Armed Forces say farewell to former Chief of the Defence Staff Field Marshal Lord Guthrie
A military funeral involving all three services has been held for former CDS Field Marshal Lord Guthrie at Westminster Cathedral.
Twelve troopers from The Life Guards of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment, in their red tunics, helmets and cuirasses, lined the entrance of the cathedral.
A ceremonial guard formed of 36 personnel from the Royal Navy, the Foot Guards and the RAF Regiment held the ground at Westminster for the arrival of the coffin.
Four decades of service remembered
Field Marshal Lord Guthrie was commissioned into the Welsh Guards in 1959 and served with the Special Air Service from 1966-1977 before returning to command 1st Battalion Welsh Guards in Northern Ireland.
He was Chief of the General Staff from 1994-1997 and then Chief of the Defence Staff from 1997-2001.
He continued his service as Colonel Commandant of the Intelligence Corps, Colonel Commandant of the Special Air Service from 2001-2010, Colonel of The Life Guards 1998-2019 and served as Gold Stick in Waiting to HM Queen Elizabeth II from 1999-2019.
A riderless horse
Also present outside the cathedral was a riderless horse with riding boots reversed in the stirrups. The riderless horse is a longstanding tradition of the military funerals of senior military officers.
The mare, called Praetorian, has been used for all important state ceremonial duties including the Queen Elizabeth II's funeral and King Charles III's coronation.
The horse was a reference to the fact that Field Marshal Lord Guthrie was Gold Stick in Waiting and regularly rode as Colonel The Life Guards until 2019.
Welsh Guards bearer party
Field Marshal Lord Guthrie began his military service with the Welsh Guards, so it was fitting that 10 soldiers from The Welsh Guards formed the coffin bearer party.
The 1st Battalion is currently deployed on operational training in East Africa, but the congregation was filled with veterans from the regiment who wished to pay their respects to such an esteemed member of their regimental family.
Pall Bearers
Eight senior military representatives from all three Armed Services were pall bearers accompanying the coffin.
These included the Chief of the Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Rich Knighton, Vice Admiral Paul Beattie representing the First Sea Lord, Major General James Bowder, representing the Chief of the General Staff, and Air Vice Marshal Mark Phelps representing the Chief of the Air Staff.
The other pall bearers were Lieutenant General Sir Edward Smyth-Osbourne, the Colonel of the Life Guards, General Sir Mark Carleton-Smith, the Colonel Commandant of the SAS, Major General Matt Jones, Commandant of the Intelligence Corps, and Colonel Henry Bettinson, representing the Regimental Lieutenant Colonel of the Welsh Guards.
Links to a life well lived
There were mourners from across the breadth of Field Marshal Lord Guthrie's life.
Among them were Tim Henman from the All England Tennis Club, as Lord Guthrie was a passionate tennis player, and 30 members of the Order of Malta in full regalia, as his devotion to charitable work and his religious faith were central tenets in his life.
Then there were numerous veterans and serving personnel from the Life Guards, the Intelligence Corps, the Guards and the SAS.
Band of the Welsh Guards
The Band of the Welsh Guards performed music for the service inside the cathedral, alongside the cathedral choir.
As the coffin was brought into the cathedral it was sprinkled with Holy Water by the bishop and blessed in the rite of reception.
Field Marshal Lord Guthrie's son David read the Eulogy, and his other son, Andrew, read from the Book of Revelation 21:1:7.
After the Mass, a trumpeter from the Band of the Welsh Guards played the Last Post and Reveille.
This was followed by the National Anthem, Jerusalem and Elgar's Nimrod.
As the service ended, the Band of the Welsh Guards performed Men of Harlech and the Rising of the Lark.
The King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery 19-gun salute
In respect of Lord Guthrie's rank as Field Marshal, The King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery fired a 19-gun salute from three First World War-era Field Guns sited at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, as his coffin was borne out from Westminster Cathedral and placed in a hearse following the Requiem Mass.
As the guns fired in Chelsea, with one round every 10 seconds, Pensioners and staff from the Royal Hospital looked on from the terrace, many of whom had served with Lord Guthrie.
Field Marshal Lord Guthrie will be buried privately at Chiswick New Cemetery.
The rank of Field Marshal
Field Marshal has been the highest rank in the British Army since 1736, though was until recently reserved for Army commanders in wartime, senior members of the Royal Family and retiring Chiefs of the General Staff.
Field Marshals traditionally remain officers for life, which is why Lord Guthrie, who retired from active service in 2001, is entitled to a military funeral.
Promotions to the rank of Field Marshal during active service were discontinued in 1995, and Lord Guthrie was the first civilian to be appointed Field Marshal in an honorary capacity only.
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