Former Army major becomes Tower of London Beefeater

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Lee Fox served in the British Army for 23 years before he was appointed a Yeoman Warder

A former British Army sergeant major is the first member of the Parachute Regiment to become a Yeoman Warder (YW) at the Tower of London.

Lee Fox, who grew up in Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, served for 23 years during which he was deployed on tours to Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan.

YW Fox said: "I've served the monarch my whole life so to continue to do that as one of the King's bodyguards is absolutely unbelievable."

YWs, nicknamed Beefeaters, were introduced by Henry VII in 1485 to guard the Tower. They also now lead tours, tell stories and perform ceremonies.

YWs need to have completed a minimum of 22 years military service and hold a Long Service and Good Conduct medal.

They must also have reached the minimum rank of Warrant Officer or equivalent before getting an interview.

YW Fox likes running and playing darts when he is off duty

It is YW Fox's first official day on Monday but he has spent the past six weeks learning the script of the famous YW tour which he must know verbatim.

"I'm genuinely really enjoying it. You're not just reading it, you're taking it in," he said.

"It's pretty cool. I've not learnt this much in such a short period of time since I went through basic training."

YW Fox told BBC Radio Lincolnshire he still had another five months to learn the entire 8,000-word script.

"There's certainly been some questions that keep me on my toes," he said.

"I'm constantly back in the book trying to learn so I don't let any of these people down because they're paying customers."

YW Fox spent most of his time in the Army based in Colchester but most recently served as part of the Parachute Training Support Unit at RAF Brize Norton, in Carterton, Oxfordshire.

He will be joining 34 other YWs who live at the Tower of London.

"When the public are out... it goes really quite, it's so surreal and honestly there's some pinch me moments," he said.

"We live within the outer walls and it's a real community, it's fantastic. There's families there, there's pets and it's genuinely brilliant."

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