Thursday was a very special day in Marlborough.
The Chief of the Defence staff and the Marlborough Mayor presented 37 soldiers from 45 Company, 4 Military Intelligence Battalion (4MI Bn), based in Bulford, Wiltshire with their Operational Service Medal for service in Afghanistan.
Eighty soldiers of 45 Company, 4MI, were joined by 150 of their colleagues, and Blue, their greyhound mascot, exercising the Battalion’s right as holders of the Freedom of Marlborough to march through the town’s streets. They were accompanied by the band of the Grenadier Guards, who played some fabulous music, including Thriller and the Mission Impossible theme.
4MI Bn was formed on 3 September 2001 but can trace its roots back to the D-Day landings of the Second World War. 4 MI Bn’s mission is to deliver intelligence and counter intelligence support to the Army. In Afghanistan, the Battalion provided vital information to the Chain of Command in order for tactical decisions to be made.
The parade was watched by Marlborough Town Council dignitaries, families and friends, and hundreds of school children who turned out to wave their flags and cheer the troops. The close ties between the town and the Battalion is underlined by the Battalion’s use of the greyhound as its emblem as illustrated in the Town’s coat of arms.
It was a moving and heartfelt celebration of the final 4 MI Bn homecoming for soldiers returning from Afghanistan.
