THOUSANDS are expected to turn out to pay tribute to sailors as they march through a Hampshire town.

More than 200 seamen and women from HMS Collingwood will be passing through Fareham with bayonets fixed, drums beating and colours flying on Saturday.

They will march from the civic offices to the bandstand where they will be inspected by the mayor Brian Bayford and Royal Navy commodore Tim Lowe, the commanding officer.

A medal ceremony will then take place.

The parade will start from the council offices at 10.45am then head down High Street, right into the shopping centre and up to the bandstand.

After the ceremony they will march out of Falklands Arch, on to Market Quay and Quay Street bringing them in West Street where they will take the salute.

They will then return to the civic offices before dispersing to Ferneham Hall.

Commodore Lowe, who is in charge of the parade, said: “We first marched through the town in 1975 and since then we’ve exercised that right about a dozen times.

“It doesn’t need to be done at any specific time or related to any sort of festival.

“We felt it was an appropriate time.”

Mayor Bayford picked Toe in the Water, which supports injured servicemen, as one of his chosen charities.

He said: “There is tremendous support here for the military and I expect Fareham to be packed with people on the day. I am honoured to be involved with this ceremony.”

The sailors will be accompanied by HMS Royal Marines band, from Portsmouth.

HMS Collingwood is exercising its Freedom of the Borough which was bestowed on it in 1974.

It was last exercised in May 2007 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Falklands Conflict. It then was attended by Baroness Margaret Thatcher.