COLCHESTER GRANTED HONOUR OF ROYAL SALUTING STATION

Colchester has been granted the prestigious honour of being chosen as one of the country’s Royal Saluting Stations – the only station in East Anglia.

This honour allows artillery based in the town to fire a 21-gun salute to mark official Royal occasions such as The Queen’s Birthday. There are only ten other saluting stations in the UK, all in major cities: Hyde Park, The Tower of London, Woolwich, Edinburgh Castle, Stirling Castle, Cardiff, Belfast, York, Plymouth and Dover Castle. There are also two in Gibraltar.

The first Colchester Royal Salute will be the occasion of The Queen’s Birthday, 21 April when a battery of six guns from 7th Parachute Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery, part of 16 Air Assault Brigade and based in the town, will fire the 21-gun salute at 12 noon, from Abbey Field. The guns used will be 105 mm light guns, used by the unit on operations including in Iraq in 2003.

Several dignitaries have been invited to attend the salute, including Lord Petre, the Lord Lieutenant of Essex, as the Queen’s representative in the county, who will be the Inspecting Officer. The Band of the Parachute Regiment will also perform.

Colchester has been granted this honour as the previous saluting station of Aldershot no longer has artillery stationed in the town. Colchester Borough Council gave its endorsement of the Army’s proposal to move the saluting station to Colchester late last year. The final decision, however, remained that of Her Majesty The Queen.

Brigadier Ed Butler, Commander of 16 Air Assault Brigade, said:

“It is a great privilege and honour for 16 Air Assault Brigade and Colchester Garrison to be given the status of a Royal Saluting Station

"It is our intention to fire the first Royal Salute on 21 April 2006, using the guns of 7th Parachute Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery (7 Para RHA).

"This will be a very special day for Colchester town, the Garrison and 16 Air Assault Brigade; more poignant as members of the Brigade and a Battery from 7 Para RHA will already be deployed in Afghanistan.”

Garrison Commander Colonel Tony Barton said:

“This is a tremendous honour for the Garrison and the people of Colchester. All the other Saluting Stations are cities, and the conferring of Saluting Station status on Colchester acknowledges the growth in prestige of this town and its unique and valued military community.”