OF all the spectacular sights seen on Skipton's High Street over the decades, few can have been as impressive as Saturday's military parade by the Duke of Wellington's Regiment.

With "drums beating, bands playing, colours flying and bayonets fixed" they marched through the town to the delight of locals and visitors alike.

For a free show, this took some beating.

The Craven district has long associations with the Duke of Wellington's Regiment, which was founded 300 years ago. And, to honour those links, Craven District Council conferred honorary citizenship of the whole district upon the regiment.

Military parades are always a stirring spectacle and a large crowd had gathered for the start of the ceremony as the regiment made its way down The Bailey led by the regimental band.

They drew up in front of the town hall, where civic dignitaries had assembled to witness the spectacle. Among them were local members of the Duke of Wellington's Association for former soldiers, who looked on proudly at their successors, many of whom were wearing the Kosovo medal for their recent service in the Balkans.

The ranks were inspected by Ken Hart, chairman of Craven District Council, the town mayor of Skipton, Andrew Rankine and the Lord Lieutenant of North Yorkshire, Lord Crathorne.

Following the inspection (where naturally not a button was found unpolished, not a crease found on uniform), Coun Rankine welcomed the regiment to Skipton, which had conferred the honour of the freedom of the town on the Dukes in 1991.

"Men recruited from Skipton, many of whom gave their lives, have played a part in your history," he said.

Coun Hart then invited the regiment to accept the freedom of the whole district on "a very proud day in Craven's history".

He said that under the regiment's colours generations of Craven men had left their homes to serve their country all over the world.

It was left to the chief executive of Craven District, Rachel Mann, to read out the official proclamation, which gives the regiment the right to carry fixed bayonets through the town.

The Colonel of the Duke of Wellington's regiment, Major General Sir Evelyn Webb-Carter, accepted the honour.

"It is no little thing to be given the freedom of the district," he said. "It underlines our territorial ties with Skipton and Craven district. These links are of some standing. The 6th Battalion from this area served gallantly in World War One and World War Two."

The honour accepted, the crowds were then treated to a wonderful display of drummers beating out the victory. It lasted several minutes but no-one would dispute that they wished it had been at least twice as long.

Once the drummers had returned to the parade, the commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel DS Bruce, bawled out his request for permission to exercise the regiment's new rights, permission which Coun Hart willingly granted.

And so the parade drew its bayonets, fixed them to their rifles and set off "drums beating, bands playing, colours flying and bayonets fixed" down the High Street, into Swadford Street, right into Coach Street, along Water Street and back past the Cenotaph, saluting the dais before being dismissed.

It was a sight which will live long in the memory of those lucky enough to have been there.