By William Coleman
Ex military personnel can sometimes have a little bit of a hard time once they leave the service and sticking together with former soldiers is a great way for them to keep grounded. To help this happen an award winning five-star Shropshaire touring caravan park hosted 30 members of the Light Infantry and Rifles Association who attended their annual reunion.
On June 1st around 2,000 ex-soldiers and their wives and family members attended the successful event at Shrewsbury Town Football Clubs’ Montgomery Waters Meadow stadium.
The Light Infantry Committee, which organises the annual reunion, was formed in 2007 after the Light Infantry, based at Copthorne Barracks in Shrewsbury, was merged with other regiments to form The Rifles.
The reunion was formerly held at Copthorne Barracks, which has now been demolished to make way for houses.
Thirty of the soldiers, who were members of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Battalions of the Light Infantry, stayed at Oxon Hall Touring Park, which enjoys a parkland setting on the outskirts Shrewsbury.
Three of those were good friends, Phillip Johnson from Wakefield, Barry Sleightholme from Jarrow and Eddie Diamond from Kent who were accompanied by their wives, Helen, Jeanie and Jackie respectively.
Phillip, a former Light Infantry sergeant, said they had thoroughly enjoyed the reunion, meeting up with old friends and staying at Oxon Hall Touring Park again.
“The Light Infantry was formed from all parts of the country and we have lads that travel from as far away as Germany, Canada and Australia for the reunion,” he explained. “When you joined the Light Infantry, you joined a family.
“We all did our training at Copthorne Barracks and the reunion is a place where the three battalions all come together once a year and have a good chinwag and a good laugh.
“Many of the lads and their wives stay in hotels and other accommodation in the town but we have stayed at Oxon Hall Touring Park for the past five years. Barry and Eddie have stayed there for much longer.
“We had an absolutely great time at Oxon because it has all the facilities we need and the staff are exceptional. They make us feel part of the family there. Following the reunion, we go back to the park, have a barbecue and have a good chat.”
Next up for Phillip and Barry is a sponsored walk along Hadrian’s Wall on the weekend of September 21-22 to raise money for soldiers diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Oxon Hall Touring Park manager Clive Jones said he was delighted to welcome members of the Light Infantry and Rifles Association and their wives to the park for their annual reunion.
The park’s staff looked forward to seeing them every year and he confirmed that they had already fully rebooked for next year’s reunion.
Owned by Shrewsbury-based Morris Leisure, Oxon Hall Touring Park was named AA Heart of England Campsite of the Year for 2019. It is open all year round, has 100 all-weather pitches and is situated close to the town’s park and ride bus service, which is popular with people attending major events in Shrewsbury.
