The commanding officer of the artillery regiment that fired a 21 royal gun salute on the day of the coronation said the occasion had been a "great honour".
Just after noon, at the exact moment His Majesty was crowned, a 21 royal gun salute was fired at York Museum Gardens in synchronisation with saluting stations across the UK, in overseas territories, and on His Majesty’s ships at sea.
The historic salute was fired by 4th Regiment Royal Artillery (the North East Gunners), a close support artillery regiment armed with three L118 Light Guns, a 105mm artillery piece normally towed by the Pinzgauer gun tractor, but also capable of being airlifted by helicopter or dropped by parachute.
Commanding Officer Lieutenant Colonel Matt Brocklesby said: “It’s a great honour to be part of such a unique historical event in the nation’s history in our hometown of York, where we have a great relationship with the county and the people.
“On behalf of the regiment, we wish the King and Queen the very best on the occasion of the Coronation.”
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The regiment normally provides fire support to light role infantry brigades (ones not mounted in the Warrior Infantry Fighting Vehicle) but has also deployed outside this role such as in Northern Ireland, or more recently as part of the United Nations peacekeeping force on Op TOSCA in Cyprus.
Gun salutes are customarily fired, both on land and at sea, as a sign of respect or welcome. Today gun salutes mark special occasions on certain days of the year, many of them with royal associations.
Gun salutes occur on the following royal anniversaries: Accession Day, the Monarch’s birthday, Coronation Day, the Monarch's official birthday, The State Opening of Parliament, royal births, and when a visiting Head of State meets the sovereign in London, Windsor, or Edinburgh.
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