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00:00["The Star-Spangled Banner"]
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01:11I think we're pretty confident as a team, especially the Corns.
01:14We all sort of scrubbed in and helped each other out this morning.
01:17I think it's starting to come together, which is nice.
01:20So we're ready to go.
01:22Emotionally, how are you guys feeling ahead of it?
01:24A bit of nerves, a bit of excitement at the same time?
01:26I would say nervous excitement.
01:27I think we're all really feeling quite privileged to be a part of this ceremony,
01:30and especially at the cenotaph,
01:32it's a real privilege to be able to honour those that went before us.
01:35And how does it feel for yourself personally to be a part of it?
01:38Oh, it's a massive privilege.
01:40Both my great-grandmothers served in World War II.
01:42My dad was part of D-Day 80, the lead planner for that.
01:45So it's a huge privilege to be able to do this.
01:50And what do you think of the D-Day 80 ceremonies in Portsmouth?
01:52That was where basically the nation's spotlight was on the city, wasn't it?
01:55They were amazing.
01:56I think it was a really lovely tribute
01:58and a really good way to honour all of the veterans that attended.
02:02So do you think there's still that strong connection with Remembrance
02:05and a lot of the personnel and the forces, the two go hand-in-hand together?
02:08Oh, absolutely.
02:09I think everyone here has some sort of story
02:11where they've either been in a conflict themselves
02:13or know someone that has been,
02:15and there's a lot of people that still won't talk about it.
02:18So I think it's a really lovely way for all of us to come together
02:21without having to share those stories,
02:23just have your own quiet remembrance.
02:25A lot of veterans have spoken to a paper before
02:27about wearing their properties and services like this.
02:30It shows that the nation still cares.
02:32What do you think of that sentiment?
02:34Absolutely. I completely agree.
02:36Every time you donate or buy a poppy,
02:38you're donating to the RBL and the charities that they support,
02:41which is incredibly important, especially nowadays.
02:44And finally, what are the steps that yourself and the personnel
02:47are going to do ahead of the weekend?
02:50So just more rehearsals, getting ready for Albert Hall,
02:53and then for the cenotaph.
02:55I think we're all very keen to look our best and do our best,
02:58so lots of practice and kit preparations.
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03:55The training's going really well.
03:57Obviously we push standouts, so basically like they are now,
04:00whether stood still, we do that for a prolonged time,
04:03but we do it over a course of weeks
04:05so that they get used to the standing still,
04:07because they've got different shoes on that they don't wear every day,
04:10so they can get uncomfortable.
04:12They've obviously got a weapon as well, which is heavier.
04:14So we start with short times,
04:16and then we build up to the longer times,
04:18and they're doing really, really well.
04:20So what sort of drills do they do on a daily basis
04:22ahead of the remembrance weekend?
04:24So we basically, during the week,
04:26we will start on the morning with our cenotaph training.
04:29So they'll be out, they'll do some marching,
04:31there'll be change-armsers on the march,
04:33and then we'll bring ourselves into position,
04:35and then they'll go into their standstill,
04:37which will then represent being at the cenotaph.
04:39And then on an afternoon, we go into training
04:41for Royal Albert Hall and the Lord Mayor's Show.
04:44And how are the personnel feeling ahead of the remembrance weekend?
04:47Because I imagine for many of them it's quite a pointy thing to do,
04:50and they've got a real connection from,
04:52if they've got family in the armed forces and that sort of thing.
04:55Yeah, literally all of them are absolutely fighting to be where they are.
05:00I've not had one of them come up to me and tell me that they don't want to do it.
05:03They want to represent their family as well as the Lord Mayor.
05:07And how are you feeling about your role and how it's been going?
05:10What's it feel like to be the head training officer,
05:13setting up the training regimes for the parade later?
05:15Yeah, it's an honour for me to be here and to be doing it.
05:18I'm absolutely enjoying every moment of it.
05:21See, we all get told that we scream and shout
05:23and we do all that good stuff,
05:25but it may start that way to make them start switching on
05:29and listening to what we do,
05:30but then we start to build that rapport with them
05:33and then we start having a laugh with them
05:35and just to take their minds off what they're doing.
05:38But yeah, for me, obviously I've just come from four years at sea,
05:41so being here and coming straight into this job
05:43and straight into the November remembrance is an absolute honour.
05:49Does working with the remembrance service mean a lot to you personally
05:52with connection from family or anything?
05:54Yeah, so both my grandparents were in the army.
05:58My uncle was also in the army.
06:00And then I was just a little bit different and decided to join the Navy.
06:04But it's just the little things.
06:06Like with my uncle, within his 12 years of being in the army,
06:11he only visited seven countries.
06:13Within the eight months of me being in the Navy,
06:15I had done about 12 countries.
06:17So there was a big difference.
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07:05I think it will be a brilliant day.
07:07The training has been hard but I think we're all here for the same reason
07:14and we all want to be there on Sundays to see our specs.
07:17So yeah, the training's been, yeah, long days, long hours and a lot of standing on your feet.
07:24But it has been a really good few weeks, meeting new people, which is what the Navy is all
07:29about, really, meeting new people.
07:31So yeah, it's been a great few weeks.
07:34You volunteered for this training regime yourself, why did you volunteer and what are your thoughts
07:40ahead of it?
07:41How are you feeling before?
07:42I volunteered because it's sort of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
07:47A lot of the sailors that are here won't get to do it again and I've wanted to, I've always
07:51wanted to go up to London on Remembrance Sunday, just to be able to, again, pay my respects
07:59because I haven't obviously been able to do it before, so, and a lot of people won't be
08:02able to have this opportunity again, so yeah, that's why I volunteered for it.
08:08Give the military background with your parents and your father also going to be at the cemetery
08:13on Saturday afternoon to march past with the veterans, do you think that will be an emotional
08:16moment for yourself if your dad manages to see you?
08:19100%, yeah.
08:20Again, it's going to be an emotional day all around, but yeah, sort of, it's that extra
08:25sort of emotion behind it with my dad marching past as well, so hopefully I'll be able to
08:30get a glimpse of him, but I won't be able to wave, unfortunately.
08:34Do you think your parents are proud of you for doing this?
08:37Yeah, yeah, I think they are, yeah, they've sort of expressed how they feel about me being
08:42there on Sunday and they are really proud that I've had this opportunity to be there
08:45on Sunday.
08:46Do you think this could be the potential highlight of your young Royal Navy career so far?
08:50Oh, definitely, yeah, yeah, I've been in the Navy four and a half years now and this is,
08:55yeah, I'd say the highlight so far and it probably will be for a while as well.
09:00And given the local connection to Portsmouth, do you think it sort of means a bit more?
09:04Yeah, definitely, especially with sort of a military background, family background,
09:10I've always sort of been in and around military veterans, people that have, yeah, served previously,
09:16so yeah, it definitely does sort of mean that little bit more, being obviously in Portsmouth
09:22and being surrounded by it all.
09:34Forward, march!
09:45Form a line, right, march!
09:58So, Glyn, you've now been in the role of State Trainee Officer for just over a year now, we
10:03spoke to you last year, how have you found the role since you've been doing it?
10:07Really rewarding, we've had an eclectic mix of different ceremonial operations that we've
10:13delivered, from DDAT to opening of Parliament for the first Labour Party, also opening of
10:21Tynwald, the Isle of Man, so a real mix of ceremonial operations that I can get my teeth
10:28sacked into.
10:29What have yourself and the personnel thought of being a part of all those major events?
10:33Sorry, what was that?
10:34What did you and the personnel think of being a part of all those major events?
10:37So, I'm really well supported by a great team, so whilst we deliver a lot of individual events
10:47on our own, we can all take pride in what my team and we all deliver in support of the
10:54Royal Navy.
10:56And what are the main things you've learnt as you've been in the role?
10:59Patience, I think that's probably try not to be too hasty, let the process deliver what
11:09you need for it to do.
11:11And how have the training drills been going ahead of the service this weekend?
11:15Really well, we're in the final couple of days of training before we depart to go up
11:22to London and deliver other, not only National Acts of Remembrance, but Festival of Remembrance
11:28as well, and the Lord Mayor's Show.
11:31So, my team and all of the Naval Ceremonial Guard have really clutched in and will do
11:41themselves proud when they take part in those events.
11:44It was mentioned earlier that the personnel of the Trumpet will be able to do these sorts
11:48of drills and they all have a strong connection to Remembrance, do you think that's the case
11:51for them?
11:52Absolutely, a lot of them come from a service background, many of them are embarking on
11:59their service career, but there's also some that are coming to the end of their service
12:04career that have volunteered to be part of November ceremonies as their bucket list of
12:10things they want to do before they leave.
12:12So, that in itself I think shows how much pride they will take in being part of the
12:20National Acts of Remembrance on Sunday.
12:21And how do you think the service will go on the weekend?
12:24If the weather holds like it is now, I think it should be great.
13:21It's definitely been a busy few weeks getting training up and I think it's going to be a
13:33very emotional weekend when we get there.
13:35You said it was your first time going through these training drills, what made you sign
13:39up?
13:40It's just such an honour to stand there for all of those that have given it all to give
13:44us the life we've got today.
13:47It's a once in a lifetime, you never know if you're going to have the chance to do it
13:50again, so it's definitely a privilege to be here.