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The Procession
What were you told to do in case someone wanted to get closer to the coffin … even worse wanted to push/damage the coffin? We were given very clear instructions after the first person approached the coffin early in the process. Our Colonel reminded us that we are the Queen’s Life Guard and we should exercise that right in the face of a threat. Indeed, the police presence was increased after an early incident. During my period of the vigil there was a moment where the police had to restrain an individual. What was life like immediately after the funeral? How has the sense of loss / adaptation to change of monarch affected the military generally and the Household Cavalry more specifically – or is it very much business as usual? There was an extended week-long mourning period for the Royal Household and the Household Division. Although work resumed, black ties were donned and the social side of the army was reduced, we are now very much back to normal. Over the course of time a few nuances with uniforms will change to reflect King Charles III, notable the Tudor crown will now be used by the monarch and will be seen on cap-badges and regimental insignia; however, this will be a slow change.
At what point did you become aware of the magnitude of what you were doing? I was only really aware of the enormity of the occasion when I walked to work a few days into the ‘queue’. I am lucky enough to live near Westminster Hall and it was amazing to see the crowds lining the street. When I realised that I would have the honour and privilege to guard Her Majesty and be part of the vigil it became more of a reality and it also made me incredibly proud to be part of the Blues and Royals. At what point did you become aware of the depth of feeling felt by those filing past? Those filing past had between thirty seconds and a minute before they were ushered forward, however, it was clear from a few people in hysterics how much the Queen meant to many of them. The position of guarding the Queen gave us a line of sight directly with those paying their respects and it was a very privileged position to be in. How many times did you stand vigil? Was there a rota? The rota ensured that the majority of officers serving with the Household Cavalry were given a chance to represent the regiment, either during the vigil or during the funeral processions in London and Windsor. I was lucky enough to stand three times and be the waiting man at the top of the stairs twice. The waiting man position overlooked the catafalque with the officer in command, so it was a great position to reflect upon the situation.
Squadron Leader Emily Rutter, Acting Contingent Commander of Dulwich CCF along with cadets Edward Stimpson, Ben Jones and Charlie Eccles were selected to participate in the funeral procession of HM Majesty the Queen. Here Emily shares some memories.
in the CCF office. The military, being sticklers for their 'turnout', demand impeccable standards on parade. We didn’t dare risk arriving without our ironing tackle, so we turned back, retrieved the boards, then carried on to Frimley Park. Once we arrived, we realised it was just the five CCF schools that were to be billeted there. A great relief, we pretty much had the whole place to ourselves, and we would get to sleep in a proper bed - luxury.
Thursday 8 September We had it confirmed on the Thursday afternoon from Scotty Swalwell (our CCF School Staff Instructor) that Dulwich CCF would be taking part in the Queen's funeral. The Queen, plus her many advisors, had been planning the details for her funeral over many years. We had known at Dulwich since at least 2018 that our CCF would be taking part in the procession. College, (RAF), Wilson's (Army), City of London (Navy), Pangbourne College and Winchester College together representing the Navy and the Marines. These schools had been chosen because we were deemed to have outstanding ‘sections’. It was a massive honour and we were hugely proud to have been selected. Five schools from across the country were selected to represent the CCF; Dulwich Truly, an opportunity for the College to participate in such a significant moment in history in recognition of the exceptional standards and reputation our current and former RAF cadets had maintained over many years. Friday 9 September – Monday 12 September The next few days were punctuated by many calls from the MOD explaining what was going to happen and what they expected from us. We anxiously prepared to depart for our training. Tuesday 13 September I was trying to teach, but my mind was racing with thoughts about the day and the journey that lay ahead. Did I have everything? What if we get stuck in traffic? Where will we be sleeping? I hope we are not camping. Will my 'drill' be good enough for the parade? What if I'm the worst on parade? If I do forget some kit will there be any spares? After a very long morning and a quick lunch I set off driving with the boys. I took two sets of everything: combats, shirts, trousers, boots, plus two sets of number ones - our very best RAF uniform - six RAF shirts, some short and some long sleeve, two more formal pairs of shoes, brown and black shoe polish plus an assortment of brushes, and umpteen pairs of tights. I also had some casual ‘civi’ clothes too. I was prepared for every eventuality, what could possibly go wrong? Ten minutes after leaving the College, we realised that we had all left the ironing boards
Our first day at Frimley was spent settling in and getting to know the officers and cadets from the other schools. We were also extensively briefed about the days to follow, all a bit daunting. However, it soon became apparent that the plans for each day, even each hour, could change at a moments notice. Wednesday 14 September - Day Though we were billeted at Frimley, our daily training took place at the Army Training Centre at Pirbright, 10 minutes down the road. So, on the Wednesday morning after a 5.45am wake up call, our small group of 20 joined up with about 1500 members of the armed forces for a day of 'drill', practicing marching and wheeling (turning) sequences. This was incredibly intimidating, not least because everyone was in their military uniforms and seemed to know what they were doing. We were by far the least experienced group there. I certainly felt a touch of imposter syndrome and I'm sure the boys did too. All credit to them for not letting it show. If we felt intimidated in the morning, we were totally unprepared for later in the day when we all moved to imposing Wellington Barracks on Birdcage Walk. This was to be our base for the day of the funeral. Here we were joined by the rest of the civilian services taking part, including the Red Cross, ambulance crews, the police, and fire service; all of them, arguably less experienced than we were. We took some comfort in this, they definitely had a steeper learning curve ahead of them than us. Night: The Full Rehearsal The full dress rehearsal took place on the Wednesday night running into Thursday morning. We all thought we were unprepared having completed just one full day of rehearsals.
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