Artillerymen Celebrations in Honour of Saint Barbara

The Field Artillery Command celebrated a military parade in Ferral del Bernesga (Photo:Field Artillery Command)

Anti-aircraft Artillery Command units paid tribute to Saint Barbara (Photo:Anti-aircraft Artillery Command)

The Artillery Arm and the Weapons Engineer Corps on 4th December celebrated throughout Spain the festivity of their patron saint, Saint Barbara. The Field Artillery Command carried out a military parade on Base ‘Conde de Gazola’ in Ferral del Bernesga (León), where the Field Artillery Command Headquarters and the 63rd Field Artillery Regiment are located.

The ceremony was presided over by the chief of the Command, General García-Vaquero. The Anti-aircraft Artillery Command units also celebrated various military parades in honour of Saint Barbara. In the case of the 71st Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment, located in Madrid, the commemorative ceremony was presided over by the director general of Weapons and Materiel, Lieutenant General García Sieiro.

The commander of the 71st Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment, Colonel Amador F. Enseñat, delivered an address in which he emphasised the need to base preparation for combat on solid moral values, adequate physical instruction and intense tactical and technical preparation: ‘If we have committed blood, we cannot be sparing with perspiration’.

In Melilla the military parade was presided over by the commander general, General Álvaro de la Peña, on the ‘Heroes of Melilla’ esplanade on Base ‘Alfonso XIII’. Among the civilian authorities, outstanding was the attendance of the president of the autonomous city, Mr. Juan J. Imbroda, and the Government delegate, Mr. Antonio M.ª Claret.

The force was principally made up by personnel from the 1st/32ndField Artillery Group and the 7th/32nd Light Anti-aircraft Artillery Group from the 32nd Mixed Artillery Regiment, in addition to the Melilla General Command Military Band. Mr. Imbroda presented the Autonomous City’s Gold Medal cravat to the unit Colour, in recognition of its tradition and relationship with Melilla.

In Ceuta the ceremony took place on the Parade Ground on Base ‘Teniente Fuentes Pila’, and was presided over by the commander general, General Martín Ambrosio, accompanied by the president of the autonomous city, Mr. Juan J. Vivas, and the secretary general of the Government Delegation, Mr. José J. Espartero.

Intervening in the military parade were the 1st/30th Field Artillery Group and the 6th/30th Anti-aircraft Artillery Group from the 30th Mixed Artillery Regiment, along with the Ceuta General Command Military Band. During the ceremony Mr. Francisco Correro, vicar-general of Ceuta, and Ms. Mª del Carmen Fajardo, the widow of Colonel Luis Navas, former commander of the Regiment, were named honorary artillerypersons.