Make Tigers parade a day to remember (From Daily Echo)

Hampshire Tigers prepare for tomorrow's parade through Southampton and Romsey

2:16pm Monday 13th July 2009 in The Tigers By Corey Stephenson, Senior News and Video Reporter

IT will be a day of celebration and commemoration – so come out and make us proud!

That is the call from soldiers from the Hampshire Tigers who will tomorrow parade through Southampton and Romsey in a homecoming for our heroes.

Members of the 1st Battalion, Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment (1PWRR) – nicknamed the Tigers – say they want as many people as possible to line the streets, wave flags and cheer them on as they exercise their rights to march through both Hampshire locations.

Troops prepare for the homecoming parades in Romsey and Southampton

As well as a chance for residents to celebrate their support and loyalty to their local servicemen and women, the Tigers say the event will also be especially poignant as it comes just days after they lost a member of their battalion who was among eight soldiers killed in 24 hours in Afghanistan.

Private John Brackpool, 27, from Crawley, West Sussex, was on attachment to the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards whe he died on Thursday from a gunshot wound following a battle with insurgents near Lashkar Gah.

The father-of-one would have celebrated his 28th birthday on Saturday.

Almost 300 1PWRR troops who have done tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan returned to the UK from their base in Germany at the end of last week to fine tune plans for the march which will see them parade through the centres of Southampton and Romsey tomorrow in desert kits behind their band – The Kohima Band.

Among the Hampshire Tigers who will have friends and family joining the cheering crowds on the street will Lance Corporal Matthew Bignall.

Hampshire Tigers talk about the support the troops need ahead of their homecoming parades.

The 23-year-old soldier from Thornhill said local people would play a big part in boosting the troops’ morale when they are away from home.

Coming home “It feels good to be coming home and it feels good to know people from Southampton will be turning out to support us.

“I joined the regiment when I was 16 and since then I have felt good about representing Southampton and I will continue to do this for the near future.

“It does mean a lot to the troops if people can turn out. It makes us feel good when we are abroad and feel a bit left in the dark about life back home. So if you can come out, it is good for the troops’ morale.”

Speaking to the Daily Echo as the Tigers rehearsed the march at their drill quarters in Brighton, commanding officer Lieutenant Colonel Charlie Sykes said for the parade was as important as ever. “It was 1995 the last time we marched through Southampton and Romsey, which is some time ago.

“It takes a bit of effort to prepare for all of us and to be honest none of us really enjoy practising drill – but we will be at the top of our game when we do come through.

“On the day with the support that I know we are going to get, we will be marching three inches higher.”

Lt Col Sykes said as well as a celebration of the local regiment it would also be a commemoration for the troops they had lost, including the 1PWRR soldier among eight killed in 24 hours in Afghanistan.

“Those of us that didn’t know him, clearly he is more than just another name but part of our regimental family and he is a fellow soldier who has died on operations that 170 of us were closely engaged in until very recently.”

“It makes the parade even more important and a day of celebration and commemoration,” he said. “It is also a good day just to get outside, see your local regiment in all their colours and celebrate being British.”

TUESDAY 14th FROM 11.20AM