HRH The Duke of Gloucester, who is Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Anglian Regiment, was joined by Territorial Army soldiers from across the East Midlands when he renamed the Oliver Cromwell steam engine 'The Territorial Army 1908 - 2008' in honour of the TA's centenary year at Quorn and Woodhouse Station on the preserved Great Central Railway in Leicestershire.
The event was a re-enactment of an event in 1958 to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Territorial Army, when a steam locomotive was named 'The Territorial Army 1908-1958' by the then Duke of Norfolk.
Accompanying His Royal Highness as he unveiled the steam engine was Major General Martin Rutledge OBE, the General Officer Commanding of troops in the Midlands and Wales, and Colonel (Retd) Steve Davies, who has been instrumental in organising the event.
A colourful array of stands profiling the units across the East Midlands were on display manned by part-time soldiers, and music was provided by the Volunteer Band of The Mercian Regiment.
HRH The Duke of Gloucester said:
"This year of celebration has given me the opportunity to join the TA on several occasions. I have seen them in action in Iraq and Afghanistan and I have seen how hugely appreciated they are."
Following the unveiling, prayers were offered and a two-minute silence was held to remember the fallen. A mail train then made a non-stop demonstration run to deliver a set of first day commemorative covers to mark the occasion. A limited number were signed by His Royal Highness.
Padre Kevin Bell who led the prayers said:
"As we gather here today there are TA soldiers serving in harm's way. They are committed just like fellow regular soldiers and are working in the same conditions. Today is about remembering the TA soldier. As Churchill once said, the Territorial soldier is twice the citizen; punching above their weight.
"It is our Army, they are our TA and they live in our communities. The engine-naming is an opportunity to remember those who have served and who continue to serve."
Brigadier Greg Smith, Director of Reserves (Army), said:
"Over 150 different events have taken place across the UK since April; all with one single intent of saying thank you to the TA past and present and the Reserve Forces and Cadets Association for their support.
"The TA forms a vital strand of our Army. 15,710 soldiers have deployed in the last five years alone. Over 700 TA soldiers are currently serving in Afghanistan, Iraq, the Balkans and Cyprus.
"These men and women put their civilian life on hold to do remarkable things. TA100 is a unique and important opportunity to recognise and pay tribute to the TA. And as we come to the conclusion of TA100 it is fitting that we remember those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice."
The temporary renaming and renumbering of 'Oliver Cromwell' took place with the kind permission of the National Rail Museum and in association with the Great Central Railways, an award-winning heritage railway.