Standard Bearer Training.
Both Hampshire and Dorset have released dates for thier training and have opend it to surrounding Counties. The Dorset dates and locations are in the MEO bulletin but the Hampshire dates and locations can be found here. Please contact the county you would like to attend direct.
Wiltshire standard Bearer Training
Standard bearer training took place recently. Some pictures of the attendees can be seen below. Click for a larger image.
Standard Bearers Competition
This took place at Salisbury on the 24th September. Winners were: County SB Kevin Toft, Seend Branch. Runner Up was Peter Hall, Melksham branch. In the Women's Section Competition the winner was Amanda Bearryman of Chiseldon Branch and Runner Up was Tracey Butt from Bratton branch
Amanda and Kevin both represented the county at the RBL's tribute to Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II's Funeral. Both received Certificate's of Appreciation from National President Lt Gen James Bashall CB, CBE.
Kevin has sent this message detailing the experience of carrying the Wiltshire County Standard at Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Patron of the Royal British Legion, State Funeral. Thank-you Kevin.
Operation London Bridge
Mon 19th September 2022
Following the Queens death on Thursday 8th September, “Operation London Bridge” kicked in. This was the code name to arrange the State Funeral of our Sovereign, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. As Her Majesty was the Royal British Legion’s Patron, we were tasked with providing Standard Bearers to line the route of Her funeral procession.
On Friday 9th September whilst on holiday in Devon I received an email notifying me of my nomination as a standard bearer to take part in the State Funeral by the Royal British Legion. And so began the most unbelievable and proudest week of my life!
The email requested confirmation of my availability by 1200 on Sun 11 September and to be in London by the same time on Tuesday 13th September until the following week. We were to arrange our own travel, they would arrange security clearance and the whole thing had to kept hush hush ie no details to be put on social media about what we were doing or where we were staying (incidentally we were treat like Kings and Queens in the West End at the Hard Rock Hotel in Marble Arch).
What followed over the next week was truly remarkable! We arrived in London to a formal welcome, briefed, fed watered then ordered to be ready in “best kit” for overnight rehearsals in Whitehall at the Cenotaph where it would be our task to march onto the National War Memorial on Parliament Street and salute our late Queen’s coffin with the Act of Homage as her Gun Carraige pulled by 200 sailors passed our contingent of 72 Royal British Legion Standard Bearers.
We started our practice that first night on arriving in London, with through the night rehearsals starting around midnight going right through to breakfast at 7am. The days following consisted of more briefs, kit preparations, shopping for polish and whitener around Oxford Street and more parades to check our kit and practice our drills.
As you were aware during this week London was in a state of chaos with miles and miles of mourners and well-wishers queuing for hours to see the Queens Laying in State at Westminster Abbey and lay flowers in Green and Hyde Park. One-way systems put in place to accommodate the mass crowds and so many armed police made it feel like a war zone. Over the weekend before the funeral, we were allowed some down time and this is where most of us would walk around the capital to view the flower displays or just sightsee.
A Big Day – Monday 19th September.
Breakfast at 0530am, muster and kit check 0630am, depart by bus to Whitehall 0645am.
There followed the most amazing day you could ever imagine. Bussed from our hotel at Marble Arch through the West End with the streets packed with spectators clapping and cheering us all the way to Whitehall. Just before 0900am we formed up outside the MOD building in Whitehall and marched to the applauding public in 2 ranks on to the Cenotaph.
Once halted and turned to the left to face the procession route we were given “eyes right” and spaced ourselves perfectly in front of packed crowds who had been getting into position overnight and to a viewing public estimated at 7.5 billion people watching our every move from their TV sets at home.
To say being proud is an understatement with the hairs on the back of our necks stood on end as we carried out our part during this once in a lifetime experience.
Our part concluded after dipping our standards to marching bands, the passing columns of troops from all arms of our forces. During the Act of Homage, we glanced as the Queens coffin passed followed by a salute by our new King His Majesty King Charles III and the State Cars that followed.
We marched off parade shortly after they passed while they made their way to Windsor Castle, later followed a reception back at our hotel were we graciously toasted our late Queen and the New King in the traditional way with a glass of Port. There followed an address by our National President Lt Gen James Bashall CB, CBE who presented every standard bearer with one of the highest awards of recognition by the RBL, a National Certificate of Appreciation which I now display proudly at home.
Kevin
Photo Gallery can be seen at the bottom of this page
Standard Bearers News
Equipment for the counties standard bearers can sometimes be difficult to find suppliers. Kevin Toft has supplied two contacts, one for standards bags and one for uniforms. Details as below:
Standard Bags
and
Uniforms
They are both email addresses for you to contact direct.
