PICTURES: Soldiers march through streets in Freedom of Inverness parade
People lined the streets to watch as more than 200 soldiers from a Scottish regiment took part in a parade through Inverness as they exercised their freedom of the city.
Some onlookers took photos while others recorded footage of the spectacle where the 19th Regiment Royal Artillery (The Scottish Gunners) marched from St Andrew's Cathedral, along Ness Walk, across Ness Bridge, and up Bridge Street and the High Street past Inverness Town House ending at Eastgate this morning.
The Regiment Pipes and Drums were supported by University Officers’ Training Corps. Some carried rifles with bayonets fitted and there was a recruitment area at the end of the march.
Inverness Provost Glynis Campbell received their salute, along with Lord Lieutenant James Wotherspoon, during the freedom march as the Regiment passed the Town House.
The march was followed by civic hospitality at the Town House. Inverness councillors approved a grant of £9363 from the Inverness Common Good Fund to mark the occasion.
Prior to the event, 35 soldiers from The Scottish Gunners gave back to the community by carrying out maintenance works at the city's Tomnahurich Cemetery.
Working with Highland Council staff, they resurfaced paths at the top of the cemetery hill by spreading, raking and levelling quarry dust. Paths around the World War I War Memorial, located in the south section of the upper cemetery, were included in the works.
The Regiment was due to march through the city in March 2020 but the plans were cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Scottish Gunners, previously the Highland Gunners, were given the Freedom of Inverness on March 12, 1999.
A Highland Council spokesman said: "This is the highest honour a local authority can grant and is bestowed on organisations of distinction from the region. It is symbolic of the esteem in which the city holds the recipient."
History of the Regiment
According to Highland Council:
"The Regiment traces its history to 17 Brigade Royal Field Artillery which was formed in 1900 but the individual batteries date back to the 18th century. 17 Brigade saw action during World War I and in May 1940, had the honour of being the first Royal Artillery unit to fire in World War II while stationed at the Maginot Line. It subsequently served during the north African and Italian campaigns. 17 Brigade was re-designated 19th Regiment in 1947.
"During the 1950s and 1960s, it served in the Korean War and Aden Emergency. The Regiment was deployed to Bosnia in 1995 and Cyprus in 1998 for United Nation peacekeeping operations. Since the 2000s, the Regiment has seen action in both Iraq and Afghanistan, deploying to Afghanistan for the final time in 2012. Since 2018, the Regiment’s batteries have been deployed in Estonia as part of NATO’s Enhanced Forward Presence, working alongside the Estonian Defence Force to demonstrate our readiness and willingness to support our allies.
"In 1963, 19th Regiment became known as ‘The Highland Gunners’ and started to recruit from the Highlands. In December 2012, when the 40th Regiment Royal Artillery (The Lowland Gunners) was placed in suspended animation, some of its batteries were subsumed into 19th Regiment, which was officially renamed ‘The Scottish Gunners’.
"Although the Scottish Gunners now recruit soldiers from across the UK and the Commonwealth, all the soldiers and officers are proud to uphold the Regiment's Scottish heritage. The Scottish Gunners have been granted the Freedom of the cities of Inverness and Colchester and wear the Robertson tartan. The Regiment's Pipes and Drums is drawn from active duty soldiers and is a living connection to its Scottish heritage."
