Bloodied but unbowed, the Duke of Wellington’s soldier son after brutal ‘milling’ initiation

IT IS a snap that would surely make his revered forefather proud.

Lord Frederick Wellesley, a descendant of the 1st Duke of Wellington, posed for this picture last week after surviving a brutal pummelling on an Army course.

The youngest son of the current, 9th, Duke underwent a ritual called ‘milling’ that tests the aggression and resilience of troops wanting to join the airborne forces.

Short for ‘windmilling’, the ordeal involves two soldiers exchanging blows to the head in a bid to ‘deliver maximum violence on to their opponent’. Candidates – who wear head protection and boxing gloves – are scored on their determination and aggression, while they can be marked down for attempting to block or dodge punches.

Judging from his blood-splattered shirt, cut face and dazed expression, 26-year-old Frederick, a lieutenant in the Household Cavalry, received some hefty blows.

The fierce fight would have given him a taste of what his ancestor, the ‘Iron Duke’ who masterminded victory over Napoleon at Waterloo, meant when he allegedly remarked of his soldiers: ‘I don’t know what effect these men will have upon the enemy but, by God, they terrify me.’

Frederick’s friends praised his resilience on Twitter, with one saying: ‘Well done. No one can take that away from you now. Well, they could try.’ And one female admirer added: ‘The Army seems to be getting better looking.’

The milling was part of a gruelling seven-day P-Company course at Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire, that also includes a 20-mile march, five-mile stretcher race and aerial assault course. Having passed, Frederick is expected to begin parachute training at RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire, later this year.

I don’t know what effect these men will have upon the enemy but, by God, they terrify me WORDS FREQUENTLY ATTRIBUTED TO FRED’S ANCESTOR, THE ‘IRON DUKE’