With all Armed Forces Day events cancelled due to Coronovirus restrictions, it doesn't mean that there is not going to be a celebration of the Armed Forces. Local councils in connection with the national Armed Forces Day organisation are encouraging everyone to celebrate the Armed Forces from home by Saluting our Armed Forces.
Leeds City council are Coordinating a Salute Our Forces online public campaign to pay tribute to the British Armed Forces community. They are asking the public and Regimental organisations to send them a photo or video of yourself or your friends and colleagues saluting our Armed Forces.
Your photo could be you saluting on your own, with your household, or with your friends or work colleagues (as long as you are socially distanced from each other). This can be portrait or landscape, it just needs to be in focus and you need to ensure that you have permission from whoever is in the photograph to be included in the social media campaign for Leeds Armed Forces Day and the national campaign #SaluteOurForces
Once you have taken your saluting photo please do the following:
Email your photo to armed.forces@leeds.gov.uk by Tuesday 16 June, the council will aim to include your photo during Armed Forces week on their social media platforms. By submitting your photo you (and any people featured in the photograph) are giving Leeds City Council permission to store your photo and for it to be used on social media sites, LCC websites and for press and publicity for the use of celebrating Armed Forces Day 2020 and promoting Armed Forces Day 2021.
Please also email your photo's or video's to assnsecyorkshire@the-rifles.co.uk by Tuesday 16 June. The Association Secretary will then forward them to our other local councils to use.
Please help to boost the scheme by sharing your photo on your own social media platforms between 20 – 27th June and using the hashtags #LeedsAFD20 #SaluteOurForces and also tagging @LeedsAFD and @ArmedForcesDay. When sharing please include a message encouraging others to join in, for example: “You can pay tribute to the British Armed Forces community for Leeds Armed Forces Day by posting a photo or video of yourself or your family, friends and colleagues saluting using the hashtags #SaluteOurForces #LeedsAFD20 and tagging @LeedsAFD and @ArmedForcesDay.”
For Virtual Armed Forces Day 2020, some of our Buglers and Veterans join the Salute Our Forces campaign.
Garry Williamson 2LI, Garry entered the newcomer’s category of the online RIFLES Bugle Competition after only starting 12 weeks prior, he came 1st in his category.
Kevin Fawcett stood next to his hometown War Horse Memorial in Featherstone. Kevin was a Warrant Officer in 2nd Battalion The Light Infantry, again taking up the bugle 4 years ago and a founding member of the Minden House Buglers.
Peter Bate, our most senior member at 80 years young. Peter has been bugling for 60 years he was a member of the KOYLI & 2LI.
Major (Ret’d) David G Jarratt, David went through the ranks…