Proud Staffordshire towns in salute to parading servicemen
Two Staffordshire towns came to a standstill as hundreds of shoppers honoured parading servicemen.
Two Staffordshire towns came to a standstill as hundreds of shoppers honoured parading servicemen.
Around 150 sailors based at HMS Collingwood marched through Stafford and Stone to the sound of applause from watching crowds.
More than 400 gathered between Stone's Westbridge Park and St Michael and St Wulfad's Church, while similar numbers lined the Stafford route, from Tipping Street to Market Square, on Saturday.
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Members of the Royal British Legion and the Stafford Royal Naval Association turned out in force to welcome the naval unit, which was granted freedom of the Stafford borough more than 30 years ago.
A military marching band accompanied the servicemen, who stepped out in Stone at 10.30am and Stafford at 2pm.
The parade concluded with a solemn salute, led by the mayor of Stafford, Councillor Stan Highfield, in Stafford's Market Square.
Derek Bunting, county parade marshal for the Stafford branch of the Royal British Legion, said the deaths of six soldiers in Afghanistan last week emphasised the debt owed to the armed forces. "This is one event I shall never, ever miss," the 71-year-old said.
"What happened in Afghanistan will be on people's minds today, and rightly so.
"We should show support for our servicemen - there but for the grace of God, go I."
Stone was originally linked with the Royal Navy through HMS St Vincent which was named after admiral of the fleet Earl St Vincent.
He was born John Jervis at Meaford Hall near Stone and buried in the town's St Michael's Parish Church.
When HMS St Vincent was closed down in 1969 it was decided that HMS Collingwood, a large naval training establishment of 1,500 men and women based in Fareham, near Portsmouth, would take over the connection. HMS Collingwood last exercised freedom of the borough in 1997.
The original freedom parade took place in Stone in 1979.
Grandfather-of-three Bill Smith, aged 71, was among the crowds, along with six-year-old granddaughter Grace, son Bill, 41, and daughter-in-law Assumpta, 38.
Mr Smith, a member of the Stafford Royal Naval Association who was in the Royal Navy for 24 years, was smartly dressed in his official attire.
The father-of-three, from Holmcroft, Stafford, said: "Events like this are vitally important, especially 'in-land' here where people will see the sailors and realise we have other armed forces as well as the army."
