Yorkshire Regiment marches through Beverley

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The troops marched into Beverley through North Bar and into Saturday Market were there was an inspection by Lord-Lieutenant of the East Riding, Susan Cunliffe-Lister.

Graham Stuart, MP for Beverley and Holderness said: “These soldiers deserve our thanks and I am delighted they were able to march through Beverley to receive the applause and good wishes of the thousands of people who lined the streets.

“Members of 1 Yorks have returned from Operation Telic in Iraq and I hope will now have a chance to rest and spend well deserved time with their families and loved ones.”

The parade, accompanied all the time by cheering and clapping from the crowd, then moved down Toll gavel and into Champney Road before finally finishing  outside the Memorial Hall.

THE 1ST BATTALION THE YORKSHIRE REGIMENT OPERATION TELIC

In October 2006, the 1st Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment deployed for the first time as a Battalion to Iraq.  The Battalion was employed as the Rural Battle Group (South) under the command of Lieutenant Colonel (now Colonel) Andrew Jackson, today’s Senior Officer, Its mission was to interdict and deter insurgent activity South of Basra city.

C Company, detached under 2nd Battalion The Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment, became the Brigade’s dedicated Light Role Strike Company tasked with arrest and detention operations throughout the Area of Operations, involving frequent, regular high risk moves into violent and unfamiliar territory to arrest and detain suspected insurgents.

Tragically, the 1st Battalion suffered the loss in battle of Private Luke Simpson to an Improvised Explosive Device.  The reaction to this incident led to the award of the Military Cross to Patrol Commander, Captain Ibrar Ali, who remained with the Battalion for its second tour of Iraq in 2008, in spite of severe injuries.  A second Military Cross was awarded to Major Ian Crowley for outstanding operational leadership, often in unfamiliar and extremely violent areas.

Basra was in the hands of the insurgents and the Yorkshire Regiment was at the forefront of the battle to regain control of the streets.  Despite the challenges and the difficulties, the Battalion performed in an exemplary fashion, living up to their nickname – The Yorkshire Warriors.

In November 2008, The 1st Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment returned to Basra, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Jonny Price, OBE.  This time, circumstances had improved markedly, and the Battalion was employed alongside the Iraqi Army, mentoring and training them to be a capable and self-sufficient counter insurgency force.  The Battalion was part of the Military Training Team, or MiTT Group, along with other Battle Groups of 20th Armoured Brigade.

This role saw small teams of mentors deploying into isolated out-stations, often within Iraqi Army barracks, providing support, advice and liaison to the Iraqi Army.  As well as this, the Battalion’s role was to provide civic support to the area, directing funds towards the renovation of schools, hospitals, health centres, water, electricity and sewerage, the regeneration of the marshes and the encouraging and fostering of employment and prosperity of Basra.

It was during this second tour that Operation TELIC drew to a close, with the extraction of all UK forces from Basra.  Although US forces remain in the province, the 14th Iraqi Army Division is now a respectable and well motivated force capable of providing security within this recently lawless area.  As such the UK mission is now complete.  The 1st Battalion is proud to have played its part in this historic success, and can honestly say that the Basra of 2009 is unrecognisable from the Basra of 2006.  Gone are the days of daily mortar and rocket attacks, the car bombs and Improvised Explosive Devices at the side of the roads.  The streets are bustling, the markets are open and the economy is booming.  Schools and hospitals are open and the utilities, once almost non existent, are now increasingly dependable and regular.