A MILITARY parade has been held in Winchester to celebrate a 30-year anniversary.
The Adjutant General's Corps celebrated its 30th anniversary with a freedom parade down the High Street to the Guildhall on the morning of Saturday, October 15.
The corps' deputy Colonel in Chief, the Duchess of Gloucester, was in attendance. The Duchess is married to Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester, who is the first cousin of the late Queen.
The account posted: "You may have seen a larger than usual police presence in Winchester City Centre today, this was because of the Adjutant General Corps Freedom Parade. This parade is an ancient tradition allowing the regiment to parade through the city with 'bayonets fixed, drums beating and colours flying.
"It was a great opportunity for both Winchester City & Rural teams to work together alongside Winchester City Council and the Royal Military Police. The parade brought a large crowd together and it was good to see so many people out supporting the military.
"As you can see, some of our officers got a little wet during the event, but it was definitely all worth it!"
It comes as the city council has voted to grant freedom of entry to the School of Logistics and Administration, based at Worthy Down. The £300m investment was officially opened by Princess Anne in May 2021.
The right of ‘Freedom of Entry’ to the city is an ancient privilege and allows a regiment to parade through the city with ‘bayonets fixed, drums beating and colours flying’. It comes from a period in history when only trusted units would be allowed to carry arms within city boundaries.
The last freedom parade was due to have been in March 2020 with the Army Training Regiment but was cancelled because of Covid.
The city council awarded Freedom of Entry to the former Royal Army Pay Corps in 1970. The Pay Corps was amalgamated when the Adjutant General’s Corps was formed and the city council formally transferred the honour to the new Corps on 11 April 1996.
Steve Brine MP who was among the guests on the Guildhall steps said; "It was an utter privilege to be present for the freedom parade and I'm very glad to see it return to the city. Despite the downpours it was a fantastic display and I think the crowds loved it."
