12
Jun
Ripon bench marks 75th anniversary for Royal Engineers
The former commanding officer of 21 Engineer Regiment, the Royal Engineers, returned to Ripon for a special dedication ceremony at the weekend.
Lt. Col Perry Bishop (pictured centre) who now works at the Ministry of Defence in London, was present for the unveiling of a bench in Spa Gardens, which marks the milestone of 75 years since the Engineers were awarded Freedom of the City.
The bench, which overlooks the war memorial, was paid for by the Ripon Branch of the Royal Engineers Association and veterans, along with members of their families, were out in force for the ceremony.
Lt Col Bishop said:
The Royal Engineers are part of the DNA of this ancient city and I hope that in a few years time when they have left Claro Barracks, we can have a really large memorial here as a constant reminder of their long and distiguished service in Ripon.
The unveiling ceremony was one of many events in Ripon at the weekend that featured the Royal Engineers.
These included an impressive display of military hardware on Market Square on Saturday and the annual Freedom March on Sunday.
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