A service was held at St Chad’s chapel to celebrate 22 yrs of The Royal Mercian and Lancastrian Yeomanry. The regiment was recently formed in 1992 by the amalgamation of The Queen’s Own Mercian Yeomanry and The Duke of Lancaster’s Own Yeomanry as part of the Options for Change. It also absorbed The Queen’s Own Yeomanry in 1999. In 2013 it was announced that the RMLY was to be restructured, as part of the ‘Army 2020 Plan’, which effectively meant the Regiment had to be disbanded and the various squadrons restructured accordingly.
Today’s service was a moving ceremony where the ‘Guidon’ (the Regiment’s Standard) was finally ‘laid up’. The service was led by the Vicar of St Chad’s, Fr. Mark Cjadwick, with address given by Rev. Stephen Pratt, Padre RMLY, who reminisced fondly of his time in service to the Regiment. Captain Nick Trevor also gave a fond account of his time serving with the RMLY. A reading was given by Maj. Gen. Andrew Farquhar CBE Dl, Hon Col RMLY, a distinguished veteran of the of the Armed Forces.The service was followed by a parade through Shrewsbury Town as a final farewell to the Regiment.