A group of nine boys and officers from 2nd Ahoghill Company Section spent the day in London, after attending the annual Trooping the Colour ceremony.
Each year companies from the Boys’ Brigade are invited to watch the ceremony, which marks the official birthday of the Queen; the patron of our organisation. As this was the Diamond Jubilee year, we thought it was the perfect time to take up the offer and join the celebrations.
Our day began early in the morning with 6:15am departure from Belfast International Airport. Our flight lasted just over an hour, as we touched down in London Stansted. After leaving the plane and making our way through the airport, we caught the Stansted Express train to Liverpool Street. From there we took the underground to Charing Cross.
As we exited Charing Cross, we were greeted by the towering figure of Nelson’s Column standing proudly in Trafalgar Square. We walked the short distance to Admiralty Arch where our invitations were checked, and we were escorted up the Mall to Horse Guards Parade by members of the Metropolitan Police cadets. A viewing area had been prepared for the youth organisations invited beside the entrance to Horse Guards Parade. This provided great views of both the parade ground and the road leading into it.
Trooping the Colour
The ceremony began as the foot guards and calvary of the Queen’s Household Division made their way into Horse Guards Parade, each preceded by their regimental bands. The senior members of the Royal Family arrived, after which the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh were escorted from Buckingham Palace to the parade ground.
The parade began on the stroke of 11 o’clock, as the national anthem was played and the Royal Standard was raised. After this the Queen inspected her troops as the Royal carriage made it’s way around the parade ground, before returning to her spot on the saluting post. The massed bands then trooped before the Queen in quick and slow time, before the actual Trooping of the Colour took place.
Each year a different regiment troops their colour through the ranks of the five, with this year being the turn of the Coldstream Guards. All six regiments of the Foot Guards then trooped before the Queen in slow and quick time. They were followed by the King’s Troop horse artillery unit and the Household Calvary, led by the mounted bands. With the parade concluded, the massed band led the Queen’s carriage up the Mall to Buckingham Palace, followed by the divisions of Foot Guards.
The spectators were then escorted up the Mall towards the Palace, by members of the Metropolitan police. We were fortunate to be close to the front of the procession which allowed us to get right up to the palace fence, giving us great views of the balcony. As we waited, the sound of the King’s Troop 41 gun salute echoed across from Green Park. A short time later, the balcony doors opened and the extended Royal family appeared in preparation for a fly past by the the Royal Air Force.
Royal Air Force Display
The flypast began around 1pm with a diamond formation of helicopters – consisting of a Merlin, Puma, Sea King and Chinook.
Unfortunately wind conditions prevented the Battle of Britain Memorial flight from appearing, and we were unable to see the Lancaster, Spitfire and Hurricane.
The next planes to pass overhead were a Lockheed Hercules transport craft, flanked by two Beechcraft King Airs – an advanced, multi-engine craft for training pilots.
These were followed by a Vickers VC10, used for troop and cargo transport, as well as aerial refuelling; it was accompanied by two Eurofighter Typhoon jets.
The next formation included the Boeing E-3 Sentry, used by the RAF for Airborne Early Warning & Control, as well as a pair of Tornado GR4 fighter jets.
Next up was the A330 Voyager, the RAF’s newest and largest aircraft; bought to replace the VC10 in operations.
The fly past was concluded by an appearance of the Red Arrows aerobatics team, flying in the ‘Big Nine’ formation as they ejected their iconic red, white and blue smoke trails.
Sightseeing
With the Royal family back inside the palace and the crowds starting to disperse, we began the sightseeing phase of our day. We headed east towards Westminster to see Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, before heading north along Whitehall; taking in views of the Cenotaph and 10 Downing Street.
We hopped back on the tube at Westminster, and travelled to Tower Hill station. From here we walked to Tower Bridge, viewing the Tower of London on the way past.
After crossing the Thames, we made our way along the various tourist attractions on the south bank of the river. We then crossed back over to the north bank via the Millennium Bridge, and made our way to St. Paul’s Cathedral.
After a quick tour inside we left St. Paul’s and took the underground to Chelsea, to visit the National Army Museum. The museum offers an insight into the overall history of the British Army, however with our time in short supply we focused mainly on the exhibits of the First and Second World Wars.
With the day drawing to a close we had dinner in a local Pizza Express, before traveling to Gatwick Airport and making the short flight back to Northern Ireland.
