Shamrock takes flight for big day

Queen Mother pictured during the shamrock ceremony

The British Army will be flying hundreds of shamrock out of Northern Ireland to Royal Irish Regiment soldiers serving around the world.

It is exactly 100 years since Queen Victoria decreed that Irish Regiments wear a sprig of shamrock in the head dress on St Patrick's day on 17 March.

Wherever the Royal Irish are serving, they will be presented with a sprig of shamrock on St Patrick's morning.

On Thursday, Second Lieutenant Lucy Horner will escort the sprigs from Belfast City Airport to the First Battalion, The Royal Irish Regiment, currently based at Canterbury in Kent.

In March 1900, after the news of the bloody Boer War battle which resulted in the relief of Ladysmith, Queen Victoria telegraphed the following message to her victorious troops.

It said: "I have heard with deepest concern of the heavy losses sustained by my brave Irish soldiers.

"Her Majesty, the Queen, is pleased to order that in future, upon St Patrick's Day, all ranks of her Irish regiments shall wear, as a distinction, a sprig of shamrock in their head dress to commemorate the gallantry of her Irish soldiers during the recent battles in South Africa."