A SOLDIER from Warrington has travelled to South Africa with the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment to receive the Freedom of Ladysmith.
Kingsman Barry Thorne, 28, was one of 22 soldiers from the infantry unit’s three battalions to take part in the trip to the historic city.
Barry joined the army in 2010 and is now a soldier with the regiment’s 1st Battalion which is based in Catterick, North Yorkshire. He has yet to serve overseas but is currently training for potential deployment to Afghanistan.
He loves to travel and as soon as he heard there were spaces available on the South Africa trip he jumped at the chance.
Barry said he particularly enjoyed the battlefield tours where he learned about the part that the Duke of Lancaster’s parent regiments played in defending Ladysmith during the Boer War of 1899-1902.
He said: “Spion Kop cost the British forces 1,500 soldiers dead or wounded. It was amazing to think that Winston Churchill, Ghandi and Louis Botha where all involved in the battle at Spion Kop, and to think how that may have influenced them later on in their amazing lives.”
The Freedom of Ladysmith was awarded in recognition of the sacrifice made by members of the Duke of Lancaster’s parent regiments during the defence and eventual relief of the town during the Boer War.
While there the soldiers took part in the Freedom ceremony, parading with other military units from South Africa before the city’s Mayor Councillor M V Madlala and the Colonel of the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment Brigadier Mike Griffiths.
The trip also saw the party adventure training, which included abseiling and white water rafting.
But among the most demanding of the trip’s commitments was the Swartkop Challenge; an extreme sport where teams pull a 1,300kg artillery gun up a 130m incline before firing it.
Picture: Kingsman Barry Thorne pictured fourth from left and standing next to the monument in Ladysmith which honours those military units awarded the freedom of the city.
