Pub named after a hero of the Battle of Waterloo refuses to serve Navy sailors wearing their uniform moments after they celebrated being given Freedom of the City
- Crew of HMS Edinburgh had been given the Freedom of the City
- Around 250 officers cheered as they marched through Scottish capital
- Later kicked out of Ensign Ewart pub - named after a hero of the Battle of Waterloo - because they were in military dress
- Pub claims licensing regulations prevent them serving people in uniform
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Sailors from a Royal Navy ship on a farewell tour of the UK were given the Freedom of her namesake city - then turned away from a pub named after a hero of the Battle of Waterloo because they were in uniform.
Cheering crowds turned out to welcome the crew of HMS Edinburgh to Scotland's capital this week and mark the 30-year-old vessel's decommissioning.
But just hours later, the loyal servicemen were turned away from the Ensign Ewart pub as they went out to celebrate the honour wearing their best dress uniforms.
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Honour: The crew of HMS Edinburgh were cheered by crowds as they paraded along the Royal Mile in the Scottish capital
Turned away: Staff at the Ensign Ewart pub in Edinburgh refused to serve the sailors granted the Freedom of the City that very day - because they were wearing uniform. The pub is named after Charles Ewart, who single-handedly captured the standard of the French 45th Regiment at the Battle of Waterloo
Around 250 officers and other service personnel from the Type 42 destroyer had marched through the city, led by a Navy brass band.
They were then granted the Freedom of the City to applause from the crowd.
Years of service: HMS Edinburgh, seen set to depart Ocean Terminal in Leith earlier this week, is on a farewell tour
But despite the prestigious honour staff at the Ensign Ewart pub later refused to serve the sailors because of their attire.
The pub is named after Charles Ewart, a Sergeant in the Royal North British Dragoons, who single-handedly captured the standard of the French 45th Regiment at the Battle of Waterloo.
A Royal Navy spokeswoman said the servicemen were not breaking any rules.
She said normally crew would not be allowed to go out and drink wearing their uniforms but they had been given approval because of the parade.
A spokeswoman for the pub claimed staff had followed licensing regulations, which she said made it illegal to serve people in full dress uniform.
'We work within the confines of licensing laws,' she said.
But City of Edinburgh Council officials said there were no licensing laws banning people in military uniform from being served alcohol.
A previous ban had applied to policemen, but that law was no longer in force,the authority said.
HMS Edinburgh is on a farewell trip around the UK and will enter her base in Portsmouth for the final time on May 31.
The Ministry of Defence put the ship - nicknamed The Fortress of the Sea - and another Type 42 destroyer, HMS York, up for sale as part of the government's Strategic Defence Review.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2330204/Pub-named-hero-Battle-Waterloo-refuses-serve-Navy-sailors-wearing-uniform-moments-celebrated-given-Freedom-City.html#ixzz2UJ2Yzt94
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