Welsh woman makes history at mini Trooping the Colour
THERE are fears for a huge whale that has become trapped on a Welsh coastline for the second time in two days. The 40ft-long fin whale first became stranded in the Dee estuary in Flintshire on Friday morning.
The whale was then rescued and released back into the sea after a British Divers Marine Life Rescue team arrived at the scene.
However, the mammal returned yesterday and has now become
THE Queen’s official birthday has been marked with a brief but poignant ceremonial tribute from the military – executed with precision despite social distancing.
Soldiers from the Welsh Guards, who a few weeks ago were manning Covid-19 test centres, staged the unique event in the grounds of Windsor Castle, as the head of state made her first official public appearance since the lockdown was imposed.
The traditional Trooping the Colour ceremony, which normally features hundreds of servicemen and women and thousands of spectators, was ruled out because of the threat of coronavirus.
But the Household Division – made up of the British’s Army’s most prestigious regiments – has a close affinity with the Queen and was keen to mark the milestone with a ceremony dubbed mini-Trooping.
The work of the soldiers appeared to impress the Queen as she was pictured smiling broadly as they suctrapped again and rescue teams were back at the scene along with RNLI and Coastguard crews.
Following the relief of the whale being released back into the sea on Friday, rescuers have admitted that the situation was looking “less positive” yesterday.
“Due to the size and weight of the animal and the geography of cessfully completed a 180-degree manoeuvre, while adhering to social distancing rules.
The event also made history as Guardsman Rhian Morgan, from Newport, became the first woman to appear on parade for the Queen’s official birthday.
As the Queen arrived in Windsor Castle’s quadrangle the ceremony began when she took her place on a dais and the royal salute was given by the troops and the national anthem was played.
An event like this marking the sovereign’s birthday has not been staged at Windsor since 1895, when a ceremony was held in honour of Queen Victoria.
Normally guardsmen stand shoulder-to-shoulder during drills or when formed up on the parade ground, allowing them to maintain “dressing” – staying in line with one another. But in keeping with Covid19 guidelines, they stood 2.2 metres apart, measured by three turns of the the area, it is not possible to get the animal closer to the water to help relieve the pressure on its body,” said a British Divers Marine Life Rescue spokesperson.
“Dragging the animal by its tail will cause significant injuries and is not an option. Putting the animal to sleep is also incredibly difficult for a variety of reasons related to its size too. We are saddened to say that the outlook today is looking less positive than yesterday, and we will update later with more news as the incident unfolds.” garrison sergeant major’s pace stick.
On parade in front of the head of state were 18 servicemen and women from the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards and a small group of officers commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Henry Llewelyn-Usher.
All observed the social distancing rules and their numbers were swelled by about 50 military musicians from the Massed Band of the Household Division and other senior military figures.
Guardsman Morgan is one of two female Guardsmen who joined the Welsh Guards earlier this year and although she became the first woman to appear on parade for the Queen’s birthday, she has already been assigned to duties as Queen’s Guard at royal palaces.
After the troops and the Massed Band of the Household Division marched off, the Queen left and could be seen talking animatedly with hand gestures to the senior members of her household.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Holyhead Coastguard said they are keeping an eye on the area – known for having areas of mud which can trap people – due to people arriving to take pictures of the whale.
According to rescuers, the main danger for the whale now is internal damage caused by spending a “considerable amount of time out of the water”.
A spokesperson for the British Divers Marine Life Rescue team added: “Whales have never evolved to be able to support their own weight on land of course, so when stranded they gradually crush themselves, causing significant internal damage to themselves.
“While yesterday we were fortunate that the animal was only stranded for a relatively short amount of time where any damage would have been limited, being stranded again now for some more hours will add to any damage that it has already sustained and may make it unviable to survive.”