Six Soldiers Return From Guard Duty In London
Six Royal Bermuda Regiment soldiers returned from London after a 10- week stint of guarding Royal sites.
Corporal Orville Hall, one of six Royal Bermuda Regiment soldiers attached to the Royal Gibraltar Regiment for ceremonial duties at sites such as Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London and Windsor Castle, said the troops had risen to the occasion.
Cpl Hall, the senior RBR soldier among the group, was based at the Tower, a major tourist attraction.
He said: “Our soldiers were really great – we got there, we found out what we had to do and we made sure we got it done. The best part of it was being on guard seeing people’s reactions to the guards – they were fascinated by us.”
Cpl Hall, 37, from Devonshire and a chef in civilian life, added that Bermudians in London had also made a point of visiting to see the soldiers, who returned home last week, on guard.
Private Daniel Wideman on guard duty at Windsor Castle while the Queen was in residence
He said: “While on guard, I managed to see some faces from the Royal Bermuda Regiment in the crowds and while we were off duty, we interacted with the public.
“That was when we had the opportunity to explain who we were and people were fascinated by that too.”
Cpl Hall, a 12-year veteran of the RBR, explained that Tower duty, unlike Buckingham Palace, meant that people were inside a few feet of guards rather than at a distance.
He said: “Some days there were up to 5,000 people visiting the Tower – we could hear their reactions, but we couldn’t react of course.”
Royal Gibraltar Regiment Lieutenant Mike Milward, 35, a full-time soldier, said: “From my point of view, the RBR soldiers integrated really well and everybody seems to have enjoyed it.”
Private Daniel Wideman, 42, of Paget, got the opportunity to travel to the UK after just six months in uniform. He said he had stood guard at Buckingham Palace and at Windsor Castle while the Queen was in residence.
Corporal Orville Hall on guard duty at the Tower of London, the home of the Crown Jewels
Pte Wideman added: “It was a phenomenal experience – historically, culturally and from a personal standpoint, phenomenal, definitely.”
He said the highlight was parading at Windsor with the RGR as they were presented with new regimental colours by Prince Edward as the Queen watched.
Pte Wideman added: “I got to talk to Prince Edward and I could the see the Queen watching the event from a covered area.”
He said the soldiers had a “packed schedule” with 48 hour duty periods which involved getting up at 4am and finishing duty late in the evening.
Pte Wideman added: “Being part of the guard at Buckingham Palace is amazing and it was an honour to represent Bermuda.”
He said: “We were very much made to feel part of the RGR and good to experience the life of a full-time soldier. We were made to feel very much part of their battalion.”
Lance Corporal Azar Morrissey, 22, from Sandys, added: “The Gibraltarians were very nice people – like Bermudians, they’re friendly, so it was easy to connect with them.”
Lance Corporal Azar Morrissey on duty outside the Tower of London
He said Tower of London duty meant soldiers could mingle with the crowds after they stood down from duty.
L/Cpl Morrissey added: “People could take pictures of us and talk to us. They didn’t know Bermudians were on duty there, but we spoke to them, they heard our different accents and we were able to give some insight into Bermuda and why we were in the ranks of the Royal Gibraltar Regiment.”
He said: “The Gibraltarians were fantastic – we made lifelong friends for sure and they said they would love to have us back.”
L/Cpl Morrissey added the highlight of the tour was guarding Windsor Castle in the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee year and while she was in residence.
He explained: “At the Tower of London, you’re guarding the Queen’s jewels – at Windsor, we were guarding the Queen. If you got lucky, sometimes when you were marching you could see her looking out of the windows at us.”
Lieutenant Colonel Ben Beasley, the RBR’s Commanding Officer, said it was the first time the RBR had been involved in London public duties.
Royal Bermuda Regiment soldiers on detachment march into Buckingham Palace with the Royal Gibraltar Regiment to take over guard duty
He said the invitation came through links forged decades ago by former CO Lt Col David Gibbons, now the Honorary Colonel of the RBR, with the then-CO of the RGR.
Col Beasley, who visited the troops while in London for a conference of UK Overseas Territories defence forces Commanding Officers, added: “You never know what the future holds when you join the RBR – for those six soldiers it was this. It was certainly hard work, but they really pushed through.
“Many Bermudians were in London at that time and saw them performing to the highest standards expected of any of Her Majesty’s regiments. The entire country should be very proud of their performance.”
Col Beasley highlighted that the cost of the detachment was covered by the Bermuda Regiment Trust, a charitable foundation.”
He said: “The board of the Trust approved the significant amount to cover the cost of these duties and we’re very grateful to them. These soldiers will now go back to their companies with this experience, which will encourage others to excel as well.”
