Flag Flying Ceremony's in Scarborough, Filey and Whitby Mark Start of Armed Forces Day Celebrations

Scarborough will host the national Armed Forces Day event on Saturday and today a week of celebrations gets underway with flag flying ceremony's in Scarborough, Whitby, and Filey

In Scarborough the flag will be delivered by a Royal Navy mine sweeper vessel and a team of navy divers.

The Royal Navy Hunt-class mine counter-measures vessel, HMS Brocklesby, will transport one of the flags to the town’s South Bay for the morning of 20 June. At 9.30am, Royal Navy divers will bring the flag from the ship to the beach.

Shortly after 10am, Scarborough Sea Cadets will collect the flag from the divers on the beach and relay it across Foreshore Road and up through St Nicholas gardens. It will be delivered to the Mayor of the Borough of Scarborough, Councillor Eric Broadbent, at the Town Hall.

The flag flying ceremony will start at 10.20am at the Town Hall gardens in St Nicholas Street. In attendance will be the Mayor and Mayoress, Royal Navy personnel, veterans, standard bearers, representatives of the Royal British Legion, cadets and invited guests. The event is a public event; residents and visitors to the town are encouraged to attend.

Filey will host a Royal Air Force (RAF) led flag raising ceremony in Crescent Gardens. The Mayor of Filey will attend the event alongside RAF personnel. The flag will be raised at 10.30am followed by a flypast by an aircraft from the joint Hawk Squadron based at RAF Leeming, known as 11 Squadron, Qatari Emiri Air Force (QEAF).

A British Army led flag raising event at Whitby Dock End will start at 10.10am.

The four person Force Atlantic team, on board the yacht in which they finished the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge in 2021, will form a flotilla in the harbour alongside the town’s RNLI lifeboat and local rowing boats.

Two Army vehicles will be present at Dock End following a journey from The Defence School of Transport at Leconfield, via Runswick Bay and Sandsend.

The public event will be attended by the Mayor of Whitby, Army personnel, veterans, standard bearers, cadets and local school children.

As part of a community project managed by Animated Objects Theatre Company in support of the Armed Forces Day national event, more than 150 school children will parade from Pannett Park at 9.45am, through the town centre to Dock End for the ceremony.

Lee Threadgold from Animated Object Theatre Company has been helping local school children make models for the parades.

The programme for the event at Dock End is:

• 0930 hrs - All Cadets, Veterans arrive for parade. Deputy Commanding Officer arrives.
• 0945 hrs - Mayor and Councillors Arrive.
• 1000 hrs - School Parties taking part in the parade organised by Animated Objects arrive Dockend
• 1015 hrs - RNLI/Flotilla Moves/Rows to Flag Raising Position.
• 1015 hrs - Flag Raising Party move into position.
• 1020 hrs - First Fanfare played on arrival of Armed Forces Flag.
• 1025 hrs - Lord Lieutenant's Army Cadet receives Armed Forces Flag.
• 1030 hrs - Flag Raising. Second & Third Fanfare. Fly-over (single aircraft). Parade Dismiss
• 1045 hrs - Flag Raising Ceremony Finished.

The children will be parading with handmade parade pieces including army patrol vehicles inspired by the Yorkshire Regiment, dazzle warships and a special series of pieces in remembrance of the First World War.

The young people’s version of the RAF Red Arrows team will be leading the parade.

Similar parades will take place in Filey on Tuesday afternoon and in Scarborough on Thursday morning.

Lee Threadgold says each parade will have it's own unique elements.

Looking ahead to the flag raising ceremonies, the Mayor of the Borough of Scarborough, Councillor Eric Broadbent, said:

“It is always an honour and privilege to pay tribute to the Armed Forces community at the start of Armed Forces Day week and this year will be particularly special as we make our final preparations to host the prestigious national event.

“The flag raising ceremonies are a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the work and dedication of everyone who serves and has served in the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force, but also remember those who paid the ultimate sacrifice in past conflicts.

“I invite people of all generations to attend the ceremonies in Filey, Scarborough and Whitby to show their support and appreciation.”

Commodore Phil Waterhouse, Naval Regional Commander for Northern England and the Joint Military Commander for the Armed Forces Day national event, said:

“This is a very proud moment for the people of Scarborough and myself as a proud Yorkshireman, to see the Armed Forces Day national event in the town and wider borough.

“We have all worked hard to prepare for the week and it is set to be one we shall all remember for a very long time to come.”