30 ROUNDS

30R: So what is the Honour Guard? CPO Andela: Every year on Doctors day, one of the sections forms the Honour Guard, welcoming the Master of the Merchant Taylors’ Company formally to his inspection of the school which starts with him inspecting us, the Honour Guard as well as the Band. 30R: We’ve seen you practising over the past few weeks, did it all pay off? CPO Andela: Well we had cadets rehearsing on the weekends as well as during normal CCF time. Most of the Guard had never even picked up a rifle before the beginning of the process which made it even more challenging. Nevertheless, everyone was very comfortable with the rifle drill routine that we were going to perform on the day. 30R: So what did your routine consist of and did you encounter any challenges on the day? CPO Andela: WO Rabin led the short drill routine, which comprised of two change arms on the march, two about turns on the march and a few wheels. What was really challenging was trying to keep time with the band, who were setting the pace, as we had not had the chance to perform with the band before. Despite this we all recovered very well and the whole event was a success. 30R: The kit you're in isn’t what we usually see navy in, what are we looking at? CPO Andela: The Guard were wearing number 3’s ,our formal kit, as well as white belts and white overboots, giving us the full ceremonial appearance. 30R: So what’s next for the Navy in terms of ceremonial duties? CPO Andela: The next event is ANZAC Day in central London where several of our Navy cadets will form part of the team representing the contingent. After that the main one is Inspection Day which will be an even more rewarding and challenging experience involving the wider Navy Section .