NO BUTTS: Shenkin the goat, the Territorial Army mascot, waits for the start of yesterday's centenary parade
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.
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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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