Time to unfurl the colours and shine boots for RAF Shawbury freedom parade through Shrewsbury
Members of all three armed services will be exercising RAF Shawbury's Freedom of Shrewsbury at the weekend.
Sunday morning's march with swords drawn, bayonets fixed, colours flying, drums beating and bands playing will celebrate the Coronation year of Their Majesties the King and Queen.
A parade from Shrewsbury Castle to The Quarry from 10am will be followed by a Commemoration of the Battle Britain.
Personnel at RAF Shawbury from all three services, under the watchful eye of the Station Warrant Officer, will be rehearsing after their normal duties this week to hone their drill skills and ensure that all is perfect for the parade and commemoration.
They have been invited by Shrewsbury Town Council, and the parade and commemoration will be attended by the Lord Lieutenant of Shropshire and civic dignitaries.
RAF Shawbury was granted the Freedom of Shrewsbury in 1967 and with it the privilege of marching through the town with swords drawn, bayonets fixed, colours flying, drums beating and bands playing.
The parade will form up at Shrewsbury Castle at 10 am and then march through the town to The Quarry entrance near St Chad’s Church.
A Battle of Britain Commemoration Service will then be held at the War Memorial in the Quarry at 10.45am.
The honour of being granted the freedom of a town, and with it the privilege of marching through the town with swords drawn, bayonets fixed, colours flying, drums beating and bands playing, is believed to date back to ancient Rome when the boundary or ’pomerium’ was considered sacred and leaders of armies were forbidden from entering.
In medieval Europe similar practices continued and troops would have to camp outside city walls.
To be granted the Freedom of a City was an honour only granted where the armies had gained and earned the trust of the local population. In modern times to be granted the freedom of a borough, town or city is purely a ceremonial honour and will acknowledge historic ties or the appreciation of a military unit.
The Battle of Britain saw the Royal Air Force face its greatest test and the courage and sacrifice of ’The Few’ - the 2,945 RAF aircrew who faced the Luftwaffe from July to October 1940.
