Celebration, spectacle and sunshine: Armed Forces Day 2009

The UK’s first Armed Forces Day took place in Chatham Dockyard.

Hundreds of events, concerts and parades were held in many towns and cities to mark the first Armed Forces Day, which was created as an opportunity for the people of the UK to show their support for all those who make up the Armed Forces community, past and present.

The Historic Dockyard at Chatham in Kent hosted the sold out national event. A packed schedule played out to a crowd of over 30,000 people, bathed in glorious summer sunshine.

It was a chance not just to celebrate and comemmorate - it was also an opportunity to get a close-up look at service life and to meet and chat to personnel of all ranks and ages, from all services.

With so much to see and do, visitors had a challenging time packing everything in. The many exhibitions and displays offered the chance to glimpse life on the front line, with demonstrations of the latest equipment and technology.

There was music and song between the many formation and combat displays. Historic re-enactments provided a glimpse into history, and onlookers were wowed by a stunning tri-service display on the River Medway. In the sky there was a breathtaking flypast from the veteran aircraft of the RAF’s Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, and an appearance from the legendary Red Arrows.

Children and young people were kept particularly busy too, with digital shooting ranges, climbing and abseiling challenges and an inflatable assault course that was much harder than it looked. There were also rides to be had in RAF fast jet simulators, from which many woozy people were seen emerging with wide grins on their faces, and all manner of tanks and vehicles were thrown open for exploration!