Sunday 9 October 2011

Welcome Home

16 Air Assault Brigade received an appropriately warm Ulster welcome yesterday in Newtownards, County Down.

1st Battalion, Irish Guards, is an element of the Brigade.

Hundreds of people lined the streets to welcome them home following their tour of Afghanistan. They marched through the town after a service at St Mark's Church before attending a civic reception.

Lieutenant-Colonel Prince Christopher Ghika OBE, Irish Guards, said
"I think it has been a great thing we have been looking forward to, wonderful. We started with a church service in St Mark's then we marched round the town. It's been a busy week, but an amazing uplifting week, and the welcome we have received everywhere has done away from any sort of tiredness. The tour of Afghanistan was clearly very demanding, and really tested people emotionally and physically, but I think knowing that we have something like this at the end of our tour is something to aim for."

4 comments :

Anonymous said...

Lord B, I have no wish to impune your journalistic integrity, but didn't Prince Christopher Ghika die in 2003? (Your link being to his obituary!) VC

Anonymous said...

Oh, I see, it's his Son! VC

Timothy Belmont said...

I put the link of his late father in which provides a lot of info.

Anonymous said...

What a riveting link to his father. Obituaries can be among the most fascinating bits of a newspaper to read.