Former Royal Marine from Yelverton becomes Beefeater

A former Royal Marine from Devon has been appointed as a Yeoman Warder (YW) at the Tower of London.

Barry Gray, who has been living in Yelverton, was a sergeant major and served for 26 years during which he was deployed on tours to Northern Ireland, Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan.

YW Gray said it was “a definite life highlight” to have been selected as the 35th Beefeater in the tower.

YWs, nicknamed Beefeaters, were introduced in 1485 by Henry VII to help guard the tower.

Today’s YWs need to have at least 22 years’ military service, hold the Long Service and Good Conduct medal and have reached the rank of Warrant Officer or equivalent before being selected for interview.

They also have to be between 40 and 55 years old.

YW Gray retired from the Royal Marines in 2016 and since has skied 730 miles (1,175 km) solo and unsupported across the Antarctic continent in 38 days.

He said: “I’ve had many adventures throughout my life in the Royal Marines, and beyond, but this is a definite life highlight.”

He explained the majority of the role involved engaging with the public by giving tours, answering questions and “being that face which is so legendary across the world”.

YW Gray told BBC Radio Devon it was “breathtaking” to wear the iconic red and gilt uniform YWs have worn since 1549 and the daily blue and red one introduced in 1858.

He said: “It’s incredible to be standing there wearing it and knowing the history behind it. It’s quite breath-taking sometimes.”

Over the coming months, he said he would learn the 21 daily duties conducted by the YWs, including the Ceremony of the Keys, which has taken place every night for at least 700 years.

He said he is also learning “the story”, the 8,000 word script of the YW tour, which must be learned verbatim before he will be allowed to lead his own tours of the Tower of London.