Armed Forces Day

My day started off with the ceremony for Armed Forces Day on a platform near to the cenotaph. The service was led by Canon Ian Rees and featured songs from Kirsten Orsborn and Morriston RFC Male Choir.

The Lord Lieutenant, myself and the Council's Armed Forces Champion then addressed the audience, the national anthems were played and then there was a remembrance service which included the Last Post, the exhortation and Reveille.

Afterwards we retired to the VIP tent for tea and coffee. This was the speech I delivered:

Lord Lieutenant, High Sheriff, Distinguished Guests, it gives me great pleasure to attend today’s Flag Raising Ceremony to mark Armed Forces Day.

It gives us the opportunity to celebrate our armed forces and give thanks for our serving personnel and those who have served in World Wars and other conflicts and to remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for us to enjoy the freedom we have today.

Our Armed Forces deserve the respect and admiration of us all and we are immensely proud of them.

Can I extend a warm welcome to our veterans here today from many associations as well as our serving service men and women and our cadets, our armed forces of the future.

Swansea has a long association with the Armed Forces and have warm relationships with 1st The Queen’s Dragoon Guards, The Welsh Guards, The Royal Welsh and it’s antecedent regiments, HMS Scott, and 215 (City of Swansea) Squadron, all of whom have Freedom of the City. Swansea is also proud to be giving Freedom of the City to 157 Regiment later this month

I welcome you also to the Wales National Airshow where later we as a City will be giving a warm welcome to the Red Arrows and other aircraft from past and present.

Once again, it gives me great pleasure to celebrate our armed forces and to be part of the Armed Forces Day Flag Raising Ceremony.

Thank You, Diolch yn Fawr