Welcome Sgt Buttercup! Army Air Corps get new mascot as they parade through Wincanton

A month-old Friesian cow named Sergeant Buttercup was introduced as the new mascot of the 1st Regiment Army Air Corps as its soldiers exercised their Freedom of Wincanton in a parade through the town.

More than 150 officers and soldiers marched through Wincanton having been awarded the freedom of the Somerset town in 2016.

The parade also tied in with the 65th anniversary of the Army Air Corps, formed in 1957, and the regiment marked the occasion with the introduction of its new mascot.

The parade was also attended by General Sir Peter Wall, a former Chief of the General Staff (Retired) and Deputy Lieutenant for Somerset, and featured a flyover of military helicopters and musical support from the British Army Band Tidworth.

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The special occasion marked the first time the entire regiment has exercised the award since it was given to them in 2016.

Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Rivett, Commanding Officer of 1st Regiment Army Air Corps, told Forces News the parade means a "huge amount" to the regiment. 

"We have been in the Somerset area since 2014 and, since that time, we've become completely embedded within the Somerset community," he said.

"Our families live in the Wincanton area, our children go to the Wincanton school and we have a really close relationship with the local community.

"So for us to be able to do this today is really a physical embodiment of our relationship with that community," he added.

Lt Col Rivett added there is "absolutely" a sense of pride to carry out the parade in the community where many personnel live.

"They live with helicopters flying from our base over the top of their heads on a daily basis, so to come in and be... amongst them and to give something back to that community.

"Today, there was a huge number of cadets and school children lining the streets.

"For them, it will be a memory they cherish for a long time."

Being given the Freedom of a Town or City dates back to when fortress walls were necessary to protect locals from attacks and was granted only to troops who earned the trust of the local population.

It is one of the greatest honours a unit within the military can be given, and entitles the regiment to march through the town or city with colours flying, military music playing and bayonets fixed.