Soldier honoured by Prince Charles

A Staffordshire soldier has been honoured by the Prince of Wales after achieving one of the highest non-commissioned ranks in the Army.

Warrant Officer Class Two Mark Brown was presented with his Warrant by Prince Charles, signed by Defence Secretary John Hutton, during a visit by the prince to a military exercise on Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire.

The Warrant signifies that Mark, who serves in the 3rd Battalion of The Mercian Regiment (Staffords), has achieved the second highest non-commissioned rank in the British Army.

Mark said that meeting the future king was the pinnacle of his 20-year Army career.

"Meeting His Royal Highness and having my Warrant presented to me will be one of my most treasured memories of the Army.

"The best part of the day for me was engaging in conversation with the Prince. I felt totally at ease and can honestly say he was one of the nicest people I have ever had the fortune to meet.

"I am looking forward to the next time he visits 3 Mercian."

Mark, whose parents, Anthony and Kathleen Brown, live in Rawnsley, near Cannock, is Company Sergeant Major for the newly-formed C Company, responsible for nearly 100 soldiers.

The battalion is currently the Land Warfare Centre Battle Group, and acts as the opposing force for all army units training on Salisbury Plain Training Area. It is Mark's job to make sure that all his soldiers and their vehicles are in the right places at the right times.

He joined the Army in 1988 after working for a year as wines and spirits manager for Gateway supermarket, in Cannock.

He served in the first Gulf War as part of the spearhead British force and has also completed tours in Northern Ireland, Iraq, Kosovo, Cyprus and Hong Kong.

Next summer he and his wife Lisa will move to Fallingbostel, Germany, when it becomes the regiment's new permanent base.

Mark currently lives and works in Tidworth, a garrison town on the edge of Salisbury Plain.

He and Lisa have two daughters, Jenna aged 21, and Katey, aged five.