Crowd applauds Yorkshire Regiment's Freedom march

OVER 100 soldiers from the 3rd Battalion of the Yorkshire Regiment were applauded by crowds as they marched through Wakefield to exercise their new Freedom of the City.
By The Newsroom
Published 14th Mar 2010, 23:26 BST
Updated 14th Mar 2010, 23:28 BST

The soldiers represented all four battalions of the Yorkshire Regiment which was awarded the Freedom as a whole regiment. Soldiers from 2nd and 3rd battalions are currently serving in Afghanistan. Drum Major Anthony Oxley, 34, from Ryhill, near Wakefield, is one of those deployed and is currently leading troops in the Sangin area.

He said: "I would normally have been leading the parade as Drum Major which in my hometown would have been an honour.

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"However, I'm enjoying the job out here in Sangin. We've been patrolling through the villages and fields, meeting everyone from farmers and children to village elders and Mullahs. The work our soldiers are doing...is making a difference and beginning to bear fruit."

The Yorkshire Regiment comprises four battalions, a total of 2,300 officers and soldiers.

They are: 1st Battalion (Prince of Wales's Own), 2nd Battalion (Green Howards), 3rd Battalion (Duke of Wellington's Regiment) and 4th Battalion (Territorial Army).

Related topics:WakefieldSoldiersAfghanistan