of prisoners (in both Britain and Ireland) serving sentences in connection with the activities of paramilitary groups. Upon release, the two men were reinstated into the British Army, despite Queen's regulations stating that any member given a custodial sentence in a civilian court must be dismissed, barring "exceptional reasons". This decision caused a great deal of controversy in Northern Ireland, with national politicians such as Belfast Lord Mayor Martin Morgan speaking out against it. McBride's mother and sister have continued their activism against this decision. Dawn of a new millennium For the regiment, activities in the new millennium began similarly to the 1990s. The 1st Battalion was deployed to Ireland in 2000. Later that year, the battalion also deployed to Kenya for exercises that lasted 6 weeks. A contingent of the Scots Guards was also deployed to Sierra Leone in West Africa. In 2001 the 1st Battalion was back in Ireland, and a single company stayed there for 6 months. When the Queen Mother died in March 2002, only a month after her daughter, Princess Margaret, the regiment was very active contributing to the funeral. On 5 April, 6 officers and 300 other Guardsmen of various ranks took part in the funeral procession to Westminster Hall where the late Queen Mother would be lying-in-state until 9 April. Officers of the regiment took turns at standing vigil in Westminster Hall around the Queen Mother's coffin. Later that month, the 1st Battalion and F Company were presented with their new Colours by Queen Elizabeth at Windsor Castle. On 15 June the battalion took part in the Queen's Birthday Parade, a parade that was all the more significant because 2002 was also the year of Queen Elizabeth's Golden Jubilee, her 50th year as Queen. The regiment was also celebrating its 360th year, and had been the first regiment (the 2nd Battalion) to parade the Colour for Queen Elizabeth in 1952. The battalion and F Company were also involved in firefighting duties as part of Operation Fresco during the firefighters' strike. The Scots Guards, as did all other armed forces units, used vintage Army Green Goddess fire engines. The Scots Guards operated in Greater London during their firefighting duties. In 2003 the 1st Battalion deployed to Münster, Germany where it joined British Forces Germany (BFG) on a 6-year posting. Also that year, F Company deployed abroad to take part in exercises in the ex-Soviet