Over a thousand years of recorded military history came to an end on Friday 10 March 2006, when the army staged a final march through the streets of Dover.

The 1st Battalion The Parachute Regiment bade the people of the Kent port farewell as they begin leaving the town's Connaught Barracks for St Athan in South Wales. The military unit will be the last to have served in Dover - known for centuries as the ‘lock and key to England’.


Over the years it was the prime objective of the invasion plans of William the Conqueror, Napoleon and Hitler. The parade, by around 85 soldiers began in the Market Square and culminated with a salute taken by the Commander of 2 Infantry Brigade, Brigadier James Plastow MBE, outside the historic Maison Dieu.