oppress. If it wasnt for those governments taking a stand and one only need to cast your mind back 60 years, we may be talking German!
Feel free to express your justification for the view you hold about state indoctrination, because I am really interested and I am sure all the other people who have posted would be to!!! and as for your comment about global view, I really would like to get your view on the world, 9/11, 7/7, Bali, Madrid….shall I go on?…
Shortsighted? I think not and the majority of posts seem to bear that out. I think the only thing shortsighted is your view of the world!!!
(And yes I have set foot out of Shropshire!)
And again I say to our Armed Forces – I salute YOU!
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Mr Peasbody, grab yout tinfoil hat, just because we have surveillance in the country does not mean that we are not free. This parade was done to welcome the boys back home from an arduous tour, not to glorify war in any shape or form.
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The troops in Afghanistan are part of a United Nations force, many many countries soldiers, trying to prevent the spead of terrorism, and doing a good job too. Without their presence in the fight against global terrorism there is little doubt that this contry would have been a major target for suicide bombers. We would have had thousands caught up in the mindless attackes on innocent people.
Well done everyone who have played a part in making our country a little safer and welcome home to our servicemen. Thanks for all the efforts you have made and the sacrifices. Some of us do appreciate it. I suggest Peabody takes himself off to live in Afghanistan, a country that is fighting to be free and perhaps he would have a different perspective. We do not condone war but unfortunately mindless people sometimes make it impossible not to react.
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Mr Peasbody – yes, I do believe I’m free but I wouldn’t if I lived in Afghanistan under their regime. Neither do I believe I have missed the point-I just don’t agree with you. We have that choice still in this country due to men and women such as this regiment.
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I served for many years with the RA and others. The Royal Irish Regiment are a fine regiment and deserve all the praise they get.
Well done to all of them.
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As an American/former U.S. Marine living in Prescott Arizona who accidently Googled on to this article, I too salute your troops who proudly served your country, and the fight to liberate people from oppression.
Due to your British troops service in Afghanistan, young Afghani girls may now attend school alongside their brothers. Something we people in free countries take for granted don’t you think?
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Im a shropshire lad, I do have a passport and I’m sat in Kabul reading H. St John Peasbody’s comments. You Sir are a first class fool. The internet wasn’t designed for you….good night.
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harold we are not praising international conflict, but are thanking our boys for the brave job they have done in afghanistan in spite of the pillocks who sent them there. we welcomed our troops from the falklands, ww1 and ww2 what is so different, children took part in those welcomes. come on harold please think again. finally i thought it was nato that was fighting the taliban and that is why it is predominately the usa and uk involved. other troops are out there but not in the firing line, come on nato sort yourselves out
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‘Victoria’
As a teacher I thought you would be able to spell correctly.
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What a narrow minded man you are H. St. John Peasbody!!
Well done lads & ladys keep up the good work.
I am proud to work for the MOD and the fight againt terrorism.
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I have just returned from the parade in Shrewsbury which was well attended considering it was a working day and many who would have liked to be there may not have been able to.
I am thankful to the men and women of this country who go to war so that we can all sit here and pontificate our views without fear of retribution.
It was a pleasure to have the opportunity to thank these brave soldiers in some small way…..
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Went to the March in Shrewsbury today, makes you proud to associate with the best of British.
Pity our awful government don’t match up!
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Come on everybody Harold is just teasing us all he probably has a library of War Films at home.
Well done the Royal Irish.
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As soldiers go out to fight for our country, or more recently other peoples’ countries, they fight to preserve our way of life, to maintain our freedoms in the face of oppression, and to further the agendas of politicians.
And because of their valiant efforts, Harold has retained the right to espouse his opinion however he so chooses. Telling him what he should be thinking would seem to be utterly contrary to all of the jingoistic chants some of you are crying out in your posts, wouldn’t it?
If he doesn’t want to support the troops, he doesn’t have to. If he wants to ride a horse instead of drive a car, he can. Freedom rocks the casbah.
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there is nothing heroic about the illegal ocupation of these country’s
shame on the labour and their army
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peasbody, people argue with each other every day on this comment page, but you really do know how to unite and bring them together with your idiotic comments sometimes..
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I was at the parade in Marketdrayton and yes there were a lot of children there waving flags and cheering which the photographers and TV cameras focused mainly on, but i can assure you (and anyone who was there can confirm) that there was as many adults as there were children clapping and cheering our boys as they went passed, many of which had a tear in their eye as did i. VERY WELL DONE TO OUR BOYS AND GIRLS OF THE RIR
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Put simply
LEST WE FORGET.
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I WAS AT THE PARADE TO WELCOME HOME MY HUSBANDS REGIMENT. HE DIDNT GO TO AFGAN BUT I WAS THERE ANYWAY TO WELCOME THEM HOME. I THINK ITS ABOUT TIME THEY GOT THE WELCOME THEY DID. PEOPLE CAN SAY WHAT THEY LIKE BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY THESE ARE THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO GO OUT AND FIGHT FOR ARE RIGHT TO DO THINGS. THERE WAS MORE MEN AND WOMEN AT THE PARADE THEN THERE WAS KIDS I WAS WITH MY KIDS AND THERE SCHOOL. IT SHOWS THE MEN AND WOMEN THAT WE ALL CARE THAT THEY HAVE COME HOME SAFE. WELL DONE THE ROYAL IRISH WE LOVE YOU ALL.
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when you are in the Armed Forces you have to go where you are told. I was impressed with the mascot of the Royal Irish Regiment-a 3 year old Irish Wolfhound. I was able to take some excellent images of this gorgeous dog.
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