Parades mark soldiers' homecoming

The soldiers have returned from tours of Iraq and Kosovo

Soldiers from the 1st Battalion the Yorkshire Regiment have begun a series of parades to mark their return from overseas operations.

About 130 soldiers, many of whom have family in Yorkshire, marched through York to the Band of the King's Division with bayonets fixed and colours flying.

The troops have recently returned to their base in Germany after six-month tours of duty in Iraq and Kosovo.

Parades will also be held in Harrogate, Hull, Beverley, and Leeds.

The soldiers were greeted by cheering crowds, many waving union jacks.

Under the command of Lt Col Jonny Price, the battalion deployed to Basra in Iraq in November 2008 to train the Iraqi army to provide security for the country.

The Yorkshire Regiment's 'B' Company deployed to Kosovo last September as part of the wider Nato mission.

The Yorkshire Regiment was formed in 2006 in an amalgamation of three famous units - The Green Howards, the Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire and The Duke of Wellington's Regiment.