Marking Armed Forces Day in Edinburgh

In Edinburgh, a parade led by The Highland and Lowland Bands of The Royal Regiment of Scotland marched along George Street on Saturday morning, stopping at a saluting dais at the Assembly Rooms before assembling in St Andrew Square to mark Armed Forces Day.

Armed Forces Day is always held on the last Saturday of June and is an annual opportunity to show support and gratitude for the Armed Forces community, including serving personnel, veterans, reservists, cadets, and their families.

A selection of WWII vehicles, including some tracked tanks, also processed along George Street with the bands and veterans.

The British Army in Scotland includes The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards at Leuchars Station, the 39 Engineer Regiment at Kinloss Barracks, and The Royal Regiment of Scotland at Fort George, representing a diverse range of combat and support capabilities.

The government said that its Strategic Defence Review emphasises the importance of Scotland’s industrial base. At Rosyth, Babcock is constructing the Royal Navy’s new fleet of five Type 31 frigates, a multi-billion-pound programme supporting hundreds of skilled jobs and sustaining a world-class shipbuilding industry.

This Armed Forces Week, 8,200 members of the UK Armed Forces will be deployed overseas, serving on 52 operations in 38 countries. Hundreds more personnel are working to protect our skies, shores and seas at home.

Secretary of State for Scotland Ian Murray said:”I’m immensely proud of all our Scots servicemen and women and I’d like to thank them for the extraordinary work they do to keep us safe all day, every day in the UK and around the world. National security is a UK Government priority and we will always stand up for our military. I look forward to the whole country uniting for today’s Armed Forces Day to show our support for currently serving troops, service families, veterans and cadets.”

This year, the town of Cleethorpes in Lincolnshire will host the Armed Forces Day national event and is expected to welcome 200,000 visitors to the celebrations this weekend.

The Ministry of Defence has also announced that the bidding process for next year’s Armed Forces Day national event will open next week, on Tuesday 1 July.

Local authorities can apply for up to £50,000 in funding to host the official Armed Forces Day national event.

This follows the government’s decision to bring back the Armed Forces Day national event for the first time since 2023.

The winning town or city will also receive support from the Ministry of Defence such as military musicians, air displays and flypasts.