Former Royal Marine from Yelverton becomes Beefeater
A former Royal Marine from Devon has been appointed as a Yeoman Warder (YW) at the Tower of London.Barry Gray, who has been living in Yelverton, was a sergeant major and served for 26 years during which he was deployed on tours to Northern Ireland, Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan.YW Gray said it was "a definite life highlight" to have been selected as the 35th Beefeater in the tower.YWs, nicknamed Beefeaters, were introduced in 1485 by Henry VII to help guard the tower.
Today's YWs need to have at least 22 years' military service, hold the Long Service and Good Conduct medal and have reached the rank of Warrant Officer or equivalent before being selected for interview.They also have to be between 40 and 55 years old.YW Gray retired from the Royal Marines in 2016 and since has skied 730 miles (1,175 km) solo and unsupported across the Antarctic continent in 38 days.He said: "I've had many adventures throughout my life in the Royal Marines, and beyond, but this is a definite life highlight."He explained the majority of the role involved engaging with the public by giving tours, answering questions and "being that face which is so legendary across the world".
'Incredible' historic uniform
YW Gray told BBC Radio Devon it was "breathtaking" to wear the iconic red and gilt uniform YWs have worn since 1549 and the daily blue and red one introduced in 1858.He said: "It's incredible to be standing there wearing it and knowing the history behind it. It's quite breath-taking sometimes."Over the coming months, he said he would learn the 21 daily duties conducted by the YWs, including the Ceremony of the Keys, which has taken place every night for at least 700 years. He said he is also learning "the story", the 8,000 word script of the YW tour, which must be learned verbatim before he will be allowed to lead his own tours of the Tower of London.
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Telegraph
2 days ago
- Telegraph
‘This is our duty': D-Day veterans gather to mark landings 81 years on
D-Day veterans have gathered on a Normandy beach to remember the landings 81 years on. The veterans, aged between 99 and 101, travelled to France for the annual ceremony of remembrance for the men who landed on the beaches of Normandy on June 6 1944, to liberate France from Nazi occupation during the Second World War. The five men – Ken Hay, Richard Aldred, Henry Rice, Jim Grant and John Dennett – gathered ahead of the ceremony for a photograph on Sword Beach, one of the five main landing areas along the Normandy coast. The veterans, sitting in wheelchairs while adorned with medals of service, are some of the few D-Day veterans who are still alive today. Mr Hay, 99, was a private in the 4th Battalion with the Dorset Regiment, and was captured by Nazi troops shortly after the D-Day landings. Held as a prisoner of war, he was taken to Poland and forced to work in coal mines before he was liberated by US troops in 1945. On the eve of the ceremony, Mr Hay told The Telegraph: 'Even though the 80th anniversary has passed, we veterans still feel it is our duty to come back here and remember all our friends who never came home. 'We get applauded, even though they are the ones who gave all. 'Sharing my stories with children in the UK and France is something I am very passionate about. We are the age of their great grandparents – we experienced it, understand it and know that it should never happen again.' Francis 'Jim' Grant, 100, served as a Royal Marine and manned a gun on a Landing Craft Flak on D-Day, spending many hours providing covering fire for troops landing on the Normandy beaches. He said: 'I don't think we were really prepared for what happened. We were firing over the tops of their heads.' John Dennett, 100, was a Royal Navy anti-aircraft gunner on one of the thousands of ships taking troops onto the Normandy beaches. The veteran, from Wallasey, Merseyside, made sure the Allied soldiers did not get shot from overhead during the combined naval, air and land assault on Nazi-occupied France. On the 80th anniversary of the famous landings last year, Mr Dennett recalled the 'unbelievable' sight of the ships sailing to Normandy. He said he remembered the sight of the 7,000 ships and thinking 'nothing can happen to us'. 'When they'd gone and opened their fire and they did realise there was trouble, and your feelings were 'well this one is a bit different than the last one',' he added. Mr Rice, 99, from Cranleigh, Surrey, was a signalman who arrived off Juno Beach five days after D-Day. While Mr Aldred, 100, was a Cromwell tank driver attached to the 7th Armoured Division in the Army. Their photographs came before Lord Dannatt, former head of the Army, spoke at the remembrance service at the British Normandy Memorial above Gold Beach. He said the legacy of the soldiers killed on the battlefields of Normandy paved the way for the Europe in which we live today, before warning that the shadow of the Ukrainian war looms over the continent. The former chief of the general staff added: 'The price of returning peace and freedom to Europe was very high but the legacy of the fallen and the courage, determination and commitment of all those who fought in the Normandy Campaign has given us the Europe in which we live today, albeit in the shadow of the war in Ukraine.' Lord Dannatt, who chairs the Normandy Memorial Trust and is patron of the Spirit of Normandy Trust, gave the welcoming speech at the annual ceremony of remembrance, which is led jointly by the two trusts. The Rev Simon d'Albertanson, a Royal Navy chaplain and the chaplain for the Spirit of Normandy Trust, led a memorial service at the British Normandy Memorial in Ver-sur-Mer, describing D-Day as a 'seminal moment in history'. He reminded veterans, officials and members of the public that the legacy of D-Day was vitally important given the conflict and 'troubled times that we live in'. Mr d'Albertanson said: 'This was a seminal moment in history, and we forget it at our peril. 'There's a legacy that builds from the different conflicts, and we live in very troubled times right now, and we need men and women who are fighting for peace. 'As a Christian, one of the lines in the Bible is 'Blessed are the peacemakers'. 'We're called to make peace and sometimes that means we have to bring violence, but that's the last resort. We want to be peacemakers.' Two of the chaplain's own relatives fought during the Second World War. His grandfather, Fred Hawker, joined the Royal Marines in 1942 and served on several ships, including HMS Ark Royal, while his great-uncle, who was a Royal Navy sailor, lost his life during the Battle of the Denmark Strait. Mr d'Albertanson said: 'It's an absolute honour and a privilege to be a part of this. This is all about the veterans and honouring the fallen, those who gave their lives, for our freedom. 'Being here brings it to life. 'It makes you realise what you're involved in, the men and women of the armed forces today – and as chaplains we go with them.' John Healey, the Defence Secretary, also attended events commemorating D-Day, alongside politicians from the United States and France. He said: 'We forever owe an enormous debt to the British and Allied forces who landed in Normandy 81 years ago today, determined to defeat Nazi tyranny and restore peace to western Europe. 'As we reset the nation's contract with our armed forces, we will continue to remember all those who served to defend our values.' The Normandy landings took place on June 6 1944, when nearly 160,000 Allied forces opened a second front by invading Nazi-occupied France. Of those, 73,000 were from the United States and 83,000 from Britain and Canada. Forces from several other countries were also involved, including French troops fighting with General Charles de Gaulle. The Allies faced around 50,000 German forces and a total of 4,414 Allied troops were killed on D-Day itself.
BBC News
2 days ago
- BBC News
School unveils war memorial for former pupils killed in wars
A new war memorial dedicated to former pupils killed in combat has been unveiled at a Devon School. The memorial at Plymouth College remembers the almost 200 former pupils who died in conflicts dating back to World War One. After 32 years in the Royal Marines, former pupil Jason Cox, who is now the college's health and safety officer, came up with the said one of the reasons he wanted to create the memorial was to honour his former classmate who was killed in Iraq in 2003. Founded in 1887, the school lost 112 pupils in the First World War and 68 in the Second World other names have been added, including former pupil Maj Jason Ward, who was killed when the US helicopter he was travelling in crashed in the Iraqi desert in 2003. Mr Ward was a pupil at the college at the same time as Mr Cox and they both joined the Royal Marines in to BBC Radio Devon, Mr Cox said: "That's one of the reasons why I've taken this to heart because of Jason."He added: "The wonderful thing is his mother is travelling with his brother down from Barnstaple to attend the ceremony, so she's going to be our guest of honour." Mr Cox said he had the idea for the memorial after seeing that the boards in the school, which showed former pupils who had been killed in combat, were looking "old and faded"."It was only going to be a small granite block with possibly a brass plaque on it with some appropriate wording," he said."It sort of morphed into something a lot larger and a lot bigger and the headmaster decided to include all of the names of all the pupils to put on the plaque." Speaking about the names of the fallen solders from the First World War, Mr Cox said all of the people were "local lads"."If you could imagine 112 lads being taken away from the local community and never seen again - it must have been quite devastating for the city," he said.A ceremony to unveil the memorial attended by members of government and the armed forces was held at the school on Friday.
South Wales Argus
2 days ago
- South Wales Argus
D-Day veterans mark anniversary to ‘remember our friends who never came home'
The Rev Simon d'Albertanson, a Royal Navy chaplain and the chaplain for the Spirit of Normandy Trust, led a memorial service at the British Normandy Memorial in Ver-sur-Mer, describing D-Day as a 'seminal moment in history'. He reminded veterans, officials and members of the public that the legacy of D-Day was vitally important given the conflict and 'troubled times that we live in'. (Left to right) Royal Navy D-Day veteran John Dennett, D-Day veteran and ambassador for the British Normandy Memorial Ken Hay, Royal Navy D-Day veteran Henry Rice, Royal Marines D-Day veteran Jim Grant, Royal Navy D-Day veteran Ken Benbow, Royal Navy veteran George Boothby, D-Day Army veteran Richard Brock, ATS veteran Marjorie Hanson and RAF veteran Gilbert Clarke during a wreath-laying ceremony at the British Normandy Memorial in Ver-sur-Mer, France (Gareth Fuller/PA) The Normandy landings took place on June 6 1944, when Allied forces opened a Second Front by invading Nazi-occupied France. A total of 4,414 Allied troops were killed on D-Day itself. Mr d'Albertanson said: 'This was a seminal moment in history, and we forget it at our peril. 'There's a legacy that builds from the different conflicts, and we live in very troubled times right now, and we need men and women who are fighting for peace. 'As a Christian, one of the lines in the Bible is 'Blessed are the peacemakers'. 'We're called to make peace and sometimes that means we have to bring violence, but that's the last resort. 'We want to be peacemakers.' Two of the chaplain's own relatives fought during the Second World War. His grandfather, Fred Hawker, joined the Royal Marines in 1942 and served on a number of ships including HMS Ark Royal, while his great-uncle, a Royal Navy sailor, lost his life during the Battle of the Denmark Strait. Mr d'Albertanson said: 'It's an absolute honour and a privilege to be a part of this. 'This is all about the veterans and honouring the fallen, those who gave their lives, for our freedom. 'Being here brings it to life. 'It makes you realise what you're involved in, the men and women of the armed forces today – and as chaplains we go with them.' One veteran in attendance, Ken Hay MBE, 99, was just 18 when he landed at Courseulles-sur-Mer on D-Day +5. He was captured on the night of July 7-8 and was taken to Zabrze in Poland where he worked as a prisoner of war in a coal mine. D-Day veteran and ambassador for the British Normandy Memorial Ken Hay, 99, at the British Normandy Memorial in Ver-sur-Mer (Gareth Fuller/PA) As the Russians approached, the prisoners were taken to a new location, approximately 1,000 miles away, during which many of them died. Eventually they were liberated by American troops and Mr Hay returned to the UK via Reims, arriving on May 4. He laid a wreath at the memorial service in Ver-sur-Mer alongside other veterans. Mr Hay said: 'Even though the 80th anniversary has passed, we veterans still feel it is our duty to come back here and remember all our friends who never came home. 'We get applauded, even though they are the ones who gave it all. 'Sharing my stories with children in the UK and France is something I am very passionate about. 'We are the age of their great-grandparents – we experienced it, understand it and know that it should never happen again.' Defence Secretary John Healey also attended events commemorating D-Day, alongside politicians from the United States and France. Defence Secretary John Healey (centre) lays a wreath during a ceremony at the British Normandy Memorial to mark the 81st anniversary of the D-Day landings (Gareth Fuller/PA) He said: 'We forever owe an enormous debt to the British and Allied forces who landed in Normandy 81 years ago today, determined to defeat Nazi tyranny and restore peace to western Europe. 'As we reset the nation's contract with our armed forces, we will continue to remember all those who served to defend our values.' Nearly 160,000 Allied troops landed in France on D-Day. Of those, 73,000 were from the United States and 83,000 from Britain and Canada. Forces from several other countries were also involved, including French troops fighting with General Charles de Gaulle. The Allies faced around 50,000 German forces.
