Work is under way to create a permanent memorial in the town centre as a thank you from the people of Maidstone to local soldiers, which could be in place by the end of the year. As the nation marks Armed Forces Day this weekend, chief reporter Angela Cole spoke to the commanding officer of 36 Engineer Regiment, Lt Col Simon Hulme, about life in the regiment.

“It would be wonderful to go on operations as an organisation and all come back safely.”
That is the wish of Simon Hulme, the commanding officer of 36 Engineer Regiment, but it’s also something which Maidstone wants, too.
The hundreds who turned out to clap and cheer at the Freedom Parade through the town in May showed the town’s affection for our troops.
And, the feeling’s mutual, according to Simon.
Of his troops’ reaction, he says: “They were really quite shocked by the number of people, and they were really warmed by it. They all felt it was very moving .
“The whole system has taken some casualties and some pretty horrific injuries and, irrespective of people’s view of whether we should be out there, they seem to realise that the guys in uniform don’t make that decision – they do what is asked .”
Simon took over at the helm of the regiment, based at Invicta Barracks, a year ago this month . Some 650 troops are based there, including the Queen’s Gurkhas, of which he is commandant.
With an ongoing conflict in Afghanistan, the regiment is rostered to provide support for the foreseeable future but Simon does not believe that situation has changed the barracks’ atmosphere.
“We have always got people in theatre, as we call it, and people coming back. Some people openly volunteer, and then go through pre-deployment training.
“Everybody is quite upbeat. There are lots of volunteers . It is quite a positive environment. I haven’t come across anybody who didn’t want to go back .
Family
“If you’re single, you think 'I want to get out there and do that.’ As soon as you have a family you have to consider both sides of it, but we don’t worry – you think 'why worry about it until I have to worry about it? If I’m going to go, I’m going to go.’
“I t is just how people deal with it. But then we attract the kind of people who deal with a situation. Most people join because they want to practice their trade.”
Simon is a father of two and married to Louise, who he met while serving in Germany nine years ago.
His top priority is ensuring his troops have good career progression. His own has taken him from Ashford, to being selected for Sandhurst, to North Yorkshire, Germany, Kansas and Chatham.
He initially glosses over some of the tougher bits. He served in Bosnia, and was part of the stabilisation force charged with rebuilding schools and reconstruction and working with the local community. In Iraq, he managed a total of 24,000 troops .
“Behind the fighting for peace, there is redecorating schools; putting the security around so that other organisations can go in and operate in a safer environment; getting stable electrical services; power stations; fixing pipe lines, and helping the locals to do that.”
He hopes that the groundwork which they do has a lasting legacy. “I do wonder about it; you wonder how the school in Bosnia, that we helped rebuild, is getting on.
“We lived in a metalwork factory while we were there – is it still there and is it producing anything?
“And is the air conditioning at Basra Airport working now, because it certainly wasn’t when we were there.”
While there, he says, he was fortunate, by sheer chance, to fly over what is believed to be the biblical Garden of Eden. He says: “As the sun was setting, we could see it all out of the back of the military helicopter. There was a hotel there, but of course it was deserted.”
Originally from Stockport, he and Louise seem to have put down roots .
“I like Kent. It is a beautiful part of the country. I started my training in Ashford and now being back here again for the second time is nice; it is coming home.”
His time in Maidstone will be up in December 2011, but the regiment will continue here until 2027, unless the defence review changes that. It means their relationship with the County Town is here to stay, and the possibility of a town centre memorial, paid for by the people of the town, would cement that relationship.
He says: “It is great for the regiment, and it is great for Maidstone. We get on very well with the town.
“I think such a memorial, from the people of the town, would be an indication of how much the town thinks of the soldiers in the regiment.”