7:41am Friday 16th May 2008
TROOPS in the Territorial Army yesterday celebrated a century of military service.
About 900 soldiers attended a thanksgiving service and then took part in a colourful parade to a formal reception.
Many of the TA members past and present had seen action in the war zones of Iraq and Afghanistan - including Private Luke Cole, who has just been awarded the Military Cross for his bravery.
The event, in London, was one of a number of 100th birthday celebrations going on throughout the year.
About 2,000 people attended the National Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral, and crowds of onlookers lined the streets to watch as the congregation - many in uniform or ceremonial dress - left the building.
The soldiers then marched to their final destination for the reception - the Guildhall.
Heading the parade was the regimental mascot of the Royal Welsh, a long-haired white goat called Shenkin.
Pte Cole, who is being treated for injuries sustained in Afghanistan last September, attended the service and reception.
The 22-year-old, from Wolverhampton, is only the third person in the TA to be awarded the honour in the past 15 years.
He has served with the 4th Battalion, the Mercian Regiment, for the past five years while working full-time as a forklift truck engineer.
The soldier, who also served in Iraq in 2005, was shot in the leg on September 8. But after being shot, he left his cover to help his friend, Sam Cooper, who had suffered a head wound.
While giving him first aid, Pte Cole was shot again - this time in the hip, and the bullet came out in his stomach.
Pte Cole, who spent three months in hospital before continuing his treatment at Headley Court, Surrey, and requires a further two operations, said yesterday: "I was only doing my job."
DOING THEIR DUTY
● The Territorial Army (TA) was founded in 1907 under the Territorial and Reserve Forces Act
● The TA represents a quarter of the British Army's total manpower, with 36,000 recruits
● TA soldiers first engaged in active service during the First World War
● They account for about four per cent of Britain's total Army manpower in Iraq and eight per cent in Afghanistan
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