Give our troops a warm welcome in Esher

Feb 8 2010 By Vicki Eltis

Soldiers from the 22 Battery Royal Artillery

Surrey residents are being urged to give soldiers from the 22 Battery Royal Artillery a warm welcome when they will march through Esher on Friday February 19.

It will mark the end of their latest six-month deployment to Afghanistan and the soldiers from 22 (Gibraltar 1779-83) Battery, 32 Regiment Royal Artillery will march from Esher Police Station, in Portsmouth Road, at 10.30am and will continue down the High Street ending at Sandown Park.

They will be led by a Mounted Section of the Kings Troop Royal Horse Artillery and followed by the Royal Artillery Band and accompanied by the Master Gunner St James’s Park, General Sir Timothy Granville-Chapman, the Mayor of Elmbridge councillor James Vickers, the Lord Lieutenant of Surrey Sarah Goad JP and civil dignitaries.

This artillery, a vital member of the 19 Light Brigade, were invloved in a number of key operations including Operation Panther's Claw, which saw one of the most heavily populated areas in Helmand cleared of Taliban influence.

The battery provides highly-valuable intelligence using tactical unmanned aerial vehicles.

The Commander of 19 Light Brigade, Brigadier Tim Radford, said: "Operation Panther's Claw was designed to force the insurgents to stand and fight or to flee. It did just that. As we broke through enemy defences, the fighting was truly ferocious, but the determination and resolve of my soldiers never wavered.

"I expect that 19 Light Brigade's tour will be remembered for the hardest fight the British Army has encountered in Helmand province. But to selectively remember the sacrifice without the progress would be to forget the reason that so many laid down their lives. The resolve, determination and bravery of the whole Task Force are something that I am extremely proud of, and I believe the British public should be too."

The soldiers are looking forward to being welcomed home by the people of Surrey, in what is one of their main recruiting areas.

The battery will march straight to Sandown Park where the feature race of the afternoon is the Royal Artillery Gold Cup. The Royal Artillery Gold Cup is one of the oldest and most prestigious races of the jumping season. It was first run in 1863 and moved to Sandown Park for the first time in 1878.