Shrewsbury Honours the Royal Yeomanry with Freedom of the Town

Members of the public are invited to show their support for the Army’s largest Reserve Light Cavalry Regiment when Army personnel will parade through the town centre this weekend exercising the Freedom of Shrewsbury for the first time.

The Mayor of Shrewsbury, Councillor Elisabeth Roberts, will welcome a 145-strong team  from the Royal Yeomanry on Saturday [JULY 30] at Shrewsbury Castle before the parade starts at 2.00pm, and makes its way through the town towards the Square, where the Royal Honorary Colonel, Her Royal Highness Princess Alexandra and Her Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant of Shropshire, Anna Turner, will be invited to inspect the troops by the Commanding Officer of the Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Charlie Field.

The Honorary Colonel of the Royal Yeomanry Regiment, Major General Simon Brooke, will also be invited to inspect the troops.

Road closures will be in place from 1.15pm until 3.30pm along Castle Gates from the railway station, Castle Street, St Mary’s Street, Dogpole, High Street and Princess Street to allow the parade to proceed safely. Diversion signs will be erected to assist drivers visiting Shrewsbury and there may be some minor delays to traffic that day.

The Mayor of Shrewsbury, Councillor Elisabeth Roberts, said: “It will be a great honour to receive the Royal Yeomanry Regiment at the Castle before they march through the town. We are delighted to recognise the work of the Army Reservists and this honour is in recognition of the long association and cordial relations which have existed between the town and the Regiment and the work of the British Forces in helping to defend the interests of the United Kingdom.

“I hope that as many people as possible will come along and support our Armed Forces on Saturday. It will be a great spectacle with 145 personnel marching through the town behind a military band and a Jackal vehicle with bayonets fixed and standards flying.”

The Regiment recruits from Shrewsbury and has a Squadron in nearby Telford.

Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Charlie Field, said: “We are thrilled to receive the Freedom of Shrewsbury. The prestigious honour is testament to the support we receive from the local community.

“Some of our soldiers live and work in Shrewsbury and I’m sure they will be very proud to be publicly honoured in their hometown.”

The Royal Yeomanry will be honoured with a private reception for the soldiers and their families at Shrewsbury Castle following the parade.

ENDS/

Published: 28 July 2022