Queen Elizabeth Attends WWI Volunteers Tribute

Queen Elizabeth was yesterday joined by several members of her family for a Drumhead Service of Remembrance at the Royal Chelsea Hospital.

The service was held to commemorate the British volunteer soldiers who fought in World War One, and was particularly poignant in that it was held on the 100th anniversary of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the death which is widely named as the starting point of the war.

The Duke of Edinburgh was by the Queen’s side as the service led by the Archbishop of London, Richard Chartes, got underway, the pair sitting on a covered dais in the building’s courtyard. A march of military reservists from the HMS PRESIDENT, the Royal Yeomanry, the London Regiment and the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry was also part of the service, which was attended by the Earl of Wessex, Prince Michael of Kent and Princess Alexandra of Kent.

After the service concluded, the royal party was shown into the hospital’s chapel, where they were presented with a book called Stepping Forward that lists all the volunteer military reservists and auxiliaries from the Greater London area. One of those who worked on the book, Emma Bass, was able to briefly speak with the Queen about the project.

The Royal Hospital Chelsea has been a home for returned soldiers who are unable to continue fighting, either due to effects of war or old age, since the reign of King Charles III, officially founded in 1682. The RHC’s residents have been known as ‘Chelsea Pensioners’ ever since.

Filed under The United Kingdom
Tagged Anniversary, Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, Military, Prince Michael of Kent, Princess Alexandra Lady Ogilvy, The Duke of Edinburgh, The Earl of Wessex, World War I.