Remembrance Walk For Colchester Soldiers Highlights Sacrifices Of War

A walking route for soldiers to reflect on the meaning of Remembrance has been mapped out in Colchester.

The four-and-a-half-mile route takes soldiers around Merville Barracks and through Colchester, and includes locations that highlight the sacrifices of war.

Devised by Reverend 'Ollie' North, chaplain to 13 Air Assault Support Regiment Royal Logistics Corps, the walk takes in the history of both the 16 Air Assault Brigade and Colchester as a garrison town.

"Creating this walk was a direct response to coronavirus, which means that we don’t have the chance to come together and discuss what Remembrance means," he said. 

"The route is a physical, emotional, and mental journey for soldiers to explore the history and relevance of Remembrance, both for them as serving soldiers and for the wider community in Colchester.

"For me, the perfect outcome of a soldier doing this walk would be that when he or she stands to attention at 11 o’clock on 11 November their head and heart are in the right place, having really considered the sacrifices made by others on their behalf," he added.

Key locations include Cpl Budd VC Gymnasium, named in honour of Corporal Bryan Budd VC, who was killed in Afghanistan in 2006 and was awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross.

The route also includes the Colchester War Memorial and Colchester Cemetery, where 389 Commonwealth soldiers, killed since the First World War, are buried.

The walk finishes back at the barracks’ memorial garden, where soldiers can plant a poppy cross as an act of Remembrance.

Private Jamie Taylor, who did the walk with four colleagues from 13 Air Assault Support Regiment’s 63 Squadron, said it was "interesting" to understand "what Remembrance means to the town".

"I found the cemetery particularly moving," he said.

"It was such a peaceful and well-cared-for place, and seeing all the soldiers’ graves makes you realise what sacrifice means."

Cover image: British Army soldier planting a poppy cross  (Picture: British Army).