Major (Ret’d) Chris Willis MBE MA LRAM ARCM Gloucestershire County Secretary

The Rifles

Custom House

31, Commercial Road

Gloucester

GL1 2HE

01452 522682

07867 523 532

Dear All, 14th March 2011

The Rifles Freedom Parade and Cathedral Service takes place on Saturday 2nd April 2011. Whilst details of the event have been posted on the RGBW website, severe IT problems have delayed the production of the traditional means of broadcasting them - The RGBW Association Newsletter. I apologise for this short notice and trust you will find the following to be a useful guide together with the attached documents.

Our day begins at 9.30 am with a Parade at Victoria Dock at which the Mayor of the City of Gloucester will confer the Freedom of the City upon The Rifles. Concurrently, The Lord Lieutenant for Gloucestershire will present new Rifles Banners to the County Army Cadet Force. All are most welcome to attend but please note that there will be no seating for spectators. Refreshments (free tea, coffee and toilets) will be available from 8.30 am in the nearby Royal Naval Association Club prior to the parade assembling on the dockside at 9.15 am.

At approximately 10.00 am the Parade will commence its march through the city; The Mayor taking the Salute as the troops, veterans and cadets march past The Guildhall before arriving at the Cathedral for our 11.00 am Service of Commemoration for the 60th Anniversary of the Battle of Imjin. All are, most naturally, welcome to join us at the cathedral (no tickets are required for unallocated seats). Please refer to the attached Itinerary for the Order of March.

After the Cathedral Service whilst Rifles troops and Korean veterans are attending The Mayor’s Civic Reception at King’s School, both the RNA Club, just opposite Custom House and the RAOB Club, opposite ‘The Tall Ships’ pub on Southgate Street, will open their bars to all from midday.

I anticipate that many guests, including Korean Veterans, who are invited to a buffet lunch at the RNA Club at 1.15 pm, will stay on into the afternoon.

Imjin veterans are invited to The Colonel Commandant’s buffet luncheon reception at Custom House; they, too, may well join in the gathering at the RNA Club later. If, as hoped, the RNA club is full then please feel free to use the bar and facilities kindly made available to us at the nearby RAOB Club (see attached map).

Please also note that also on that day The Soldiers of Gloucestershire Museum will be open from 10 am until midday and from 3 pm until 5 pm if anyone would like to visit to see the new Imjin 60 Exhibition.

Gloucester Rugby have generously made available 100 tickets to a ‘pie and a pint’ reception

(1 pm) including the match against Newcastle (KO 3 pm). Cost of these tickets is £15 each. PLEASE GET YOUR CHEQUES (payable to ‘RGBW Regimental Charities’) OR CASH TO THIS OFFICE IMMEDIATELY IF YOU WISH TO TAKE UP THIS OFFER. I must close the list with Gloucester Rugby by next Tuesday 22nd March!

Finally, a note of reassurance to all RGBW Association Branches: You are not excluded due to the hosting arrangements that have been made to welcome guests from the Korean Veterans Association (buffet lunch etc.) of course you are welcome to bring standards to parade with what will be a combined veterans contingent. You are also most welcome at the Cathedral service even though you may have no ticket (Korean / Imjin veterans will have tickets – to allow them allocated seating towards the front of the congregation). You are furthermore welcome, indeed encouraged, to join the gathering at the RNA Club – both before the parade and after the cathedral service when we are offering a buffet to Korean veterans, many of whom will have travelled from afar. Moreover, the RAOB Club is very much hoping that you will also patronise their bar which opens at 12.00 midday.

If you are an Imjin veteran, or know of one who will attend but has no ticket, then please do not hesitate to contact me soonest.

I very much look forward to seeing you all on the day.

Best wishes

Chris Willis