Ladbible X Whatsapp
  • iconNews
  • videos
  • entertainment
  • Home
  • News
    • UK News
    • US News
    • Australia
    • Ireland
    • World News
    • Weird News
    • Viral News
    • Sport
    • Technology
    • Science
    • True Crime
    • Travel
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • TV & Film
    • Netflix
    • Music
    • Gaming
    • TikTok
  • LAD Originals
    • Say Maaate to a Mate
    • Daily Ladness
    • Lad Files
    • UOKM8?
    • FreeToBe
    • Extinct
    • Citizen Reef
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube

LAD Entertainment

YouTube

LAD Stories

Submit Your Content
Soldiers must fire guns at precise second Big Ben chimes signalling end of funeral procession

Home> News

Updated 14:36 19 Sep 2022 GMT+1Published 13:54 19 Sep 2022 GMT+1

Soldiers must fire guns at precise second Big Ben chimes signalling end of funeral procession

Big Ben bonged its last bong for the historic procession

Daisy Phillipson

Daisy Phillipson

Soldiers had to fire guns at the precise second Big Ben chimed throughout the Queen's funeral procession. Check it out:

London was filled with thousands of mourners and official members of the spectacle at the funeral today (19 September).

After an hour-long service at Westminster Abbey, the coffin of the late monarch was transported on a gun carriage towards Wellington Arch near Buckingham Palace.

Advert

And it turns out Big Ben played a pretty significant role in the whole thing, as it tolled at one-minute intervals throughout the procession.

As explained by the British Army, the military signallers must make sure this part of the ceremony runs like clockwork down to the very last second so that it's in time with London's most famous clock.

In a statement, it said that for one team of soldiers, 'it is their job to ensure the guns of The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery fire at precisely the same time that Big Ben chimes'.

The reason being that the guns firing marks the start and finish of the funeral procession, not the bongs.

The Queen's coffin was transported on a gun carriage.
BBC

Advert

Both the chimes of Big Ben and the minute gun salutes by the KTRHA, who were stationed at Hyde Park, makeup part of Operation London Bridge.

For those not in the know, Operation London Bridge is the funeral plan for Queen Elizabeth II, which includes the announcement of her death, the period of official mourning and the details of her state ceremony.

Following the event, viewed by millions across the globe, the Queen's coffin was transferred to a hearse before being sent to Windsor where she will be laid to rest.

While we're on the subject of the highly publicised event, one of the many questions that came up was why the funeral carriage was pulled by members of the armed forces instead of horses.

It turns out that there’s a reason for this, and it dates all the way back to the funeral of Queen Victoria in 1901.

Advert

Before this date, the royal carriage was pulled by horses, bearing the Queen’s incredibly heavy coffin to Westminster Abbey.

However, one of the splinter bars of the gun carriage broke, with a strap also snapping and hitting one of the horses.

The animal panicked - as you can probably imagine - and lurched forwards, which could have caused serious problems for the event.

Soldiers loaded Queen Victoria's coffin onto the carriage.
Chronicle/Alamy Stock Photo

Back in 1901, the naval guard of honour accompanying the monarch’s coffin stepped in to fill the void left by the animals.

Advert

He agreed to drag the coffin on the carriage to Westminster Abbey so that the funeral could go ahead as planned.

The image became incredibly famous, and from this a new tradition was adopted and has been seen at every single British monarch’s state funeral ever since.

You learn something new everyday, eh?

Featured Image Credit: Antony Nettle/Alamy Stock Photo/BBC

Topics: The Queen, London, UK News, Royal Family

Daisy Phillipson
Daisy Phillipson

Daisy graduated from Kingston University with a degree in Magazine Journalism, writing a thesis on the move from print to digital publishing. Continuing this theme, she has written for a range of online publications including Digital Spy and Little White Lies, with a particular passion for TV and film. Contact her on [email protected]

X

@DaisyWebb77

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

5 hours ago
6 hours ago
  • 5 hours ago

    Man, 92, found guilty of murder of woman nearly 60 years ago in UK's 'longest cold case'

    75-year-old Louisa Dunne was murdered in her Bristol home in 1967

    News
  • 5 hours ago

    'Marriage destroyer' holiday hotspot where Brits 'can't stop cheating' revealed

    Time to cancel those flights

    News
  • 6 hours ago

    Brit ranked no.733 in world won't receive £99k prize money despite shock first round win at Wimbledon

    Oliver Tarvet won't see the money because of a sporting rule

    News
  • 6 hours ago

    Police in frantic search for victim's head after reality star girlfriend charged with murder

    Police believe he was killed nearly two weeks ago now

    News
  • Funeral director speaks out after advert on Queen's hearse sparks outrage
  • Strangers who met in queue to pay respects to the Queen are now watching funeral together
  • King's Guard don't spend their entire shift stood in front of Buckingham Palace
  • Miss BumBum UK models announce they're taking 'sex fast' to honour The Queen's death