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Rifles granted freedom of Poole (From Bournemouth Echo)
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Rifles granted freedom of Poole
7:30pm Wednesday 10th March 2010
THE Rifles will be granted the Freedom of Poole next Friday with an exchange of gifts at the Civic Centre.
The regiment has been on the frontline of action in Afghanistan and the council wants to honour the men’s “bravery and dedication.”
The mayor will present a freedom scroll and commemorative sword to Brigadier Richard Toomey and in return receive a silver bugle, the unit’s emblem.
The honour traditionally gives a regiment the right to march through a town with flags flying and bayonets fixed.
There will not be a full parade until 2011 at the earliest because the unit has too many commitments, including the six-month winter deployment of a battlegroup to Afghanistan.
Fourteen members of the regiment have been killed since the council decided to award the honour in mid-December.
The Rifles were formed from four county-style regiments in 2007 including the Devon and Dorsets.
Poole granted the Dorset Regiment the freedom of the borough in 1946 and in 1976 extended this to the Devon and Dorsets.
Cllr Charles Meachin, the mayor of Poole, said: “ I am delighted to be able to grant this much-deserved honour on behalf of the people of Poole in recognition of the men and women who serve this country with such bravery, commitment and dedication.”
Three Rifles soldiers from Dorset have been killed in Afghanistan. Captain Mark Hale, 42, from Winton in Bournemouth, and Rifleman Phil Allen, 20, of Verwood, died last year, On Friday Rifleman Jonny Allott, 19, of Kinson in Bournemouth, was killed by an explosion in Sangin and is due to be repatriated today.
The Rifles held a freedom parade through Shaftesbury last September, and will hold a freedom parade in Bournemouth on July 25 to coincide with the town’s 200th birthday celebrations.
• We've suspended many of the comments on this story because they were inappropriate. Please show respect to our soldiers or we will have to pull the thread.
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Your Say YourEcho
karateman1964, Poole says...
8:00pm Wed 10 Mar 10
Lucy28, Poole says...
7:47am Thu 11 Mar 10
Bmth Boy, Poole says...
7:51am Thu 11 Mar 10
peter beneather benifit cheater, says...
8:03am Thu 11 Mar 10
a top comment well versed.
glennzilla, bournemouth says...
12:43pm Thu 11 Mar 10
dancingdog, Bournemouth says...
7:18pm Thu 11 Mar 10
So much for freedom of speech!
dancingdog, Bournemouth says...
7:21pm Thu 11 Mar 10
See what I mean - An opposite view to the editorial line will not be tolerated.
Down with Big Brother.
B.F.G, Poole says...
7:30pm Thu 11 Mar 10
dancingdog wrote:You utter moron, spineless too.
" Please show respect to our soldiers or we will have to pull the thread. "
See what I mean - An opposite view to the editorial line will not be tolerated.
Down with Big Brother.
rainbowkisses, Bournemouth says...
7:34pm Thu 11 Mar 10
dancingdog, Bournemouth says...
8:11pm Thu 11 Mar 10
B.F.G wrote:So you are saying it is Politically Incorrect to be a Pacifist are you?
dancingdog wrote:You utter moron, spineless too.
" Please show respect to our soldiers or we will have to pull the thread. "
See what I mean - An opposite view to the editorial line will not be tolerated.
Down with Big Brother.
rainbowkisses, Bournemouth says...
9:10pm Thu 11 Mar 10
dancingdog wrote:There is a difference between being a pacifist and somebody who belittles the deeds of others. You can afford to be a pacifist in this country, protected by our armed forces. Nobody is forced to sign up, so being a pacifist isn't a problem. I don't think you are one though. I think you are a coward. Not because you are against the war (lots of people are that) but because you feel the need to belittle the actions of our troops from behind a false name and on screen. I think you have no moral fibre and like all of that sort of person, you feel the need to bring others down to your level. Your sort are in the minority in this country. Most people (for and against the war) support our troops. You have the right to protest in this country (given to you by the troops you detest) so why not come down town on the 25th July and exercise your right?
B.F.G wrote:So you are saying it is Politically Incorrect to be a Pacifist are you?dancingdog wrote: " Please show respect to our soldiers or we will have to pull the thread. " See what I mean - An opposite view to the editorial line will not be tolerated. Down with Big Brother.You utter moron, spineless too.
dancingdog, Bournemouth says...
10:34pm Thu 11 Mar 10
FREEDOM OF THE BOROUGH OF POOLE: The soldiers of the 4th Battalion The Rifles
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rainbowkisses, Bournemouth says...
7:43pm Wed 10 Mar 10