The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers will once again commemorate a First World War military campaign with a special church service and parade through the town this weekend.
More than 300 Fusiliers, veterans, cadets, and VIPs are expected to take part in the event to remember those who fell at Galllipoli on Sunday, St George’s Day, to mark the 55th anniversary of the regiment’s formation.
The Gallipoli campaign was fought during the First World War and took place in Turkey.
At dawn on April 25, 1915, the 1st Battalion of Lancashire Fusiliers, part of the British 29th Division, landed on a beach, to the west of Cape Helles - the southernmost tip of the Gallipoli Peninsula.
The Lancashire Fusiliers were famously awarded "six Victoria Crosses before breakfast" and W Beach was renamed Lancashire Landing in honour of the battalion that captured it.
But the successful capture of “W Beach”, resulted in up to 700 members of the regiment being killed or wounded.
The commemorations will start with a church service at Bury Parish church ahead of a wreath laying ceremony to remember the fallen at Gallipoli.
The parade will be made up of five Fusiliers, The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers Band and Corps of Drums Lancashire, Fusilier Association, Cadets, Sea Cadets and representatives from the Lorne Scots in Canada.
Lt Col (Retd) M R McDonald, area secretary north for The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, said: “Gallipoli is such an important date in the Fusilier calendar, so we are delighted to be able to gather in person and commemorate it with a special church service and parade through the town once again.
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“We hope the people of Bury will join us on this special occasion and pay tribute to all those who took part and lost their lives in the Gallipoli Campaign.”
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The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, known as "The Fusiliers", is an English infantry Regiment in the British Army, formed from four historic Fusilier Regiments in 1968.
Since then, the Fusiliers have seen service across the world in Northern Ireland, Cyprus, the Balkans, the 1st and 2nd Gulf Wars and Afghanistan.
The Regiment has two battalions – the First Fusiliers in Tidworth and Fifth Fusiliers in Newcastle – and both adapt readily to challenging scenarios.
The Gallipoli Commemorations will take place on Sunday, April 23, beginning at 10.30am at the Castle Armory in Bury.
This will be followed by a service at Bury Parish Church at 11.45am.
The Gallipoli parade will begin at 1pm starting from The Rock.
For further information about the regiment visit www.thefusiliers.org
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