York gun salute marks Queen's 89th birthday

The Army marked the 89th birthday of The Queen with a 21-gun salute in York today.

Crowds of tourists followed The Band of the Royal Armoured Corps as they marched from Duncombe Place, near York Minster, to the Museum Gardens for the ceremony.

On the stroke of noon, three 105mm Light Guns were fired by soldiers of 3/29 (Corunna) Battery of the 4th Regiment Royal Artillery based in Topcliffe, near Thirsk.

The Deputy Commander of 4th Infantry Brigade and Headquarters North East, Colonel Mike Butterwick, accompanied the Inspecting Officer, Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of North Yorkshire, Mr Barry Dodd CBE, as he inspected the Saluting Troop, as well as members of the Royal Armoured Corps Band.

The Salute consists of 21 rounds being fired at 10-second intervals. York is one of 12 saluting stations in Britain, which include London, Belfast, Edinburgh and Cardiff, and is the only one in the North of England.

The discharge of cannon as a form of Salute is almost as old as the Artillery itself, although Royal Salutes are relatively modern.

The right of a Saluting Station was granted to York to commemorate the 1,900th anniversary of the city in 1971.