FOUR Essex teenagers who were selected to represent the county’s cadet forces have spoken proudly of their involvement in Colchester’s marking of the King’s Official Birthday.
Lily van der Waag, 16, Olivia Jiggens, 17, Kiitan Ojo, 17, and Adam James, 18, attended the 21-gun salute at Lower Castle Park on Saturday afternoon and said they loved being part of the occasion.
Lily, who is a member of the Army Cadets in Rayleigh, said: “It is such a privilege to be representing all the forces, even though you never know what to expect on the day of an occasion like this.
“It comes with a lot of pride as well.”
Adam, who is part of the Air Cadets in Chelmsford, said Saturday’s event is one of at least a dozen they attend throughout the year.
He said: “We go to a lot of events at short notice, sometimes being told about something days before.
“We get communications to our parents that there’s an event – a couple of weeks ago we were asked to be at Essex County Hall to present British Empire Medals and we were handing them out the medals on cushions.
“To meet all the recipients was really inspiring.”
Olivia, who is a member of the St John’s Ambulance Cadets in Colchester, and Kiitan, who is part of the Combined Cadet Force in Chelmsford, joined their colleagues being shown the artillery units by a member of 7 Parachute Royal Horse Artillery.
At Upper Castle Park, the crowds were treated to an array of musical numbers from the British Army Brass Band, including The A-Team soundtrack, Don’t Stop Me Now by Queen, and Eye of the Tiger by Survivor.
Town Crier, Rennie Chivers, said: “The trooping of the colour in London today is an important thing for the country and the king.
“We are one of the few places in the country where there will be a royal gun salute, so it is very special for Colchester.
“It is a reminder that we do have a British Army and they are going around the world looking after our safety.
“It is important we recognise that and support them in every way we can.
“We have lovely, sunny weather, the crowds have come out, so it is really exciting.
“Events like this keep the history and heritage of this country alive.”
