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Royal Engineers to march to mark 200th anniversary

The Royal Engineers Museum next to Brompton Barracks, near Gillingham
The Royal Engineers Museum next to Brompton Barracks, near Gillingham

The Royal Engineers Museum next to Brompton Barracks, near Gillingham

Sappers will march through Rochester on Sunday to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Royal School of Military Engineering.

The parade - starting at 12.30pm - follows a special service to commemorate the occasion at Rochester Cathedral, and will proceed along the High Street.

Among the dignitaries present will be Gen Sir Peter Wall, who will take the salute at the war memorial in the High Street.

The march will be part of a weekend of events to mark the bicentenary of the Royal Engineers in Brompton.

A German V2 rocket has arrived at the Royal Engineers Museum after being restored by experts at the Borley Brothers’ workshop in Cambridge.

The V2 rocket arriving at The Royal Engineers Museum
The V2 rocket arriving at The Royal Engineers Museum

The V2 rocket arriving at the museum

The 14 metre rocket, which was brought back from mainland Europe by Royal Engineers, had been stowed at an MoD site in Chattenden for more than 40 years.

In 1944, Hitler ordered V2s to be directly launched at Britain and Belgium – and more than 1,000 reached targets this side of the Channel, killing thousands.

It arrived unheard and unseen and delivered almost a ton of explosive at a speed of 3,500ft per second.

The Medway rocket had been rotting away for the decades, but will now be on show at the museum in Prince Arthur Road.

Visitors can see it at the Corps Memorial Weekend, which is being held at the site in Prince Arthur Road, today and tomorrow, when it will be displayed in the courtyard alongside a section of the Berlin Wall.

Other activities from 1pm include a re-enactment group running demonstrations of life on the front line and the chance to visit the new Bridge Study Centre and open store.

The museum’s new Courtyard cafe will be also be open all weekend and the site will open both days at 11.30am, with last entry being at 4pm.

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