Today, the weather was not too kind with a little drizzle during the ceremony and that was reflected in the size of the audience.
Our ceremony focussed on British involvement in NATO led wars with the Individual Remembrance being WO1 (RSM) Darren Chant of the 1st Battalion, the Grenadier Guards.
WO1 Chant along with four other British soldiers died of gunshot wounds in a sustained attack in the Nad e-Ali district, Helmand province, one of the most dangerous front-line areas in Afghanistan. They had been working as mentors and living in a compound at an Afghan National Police (ANP) checkpoint for two weeks. Six British servicemen and two ANP officers were also injured. An Afghan police officer opened fire on the soldiers as they were sitting down to tea or resting after a patrol.
Originally from Walthamstow, but a resident of Camberley at the time of his death, ‘Daz’ Chant had been in the military since 1986 when he completed his basic training at Pirbright, near to here. He had previously served in Northern Island, Bosnia and Iraq. He had been a member of the elite Pathfinders Platoon, the Parachute Regiment’s reconnaissance force, before joining the Grenadier Guards. As a colour sergeant and company sergeant major at Sandhurst, WO1 Chant was a major influence on a whole generation of junior and middle ranking officers. As Regimental Sergeant Major of the oldest Guards regiment, his position was a great honour and the pinnacle of his career. On the day he was killed, he was to be told that he had received a commission as an officer.
He is buried in Brookwood Military Cemetery and by some extraordinary coincidence, his wife was visiting his grave at the time of the ceremony and was proud to hear him being remembered by the Brookwood Last Post Association.
Alongside WO1 Chant the other soldiers killed in Afghanistan were Sgt Matthew Telford and Guardsman James Major of the Grenadier Guards and Cpl Nicholas Webster-Smith and Cpl Steven Boote of the Royal Military Police.
There were eight standards on parade with Alan Lopez parading the BLP standard. Paul McCue delivered the Individual Remembrance, Rev Peter Hills said the important words and Ruth Moore sounded the Last Post.
Royal British Legion Camberley Branch Chairman, Patrick Mathe was invited to read a statement from the RBL regarding the involvement of British forces in NATO led wars.
The ceremony was videoed, expertly edited and may be viewed here.
Afterwards, we retired to the Trench Experience to warm up and continue the stories.
Thank you to Paul McCue for his Individual Remembrance research. Mike Hillman for the photographs and Alan Meeks for the video footage of the ceremony.
Brookwood Last Post 