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Marching in the State Funeral of HM Queen Elizabeth II

from The Bugle - Autumn 2022

by Bolton School Development Office

from The Bugle - Autumn 2022, page 40

Lives Remembered

Marching in the State Funeral of HM Queen Elizabeth II

Alexander Waudby (Class of 2012) is a civil servant in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, but has been a member of the Army Reserve since 2019. HIs unit, the Honourable Artillery Company, based in the City of London, has the privilege of being the only Reserve Regiment to conduct ceremonial duties, including guards of honour and gun salutes at the Tower of London to mark Coronation Day and the death of Prince Philip. The HAC is the oldest regiment in the British Army, traditionally dating back to 1537 during the reign of Henry VIII. Throughout its history it has had strong connections with the City of London and the Royal Family.

“On 19th September I had the privilege of taking part in the procession of the State Funeral of HM Queen Elizabeth II, through my role as a Reservist in the Honourable Artillery Company. Here follows my account of the experience. “Not long after the news of the Queen’s death broke, the order to report to barracks came. Within the hour, word was passed down that a marching party would be required for the State Funeral. I put my name into the hat, and just after midnight I found out that I was one of 24 who had been chosen.

The Mall

“While the rest of the nation quietly paid its respects, we decamped to the Surrey countryside to begin our training. Alongside Regular units from across the Commonwealth, we underwent a week of intense drill in slow marching and reversing arms, including a rehearsal in London in the dead of night. It was surreal to be both in a crucial and privileged role for the funeral, yet so far removed from the capital and everyday life, as we were focussed on one goal and had little awareness of the broader reception to the news. “We amassed at Wellington Barracks where thousands of soldiers, sailors and airmen from across the Commonwealth were quietly making final preparations to their ceremonial dress. The first sign of life the following morning was the haunting sound of the massed pipes

and drums of the Scottish and Irish regiments reverberating through the courtyards. As they marched off and the sound faded away, it was our turn to form up on the parade square. “Shortly before 11am, the order to step-off was given. There was no sound but the solitary drumbeat and crunching of hobnails on tarmac as we marched onto Whitehall and sloped arms. “The city was still, the world was watching. After the last post echoed through the loudspeakers, the bands to our rear stirred and the procession began the slow march that would lead Her Majesty through the capital for the final time. The thoroughfares were lined with crowds wanting to pay their respects and bear witness to a moment in history many of us thought simply would never come to pass. “At Wellington Arch the procession came to a halt, awaiting the final act. For almost an hour we were to attention, until the rest of the cortège arrived. Mere metres from our ranks the coffin was transferred from gun carriage to hearse, and, as the National Anthem played, a wave of pride and sadness came over me. “The faultless delivery of the event at such short notice is a testament to the dedication of people from all walks of life who came together in a final act of service for the country’s longest-serving monarch. Through something as simple as marching in a procession, it is astounding the degree of both honour and sadness that it instilled in me, Wellington Arch bidding a solemn farewell on behalf of the nation in the most sensitive and dignified of ceremonies. “While it’s difficult for me to put into words exactly what the experience means – the history is less clear when you are living through it – I wonder what I will think when I look back on the moment in years to come. We often struggle to quantify the impact we have as public servants, but in this instance, understanding your purpose as the main effort of state in such a poignant and momentous national event, and then seeing the immediate effect and reception of what you have done, is one of the most privileged acts I will ever undertake.”