Army Air Corps complete royal guard duty

The Army Air Corps (AAC) began their ceremonial duties in July, and have been guarding the Royal Households at Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, the Tower of London and St James's Palace for two months.

Their last duty takes place today, Thursday 27 August 2009.

To ensure they were fully ready for their new role, the squadron undertook four weeks of intense drill training and rehearsals at the home base of Army Aviation at Middle Wallop in Hampshire.

Major Marcus Brown, who is in charge of the AAC Public Duties Squadron, said:

"It goes without saying that we rehearse, practise and train to make sure that our soldiering skills are of the highest standard.

"That's the same across the whole of the Army, whether you're in the Foot Guards, who traditionally perform the role of the Queen's Guard, the Army Air Corps or any other unit which has the privilege of being invited to undertake Public Duties.

"Across the board, all our soldiers and officers have that same mandatory requirement to make sure that they're skilled with their personal weapon, that they're fit, that they're able to carry out their duty and that they understand their responsibilities and role within any given operational environment.

"There is then guidance for each specific task to be undertaken and this is no different for the guarding of the Royal Palaces.

"What I require of my soldiers is that they fully understand those actions and their responsibilities and that they rehearse these regularly both during preparation and whilst on duty."

Those undertaking guard duty this summer have come from across the Army Air Corps with representatives drawn from 3 and 4 Regiments, who operate Apache helicopters; 1, 5 and 9 Regiments, all of which operate the Lynx helicopter; 2 (Training) Regiment, which trains all the AAC ground crew; and 7 Flight, based in Brunei, where the Bell 212 helicopter is employed.

A large proportion of the Service personnel have recently served in Afghanistan where conditions are rather different to what they experienced in London.

Major Brown said:

"After the rigours of their operational role overseas, being selected for ceremonial duties has proved a unique experience and an opportunity to experience life outside of regimental duty.

"However it is by no means a rest; my soldiers have had to work very hard since they commenced duties.

"For many it has not only been a chance to meet other peers from across their Corps but also to explore their nation's heritage and history.

"I'd certainly like to think that they come away knowing a little bit more about their capital city and in that respect it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

Key to the role of ceremonial duties is the world-famous ceremony of  the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace which the Army Air Corps soldiers also undertook.

The ceremony, which takes place daily in the summer, is the formal handing-over of responsibility from the 'Old Queen's Guard' who have been standing guard at St James's Palace and Buckingham Palace, to the 'New Queen's Guard' which mounts duty from Wellington Barracks.

It is said to have originated in the 1790s and is now one of the UK's most well-known traditions, attracting thousands of tourists to London each day.

Although the Changing of the Guard is seen by some as more 'pomp and ceremony' than operational duties, Major Brown explained that there is a lot of skill and pride involved in the whole process:

"It fulfils the function of allowing the smooth and swift change over of the old and new guards. In terms of what it shows the rest of the world, it shows that all of our soldiers are able to discipline themselves to perform to really high professional standards.

"I have personally found it an honour to be part of one of the great iconic traditions of Great Britain. It is part of the historic identity of our nation in the same way that other great attractions such as Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, or the more modern London Eye, all of which draw such international interest in our culture."

There are regularly anywhere between five and ten thousand people watching the ceremony at Buckingham Palace, and the Tower of London and Windsor Castle are amongst the most popular tourist destinations in the UK. All make a welcome and heavy contribution to the local and national economies.

For those forming the Changing of the Guard, the whole experience is one that will never be forgotten as Captain Neil Wilson of 672 Squadron Army Air Corps explained:

"It's predominantly ceremonial duties and it's tradition as well. I think it's pretty special. It's only the second time in the Army Air Corps' history that we've done this, the first time being two years ago for our Golden Jubilee.

"I suppose for all the officers it's certainly a unique experience. I have personally had to combine pre-deployment training for Afghanistan with ceremonial duties which has been quite hard actually. On the positive side, we also have quite a few new recruits who have benefited greatly from working alongside our more senior soldiers and this has been a great stepping stone for them into regimental life."

Major Brown will soon be posted to 4 Regiment AAC to command an Apache helicopter squadron and, now the squadron's ceremonial duties are complete, his soldiers will be returning to the normal business of regimental life.

For some this means continuing with their training and career development, and others will be rejoining their units as they conduct pre-deployment training for the ongoing operation in Afghanistan.