FIJIAN BRITISH ARMY MEN BOUND FOR AFGHANISTAN SING HYMN AT BLESSING CEREMONY
Fijian-born soldiers serving in the British Army took part in a blessing ceremony before their deployment to Afghanistan this week. Nearly 400 Yorkshire soldiers from Catterick Garrison marched through the rain to Richmond Castle to receive a blessing.
The soldiers from the 2nd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment, based at Somme Barracks, marched the four miles to the castle to take part in a Drum Head service conducted by their padre Captain Jonathan Wylie, which concluded with a blessing for the departing troops.
During the ceremony the Fijians sang a poignant hymn with the rest of the troops watching.
The soldiers will depart on a split operational tour with each deployment covering four months which will take them right through to the Spring of next year. Their Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Sam Humphris, told the soldiers more than 1500 people had been killed in the capital Kabul this year and one of their main tasks was to help provide the security to reduce those numbers.
He said he knew everyone was very well prepared for the deployment having conducted numerous exercises in preparation and expected the Regiment to conduct a very successful tour. “You should be very proud to represent your adopted county as well as your country,” he added. Brigadier Oli Stokes, Commander of 4th Infantry Brigade of which the Regiment is a part, said he followed their preparations for the tour over the last few months with interest and they would take the deployment in their stride.