Apprentice Boys looking forward to the big day out

Apprentice Boys fire a canon during a previous Crimsion Players pageant to mark the Relief of Derry. Picture Martin McKeown.

The General Committee of the Apprentice Boys said officers and members were delighted to invite the Hamiltons to lead the parade.

“The lead band will be the historic local band, the Hamiltons, and the reason why we requested them to lead us this year is because they are celebrating their 100th anniversary of every member signing up to go off to fight in World War One together,” he said.

“This is our tribute to the Hamilton Flute Band.

“They joined the 10th Battalion Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers and this regiment became known as The Derrys because this was the regiment that all the men from here joined, and the Hamiltons became the core of the regimental band. So to mark this and the 100th anniversary of them signing up, we have asked them to lead our parade.”

On Saturday the General Committee will open at 9am and Parent Clubs and their bands will form up at 9.15am and move off at 9.30am for a parade of the City Walls.

A short religious service will take place at the Cenotaph at 10am to honour all those who have died in conflict, and a floral tribute will be laid.

The procession will move to St Columb’s Cathedral for a Service of Thanksgiving at 10.30am for the Relief of the City in 1689.

The guest clergyman for this service will be Rev David McBeth, of All Saints Clooney.

The Crimson Players’ pageant depicting the relief of the city, will take place at Carlisle Road junction and at 12.30pm.

Following this the main procession will then form up. Again it will be headed by the General Committee and will be led by Hamilton Flute Band.

The main parade will take place around the city.

After the main parade is over the Parent Clubs and their bands will form up at 5pm for the parade back to the Memorial Hall.

Commending the celebrations, Mr Moore said: “We hope everyone has a peaceful and enjoyable and profitable day.

“We hope traders remain open and take advantage of he many thousands of people coming into the city for the event.

“Before the procession starts members of the Fountain Youth Club will be dressing up in period costume  and a variety of events will take place prior to the procession.

“We hope everyone has a peaceful and enjoyable day and that everyone will make their journey home safely and we thank all the visitors who attend, many of whom will have travelled great distances to be with us,” he said.