A new, bronze statue of Bobby the Blackbuck Antelope, the official mascot for the Royal Warwickshire Regiment and most recently The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers was unveiled in a special ceremony for invited guests at Warwick Castle on Thursday 6th June 2024.
The unveiling will be conducted by His Royal Highness The Duke of Kent, Colonel in Chief of the Regiment, and coincided with the 80th anniversary of the D Day landings, in which the Royal Warwickshire Regiment took part. 2024 also marks the 350th anniversary of the founding of the Regiment.
The regimental badge for the Royal Warwickshire Regiment has always been an antelope and according to stories of old it was first adapted from a Moorish banner captured during the Battle of Saragossa. After the Regiment was stationed in India, they began to adopt Blackbuck Antelopes as mascots and this tradition lasted for centuries. The Mascot was always called Bobby and sadly the last Bobby passed away in 2005 but the legacy of Bobby still remains a huge part of the Regiment’s life and traditions. Note The Blackbuck Antelope as the Regimental Mascot is still on the establishment of the Regiment. However, the Indian Black Buck is a protected species and a herd animal. Therefore, it has been decision of the Regiment since 2005 for animal welfare reasons not to replace the Mascot with a live Indian Black Antelope.
The idea for the ‘Bobby’ memorial was that of former Are Colonel (Warwickshire), Colonel Richard Cariss back in 2020.Initial plans were drawn up but then due to the COVID 19 pandemic plans were then put on hold. Planning permission was finally granted in March last year with the ideal time for the unveiling to coincide with the 80thanniversary of the D Day landings as well as the Regiment’s 350thanniversary this year.
The iconic statue stands at over 2.5mtall on a stone plinth and will be located in the Peacock Garden within the grounds of Warwick Castle. It has been created by renowned, wildlife sculptor, Knox Field, who is based in Oxfordshire. Through his commissions and personal projects Knox has an ever growing following that has seen him display his work around the country including at the Mall Gallery and La Galleria Pall Mall in London’s West End.
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