Royal Regiment of Fusiliers to march through Morpeth

13 Apr 2023 ARCHIVED (over 3 months old) - view latest news

The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers will celebrate St George’s Day and their freedom of Northumberland with a special church service and parade through Morpeth on Saturday 22^nd April.

The parade will also mark the 55^th anniversary of the regiment which was formed on St George’s Day in 1968.

The Regiment has strong ties in the North East with a sub-unit in Cramlington and another plus its Battalion Headquarters based in Newcastle.
It is anticipated that over 250 people will take part in the parade with serving Fusiliers from 5 FUSILIERS taking part as well as Cadets and Veterans also. The parade will be reviewed by The Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Northumberland, Colonel John Anderson, Colonel of The Regiment, Major General Jonathan Swift, and local dignitaries.

The programme for the day starts with a special church service for invited guests at St James’ The Great Church, Morpeth before the parade then forms up on Copper Chare which is adjacent to the church.  

The Church service will be conducted by Padre 5 FUSILIERS, Maj John Whalley and Rector of Morpeth, Revd Canon Simon White. The parade will then set off at approximately 11.30am and will cover a route of 1km along Newgate St and Bridge St. The parade will halt outside the old Morpeth Riverside Leisure Centre.Road closures and diversions will be in place.

The Commanding Officer for 5 FUSILIERS, Lt Col John Gammon said: “The Parade will be spectacular and a great opportunity for everyone in Morpeth and Northumberland to pay tribute to those who serve our country so well. It’s also a great opportunity for us to showcase what we do as an infantry regiment so we look forward to meeting the people of Morpeth.”

The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, known as ‘The Fusiliers’, is an English infantry Regiment in the British Army, formed from four historic Fusilier Regiments in 1968.  Since then, the Fusiliers have seen service across the world in Northern Ireland, Cyprus, the Balkans, the 1^st and 2^nd Gulf Wars and Afghanistan. The Regiment has two battalions – First Fusiliers in Tidworth and Fifth Fusiliers in Newcastle – and both adapt readily to challenging scenarios.