More than 100 personnel from RAF Waddington and RAF Scampton marched through Lincoln on Friday for a Freedom of the City parade.
The two local Royal Air Force bases exercised their Freedom of the City for the first time since 2019. RAF Scampton was granted freedom of the city in 1993, while RAF Waddington has held the honour since 1959.
They marched from St Martin’s Square, down Lincoln High Street to the war memorial. At the war memorial, they were greeted by the town crier who performed a dedicated commemoration cry to both RAF stations.
A momentous occasion in Lincoln! | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
It was the last parade for RAF Scampton prior to its closure at the end of 2022.
Personnel from RAF Scampton will move to RAF Waddington this autumn before doing the final closure tasks and getting their current station ready for its future life
As part of the event, the march celebrated Lincoln’s strong ties with the Royal Air Force with a special flypast from the E-3D. The E-3D returned to its home base at RAF Waddington last summer after its final mission, bringing to a close 30 years of operational service.
It is now retired and used for crew training, as well as for the flypast for the Freedom of the City event.
The event included a special flypast from the E-3D. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Being awarded the Freedom of the City is an ancient honour granted to military organisations, giving them the right to enter the city “with drums beating, colours flying, and bayonets fixed”.
The Freedom Scrolls originally presented to each station by the Mayor of Lincoln were also on display.
See the rest of our photo gallery below:
| Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
| Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
| Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
| Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
| Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
| Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
| Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
| Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
| Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
| Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
| Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
| Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
| Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
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