Army regiment to get freedom of Ludlow

The honour will be bestowed on the regiment on September 20 when soldiers and a band will march through Ludlow.

Mayor of Ludlow, Councillor Jim Smithers, said he hoped it would be a day in which all of the community would come together to mark the very special occasion.

Councillor Smithers said: "The Royal Welsh, as it is known now, was only formed in 2006.

"But it has a long association with the town of Ludlow stretching back many years under its previous guises.

"We have been talking for a while about doing this but we can now confirm that it will take place on September 20.

"The regiment will come and parade through the town along with a marching band.

"With the military personnel and the band, you are probably talking around 120 people altogether so this is a big deal for Ludlow.

"We want to get some flags made up, possibly with a Union Jack on the one side and the Royal Welsh cap badge on the other."

Councillor Smithers added: "What I really want to stress is that we want this to be an event for the community, everyone is invited and we want everyone to come out and witness this historic day."

The Royal Welsh was formed on St David's Day in 2006 by uniting the regular, reserve and cadet infantry battalions of The Royal Welch Fusiliers and The Royal Regiment of Wales (24th/41st Foot).

The parent regiments have a history and heritage that goes back more than 300 years.

For the Great War, which started in 1914, the collective figures for those infantry regiments appear incomprehensible today.

There were 250,000 men in 105 battalions, gaining 106 battle honours, at a cost of 25,886 lives with many more soldiers maimed and disabled for life.

In more recent times, soldiers of the Royal Welch Fusiliers and the Royal Regiment of Wales have played an important role during operational tours in Northern Ireland, the Balkans and in Iraq.