Freedom of the Borough

The Freedom of the Borough is the highest award that a council can bestow. The Freedom of the Borough of Solihull has been awarded only twice. The recipients of the honour were the 2nd Battalion Mercian Volunteers in 1985 and Lance Corporal Matt Croucher GC in 2008.

2nd Battalion The Mercian Volunteers

The Mercian Volunteers was a Territorial Army infantry regiment which was formed on 1st April 1967 with its HQ in Walsall and four companies based in Stockport, Kidderminster, Burton-upon-Trent and Nottingham.

The 2nd battalion had been based in Solihull since it was raised on 1st April 1975. Its HQ Company was based at the Territorial Army centre in Haslucks Green Road, Shirley, with other companies in Worcester (A & F(HSF), Stoke-on-Trent (B), Ellesmere Port (C), and Walsall (D).

The battalion was to celebrate its 10th anniversary with a parade through Solihull town centre in April 1985.

At a meeting of Solihull Council’s Policy Committee on 18th February 1985, councillors were informed than an approach had been made by the Lord Lieutenant of the West Midlands, requesting that the Mayor grant the Freedom of the Borough to the battalion.

Councillors resolved to approve in principle the award, which had be ratified at an extraordinary meeting of the Council called by the Mayor. This meeting duly took place on 7th March 1985, with the formal resolution being:

That the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in accordance with Section 249(5) of the Local Government Act 1972 and being desirous of perpetuating the friendly association of the Battalion with the Borough do hereby confer on the Officers and Men of the 2nd Battalion the Mercian Volunteers the Freedom of the Borough, and thereby the right, privilege and distinction of marching through the streets of the Borough on all ceremonial occasions with their colours flying, bands playing, drums beating and bayonets fixed.

Solihull Council minutes, 7th March 1985

On Saturday 20th April 1985, The Mayor of Solihull, Councillor Geoffrey Gibbons, presented to the battalion’s Commanding Officer a scroll recording the resolution sealed with the Common Seal of the Corporation.

Some 125 men from B Company (based at Stoke-on-Trent) with a platoon from Crewe exercised their right to parade through the town centre with bayonets fixed, colours flying and drums beating. Civic hospitality for approximately 400 people was then provided at the Solihull Conference and Banqueting Centre, previously known as Solihull Civic Hall.

The 2nd Battalion Mercian Volunteers was disbanded on 5th April 1988, with A & F Companies transferred to The Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment, B and D Companies transferred to The Staffordshire Regiment (The Prince of Wales’s) and C Company transferred to The Cheshire Regiment.

On Saturday 27th July 1991, the Colours of the disbanded 2nd Mercian Volunteers were presented to Solihull Council by Colonel Thomas Dunne, Lord Lieutenant of Hereford and Worcester and honorary colonel of the 4th (Volunteer) Battalion of The Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment. The ceremony took place at Tudor Grange Park, with the Mayor of Solihull, Councillor Ron Herd, accepting the Colours, which were then displayed at the Civic Suite.

The presentation of the Colours on 27th July 1991 was exactly 14 years after the Colours were originally presented to the 2nd Battalion The Mercian Volunteers by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at a ceremony in the Hall of Memory Gardens, Birmingham on 27th July 1977. This was the same day that the Queen paid a whistle-stop tour of Mell Square as part of her Silver Jubilee Tour.

Lance Corporal Matthew Croucher

On Tuesday 14th October 2008, a special meeting of Solihull Council was convened in the Civic Suite at 5.30pm to grant the Freedom of the Borough to Lance Corporal Matt Croucher GC, 40 Commando, Royal Marines. It was resolved:

(i) That the Metropolitan Borough Council of Solihull, in accordance with Section 249 (5) of the Local Government Act 1972, confers upon Lance Corporal Matthew Croucher GC the Honorary Freedom of the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull and causes him to be admitted an Honorary Freeman of the Borough in recognition of his exemplary behaviour and supreme heroism, selfless devotion to duty, courage and comradeship; and
(ii) That a scroll recording this resolution sealed with the Common Seal of the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull be presented to him.

Lance Corporal Croucher was the first individual to be awarded the Freedom of the Borough. The presentation was made by the Mayor of Solihull, Councillor David Bell, on 16th December 2008.

L/Cpl Croucher was awarded the George Cross for his bravery in throwing himself onto an exploding grenade to save the lives of three comrades in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. The booby-trapped grenade was tripped on 9th February 2008 as members of 40 Commando were searching a suspected bomb-making compound. L/Cpl Croucher threw himself onto the grenade, using his rucksack to absorb the brunt of the blast. Special plating inside his body armour saved his life, and he suffered only a bleeding nose and shock.

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If you have any further information, please let us know.

Tracey
Library Specialist: Heritage & Local Studies

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