News
TRH attend TA100 to mark the 100th anniversary of the formation of the Territorial Army
21st June 2008
The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall today marked the 100th anniversary of the formation of the Territorial Army (TA) at a spectacular pageant on Horse Guards Parade in London.
In a speech, The Prince, who is a General in the Army, told the guests and gathered TA units that the Reserve Forces are “absolutely vital”.
His Royal Highness said: “Today we have witnessed the history, tradition and values of a Territorial Army that is the envy of other Nations.
“Above all, an occasion like this brings home to us just how incredibly fortunate we are that remarkable people like yourselves remain an integral part of our Armed Forces.
“This is a tradition which fills us with unashamed pride and which, incidentally, must not be lost.”
The lives of three Territorials who died this week were also remembered. Their deaths were the largest loss of life in a single day that the TA has suffered since the Second World War.
The Prince said: "Inevitably, serving your country comes at a cost.
"And you may sometimes feel you are pulled in three different directions. Juggling the needs of the family, your civilian career and the TA.
"We need to recognise therefore just what a debt of gratitude we owe to the families and the employers who support your essential contribution.
"Without their goodwill and their long-suffering understanding, the TA would fail to be the extraordinarily effective force it has become."
The head of the British Army, Chief of the General Staff General Sir Richard Dannatt thanked the men and women who hold down regular jobs while serving their country for their "personal and professional sacrifices".
Sir Richard told spectators who had gathered in Horse Guards Parade for the pageant: "This anniversary year celebrates the contribution and commitment of the Territorial Army and its distinguished heritage dating back to 1908.
"Then, as now, Territorials were dedicated and highly trained soldiers with valuable skills motivated by a sense of duty to serve the society within which they live.
"The TA continues to do so, not least through a significant contribution to current operations."
Sir Richard went on to describe that 700 Territorials were serving in Iraq and Afghanistan and that since campaigns began in the two Middle East countries nearly 15,000 TA personnel have fought alongside their regular Army colleagues.
He added: "It is a sad fact that in that time 11 Territorial Army soldiers have paid the ultimate sacrifice and laid down their lives. Three this week in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.
"But with their memory and sacrifice very much in mind the work nevertheless goes on."
SAS reservists Corporal Sean Robert Reeve, Lance Corporal Richard Larkin and Paul Stout died on Tuesday along with regular soldier Corporal Sarah Bryant - the first British woman to be killed on active service in Afghanistan - following an explosion.
The pageant was hosted by actors Rula Lenska and Bernard Cribbins who narrated the history of the TA from its formation in 1908 up to the modern day.
War Secretary Richard Haldane was the politician instrumental in creating the Territorial Force, the future TA, and the 94 County Territorial Associations - the Reserve Forces and Cadet Associations of the future.
The crowds were taken through major events in the TA's history from, in 1537, the formation of the Honourable Artillery Company, still in service today, to Territorials seeing service in the First World War.
Vintage military vehicles used by the part-time soldiers during the Second World War, including a Daimler lorry and Bren gun carrier, were also paraded.
During the event 104-year-old Edwin Cooper, the oldest surviving Territorial, who served in the Royal Army Medical Corps, was brought onto the stage and received a rapturous welcome.
Mr Cooper signed up aged 20 in 1924 and followed in the footsteps of his father who was a non-commissioned officer in the TA.
Speaking after the event the wheelchair-bound former cotton mill worker, who was born in Oldham but now lives in Abergele, Conwy, said: " I'm very proud to have been in the Territorials - a long time ago.
"But they're a good lot because they are ready for anything."
The speeches by The Prince and Sir Richard Dannatt concluded the pageant and the many Territorial units who had formed up in Horse Guards Parade marched down the Mall where The Prince received their royal salute.
Later in the day, The Prince and The Duchess hosted a reception for the Reserve Forces’ and Cadets' Associations to celebrate the Centenary of the Territorial Army at St. James's Palace, London.
The Prince met Mr Cooper and also Territorial Darren Dickson, a Lance Corporal with the Scottish Transport Regiment who was awarded the Military Cross for bravery while serving in Iraq in 2004.
The 25-year-old bus driver from Edinburgh was only five days into his first operational tour in Basra when the convoy of water tankers he was escorting through the city was ambushed.
Despite being wounded in his shoulder by a rifle shot he fired back at the enemy from his exposed position and ensured the safety of the tankers and drivers.
He said: "When we were ambushed I wasn't really thinking about my own safety, I was thinking 'don't cock it up'.
"If you join the TA or the regular Army you've got a bit of that mentality in you - that mentality that you can overcome fear."
He added: "It was nice to meet The Prince again, I've met him a few times now in connection with my Military Cross and each time he's been very easy to talk to."
Click here to read The Prince's speech.