Life is sweet for ‘ jamboys’ as Prince hands out battalion service medals
THEY ARE known as the “jamboys”, picked for their height and during the First World War given an extra ration of jam for nourishment.
Yesterday, they were selected once more for special treatment, as their Colonel, the Prince of Wales, handed out campaign medals for their service in Afghanistan.
Soldiers in the four other companies of the Welsh Guards – Number 2, Number 3, Support and Headquarters – had to be content with receiving their medals from high-ranking officers.
But those in the leading unit of the guard, the Prince of Wales company, were greeted in person by Charles, in full uniform, after a march on the parade square at Elizabeth Barracks in Surrey.
The Prince, who has been Colonel of the Welsh Guards since 1975, handed out Operational Service Medals, which are awarded to personnel by the Ministry of Defence for service in support of the post2001 Afghan War.
After the parade, Charles met members of the battalion and their families.
Samuel George Parry, one of the soldiers on the parade said the day had been “a fantastic experience and it was really nice to have friends and family there as well”. Mr Parry, 23, joined the Welsh Guards because he was “looking for a different experience” and had been “feeling like a challenge”.
“I wanted to fill my early years with interesting things that I could look back and be proud of,” he said.
The 23-year-old served in Afghanistan for four months with the Number 2 company.
He added: “In Afghanistan we were in charge of the vehicles and were meeting with the government, helping them to develop their country.”
Established in 1915 by King George V, the Welsh Guards are a Light Role Infantry battalion based in Pirbright, Surrey.
The guards have taken part in almost every British Army campaign since the First World War.