Army's 150th to be marked in town

Soldiers from the 4th Battalion, The Mercian Regiment will march through Kidderminster this weekend in honour of the 150-year anniversary of the Territorial Army in the town.

The volunteer 4 Mercian battalion of The Mercian Regiment can trace its links back to the town of Kidderminster to May 12, 1859.

Because the town has been providing volunteers to the British Army since 1859, the most recent recruits will take to the streets to commemorate the occasion at noon on Saturday. The parade will be led by the regimental mascot Private Derby XX1X, a Swaledale Ram presented to the Regiment by the Duke of Devonshire.

The ram became the official mascot of the regiment when it formed in 2007 from the 22nd Cheshire Regiment, The Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters and the Staffordshire Regiments.

But for many soldiers in the parade, their thoughts will be with colleagues in Afghanistan. As many as 130 men and women from 4 Mercian are deployed to Helmand Province and 11 members are from the Kidderminster area. They provide protection to Camp Bastion and support the 2nd Battalion The Mercian Regiment, the local regular infantry battalion.