Ceremonial

Airborne Engineers pass test for Royal guard duties

19 January 2023

An Army officer is standing in front of a group of soldiers standing in lines on a parade square. He is carrying a sword upright in his right band and his mouth is open shouting a command. His grey greatcoat has two lines of buttons up the front. All the soldiers are wearing grey greatcoats and maroon berets with the Royal Engineers cap badge in the front. They are also wearing white belts and gloves.

An Army Warrant Officer is looking along a line of soldiers. The soldiers are all looking over their right shoulders towards him as he makes sure they are standing in line with each other.

This week, the training continued for the ‘fit for role’ inspection in London. This ensures they meet the impeccable standard of drill and turnout that the role demands.

In the foreground, a male Army Officer is standing on a parade square facing a group of soldiers standing in lines. They are all wearing grey greatcoats and maroon berets. The soldiers are wearing white belts and gloves. In the background, behind the soldiers is a large light-coloured building at the edge of the parade square.

Four Army personnel are marching across a parade square. On the far right is a male Army officer, wearing a cap with a red band around the middle, a long black greatcoat with a red collar, black trousers with a red stripe down the seam and black polished boots. To his left is another male officer, wearing a grey greatcoat and black trousers, black polished boots and has a sword slung at his waist. His hat is black in colour with a cap badge in the front centre. On the left are two male soldie

A British Army Officer, the Brigade Major for London District Headquarters is inspecting male soldiers standing on a parade square. They are all wearing grey greatcoats and officers has two rows of buttons up the front. He has a sword on a sling on the left of his waist. The soldiers are wearing maroon berets.

A group of soldiers, standing in lines are being inspected. In the foreground, the soldiers, wearing maroon berets with the Royal Engineers cap badge on the front, and grey greatcoats, have their backs to the camera. In the centre background, a Warrant Officer in the same uniform has a notebook and pencil making notes about the soldiers being inspected. Behind him is another soldier in a greatcoat, with a red sash across his chest. He is wearing a cap on his head; it as a white band around th

Nine British soldiers are marching across a parade square. There are wearing maroon berets, grey greatcoats, and white belts and gloves. They are all carrying rifles in their left hands sloped back against their shoulders.

23 Parachute Engineer Regiment gets ready for their period of Ceremonial Public Duties which will see them guarding Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London, St James Palace, and Windsor Castle from late January to March.

Soldiers from Suffolk whose usual duties as airborne engineers are building bridges or water purification on the battlefield have passed a test to become the new King’s Guard.

Suffolk Sappers Switch To Ceremonial Stint

23 Parachute Engineer Regiment (23 Para Engr Regt) will undertake a six-week stint of Ceremonial Public Duties which will see them guarding Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London, St James’s Palace, and Windsor Castle from late January to March.

The sappers have been training hard for this moment since Christmas.

They have undergone rigorous inspections of their uniform and practised drill sequences under the watchful eyes of ceremonial experts from the Household Division.

Fit For Role

Today’s ‘fit for role’ inspection by the Household Division’s arbiter of standards and excellence, the Brigade Major Lieutenant Colonel James Shaw, was the final check to ensure that they meet the impeccable standard of drill and turnout the role demands.

The 110-strong detachment taking part comes from across the regiment, including troops from Maidstone-based 70 Gurkha Parachute Squadron and reservists from 299 Parachute Engineer Squadron.

Major Peter Dobinson said: “It is a real honour for the Regiment to perform Public Duties in the year that we celebrate our twentieth anniversary.

It is a real honour for the Regiment to perform Public Duties in the year that we celebrate our twentieth anniversary. Everyone is really motivated to put on our best show Major Peter Dobinson,
23 Parachute Engineer Regiment

Ensuring Excellence

Everyone is really motivated to put on our best show, but it has been a steep learning curve to get our ceremonial drill up to the incredibly high standard that is expected. We’ve had long days out on the parade square practising our drill, with boots and buttons to polish in the evening.”

Sapper Tyler Alway grew up in Kesgrave near Ipswich and has been in 23 Para Engr Regt for seven months.

“This regiment is very focused on its operational role,” the 18-year-old driver said.

“After arriving last summer, I was training for P Company and on exercise to learn the unit’s role and my place in that. To come back after Christmas to train for ceremonial duties has been both a change and a challenge.

“I’m proud to be doing this very prestigious duty and my family are already planning when they’re going to come up to see me standing guard at the Tower of London.”

I’m proud to be doing this very prestigious duty and my family are already planning when they’re going to come up to see me standing guard at the Tower of London. Sapper Tyler Alway,
23 Parachute Engineer Regiment

Core Role

23 Para Engr Regt’s core role is to provide close combat engineering support to 16 Air Assault Brigade Combat Team, the British Army’s global response forces, enabling it to fight, move and live.

Its sappers are trained and equipped to deploy by parachute, helicopter or fixed-wing aircraft.

Major Dobinson concluded: “Personally, it’s amazing to think that a few months ago I was in Brunei with the same troops working to upgrade helicopter landing sites in the jungle, and now we’re preparing to serve as the King’s Guard in the urban jungle of London!