Page 76 - Bugle Issue 18 Auntumn 2021

HRH FUNERAL
What role did you play at the Duke of Edin- burgh’s funeral? Guard of honour
Were you proud to play an integral part of the event? Yeah it was an honour to perform at such a historic event that was broadcasted all over the world.
How significant was The Rifles’ contribution on the
day? I don’t know how much other roles did on the day but we were pretty involved from marching all the way through Windsor onto
the horseshoe cloister where we witnessed the Duke of Edinburgh getting took into the chapel less that a stone throw away and seeing members of the royal family.
Did you take part in the Duke of Edinburgh award? I didnt.
How much planning and practice went into the participation? Alot,
I figured I am not a keen participant of Drill, leave that to the guards!
Were you nervous to take part in such a historically significant event? Very nervous if I’m honest, your there representing the Regiment, The Army and the Duke of Edinburgh, the last thing you want to do is mess up on national TV or even in-front of the the Royal Family whilst the coffin is going up the chapel steps! I also had hayfever so this made it harder, trying not to sneeze or cough.
What role did you play at the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral? At the DOE’s funeral, I was part of the
guard of honour along with a number of other soldiers from
3rd battalion The Rifles as well as those from 1st & 5th battalion.
Were you proud to play an integral part of the event? Yes, as it was a monumental occasional, although of course being a sad day for the military & the general public on a whole.
How significant was The Rifles’ contribu- tion on the day? Being the guard of honour at the steps of the the chapel played a major role in the day presenting a Royal salute as the coffin was removed from the back of the land rover.
Did the Duke of Edinburgh’s military career resonate? The DOE was a man who to me signified the mentality and charisma of a generation of old whereby when the going got tough they cracked on and got the job done, this attitude encompasses the Armys core values.
How much did the covid precautions influence and impede your role? Due to operating under covid precautions both in the UK and abroad for the past 12 months as with everyone we’ve all had too used to it.
Considering the Duke was the patronage of The Rifles, did that have an impact? As the DOE had Colonel in chief of our successive amalgamated units since 1953 – 2020 meant a great deal more to be chosen as the guard of honour over other regiments.
Were you nervous to take part in such
a historically significant event? Initially during the final rehearsals but I guess on the day all nerves dissolved and we focused on the task at hand.
On the day all nerves dissolved
What role did you play at the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral?
At the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral my role was to be a part of the Guard of Honour
alongside the rest of the Rifleman selected to attend.
Were you proud to play an integral part of the event?
Yes, I was proud as it was my first involvement with the Royal Family in my career.
How significant was The Rifles’ contribution on the day? The Rifles contribution on the day of the funeral was massive as we were part of the main event shown on live TV as the Guard of Honour therefore as a regiment we contributed massively to the overall parade.
Did you meet the Duke of Edinburgh and if so what are your recollections of him? Personally, I haven’t met the Duke of Edinburgh before.
How much did the covid precautions influence and impede your role? We was still able to complete our role to the highest standard despite many COVID precautions in place. We wore face masks during practices and rehearsals alongside with social distancing and multiple COVID tests. The precautions in Pirbright camp was excellent.
Did you take part in the Duke of Edinburgh award?
When I was in training in AFC Harrogate, they do run the Duke of Edinburgh award and I completed part of it.
Did that have any influence over you desire to join the armed forces? It didn’t influence me to join the armed forces as I was already in at this point when I first heard of the award.
How much planning and practice went into the partici- pation? We had a full week’s preparation brushing up on our drill, individual movements, marching together and learning our role within the funeral in more detail. We also got sized up for our number 1 dress with a full-dress rehearsal on the Thursday.
Considering the Duke was a patronage of The Rifles, did that have an impact? Because the Duke was our Colonel in Chief of The Rifles it made us feel like we had to live up to expectation and do a good job, represent the Rifles Regiment to the highest standard.
Were you nervous to take part in such a historically significant event? I was very nervous but very honoured to take part. It was a huge part of history which I was able to be part of so naturally I was very nervous. The fact millions around the UK and world was watching it added to the nerves but we all had to control those nerves and perform as best we could and I think we did a great job.
What role did you play at the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral? My role at the funeral with the rest of The Rifles was to be part of the Guard of Honour.
Were you proud to play an integral part of the event? Absolutely, it was an honour to be there and I have never done anything like that before.
How significant was The Rifles’ contribu- tion on the day? Massively because we were part of the main event and was in the public eye for nearly all the funeral.
Did you meet the Duke of Edinburgh and if so what are your recollections of him? I haven’t met the Duke of Edinburgh before.
How much did the covid precautions influence and impede your role? There was plenty of precautions on camp and lots of COVID tests in the week. We wore face masks when we came together for drill and social distancing where we could.
Did you take part in the Duke of Edinburgh award? As far as I’m aware I have not.
Did that have any influence over you desire to join the armed forces? No as I already joined the army before I found out about the Duke of Edinburgh award.
How much planning and practice went into the participation? We had 1 weeks training
learning all the drill movements as well as getting sized up for our number 1 dress.
We also then did a full dress rehearsal at Windsor prior to the Saturday funeral so we could see it all come together and how it would look on the day for us. After doing the full dress rehearsal, we then realised how big what we were going to be part of, was.
Considering the Duke was a patronage of The Rifles, did that have an impact? Yes because the Duke was our formal colonel in
chief so we felt like we had to represent him as best as we could the same way he did for us and do the job to the highest standard.
Were you nervous to take part in such a historically significant event? I was very nervous to take part but I was also proud and honoured to be a part of the Dukes funeral. Due to the sheer amount of people watching and the significance of the event I was nervous. But I do feel like we represented the Duke in the best and most professional way possible.
76 RIFLES The Bugle
Rfn DALLAS
3rd BATTALION THE RIFLES
LCpl MANN
3rd BATTALION THE RIFLES
Rfn CANNON
3rd BATTALION THE RIFLES
LCpl WEBB
3rd BATTALION THE RIFLES