Freedom of Rotherham Parade

Yorkshire Regiment receives the Freedom of Rotherham [Photo: R Harvey]

... presented to the Yorkshire Regiment on Monday 3 August 2009

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On Monday 3rd August, a special ceremony took place in which the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham presented the Freedom of the Borough to the Yorkshire Regiment.  Earlier in the year, the council voted to grant the freedom to the Regiment for its service and recognise the strong historic connections with the Borough and South Yorkshire.
 
During the ceremony the Regiment's senior representative, Colonel Simon Newton OBE, invited the Mayor, Councilor Shaukat Ali, along with the Deputy Lord Lieutenant of South Yorkshire, Colonel CJ Tattersall TD DL, to inspect soldiers of the 3rd Battalion.  Thereafter, a presentation ceremony took place whereby a special scroll was presented by the Mayor of Rotherham,   This honour grants the Regiment rights to march through the Borough with Colours flying, bayonets fixed and drums beating, according to tradition.  The 3rd Battalion's Corps of Drums carried out a victory beating for the crowds of onlookers.
 
The Battalion's Second in Command, Major Nigel Rhodes, then asked for permission to exercise the newly granted freedom rights and, lead by the Band of the King's Division, proceeded to march the Battalion through the town.
 
This is the first time The Yorkshire Regiment has been directly granted a Borough Freedom since our formation on the 6th June 2006.  All sixteen existing antecedent Freedoms have been transferred to the Regiment.
 
The Regiment was represented by soldiers from across Yorkshire and in particular the 3rd Battalion, who's heartland is the West Riding of Yorkshire.  The soldiers wore desert uniforms in recognition of the recent return of Alma Company, the last Infantry unit out of Iraq.  Burma Company group has just deployed to Afghanistan and they will soon be joined by the 2nd Battalion battle group and volunteers from the 4th Battalion.
 
A slide show of additional images of the parade will appear in due course.  Public videos of the parade can be viewed here.