Councillor Farmer has served in the TA for over 30 years and fellow councillors and guests at Friday’s Mayor-Making Ceremony heard in 1997 he served in Bosnia on a full operational tour as a staff officer in the British Army headquarters.

Mr Farmer has served with the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, the Intelligence Corps, the Royal Engineers and the Royal Corps of Signals.

Born and bred in Coventry, Mr Farmer is a Freeman of both Coventry and London.

He has worked for most of his life as a design engineer in the aircraft industry and has also been a civil servant.

He moved to Wisbech in 2000 and he and his wife Susanah were married at the town’s St Peter’s Church.

In proposing Mr Farmer to serve as Wisbech Mayor for 2008-09, councillor Neville Frusher told the gathering Mr Farmer has a degree in economics, a post graduate diploma in politics and history and a masters degree in history.

Mr Farmer (Conservative) told the gathering at the North Brink Council Chamber he hopes to help promote “this magnificent town” and get to know more people within it.

“In my time as a Wisbech Town councillor, I have come to appreciate the sheer depth and breadth of the people of the Fens and the way they approach things. This is a unique town and I am very proud to represent it,” he said.

Mr Farmer spoke about some of the developments taking place such as the port regeneration, transformation of the former stadium at Cromwell Road and what he hoped would be a resolution of the chaos in the Market Place.

New deputy mayor is Yvonne Lawrence.

There were three cheers for out-going Mayor David Oliver, after his unusual two-year term in office.

Mr Oliver takes over the mantle of leader of the Town Council and he was thanked by Roger Green, who has stepped down as leader.

During his term in office, Mr Oliver has attended over 600 functions and, with his wife Barbara as mayoress and two daughters, have raised over £8,000 for local charities.

Past mayoral badges were presented to Mr and Mrs Oliver.