THE Royal Welsh regiment will be awarded a city's highest honour.
Earlier this month, St Asaph City Council agreed to award the Freedom of the City to the Royal Welsh, in recognition of the eminent services rendered to the city and for their courage and bravery in the execution of their duty, both at home and overseas.
The first Freedom Ceremony will be held in St Asaph on Saturday, July 8 2023,
From 10am, there will be a parade as well as speeches in the grounds of the Cathedral.
The Royal Welsh will march from the Cathedral at 10.45am. They will journey down the High Street and around the roundabout before returning up the High street.
Troops are set to march with bayonets fixed, colours flying and drums beating. Soldiers will be led by Regimental Goat, LCpl Shenkin, who will be accompanied by Goat Major, Sgt Mark Jackson.
A spokesperson from St Asaph City Council said: "We are very much looking forward to this event and hope that residents will come to see the parade and enjoy a family day out. We also hope it will help to promote our beautiful small city."
Chris Kilmister, Regimental Secretary of The Royal Welsh, said: "It will be a great honour and privilege to receive the Freedom of St Asaph. It is a particular pleasure for the parade to be held in the historic city of St Asaph, with which the Regiment has so many links.
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"We have a long history with the city, which was further enhanced by the links to the thousands of men that were trained at the nearby Kinmel Camp, in the village of Bodelwyddan, during the Great War. That camp is still used by the Army Cadet Force.
"A memorial plaque in St Asaph Cathedral lists 48 men from the town who died during the Great War, many from the The Royal Welsh’s antecedent regiments and this list includes at least 12 from the Royal Welch Fusiliers. They are named on the Town War Memorial."
Since the Royal Welsh was formed in 2006 [the Royal Welch Fusiliers and the Royal Regiment of Wales amalgamated in 2006], members of the Regiment have been on operations almost continuously in many theatres of war, including for about a year in Estonia on Operation Cabrit.
The Regiment has earned no fewer than five Military Crosses, one Operational CBE, two Operational OBEs and a staggering 15 Mentions in Despatches.
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