RAF Wittering’s Station Warrant Officer and Station Adjutant had notable firsts on Tuesday 14 May during the Freedom Parade in Peterborough.
For Warrant Officer Hywel Greening, Tuesday’s parade was his first since taking over as Station Warrant Officer (SWO) in December 2018. In addition to being responsible for the maintenance of discipline and standards on the base, the SWO organises the Station’s parades in Peterborough and Stamford.
Image By: Cpl Paul Robertshaw
Tuesday’s Freedom Parade in Peterborough was weeks in the planning as Mr Greening worked with Peterborough City Council and Cambridgeshire Constabulary to ensure that no detail was left to chance.
Mr Greening said: “Your first parade is always going to be a bit nerve racking, but you have to trust your training and the people you’re parading with. It’s been fruitful to meet and liaise with the many agencies we’ve had involved and ultimately I think it’s paid off.”
Tuesday was also a first for Flying Officer Matt Barraclough, who was Parade Adjutant during the event and only commissioned as an officer in October 2018. The Parade Adjutant is effectively second-in-command of the parade and escorts the dignitaries during the inspection.
Image By: Cpl Paul Robertshaw
He said; “The ability for military personnel just to get the job done, regardless of conditions and come together a whole team is really impressive. We’ve produced a quality end result today and you can tell that the people have enjoyed seeing the parade.”
Matt is Station Adjutant at RAF Wittering, effectively the first port of call for any matters relating to the administrative running of the Station.
Wing Commander Mike Ainsworth is Officer Commanding Support Wing, which employs Flying Officer Barraclough and Warrant Officer Greening. He said: “Everyone in uniform remembers their first parade and especially their first parade out of the rank and file. It’s tense but, if you’re prepared and have worked hard, as everyone did, any feelings of nervousness are soon replaced with a sense of pride.”
