HUNDREDS of people lined the streets of Huntingdon on Saturday to see RAF Wyton personnel and the World War Two Pathfinder Veterans receive the freedom of the district.

The Hunts Post: WW2 Pathfinder Veteran Colin Bell accepts the freedom of the district scroll, at Market Hill, Huntingdon,WW2 Pathfinder Veteran Colin Bell accepts the freedom of the district scroll, at Market Hill, Huntingdon, (Image: Archant)

A ceremony took place at Market Hill where Huntingdonshire District Council chairman Barbara Boddington handed scrolls to both RAF Wyton and the veterans.

A parade then followed as 60 uniformed personnel representing the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force, and about 20 veterans, accompanied by the Wyton Area Voluntary Band, marched from Market Hill, along the High Street, to Huntingdonshire District Council’s Pathfinder House.

There was then a salute at Samian Court as the veterans revisited their former headquarters which was crucial during the conflict with Nazi Germany.

Brigadier Nick Davies, commander of RAF Wyton’s Joint Forces Intelligence Group, said that it was both an honour and a privilege to accept the “prestigious award”.

He said: “This represents not only the long historical relationship between RAF Wyton and the local community but it also shows how the relationship endures and how it will flourish in the future.

“We are both honoured and privileged to be on parade with the veterans of the Pathfinder forces from the Second World War.”