We are not amused!

Brian J Brown

Special to the Nation

 Thousands watched on the pavement and millions on TV as the traditional birthday celebration for Queen Elizabeth II rumbled through Horse Guard's Parade in London earlier this year. The Trooping of the Colour is Britain's biggest royal event and has roots that reach back 400 years, when a regiment's flag was a rallying point in battle and had to be paraded beforehand so that each soldier would recognise it.

 This year the complex set of manoeuvres by more than 1,400 troops in full ceremonial dress passed off without a hitch, but that hasn't always been the case.

Cool Britannia under fire 

 ISince 1895 the ceremony has been cancelled a few times. In 1910 it was cancelled due to the Court Mourning of the death of Edward VII and the following year because of the coronation of George V which had taken place in May. During World War I it did not take place for 4 years while a break of 7 years due to World War II. The General Strike in 1926 and a rail strike in 1955 stopped those year's parades. The weather, surprisingly for the British climate, has caused cancellation only four times in all those 114 years.

 In 1981, the procession made its way along The Mall, and was turning into a crowded Horse Guards' Parade when a shocking incident occurred. As the Queen, who was riding her horse Burmese, drew level to 17-year-old Marcus Serjeant standing in the crowd, he fired six blank shots directly at her; he was immediately overpowered by a Guardsman and police. Meanwhile Prince Phillip, who also was on horseback, swiftly moved up alongside the Queen to shield her.

 She comforted her startled horse and quickly composed herself to carry on as if nothing had happened. The gunman later pleaded guilty under the 1848 Treason Act and was sent to prison for five years.   

    When members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police came to the UK in 1969 to perform in the Royal Windsor Horse Show they presented Burmese, a black mare, to the Queen.  She rode Burmese to the Trooping of the Colour from 1969 until 1986 when Burmese was retired. After this the queen decided that she would use the phaeton carriage instead of getting used to a new horse.

 The Mall has been the scene of other shootings at British royalty, fortunately without fatal consequences. Queen Victoria was shot at here, and in 1936 King Edward VIII faced a man with a loaded revolver.

'Not bloody likely'

 In modern times, members of the royal family have faced down violent attacks and intrusions with a mix of courage and cool. Princess Anne had a frightening experience as she and Mark Phillips, her first husband, were returning to Buckingham Palace in 1974; their limousine was forced to stop by a car, and the driver, Ian Ball, jumped out and began firing a gun. The princess's personal police officer tried to disarm the gunman but his weapon jammed, and he was shot by Ball, as was the chauffeur.

 Others injured with gunshot wounds were a pedestrian and a man from a passing taxi who also intervened. Ball told the princess that he was kidnapping her, then ordered her to get out of the car. "Not bloody likely!" replied the princess, before hastily exiting the door on  the other side of the limousine. Another passing pedestrian punched Ball in the back of the head in an effort to protect the princess. A policeman who arrived on the scene was also shot by Ball, but not before he called for assistance, which arrived almost immediately. Ball was arrested and sent to Broadmore mental hospital where he remains to this day.

Unofficial visitors

 After the shooting incident during the Trooping of the Colour there were calls for the security surrounding the royal family to be tightened, but just over a year later there was another serious breach. On July 9, 1982 Michael Fagan was able to avoid the electronic alarms to break into Buckingham Palace, where he spent 10 minutes talking to the Sovereign in her bedroom. The Queen was able to summon help when Fagan asked for a cigarette; she called for a footman who managed to subdue Fagan until the police arrived.

 It had been the sixth breach of security at the Queen's London residence that year and raised serious questions about how well protected she was. A month before, a man with a knife had burst into the forecourt of Buckingham Palace, while the previous year, three German tourists camped in the Palace grounds, believing it to be Hyde Park. The Fagan episode was the first time that private royal apartments had been penetrated since Queen Victoria's reign.

 A pace stick is a long stick usually carried by warrant officers and non-commissioned officer drill instructors as a symbol of authority and an aid to military drill, the latter having the greatest importance to the ceremony last Saturday. The stick is opened like a pair of compasses with a spring lock fitting allowing the bottom end to be opened and kept at various distances from 12 to 40 inches. It is used to measure the pace so that all soldiers get trained to 'pace' the same.  Also when laying out the marker points on a parade ground so that the troops turn at the correct point and finish up at the correct positions on ceremonial parades.   Even though the Trooping takes place every year, the RSM will have marched along the whole route from Buckingham Palace to Horse Guards using the stick set at the regulation pace 30 inches, to determine exactly the time taken to cover the distance.  Accuracy of timing is of the greatest importance for having the parade pass off smoothly which it usually does.

 In the early fifties the Royal Military Academy Sergeant Major, John Lord, set up a pace stick completion between the academy and the Guards Depot. Although the depot closed in 1993, the competition is still carried on as an All Arms competition with teams from around the world taking part. RMASM Lord was known throughout the army and it is reputed that he would tell officer cadets that they would call him "Sir" and he would call them "Sir" the difference being they meant it.

 After this year's Trooping of the Colour the Queen returned safely to Buckingham Palace accompanied by all the soldiers on parade, some of whom would immediately continue guard duty at the palace.  Members of the royal family then assembled on the balcony at the front of the palace, to the cheers of the crowd watching in The Mall. A flypast by the Royal Air Force brought an end to the celebrations, and the Queen's security detail probably breathed a sigh of relief.