The Princess Royal will be in Romsey for the unveiling of the town’s £86,000 tribute to the horses and mules that died on the battlefield in the Great War.
She will unveil the life-size bronze resin statue of a horse and trooper in the War Memorial Park on July 3.
Also making an appearence will be Joey from the West End production War Horse as part of celebrations that which include a military parade through the town centre headed up by Romsey Old Cadets Show Band.
Troops from the Royal Army Veterinary Corps and the King’s Royal Hussars, of which the Princess Royal is Colonel-in-Chief, will be in the parade along with the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery, the Household Cavalry, Royal British Legion officials, local air, army and sea cadets and Scouts and Guides.
Her Royal Highness will take the salute outside the town hall in the Market Place as the parade arrives at around 1.15pm.
The Princess Royal is scheduled to unveil the statue between from 2pm- and 2.15pm.
Once the unveiling ceremony is over, the soldiers will march back to Broadlands House – home of Lady Brabourne, who is the town’s high steward.
Chairman of Romsey War Horse project Dorothy Baverstock, who is also the town mayor, said it will be a momentous occasion.
She said: “This is going to be a really big day for us. It’s simply brilliant that we have got the Princess Royal and Joey coming here.
“The White Horse Hotel is sponsoring Joey’s appearance and we are very grateful to them. Something like the War Horse can only make Romsey more vibrant and boost its economy by bringing more people into the town.
“And for me it is simply a bonus to be town mayor when the war horse is unveiled.”
Sheaid a delighted Mrs Baverstock, adding adds that the full route of the parade will be announced shortly.
Romsey’s War Horse project has been several years in the making and the sculptor behind the memorial is equestrian artist Amy Goodman, whose workshop is at Quarley, near Andover.
And the memorial will be a lasting tribute to 120,000 horses that passed through Romsey Remount camp at Pauncefoot Hill before going to the Front Line, where they were trained for the western front before being shipped overseas to the front line in the First World War.
Nick Hatchley who is helping Major General Patrick Cordingley organise the military parade through the town during the Princess Royal’s visit said the unveiling event was going to be “a very big occasion” for Romsey and “people had worked long and hard” on the project.
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