1st Battalion Leeds Parade

1st Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment in Leeds city centre

1st Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment's homecoming parade through the City of Leeds on Friday 24 July 2009.

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On a blustery summer day, a final homecoming parade - the last in a series to have taken place this week - marched through the city of Leeds.  The 1st Battalion stepped off from the Civic Hall at 1100 hours with the Band of the King's Division leading the parade around the city centre.  The salute was taken by the Lord Mayor of Leeds, Councilor Judith Elliott, who was accompanied by the Lord Lieutenant of West Yorkshire.
 
They were joined on the steps of the Civic Hall by the Regiment's senior representative, Major General Graham Binns CBE DSO MC.  General Binns was the Yorkshire Regiment soldier who, as Commander of British Forces in southern Iraq, officially handed over the province's security from coalition forces to the Iraqis in late 2007.
 
The Battalion recently returned to its home, Oxford Barracks, in Munster, Germany, having recently served in Iraq and Kosovo.
 
During the parade each Guard of soldiers was dressed in temperate or desert uniforms to reflect the Battalion's differing roles during the last ten months in Kosovo and Iraq.  The soldiers displayed their recently awarded campaign medals, presented at their Medals Parade in Munster, held on 17 July 2009.
 
Battalion Headquarters, C Company and Support Company returned from southern Iraq in early May, where they had carried out various training and security roles.  They were among the last combat troops to withdraw from southern Iraq (Operation TELIC 13).  Individuals were also present who recently served in Afghanistan. They received their campaign medals at last week's Medals Parade.
 
A Company were the very last unit from 20 Armoured Brigade to return from Iraq (Operation TELIC 13).  They were based in Baghdad, well away from the Battalion, and carried out important security roles as Protection Force (PROFOR) Company.  They handed over to Alma Company of the 3rd Battalion in late May.
 
B Company were the first to go on operation in September 2008 and first to return to Munster in March 2009.  They spent six months as the UK Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance Task Force (ISR TF) monitoring and policing the peace in Kosovo (Operation OCULUS).