THE Army wheeled out the big guns to mark the 89th birthday of the Queen in spectacular military style.

Crowds of tourists and shoppers followed the Band of the Royal Armoured Corps as they marched to the Museum Gardens in York for the ceremony.

And on the stroke of noon today, April 21, three 105mm light guns, crewed by soldiers of the 4th Regiment Royal Artillery from Topcliffe, near Thirsk, fired a 21-gun salute.

The deputy commander of 4th Infantry Brigade and Headquarters North East, Colonel Mike Butterwick, accompanied the Lord-Lieutenant of North Yorkshire, Barry Dodd, as he inspected the saluting troop and the band.

York is one of 12 saluting stations in Britain, which include London, Belfast, Edinburgh and Cardiff, and is the only one in the North of England. It was granted the right in 1971 when the city celebrated its 1,900th anniversary.