The credulity of the Sheeple

[Peter Presland]

Here's another one - of those things that make me despair.

Last week, after much ballyhoo and general anticipatory fanfare, a detachment of the Mercian Regiment marched through our sleepy little Derbyshire Dales Town. These are the reports of the event - front page on successive weeks with a big souvenir pull-out in the middle - from our local paper.

Final preparations for the Mercian Regiment
FINAL preparations are being put in place for tomorrowʼs historic march by the 2nd Battalion Mercian Regiment.

Bunting is hanging, flags are flying and organisers — the Ashbourne Branch of the Royal British Legion — are putting the finishing touches to the immaculately prepared welcome the town is expected to give the 220 heroes. Everyone in Ashbourne is once again urged to line the streets, but organisers have asked people to leave areas free for schools — including the pavement by the Methodist’s Church in Church Street and outside St Oswald’s School in Mayfield Road.
The soldiers are due to arrive in the Market Place, which will be closed to traffic, at around 10am on Thursday and are set to begin their march at around 10.20am.
They will march through Church Street to St Oswald’s Church where they will assemble for a short service at around 10.45am — leaving again at around 11.30am.
Candles will be lit in church to represent and honour each of their fallen comrades.
Following the service the soldiers and all their followers will start another march back to the Market Place where they are due to be dismissed at around noon.
While most soldiers will then be invited in to the Green Man in St John Street for a reception, some are expected to spend time walking around the town meeting families and shoppers to talk to them about the regiment.
Union Jack flags are on sale now in at least three Ashbourne stores, Cannon’s Newsagents in the Market Place and Lumbards Toy Shop in Victoria Square have been stocking them for a few weeks, while Hallmark in St John Street always stocks a range of flags.
Organisers say they are immensely grateful for all the donations, which have been flooding in since the march was announced, and they only have a small way to go before their target is reached.
To pledge support, or make a donation call British Legion secretary Tony Millward on 01335 346426.
Donations can also be left at the News Telegraph office, and we will pass them on.

And the big day itself:

Welcome home

By GARETH BUTTERFIELD

Last updated: 24/03/2010 09:50

"BRILLIANT, brilliant, brilliant" is how the organiser of last week's freedom march of the 2nd Battalion Mercian Regiment has described Ashbourne's welcome to the heroes.

Ashbourne was treated to the once in a lifetime spectacle as part of the regiment's celebration of being granted Freedom of the Derbyshire Dales at the start of the year - an honour that allows this sort of event to take place.

Hundreds turned out to line the streets and cheer on the soldiers, many of who had returned from service in Afghanistan in November, and some of them having lost close friends during their tour of duty.

The regiment's second in command, Jim Turner, spoke at the post-march reception in the Green Man of his gratitude for the warm welcome the soldiers received on their visit.

He said: "We've had an absolutely wonderful day here in Ashbourne, and we've been given such a wonderful reception - it's a great setting to march through.

"We've all marched in some big towns and cities but Ashbourne has been as good as anywhere we've been - it was especially nice to see so many school children out.

"As a regiment we rely hugely on local support and this makes a big difference to us all so we're very grateful to everyone here today."

Secretary of the Ashbourne Royal British Legion, which arranged and organised the march, Tony Millward, said: "I can sum the event up in three words; brilliant, brilliant, brilliant.

"I want to thank every single man, woman and child that came to cheer to the troops on, especially the school children that lined the route - it really was overwhelming to see them and the people of Ashbourne showing their spirit like that."

The British Legion's president, Major Richard Sampson, added: "It has been a lovely day, we were very lucky with the weather. It was a very moving church service and the whole day has been a great honour for all of us.

"The committee of the Royal British Legion and, in particular, our secretary Tony Millward, have been working very hard every day for the last three weeks to organise so we're delighted with the success."

Three companies from the regiment followed their marching band on the day, and were joined by their willing mascot Private Derby - a Swaledale Ram that turns out with soldiers at many of their marches and events.

Five soldiers from the regiment were killed action in Afghanistan last summer, and their visit offered comrades a chance to pay respects to their friends during a church service at St Oswald's led by Rev Geraldine Pond.

The 2nd Battalion Mercian Regiment, formed from the Worcestershire and the local Sherwood Foresters Regiment, which was made up of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiments and was first sent for service in the Boer War in 1882.

The regiment, which takes soldiers from Worcestershire, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire has roots dating back to 1694 and its motto is "stand firm, strike hard."

Gareth Butterfield of course knows which side his bread is buttered.

This is the sort of stuff we are treated to ad nauseam these days. For me it beggars belief that it is not met with the scorn that it so richly deserves. Everyone it seems has to agree about the splendour of the Emperor's New Clothes - or else.

Don't misunderstand me. The death of every soldier is a personal tragedy for the family - but no more nor less so than the death of a farm/factory-worker say, or anyone else before their time. For the most part they are young men - often from the decimated mining communities of the Thatcher era where there is no other hope of employment and the army appears to offer - well just what those reports offer. So yes, every such death is a tragedy; the problem is that the vastly greater number of totally innocent civilian Afghan and Iraqi deaths and lives broken at their hands is a mere statistic.

The orchestrated blind fury at the suggestion of a Muslim march through Wootton Basset to commemorate Afghan innocent civilian deaths illustrates the point.

I really would like to think that credible opposition to all this crap might one day emerge but, like I said before, I'm not holding my breath.