THIS year saw the largest military presence at the Royal Bath and West Show for many years.

Tidworth-based units helped the recruiting organisation to display their equipment - and provide soldiers to talk to the crowds.

The Challenger 2 from 2RTR was crawled over by thousands of happy children, and the display of the latest engineering equipment from 4th Battalion Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers was a must see.

They had on display the new MAN Support Vehicle Recovery, (SVR) - a huge beast which can recover any vehicle up to a Warrior AFV.

Corporal Marc Hancock had nothing but high praise for the eight-wheeled monster. “It is an amazing vehicle,” he said. “Every axle steers and it is easy to handle, rugged, has excellent range and cross-country capability. We used it in Afghanistan and it was just the best.”

Craftsman Chris Branscome, also from 4th Battalion, is a metal worker with his workshop on the back of a second MAN variant. He was demonstrating his skills to an appreciative audience and, indeed, made a shepherds’ crook for the chairman of the Imagineering Fair.

What was excellent was linking this display to the Imagineering Fair, which was designed to enthuse young people about engineering and was supported by many defence companies including Augusta Westland, Airbus, Thales and both the Army and Royal Navy.

Commander 43 (Wessex) Brigade, Brigadier Steve Hodder, was the military guest of honour, and thoroughly enjoyed his role in presenting the top prizes in the livestock competitions after greeting the Red Devils as they parachuted onto the showground.