In 2020 Scarborough will be hosting the National Armed Forces Day. The town had previously staged events on Armed Forces Day, but across Britain one town is selected to host the national celebration and, on Saturday 27 June 2020, the nation’s gaze will turn to Scarborough.

The spin offs for the surrounding area are expected to be substantial. Scarborough Borough Council are apparently keen for Filey and Whitby to be involved and the Royal Air Force have been tasked to lead events in Filey. In previous years Filey Town Council have managed to organise fly-pasts of aircraft en route to the main event in Scarborough. The RAF’s famous Red Arrows display team, a Lancaster bomber from World War Two and a Vulcan Cold War nuclear bomber have all appeared in the skies over Filey. Given the scale of events taking place at Scarborough, it is reasonable to expect several fly-pasts in 2020. It is possible that there may even be some ground based events as well.

Reports suggest that the Royal Navy is leading events in Scarborough itself. When Liverpool hosted the National Armed Forces Day the frigate HMS Iron Duke visited the city and it is expected that the navy will send at least one vessel to Scarborough. It is likely that the ship, or ships, will pass Filey Bay, would it be too much to hope for at least one to anchor in Filey Bay overnight? Given Filey’s strong links to the Royal Navy, particularly with its thriving Sea Cadets, wouldn’t that be fabulous.

HMS Iron Duke at Liverpool.