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George VI pall bearers - Grenadier guards

Discussion in 'The Brigade of Guards' started by Claire_Anne73, Jun 13, 2024.

  1. Claire_Anne73

    Claire_Anne73 Member

    Hi.

    Am trying to track down the names of the soldiers who carried George VI's coffin on the day of his state funeral. Can anyone advise? I believe they were 8 Grenadier guards.
     
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  2. JimHerriot

    JimHerriot Ready for Anything

  3. Claire_Anne73

    Claire_Anne73 Member

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  4. Richelieu

    Richelieu Well-Known Member

    I can’t provide a definitive answer Claire but hopefully these clues will help.

    The Royal Navy ratings that pulled the gun carriage that carried the King’s coffin were awarded the Royal Victorian Medal (Silver) and I expect that the pallbearers would also have done so. These were awarded 18 March 1952 but are not gazetted as far as I can see. However, if you look at the gazette for that date you will see that these three Grenadier Guard officers received the Royal Victorian Order.

    Member 4th Class (now Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order (LVO))
    Major Anthony Garnett HEYWOOD, M.C.
    Lieutenant Alick David Yorke NAYLOR-LEYLAND.​

    Member 5th Class (now Member of the Royal Victorian Order (MVO))
    Lieutenant William Mitchell MILLER.​
     
    Last edited: Jun 14, 2024
  5. travers1940

    travers1940 Well-Known Member

    The Pall Bearers to the Queen in 2022 also received the Royal Victorian Medal (Silver).
    Pallbearers of late Queen's coffin recognised in special honours list

    The grandson of Brigadier Anthony Garnett "Tony" Heywood, Lt Alec Heywood was in charge of the bearer party at Prince Phillips funeral in 2021, and many newspaper articles of that time mention that Tony Heywood was Captain of Kings Company 1st Grenadier Guards at the funeral of King George VI.
     
    Last edited: Jun 14, 2024
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  6. Richelieu

    Richelieu Well-Known Member

    Last edited: Jun 14, 2024
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  7. JimHerriot

    JimHerriot Ready for Anything

    Eureka Richelieu! Excellent work!

    You have there the list of the twenty-one Grenedier Guards comprising the pall bearer and escort party. Well found you!

    By some way of confirmation of same I came upon this story of an "escort party" member earlier today while trying to find the pall bearers.

    My moving role walking beside King’s coffin as it made its way to London

    Again, superb work on your part Richelieu, and travers1940 too. Top job both.

    Kind regards, always,

    Jim.
     
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  8. Richelieu

    Richelieu Well-Known Member

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  9. Claire_Anne73

    Claire_Anne73 Member

    Thanks all. As I can see no mention of Thomas Heal as a pallbearer, I am starting to wonder. Its odd how at least three family members have mentioned his involvement respectively. The guard to the rear of the coffin on the photo below, looks like Tom.
     
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  10. Tullybrone

    Tullybrone Senior Member

    Hi,

    The answer will be in his service records.

    You did not mention in your original topic that he had post war peacetime service.

    http://ww2talk.com/index.php?posts/1057119/

    From his DOB he fits the profile for a mid/late 1930’s regular army recruit who enlisted for 12 years service and served through the war. He would’ve ordinarily been discharged to the reserve post war and would’ve ended his 12 year regular army commitment before 1952.

    Steve
     
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  11. Claire_Anne73

    Claire_Anne73 Member

    Hi,

    Apologies I should have clarified that, still new to this. Learning a lot. The MOD no longer hold his records and I have been referred to the National Archives and have submitted a request for his records today.
     
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  12. Richelieu

    Richelieu Well-Known Member

    With much of the Household Division on duty it is likely that Thomas would have had a role, perhaps lining the route, which has ‘evolved’ over time in its retelling between the generations.
     
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  13. JimHerriot

    JimHerriot Ready for Anything

    And/or at the more "private" part of the ceremony back at Windsor/St George's, as per this chap: Veteran recalls King George VI’s final journey on the 70th anniversary of his death

    No RVM so I can but guess that only the party (escort and bearer) at the more public London end of the ceremony were awarded same.

    Kind regards, always,

    Jim.
     

    Attached Files:

    Last edited: Jun 14, 2024
  14. JimHerriot

    JimHerriot Ready for Anything

    Steve, you are an absolute gem.

    And Claire_Anne, it shows the importance of obtaining full service records (and I appreciate that you've started the ball rolling on that).

    On the back of Steve's post #10, and courtesy of The National Archives (via commercial partner FMP) the only reference I have so far found to Thomas is this (note, first image from the partially bamboozling cataloguing of the FMP entry, followed by the details of the record it's been trawled from at The National Archives)

    Screenshot_20240614-101146.jpg

    Screenshot_20240614-120934~2.jpg

    Guards Depot Chapel, Caterham, Surrey | The National Archives

    So, Guardsman 2614000 Thomas HEAL was certainly a Grenadier on 29th April 1934.

    Which leads to; have we been (so to speak) barking up the wrong King?

    I've not started to look yet Claire_Anne, and hopefully Steve, Richelieu, and travers1940 will pitch in, but maybe we need to be looking at the funeral of King George V in 1936?

    A spanner in the works I know but it is a possibility.

    Kind regards, always,

    Jim.
     
    Last edited: Jun 14, 2024
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  15. Claire_Anne73

    Claire_Anne73 Member

    [
    Thanks Jim, Steve. I really appreciate your guidance here. You are being so patient with me.
     
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  16. Claire_Anne73

    Claire_Anne73 Member

    Thank you Richelieu also.
     
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  17. Richelieu

    Richelieu Well-Known Member

    I am pretty confident that these were the officers commanding the party at King George V’s funeral, but I have had no luck in finding the roll for the Royal Victorian Medal. Page 811 | Issue 34253, 7 February 1936 | London Ga...

    Member 4th Class (now Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order (LVO))
    Major Frederick Alexander Magnay.
    Lieutenant Arthur Charles Huntington.​

    Member 5th Class (now Member of the Royal Victorian Order (MVO))
    Lieutenant Christopher John Darell Jeffreys.
    Second Lieutenant Mervyn Sydney Bobus Vernon.​
     
  18. Claire_Anne73

    Claire_Anne73 Member

    Where might this roll be?
     
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  19. JimHerriot

    JimHerriot Ready for Anything

    If anywhere it is likely to be in The National Archives at Kew Claire_Anne, but heaven knows within where.

    Kind regards, always,

    Jim.
     
  20. Tullybrone

    Tullybrone Senior Member

    Hi,

    If you are in a hurry and don’t want to wait for the service record you could consider contacting The Guards Museum in London and asking them if they have a record of your grandfather having been one of the Pallbearers/Honour Party at the January 1936 funeral of George V.

    The Guards Museum Home Page - The Guards Museum

    If they respond positively you will likely have to pay for the information.

    Similarly contact with the Hon Sec GG Association with a request for a check of their 1936 or 37 annual magazine for names of the Pallbearers/Honour Party may answer the question.

    The Regimental Association - Grenadier Guards

    Steve
     
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