People in Medway are urged to get
along to Chatham on Saturday to pick up their free flag and
enjoy the Armed Forces Day parade.

More than 5,000 free flags are being given out to people who
go along to Dock Road and Chatham High Street in the morning.

People can also pick up a flag at
Fort Amherst which is opening especially for event and has
organised some special military displays.

The flags are being
given out by Medway Council and will enable visitors to join
in the celebrations as the moving parade of 300 to 400 personnel
from the Royal Engineers, the Royal Ghurkhas, the Royal Navy and
the Royal Air Force, led by Her Majesty’s Band of the Royal
Marines, heads along the High Street and towards the
dockyard.

The parade will start at 10.30am in the High Street, turn right at
Military Road towards The Brook Theatre and then turn left on to
Dock Road.

Veterans will join the parade at Fort Amherst and the full parade
will then walk up to the dockyard.

At 11am there will be a civic salute at Gun Wharf by the Mayor of
Medway Cllr David Royle, when the parade reaches the dockyard there
will be a royal salute by the Duke and Duchess
of Gloucester, and at 11.15am there will be a drumhead service
as the parade finishes.

Afterwards, spectators can head down to the river to watch the
river events and fly-pasts from 3.30pm to 4.30pm.

Chatham’s Historic Dockyard is hosting the event with more than
30,000 people expected to attend. All tickets have been taken up
and only ticket holders will be allowed to enter the historic
dockyard on the day.

Cadets will be out in force, showing what they do today and
there will be lots of other displays and shows.

Warship HMS Argyll will be the biggest attraction; she is due to
arrive in Chatham late this afternoon (Friday).

Chatham was announced as the winner of the bid to stage the first
Armed Forces Day last year. The town or city that will stage the
2010 event will be announced tomorrow

Sorry, this video asset has been removed.

Video: The flag-raising
ceremony for Armed Forces Day

For more information about the
national event in Chatham visit www.thedockyard.co.uk

• Full preview in Friday's Medway Messenger
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