The Prince of Wales joins the Parachute Regiment to unveil a memorial in Staffordshire 13th July 2012

 The Prince of Wales joins the Parachute Regiment to unveil a memorial in Staffordshire   13th July 2012 

  The Prince of Wales joins the Parachute Regiment to unveil a memorial in Staffordshire   13th July 2012

http://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/news-and-diary/the-prince-of-wales-joins-the-parachute-regiment-unveil-memorial-staffordshire

The Prince of Wales joined hundreds of current and former paratroopers today at a ceremony to unveil a national memorial to those killed serving in the Parachute Regiment.

Wearing ceremonial uniform in his role as Colonel-in-Chief of the regiment, The Prince also dedicated a separate memorial to the work of GCHQ during a visit to the National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas, Staffordshire.

His Royal Highness unveiled the memorial to GCHQ inside the arboretum's chapel and then attended an open air service to mark the opening of the Parachute Regiment memorial, which depicts Pegasus towering over a paratrooper.

Opting not to use an umbrella despite persistent rain throughout the half-hour service, the Prince was said to be impressed with the striking bronze statue honouring those killed since the creation of the Airborne Forces in 1940.

Standing on Portland stone paving, the regimental memorial comprises a paratrooper in jump order and Bellerophon, a hero of Greek mythology, astride Pegasus, the traditional badge worn to denote airborne troops.

Sculptors Mark Jackson, who created the paratrooper, and his friend Charlie Langton, who sculpted Pegasus initially in clay on a metal frame, chatted with The Prince as he viewed the tribute.

Mr Langton, who lives near Marlborough in Wiltshire, said The Prince had been pleased with the memorial, which was cast at Castle Foundry in Llanrhaeadr, north Wales.

Mr Langton, who spent around five months sculpting Pegasus before another six months' work at the foundry, said: "It's been two years since we first sat down and talked about it with the regiment and started getting ideas together."

Asked what The Prince had thought of the memorial, Mr Langton replied: "I think he was really pleased.

"I think he was impressed with the size of it and the way it's quite finely balanced, taking off.

"I think he was quite impressed with the engineering that's gone into it to achieve that, so it was a very nice reaction."

Earlier, The Prince dedicated a memorial to those who have contributed to the work of the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) and its forerunners, which have protected the UK's interests since 1914.

The Prince, who is the Royal Patron of the Intelligence Services, was greeted by Iain Lobban, the Director of the Cheltenham-based GCHQ.

Addressing an audience which included seven former directors of GCHQ, Mr Lobban said the memorial served to show that the organisation was "the sum of its people".

Mr Lobban said: "It's appropriate that this memorial is here in the centre of Great Britain because it reminds us of the plethora of signal sites that have dotted the UK and indeed the world."

http://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/news-and-diary/the-prince-of-wales-joins-the-parachute-regiment-unveil-memorial-staffordshire