Living history
After 23 years in the Army, Lee Fox has landed his dream job as a Beefeater at the Tower of London. Interview by Kate Chapman.
A chance viewing of a television programme about the Tower of London set Lee Fox on an unexpected path – one that would see him swap life in the Parachute Regiment for the historic uniform of a Yeoman Warder, making him the first from his regiment to take up the role.
Yeoman Warder Fox, who grew up in Grimsby, started his new position in the capital last September and has spent the past months settling into city life and learning his new duties.
Created in 1485 by Henry VII as an extension of his personal protection, the Yeoman Warders as they exist now continue to hold a traditional ceremonial role as Extraordinary Members of The King’s Bodyguard.
Commonly known as Beefeaters, they live and work at the Tower of London, bringing it to life for millions of visitors each year, sharing stories, carrying out ceremonial duties and leading their famous tours.
“It’s a huge honour and a privilege to be selected for this amazing position, especially as the first Parachute Regiment Yeoman Warder. I’ve had my eye on becoming a Yeoman Warder for years,” said Yeoman Warder Fox, who is the 426th person to hold the role. “It’s a fantastic job, sharing stories and conversations with people from all over the world. Every day is different. From where I was a year ago, I never would have thought this was possible.”
Career path
It was several years ago, while flicking through his phone, that Yeoman Warder Fox stumbled upon an episode of Channel 5 series Inside the Tower of London, which he watched with interest.
“I’ve always loved history, and London history specifically always stood out to me,” said the father of four.
“I contacted another Yeoman Warder on social media and was invited down to the Tower of London where I got to see some behind the scenes stuff.
“I only had around seven years left with the Army. I’ve suffered with mental health in the past and wasn’t looking forward to leaving the military, it was all I’d known since I was 16.
“For me, the people and the camaraderie made the job, and I was looking for something that could replicate that.
“When I went in the guard’s room during my visit, I realised every single person had served, there was the same banter and shared experience. From then, I knew I wanted to become a Yeoman Warder, although I didn’t really know how to go about it.”
Applicants for the role must have served at least 22 years in the Armed Forces, hold the Long Service and Good Conduct medal, and have reached the rank of Warrant Officer or equivalent, before being selected for interview and a rigorous selection process.
The only time a position becomes available is when one of the existing 35 Yeoman Warders leaves and vacancies can draw up to 150 applicants.
Yeoman Warder Fox signed up to receive job alerts from Historic Royal Palaces and was a day away from taking up another post with Hull Fire and Rescue when the opportunity he’d been waiting for finally came up.
He sacrificed the other position in the hope of securing his dream role. After several rounds of interviews, Yeoman Warder Fox was delighted to hear he had got the role.
“I was still serving with the Parachute Regiment at the time, “he recalls, “so there was a lot to go through, but everyone has been incredibly supportive.
“There has never been anyone from the Parachute Regiment serve as a Yeoman Warder before, so I was proud to be making history. There was also a lot of pressure, especially during the first six months when I was on probation.
“I had to learn the 9,000-word ‘Story’ verbatim. If I failed, I wasn’t just letting myself down, so I did feel the pressure.”
Yeoman Warder Fox was mentored by one of his peers while he got to grips with his responsibilities, which as well as learning the all-important ‘Story’, included other procedures relating to health and safety, how to deal with a missing child and emergency and threat situations.
The Yeoman Body conducts 21 separate duties each day, including the ancient Ceremony of the Keys, the closing ceremony that has taken place every single night for more than 700 years.
“This is one of the most special roles, watching so many years of history at night, to get to share that, I still get goosebumps when I witness it. I’ll never get bored of it,” says Yeoman Warder Fox.
ARMY LIFE
Yeoman Warder Fox served over 23 years in the British Army, deployed on operational tours to Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Much of his time in the army was spent in Colchester at the heart of the Parachute Regiment, but his career has taken him all across the country, including Dover, Catterick and St Athan. Most recently, he served as part of the Parachute Training Support Unit at RAF Brize Norton, supporting parachuting across all three services including the Parachute Regiment and the wider Airborne forces.
“I’ve been in the army since 2002, all the way through, I never wanted to do anything else,” he adds. “My uncle was in the Royal Marines too. I’ve always had focus and have kept pushing myself, that’s never changed from the early days.”
To date Yeoman Warder Fox has already led 18 tours around the historic site and is waiting to take ownership of his red and gold ceremonial uniform, which he will wear during special occasions such as state visits.
Yeoman Warder Fox lives on site in the grounds of the tower and says he is enjoying his first experience of living in London.
“I spent Christmas Day at the Tower, along with 40 others and we all had a big dinner together, which was unbelievable, and a real highlight for me outside of work,” he adds.
“I’ve still got a lot of family in Grimsby who I try to visit as often as I can, and I love going back for the fish and chips!
“This whole experience has been quite surreal and I’m constantly in disbelief! It’s a bit strange to be living in central London, but my fellow Yeoman Warders have been instrumental in making me feel at home.
“I’ve always had trouble fitting in, but the two places I have are the Parachute Regiment and here – the place fits like a glove, it really is a dream job.”
Photographs: Historic Royal Palaces
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