Page 133 - RSDG Year of 2023

The following are reminisces from some of those who took part in the above events:
Andrew Linehan recalls that: I was not aware that the whole world was watching this event until some friends on holiday in New York spotted me on TV while they were in a pub in Manhattan.
Jamie Halford-Macleod recalls that: My vigil was from 1200 to 1800hrs. It was a warm day and thankfully there was a cool breeze coming through the Great Hall as the doors were open to enable the public to pass through. I have an abiding memory that, as the day drew into evening, the Great Hall began to darken and the atmosphere in the candlelight was something quite special. On a lighter note, I went out to dinner with a friend after his duty. Following a very nice dinner at Whites and having changed into a suit but still clutching my bow, I was trying to cross the road in order to catch a cab home. The usual hustle and bustle of traffic made this almost impossible until someone on a scooter stopped in the middle of the traffic and shouted, ‘Make way for the Archer!’ It was as if all Piccadilly stopped and the traffic parted as I walked across to jump in a cab at the rank outside the Ritz - much to the delight of my host.
Richard MacLure recalls that: It was, for me, the greatest honour to be part of the first watch for vigil duty of The King’s Body Guard for Scotland, The Royal Company of Archers, at the Lying-at-Rest of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh on Monday 12th September 2022.
Our vigil duty started during the Service of Thanksgiving. After The Lord’s Prayer the final hymn began, at which point we were led out by one of our officers to march into position. I was one of four members of the Royal Company to stand vigil, heads bowed, at each corner of Her Late Majesty’s coffin. The other three standing vigil were retired officers of the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders. There was
Capt Richard MacLure on vigil at the Service of Thanksgiving in St Giles Cathedral
Capt Andrew Linehan on vigil in St Giles Cathedral
also one further Archer who stood in reserve next to the officer. We were standing directly in front of His Majesty The King and other members of The Royal Family, and no sooner had the final hymn finished than the National Anthem began. It was incredibly moving.
Each watch lasted 20 minutes, and we did 20 minutes on, 40 minutes off for a total of 6 hours. We took turns being the reserve, which allowed us to see those members of the public walking past as we did not bow our heads when we were the reserve. It was amazing to see so many people, a complete cross section of society, young and old, come to pay their respects to Her Late Majesty. Some were very emotional, with many crying and some saluting. The cathedral was silent other than the sound of slowly moving feet. I vividly remember a mother telling her child to take a longer look, after the child had only glanced and moved on quickly, in order to remember their special moment.
I also had the great privilege of doing vigil duty at the Lying- in-State of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Hall in London on Monday 19 September 2022. The watch I did was from midnight until 06.00 on the morning of the funeral. For the Lying-in-State, we did our vigil duty in pairs at the head of Her Late Majesty’s coffin pointing towards the entrance door. We were alongside others – in our case with four officers of the Welsh Guards and four Beefeaters – who we led from our waiting room upstairs in Westminster Hall into position. By this stage there was so much publicity over the numbers of people queueing to come to pay their respects to Her Late Majesty that I was even more conscious of the responsibility I had of repre- senting the Royal Company, and it was only on my final vigil at 05.40 that I was able to relax a little and think not only about the great monarch that we were honouring but also the incredible person, her remarkable life, and her sense of duty.
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