From Helmand to the High Street

Fully crewed and equipped armoured vehicles are, happily, an unusual sight on the streets of Shrewsbury. This one, a Jackal, was leading a parade of a regiment with strong local links - the Welsh Cavalry, properly known as the First The Queen's Dragoon Guards, here to mark their return from Afghanistan and be awarded the freedom of the town. Although it was here on the friendliest of terms it was still slightly unsettling taking this shot and looking straight down the barrels of those substantial machine guns.