1st Battalion York Parade

1st Battalion Freedom of York Parade - 21 July 2009

1st Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment's homecoming parade through the City of York on Monday 21 July 2009.

You will need to download Java from the Sun Microsystems website for this to work.

You will need to downlad the latest flash player from the Adobe Websitefor this to work.
On a rather overcast morning, soldiers of the 1st Battalion carried out their homecoming parade through the City of York.  The Battalion stepped off from Duncomb Place with the Band of the King's Division leading.  The salute was taken by the Lord Mayor of York, Councillor John Galvin, from the steps of the Mansion House in St Helen's Square.  He was accompanied by the Sheriff of York, Mrs Jill Burnett, and the Regiment's senior representative Colonel Duncan Barley, himself a former Commander of the Battalion.
 
The Battalion recently returned to its home current base at Oxford Barracks, in Munster, having recently served in Iraq and Kosovo. 
 
During the parade each Guard of soldiers was dressed in temperate or desert uniforms to reflect the Battalions differing roles during the last ten months.  The soldiers displayed their recently awarded operational 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 carried out various training and security roles.  They were amongst the last combat troops to withdraw from southern Iraq (Operation TELIC 13).  Individuals were also present who recently served in Afghanistan and had 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 6 months as the UK Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance Task Force (ISR TF)) monitoring and policing the peace in Kosovo (Operation OCULUS).