THE history of the Worcestershire Regiment is the theme of a talk at the mayor's lecture.

The mayor of Worcester, Cllr Steve Mackay, will be hosting this year’s annual mayor’s lecture in the Assembly Room at Worcester Guildhall on Tuesday, April 24.

Sponsored by Worcester Civic Society, this year’s guest speaker is lieutenant colonel Mark Jackson OBE who has 'extensive military knowledge and experience'.

During his talk entitled ‘Your Regiment’, Mark Jackson will talk about the Worcestershire Regiment, its forebears and successors, covering some notable episodes in its history and their impact.

The talk will be illuminated by images of items and events and also show sites and parts of Worcester today that illustrate the relationship between the city and its regiment from 1694 to the present day.

Mark Jackson grew up in Worcestershire and was educated at Rugby School where he gained an Army Scholarship prior to going to the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst as an Officer Cadet in 1969.

In 1971 he was commissioned into the Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment, the successors to the Worcestershire Regiment in which his father served.

His regimental military career was dominated by tours of duty in Northern Ireland and the Cold War, which included tours in West Germany and guarding Rudolph Hess in Spandau prison in West Berlin, and a United Nations tour in Cyprus.

He was selected to attend the Army Staff College in 1984 and commanded his regiment in 1993-95 during which time he was awarded the OBE in the Operational Honours List.

Leaving the Army in 2006, he took up the role of chief executive of St Richard’s Hospice in Worcester for the next 11 years.

He maintains a very strong interest in the voluntary sector, is a trustee of the Mercian Regiment Regimental Charity and is chairman of trustees of the Mercian Regiment Museum (Worcestershire).

The lecture will begin at 7.30pm, entry is completely free and open to everyone, no tickets are required. Donations to the mayor’s charities are not compulsory but would be most welcome.

For further information please contact Phil Douce, Worcester Civic Society Chairman: Email info@worcestercivicsociety.org.uk Phone: 07760352086