Army

Sound Of Cannon Fire Echoes Across UK To Honour HM The Queen

In honour of the anniversary of Her Majesty The Queen’s Coronation, the Army fired two spectacular Gun Salutes in London today. Coincidentally this year the 62 rounds fired from the Tower matches the 62 year anniversary.

Coronation of Her Majesty The Queen in 1953

Her Majesty The Queen was crowned in Westminster Abbey on 2nd June 1953 and this is the 63^rd year of Her reign which equals that of Queen Victoria. On 9th September this year Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will surpass Queen Victoria’s record as the longest reigning British monarch.

The soldiers, horses and Guns of The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery rode out from their forward mounting base in Wellington Barracks to fire a 41 round Royal Salute in Hyde Park at 12 noon. Before their arrival in Hyde Park, the Band of the Royal Artillery entertained the waiting crowds with a selection of celebratory music close to the firing position. 71 horses pulling six First World War-era 13-pounder Field Guns came into action from the Marble Arch end of the Park to place the guns into position half way down Park Lane. On the word of command each of the six guns fired blank artillery rounds at ten-second intervals until forty one shots had been fired. The horses and riders then collected the guns and escorted them back to Wellington Barracks in Birdcage Walk.

Within minutes, the Honourable Artillery Company (HAC), the City of London’s Reserve Army Regiment, in ceremonial attire, had left their barracks at Armoury House and driven through the City in their liveried Pinzgauer vehicles with an escort to the Tower of London. The soldiers were drawn from 2 Squadron HAC and were under the command of the Battery Commander, Major Bill Grove HAC. The Battery Captain was Captain Hans Allnutt HAC and the Battery Sergeant Major, WO2 Hari Voyantizis.

When the Guns arrived at the Tower, they were placed into position, on the riverbank, overlooking HMS Belfast. The three L118 Ceremonial Light Guns, similar to those used operationally in recent years in Afghanistan, were used at exactly 1pm to fire a 62 gun salute across the Thames at ten second intervals. The Master Gunner within the Tower, The Inspecting Officer, was the Regimental Colonel of the HAC, Colonel the Honourable Mark Vincent MBE.

Gun Salutes at the Tower of London have marked important State and Royal events since Tudor times. The fact that 62 guns are being fired on this occasion has nothing to do with it being the 62nd anniversary; all royal occasions are marked by a 62-Gun Salute - the traditional 21-Gun Salute plus a further 20 because of The Tower’s status as both a royal palace and fortress. Royal anniversaries are marked with an additional 21 shots as a mark of respect for the Sovereign from the City of London (a practice begun in 1828).

The HAC is the oldest regiment in the British Army and, though part of the Army Reserve, has fired Salutes from the Tower since 1924 when the regular detachment was disbanded.