Officers and soldiers of The 1st Battalion the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers held a parade to mark St. George’s Day at their home base in Tidworth, Wiltshire today, 23 April 2025.
The Colour Party, Left to right Colour Sergeant James Lashmore-Searson, Colour Sergeant Daren Lightfoot, Lieutenant Austin Hellards, Drummer Daniel Whitehead, Second Liutenant William McDonald and Warrant Officer Class Two Philip Kerr.
An Assault Pioneer Sergeant from The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.
The Colour Party marching off of parade.
Officers from 1st Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, marching onto parade.
Battalion chaplain Reverend Stuart Hull on parade with Major General Jon Swift, Regimental Colonel in the background.
Soldiers from the 1st Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers on parade for St. George's Day.
The Drumhead ceremony, a traditional military religious service where drums are used in the field or during times of conflict to create a makeshift altar, recognised their formation day and special affiliation with the patron saint of England.
St. George's Day is our Regimental Day, commemorating the anniversary of the formation of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers from four English Fusilier Regiments on April 23, 1968. St. George is central to our identity as Fusiliers and is represented on our cap badge and regimental cypher.
Formed on 23 April 1968, the same day nearly 2,000 years after St. George was executed for his Christian beliefs, the strong connection is also reflected in their cap badge which features a silver metal depiction of the martyr slaying the dragon.
The late morning service at Mooltan Barracks, with the Regimental Colours on display was led by the Battalion Chaplain, Reverend Hull, and accompanied by The 1st Battalion the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers Corps of Drums who played the ‘British Grenadiers’ quick march, and ‘Blaydon Races’ a folk song from the North East of England.
In a long-established tradition, each ‘Fusilier’ wore a red and white rose on their headdress, a reminder of the Regiment’s Battle Honours and their participation in the Battle of Minden during the Seven Years' War in 1759. Also known as the ‘Battle of Roses’ it echoes the soldiers who advanced through the hedgerows toward the enemy and decorated their caps with the emblem of England.
The Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel James Fern, said:
“St. George's Day is our Regimental Day, commemorating the anniversary of the formation of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers from four English Fusilier Regiments on April 23, 1968. St. George is central to our identity as Fusiliers and is represented on our cap badge and regimental cypher.
We have the honour of parading our third colour, the Wilhelmstahl Colour, which will be carried by the youngest drummer."
“Due to operations and deployments, we rarely celebrate St. George's Day on the actual date, which makes today very special. It is customary for us to wear red and white roses, and these roses also adorn our colours and drums.
“We have the honour of parading our third colour, the Wilhelmstahl Colour, which will be carried by the youngest drummer.
“In addition to the parade, this morning marks the conclusion of our inter-company competition featuring the World's Strongest Fusilier event. The winning company will be crowned "St. George's Company" and will have the privilege of wearing a patch of the regimental flag for the next year.”
It’s a family orientated battalion, full of tradition and history and I’m now part of that inclusive fusilier family. The soldiers of the Fusiliers are very proud of their history and rightfully so."
The day started at dawn, when the junior soldiers were woken by officers and Senior Non-Commissioned Officer’s who served them ‘Gunfire’ – tea laced with rum. It was followed by an afternoon of medieval themed fun, including a hog roast lunch, axe throwing, archery, bicycle jousting and chariot racing.
Sergeant Aveuta Tuila, a Fijian who has served for with the regiment for 22 years, said:
“Celebrating the birthday of our unit has been fantastic but also a time to reflect and remember our contributions in conflicts and battle honours. I wasn’t aware of England’s patron Saint until I started my military basic training.
“It’s a family orientated battalion, full of tradition and history and I’m now part of that inclusive fusilier family. The soldiers of the Fusiliers are very proud of their history and rightfully so.”
