Coldstream Guards parade honours the brave and fallen

Jun 25 2010 by Tom Mullen, The Journal

HERO soldiers from across the North East joined a parade in honour of their regiment’s dead and those still fighting.

Dressed in desert combats and bearskins, some 650 soldiers from the 1st Battalion, the Coldstream Guards, marched in London amid crowds of well-wishers yesterday.

Led by their Regimental Band, they paraded from Wellington Barracks to the Guards Memorial on Horse Guards Parade.

Many of the soldiers have recently returned from Afghanistan, and some of the injured joined the parade in wheelchairs. Among the proud servicemen was Guardsman Scott Cooper, from Walker, Newcastle, who lost his right leg below the knee in a roadside bomb blast.

The 19-year-old was reunited with his comrades for the march after making a promising recovery with a prosthetic limb.

He said: “There was a service which was very moving. Thousands of people came along to watch us.

“It’s something I enjoy doing. All the lads were there and I haven’t seen them for quite a while.”

The parade also featured men and women from several different regiments with medics, engineers, artillerymen, chefs and mechanics marching alongside guardsmen following a service of remembrance at the Guards Chapel.

Commanding Officer Lt Col Toby Gray said: “This was a hard winter, but the efforts of these soldiers have not been in vain. We arrived shortly after Operation ‘Panther’s Claw’, in an area that is exceptionally poor and lacked the most basic services or government.

“The challenges were huge, but working closely alongside our Afghan National Army and police counterparts and with the local government, we have made a real difference. We have built a major road and opened a school, while clinics are under construction.

“The people among whom we lived and fought knew we were there to help and, wherever they had the chance, they stood against the Taliban.

“Sadly, the gains we made were not without cost. Seven members of the Battle Group gave their lives and many others were injured.

“Some of those are on parade today and together we will honour our dead and keep in mind those who replaced us and are continuing the fight.”