Van Doos Mount Guard at Buckingham Palace [2min video]
[Also]
Van Doos make history at Buckingham Palace: Toronto Sun [includes photos]
Quote:
A piece of Canadian history was reprised Monday when soldiers from the Royal 22nd Regiment stood guard outside two Royal residences in the heart of London.
The men from the Quebec-based unit marched to their posts at Buckingham Palace and St James’s Palace respectively to begin six days guarding the British Royal Family, to the cheers of thousands of tourists thronging the capital.
Their task came as recognition of the regiment’s centenary and repeated an assignment last undertaken in April 1940 at the personal request of His Majesty King George VI.
“This is a historic moment for the Royal 22nd Regiment. It is the second time since the regiment’s founding that we have the honour and privilege of performing this important official task,” said Maj.-Gen. (retired) Alain Forand, the unit’s honorary regimental colonel, ahead of Monday’s duties.
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Sadly my time with them was limited to an afternoon and evening as they had limited time in the UK and were understandably focused on their duties. I was able to get a good view of them taking post from within the courtyard and I, along with the Guards they were relieving, was impressed.
Most of my casual chat with the soldiers was limited to the traditional topics of shared postings (Kandahar), food and laughing at each others accents.
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