On 12 March 2009, a detachment of soldiers of the 2nd Battalion (Poachers), The Royal Anglian Regiment, exercised their right to March through Lincoln with swords drawn and bayonets fixed. Although this is officially described as a "homecoming" parade, the 2nd Battalion were recently posted to Celle, Germany, following the completion of their second term of duty in Iraq. The freedom of the City of Lincoln was granted to the 2nd Battalion in 1997.
In their report of the parade, the BBC News programme "Look North" estimated that over 6,000 people had turned up to welcome the lads back to Lincoln.
