Head of 56th field regiment to lead Canadians at coronation of King Charles

When Lt. Col. Patrick Pitt joined the army more than 20 years ago, he couldn’t have imagined it would one day lead to a role in a spectacle viewed by millions of people around the world.

“Back then, my biggest worry was making it through basic training,” Pitt, who turns 45 in May, said. “At 18, you think you’re pretty brave and then you start training and start to wonder if you’re going to make it.”

Pitt made it through basic training and, after graduating from the Royal Military College in Kingston, embarked on a military career with the regular force. His last regular force posting was in Brantford with the 56th field regiment.

But he liked the military and the 56th so much that after leaving the regular force, he joined the 56th as a reservist.

Starting out as a captain, Pitt is now the commanding officer of the reserve unit that has batteries in Simcoe and St. Catharines. A couple of weeks ago, he was asked if he would be interested in taking on a new task.

Pitt was asked if he would lead the contingent of 45 members of the Canadian Armed Forces that will march in the coronation of King Charles III on May 6.

“At first I thought someone was playing a joke on me,” Pitt said when asked about his first reaction to the request. “When I think of the people who would be in line to take on something like this, my name isn’t the first to come to mind.

“It’s a huge honor and one that brings a lot of credibility to the 56th Field, the reserves and the Canadian Artillery.”

The Canadian contingent will include representatives of all branches of the armed forces (Navy, Army, Air Force, Special Operations), from across Canada. They will travel to London, England the last week of April and will practice ceremonial drill for two weeks until May 5. On May 6, the Canadians will be joined by military personnel from other Commonwealth countries for the coronation and Pitt will be the Canadian Guard Order.

According to published reports, Charles and Camilla will leave Buckingham Palace through the Center Gate and proceed down The Mall, passing through the Admiralty Arch and along the south side of Trafalgar Square, down Whitehall and along Parliament Street.

The procession – known as the King’s Procession – will then travel around the east and south sides of Parliament Square to Broad Sanctuary to arrive at the Sanctuary of Westminster Abbey, where the coronation service is set to begin at 11 am local time.

Millions of people from around the world are expected to watch the coronation – the first since Queen Elizabeth II was crowned on June 2, 1953, more than a year after ascending the throne following the death of her father King George VI.

The Queen died Sept. 8, 2022 at Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. She was 96.

Following the ceremony, the newly crowned Charles and Queen Consort Camilla will return to Buckingham Palace in a larger ceremonial parade known as the Coronation Procession. The procession is expected to include thousands of troops, military bands and other members of the Royal Family.

(With files from The National Post)

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