Wiltshire soldiers mark St David's Day with traditional ceremony
1st Battalion Royal Welsh were led by Lewellyn II, the regimental goat
Last updated 27th Feb 2025
Soldiers with the 1st Battalion Royal Welsh have marked St David's Day in Wiltshire.
A parade, led by the regimental goat - Lewellyn II - was held at Lucknow Barracks in Tidworth.
Rehearsal's earlier this week had taken place in torrential downpours, but the rain gave way to bright blue skies on Thursday morning.
The ceremony saw the 'Welsh Warriors' march onto the parade square, accompanied by the Colour Party and Drums Platoon.
Lieutenant Colonel Oli Beard said it was a great ceremony.
"It means so much because we're able to, you know, link in with our Welsh heritage, link in with some of our past traditions and honours," he said.
Those honours included each soldier being given a leek, a national symbol of Cyrmu. It's an ancient tradition of Welsh units, allowing them to recognise each other on the battlefield.
Following the parade, the Battalion will share lunch, before an afternoon of sporting activity between each company.
The ceremony was led by the Regimental Goat, dressed in a green coat covered with emblems of each regiment, alongside the Goat Major.
This was Lewellyn II's first St David's Day parade, but he behaved impeccably, despite some hiccups in rehearsals.
Colonel Beard told us the goat is a special part of the parade, and praised his performance.
"I think today he did a good job. He's not always guaranteed to perform, but today we're pretty happy with it," he said.
Goat Major, James Wright, told Greatest Hits Radio he's very proud of Lewellyn.
"This past week of doing so many rehearsals, getting into the gist of it, there have been a few dramas with Lewellyn, but I am 100% absolutely proud of him, to behave and be a good soldier overall," he said.
Goat Major Wright has only been handling Lewellyn for a few weeks, making Thursday's success even more impressive.
He said: "I am very positive with the relationship like today proves the point that our bond has become even more greater than it was before because, at first, it was just the initiation of getting to know each other and work with each other, and today it's just proven that we can do that."
The ceremony also saw a number of soldiers recognised for their service and contribution to the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla.
105 members of the battalion were given a medal for their work during the coronation of the King.