THE Princess Royal, Colonel-in-Chief Royal Corps of Signals, flew into Salisbury yesterday (Saturday, February 29) to join serving members and veterans of the Corps to celebrate their centenary with a service of Celebration in Salisbury Cathedral.

High winds slightly delayed her arrival, and played havoc with many of the VIPs hats, but the parade took place in a sunny interval between icy showers.

On her arrival in the Close she was met by the Dean of Salisbury, Master of Signals, Lieutenant General Sir Nick Pope and the Lord Lieutenant, Sarah Troughton and inspected a Guard of Honour provided by 3 (United Kingdom) Division Signals Regiment.

The Princess Royal, accompanied by her husband, Admiral Tim Lawrence, then moved to the saluting dais where she took the salute as 300 members of the Corps, from Army Cadet Force cadet to Chelsea in Pensioners marched past.

The parade was led by the Royal Signals (Northern) Band from Darlington and included 15 Chelsea Pensioners, resplendent in their scarlet tunics and 45 Royal Signals Association standards from across the country and a large contingent from Bulford based 3rd (United Kingdom) Division Signal Regiment.

Then the 1,200 strong guests, including Salisbury MP John Glen and the Mayor of Salisbury John Walsh, moved to the cathedral for a service led by the Dean of Salisbury, the Very Reverend Nicholas Papadopulos and the Army Chaplain General, The Venerable Clinton Langston.

Commenting on the day, Major Lyndsey Kelly, Second-in-Command of 3 Div Sig Regt, was pleased with the day. He said: “This has been a really special day for the regiment because based in Bulford, Salisbury is where we like to come and we feel that it is part of our home so taking part in the Corps event on our doorstep is really special.”

“We are enabling todays event and having the Princess Royal here is a great privilege to us."

2020 marks the centenary of the formation of the Royal Corps of Signals when, on the 28th June 1920 The Right Honourable Winston Churchill as the Secretary of State for War signed the Royal Warrant which gave the Sovereigns approval for the formation of a ‘Corps of Signals’. Six weeks later in August, HRH King George V conferred the title ‘Royal Corps of Signals’.