Soldiers from 14 Regiment Royal Artillery will take part in the Freedom of Trowbridge Parade at 11am on Saturday as part of this year’s Wiltshire Armed Forces and Veterans Weekend.

They will be led by the Commanding Officer Lieutenant Colonel Paul Bates, with a number of soldiers under his command, representing the local area and all 14 Regular regiments within the Royal Regiment of Artillery.

They will be joined on parade by the Band of the Royal Artillery and a section of the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery.

14 Regiment Royal Artillery, based in Royal Artillery Barracks, Larkhill, is the Royal Artillery’s training support regiment. The soldiers on parade are currently serving an external regimental employment.

It is the first time the honour of the Freedom of the Town of Trowbridge has been granted and recognises the service the regiment, which was stationed in Trowbridge during the Second World War and used Holy Trinity as its garrison church, has given to the town.

The salute will be taken by Her Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant for Wiltshire Sarah Troughton, the Representative of the Master Gunner St James’s Park Major General Kevin Abraham and the Mayor of Trowbridge Glyn Bridges.

Also in attendance will be Brigadier Neil Marshall OBE (late Royal Regiment of Artillery, Honorary Colonel to 14 Regt RA) and Phillip Dunne MP (Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology).

14 Regt RA’s equipment will also be on display, including an AS90 self propelled howitzer, 105mm Light Gun, Warrior observation post vehicle, High Velocity Missile system and Multiple Launch Rocket System.

The commemoration event, which takes place in Trowbridge Park on Saturday and Sunday, is held annually to celebrate and remember the veterans and serving members of the armed forces.

The weekend will include a bomb disposal demonstration, a weapons display and skirmish re-enactment, as well as a walkthrough timeline showing the evolution of the military soldier from the First World War to present day.

Both days will be rounded off with a parade of serving members of the forces, veterans and cadets through the town, before a traditional military drumhead service in the park.