Gunners and musicians joined forces in Colchester on 15th June to mark His Majesty The King’s Official Birthday.
Gunner from G Parachute Battery (Mercer’s Troop), 7th Parachute Regiment Royal Horse Artillery, salute Lord-Lieutenant of Essex Jennifer Tolhurst as they drive off with the 105mm Light Gun in Castle Park, Colchester.
With a crowd of hundreds watching in Castle Park in a perfectly timed break in the rain, the guns of G Parachute Battery (Mercer’s Troop), 7th Parachute Regiment Royal Horse Artillery fired a Royal Salute to send birthday greetings to the King.
The 21-gun salute was fired by a battery of four 105mm Light Guns. The troops, based at the city’s Merville Barracks, were then inspected by the Lord-Lieutenant of Essex Jennifer Tolhurst as the King’s representative in the county.
Gunner Sam Hayes joined 7 Para RHA in February and this was his first ceremonial duty.
“We don’t get to fire our guns in public very often, and to do this for the King’s birthday makes it particularly special,” the 26-year-old said. “My job in the gun crew is to load the cartridge and we did lots of rehearsals through the week to make sure everything went as well as it did today.”
Before and after the salute, a brass ensemble from British Army Band Colchester played at the bandstand to entertain the public, alongside a gun set up to demonstrate the troops’ operational role with 16 Air Assault Brigade, the British Army’s global response force.
Colchester’s airborne soldiers will next be on display to the public at the free 16 Air Assault Brigade and Colchester Garrison Show, taking place on Abbey Field on Saturday 29th June.
Gunners from G Parachute Battery (Mercer’s Troop), 7th Parachute Regiment Royal Horse Artillery, fire their 105mm Light Gun.
Did You Know…?
In 2006 Colchester was nominated by Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II as a Royal Saluting Station, one of only 12 in the United Kingdom.
The honour allows artillery based in the city to mark official Royal occasions such as the monarch’s official birthday, Royal deaths and unique celebrations such as Her Late Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022 and His Majesty The King’s Coronation on 6 May 2023.
Gun salutes are customarily fired as a sign of respect or welcome. Just as a salute with the open hand was used to show that no weapon was concealed in the palm, so the firing of cannon as a salute indicated the friendly intent of an empty chamber.
Colchester Garrison is responsible for managing Merville Barracks in Colchester. It provides logistical and infrastructure support to 16 Air Assault Brigade, which is the British Army’s global response force and has most of its units based at the barracks. It also oversees civic relations with Essex and Colchester’s role as a Royal Saluting Station.
7th Parachute Regiment Royal Horse Artillery (7 Para RHA) is based at Merville Barracks, Colchester and equipped with L118 105mm Light Guns. Its primary role is to provide offensive fire support to 16 Air Assault Brigade Combat Team, the British Army’s global response force.
Musicians from the British Army Band Colchester perform at the band stand.
