RECEPTION FOR 42 ENGINEER REGIMENT

It had proved difficult to arrange a date for the reception for the service personnel returning from their operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kosovo, due to commitments by the Regiment and the civic programme, and so I was very pleased when we were able to agree the date as Tuesday 4 March in the Town Hall.

Mrs Edwina Cooper, the Mayoress, and I welcomed around 50 soldiers and their partners, which included Lt. Colonel Rupert Dash the Commanding officer to the evening reception. It was a splendid sight to see all the soldiers in uniform wearing their medals indicating their service in the current operational areas, and for the older soldiers, in other conflicts in the past.
In my speech, I said that the purpose of the reception was to honour all those returning from active service in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kosovo and to formally acknowledge the valuable service which 42 Engineering Regiment, based at Hermitage, had given over the last 60 years. They had been excellent neighbours to the town, with great friendship and great co-operation with the town’s activities and events. This association was more than realised when the Town Council granted 42 Engineer Regiment the Freedom of the Town in 1997. The links, friendship and co-operation with the town had not diminished; I believed that they had become closer.

I reiterated that the main purpose of the reception was to honour all those soldiers who had returned safely from active service in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kosovo. While we could sit in the comfort and security of our homes in Newbury, those soldiers deployed in those areas of conflict were in constant risk from an enemy which did not wear a uniform, was difficult to identify and had some support from the local population The climate and conditions were pretty awful and there was little time to relax and do those things which here we take so much for granted. A tour of duty in these areas of conflict must be both physically and mentally draining. We therefore thank and commend you for all the operational tasks which you carry out which ultimately protect our freedoms. I also commend your wives and partners who have to look after your homes and children without your support and not knowing in any detail how you are coping and whether or not you will return unscathed. It takes courage to try and lead a normal life under such circumstances. In conclusion, we welcome you back and honour you for your valuable and courageous service and wish you and your families a happy and successful future. The Town has already given the Regiment the highest accolade some ten years ago in the Freedom of the Town. But we feel that it would be remiss of us not to let you leave this evening without some token of our admiration and thanks for all you have done. We therefore wish to present to your Commanding Officer with a scroll which expresses our gratitude for your continuing friendship with the Town and hope that the longstanding association with the Town will continue long into the future.

I presented the scroll to Colonel Dash and he responded by thanking us for hosting the Regiment and was able to reaffirm the very close links with the Town of Newbury. The Regiment was very proud of the close ties with the Town and grateful for all the support which it had received from its institutions and townsfolk. He then presented the Town Council with a print of a picture of an action in March 1879 in Afghanistan when a Royal Engineer, Captain Edward Pemberton Leach of the Khyber Survey Group won a Victoria Cross in action in the Khyber Pass.

After the formalities, we were able to meet and talk with many of the soldiers and their partners over a drink and buffet. It was a momentous evening which was enjoyed by all and long may the Town’s association with the Regiment continue.