THE Army’s most senior officer in the north of England undertook his first official engagement as a major general at a Royal salute in York.

Major General Giles Hill was appointed as the General Officer Commanding – GOC - of the 1st (United Kingdom) Division in April.

He escorted the Lord Mayor of York, Sonja Crisp, at a ceremony in the city’s Museum Gardens to mark the 62nd anniversary of the Queen’s coronation.

The 21-gun salute was fired by three 105mm light guns of 93 (Le Cateau) Battery, 5 Regiment Royal Artillery, who travelled from their base at Marne Barracks, Catterick.

The salute was the first official engagement for Maj Gen Hill, who served with the Parachute Regiment and is a Yorkshireman originally from Leeds.

He originally joined the Territorial Army as a private soldier, and was later commissioned as a Regular Army officer in 1990.

The 48-year-old now commands 25,000 troops across the UK.