MORE than 300 soldiers will proudly march through the city of York today in the biggest freedom parade seen for some time.

The Yorkshire Regiment is celebrating its tenth anniversary and commemorating the last decade on operations by appearing at a series of public events across the region this month.

Today, members of the 1st and 2nd Battalions of The Yorkshire Regiment will march through the city in time-honoured tradition 'with bayonets fixed, flags flying and band playing', led by the Commanding Officer of the 1st Battalion, Lieutenant Colonel Jim Kennedy, to commemorate the regiment's milestone.

Freedom of York was first conferred on The West Yorkshire Regiment in 1944, extended to The Prince of Wales’s Own Regiment of Yorkshire in 1959 and transferred to today’s Yorkshire Regiment in 2006, when the regiment formed in York.

The regiment will form on Duncombe Place at 1.45pm, ready for the arrival of the Deputy Lord Mayor, Cllr Sonja Crisp and Deputy Town Clerk, Ian Floyd, who will preside over the parade, which takes place during Armed Forces Week.

The Deputy Lord Mayor will welcome the regiment to their home city and review the parade before they march down Blake Street, Davygate, Parliament Street, High Ousegate, Spurriergate, Coney Street to St Helen’s Square, and returning to Duncombe Place. There the Deputy Lord Mayor, joined by members of the York Normandy Veterans, will take the salute from a dais with Colonel David Colthup, of the Yorkshire Regiment.

A number of city centre traffic restrictions will be in place between 7am and 4pm, including at Duncombe Place, High Petergate, Davygate, St Sampson’s Square, Parliament Street, Spurriergate, Coney Street and Lendal.