Coronation Street actor Antony Cotton said yesterday was one of the “proudest days of his life” as he inspected graduating soldiers at the Army Foundation College.
The college on Pennypot Lane recruits about 1,500 men and women each year. It’s the only British Army establishment that delivers military training to junior soldiers aged 16 and 17.
Around 750 soldiers graduated yesterday and the accompanying parade, which is the largest of its kind in Europe, featured a flypast from an RAF Typhoon.
The actor, who is gay and a LGBT campaigner, was invited to the event by the British Army and tweeted his pride at being asked:
“To think that 20 years ago a man like me wasn’t even allowed to serve, let alone officially inspect a pass off on the parade square. I’m incredibly proud to be part of the British Army’s tribe.”
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It was the first graduation to take place where soldiers walked under a memorial walkway dedicated to Captain Sir Tom Moore.
Lieutenant Colonel Farebrother MC, commanding officer at the AFC, praised the graduating soldiers.
He said:
“They have had an extremely tough year, coping with long periods away from their families and loved ones whilst becoming the trained soldiers you see before you today.”