On Sunday 16 June, members of the Royal Tigers’ Association and the Royal Anglian Regiment celebrated their final annual service at Leicester Cathedral, with their Regimental Standard being presented to the Dean for “eternal safekeeping” in the Cathedral and two plaques in memory of two former Commanding Officers of the Regiment being dedicated.
The service, at which the Very Revd Karen Rooms presided and Bishop Martyn preached, was attended by the Lord Mayor of Leicester, the High Sheriff and the Lord-Lieutenant of Leicestershire, the Chairman of Leicestershire County Council and Brigadier Andrew Fisher, as well as the President and Chair of The Royal Tigers’ Association.
The service, which formed part of a final reunion weekend for those who had served in the Royal Tigers, was an opportunity to give thanks for its members, past and present. Dating back to 1688, the regiment saw service for three centuries, including in the two world wars, before being amalgamated in September 1964 with other Regiments based in the East Midlands and East Anglia to form the present day Royal Anglian Regiment.
As Captain Ty Smith from The Royal Tigers’ Association committed the Royal Leicestershire Regiment Standard to Dean Karen “for the safe keeping in this Holy Church for evermore”, she gave thanks for the Regiment’s long history of duty and service and prayed: “At this time of ending and change, we remember past members now at rest, and in gratitude entrust to you all that is past. At this time of change and new beginning, we pray for your blessing as, in hope, we journey on; in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour.”
In his sermon, Bishop Martyn reflected on the poignancy of this moment as “a reminder to us that our actions and influence outlast our own time here on earth” and the importance of thanksgiving as a means of “remembering who we are, what values have shaped us and our hopes for the future.”
“The Royal Anglian Regiment motto “strength from within” comes from the Bible”, Bishop Martyn noted. “Our strength as a nation comes from the values that have shaped us over countless generations.” And when individualism, nationalism and an obsession with outward appearance are to threaten those values, we can return to Scripture, which teaches that: “If our hearts and minds are being renewed through the love of God, and if we are filled with a sense of gratitude for all we have, this will shape our actions in this world. Indeed, it will even shape the way that we grow old, as we realise that there is little we can do to stop the aging process, but there is a lot that we can do to be renewed in our grace, our love, our patience and our kindness.”
Dean Karen dedicated two new plaques in the St George’s Chapel of the Cathedral, commemorating former Commanding Officers of the Royal Leicestershire Regiment: Colonel Richard Wilkes CBE TD DL and Colonel Terence Holloway.
Among the prayers said at the service was the Royal Leicestershire Regimental Collect:
“O God, who art slow to anger, and of great kindness, have mercy on thy servants of the Royal Leicestershire Regiment, who put on the boldness of the tiger in the day of battle, that we may never let the sun go down upon our wrath; and that, though victory be turned into mourning, we may remember that thou wilt wipe away all tears, for the love of Jesus Christ our Lord.”
The service concluded with a final procession for members of the Royal Tigers.
Captain Ty Smith commented, “The Royal Leicestershire Regiment Association have for many years held an annual reunion to remember our fallen and lost comrades. On the Sunday of those reunion weekends, we gather and proudly attend a service at the Cathedral, and are most humbled to visit St George’s Chapel where we can quietly pray and sit in contemplation.
“This will be our last official Royal Tigers Weekend as many members find it difficult to attend. Despite this, we will still remember them”.