A ROYAL Marines veteran from Yate has spoken of the humbling moment mourners thanked him for his service after he travelled to London for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.
Ex-serviceman Lee Ralph said he proudly wore his medals from tours in Kosovo and Afghanistan as well as two jubilee medals as he mingled with crowds who had travelled to the capital for what he called one of the most ‘poignant days of his life’.
Lee, who is now a firefighter for Avon and Fire Rescue, stood with Simon Hartley who he served with in the Royal Marines.
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The ex-servicemen positioned themselves on Parliament Square to watch the funeral and said hundreds of people asked to be photographed with them as they stood to pay their last respects to their ‘Commander in Chief.’
Lee said: “I would never have missed it. The Queen was my Commander in Chief.
“It was the most spectacular thing I have ever seen. I was so proud to be British. I felt I owed it to the Queen to go.
Lee, who served in the armed forces for six years said he was proud to have fought for the monarch and would have died for her.
“The Queen is what makes the British military the best military in the world, it's what makes us stand out from the rest.
“I think that was clearly demonstrated on Monday; the precision, dedication and professionalism showed by our Armed Forces was immense."
Lee said he was overwhelmed and humbled by the appreciation of other mourners, with people thanking him and his ex-colleague for their service.
He added: “Words can't really describe it, we must have had over 200 people ask us for photos and everywhere we went people stopped us to shake our hands and thank us for our service, I was truly humbled.”
The funeral was played out across London over a tannoy. Lee said the capital fell silent throughout the service until after God Save the King was sung and then London became ‘deafening'.
Lee stayed in the world-renowned Union Jack Club, reserved especially for veterans and servicemen.
He returned to the club after the procession and said he spent a surreal afternoon sat with Johnson Beharry, the only person in the world with the highest ranking military award, the Victory Cross, and the Kings guards, who had returned from standing vigil as the Queen was lying in State.
Lee said the experience allowed him to see the very best in people.
He added: “It felt like after a tough few years for our country, Britain came together.
“Everyone cheered the emergency services as they walked past, they were phenomenal.
“People were all helping to clear up after the funeral - it was just all unbelievable. It was like this is our country, we have to help.
“Even though London was rammed I didn’t see an ounce of selfishness, people who had stood for 12 hours were moving to let those more vulnerable in front of them.
“Over half the population of the world watched that funeral and hopefully everyone could learn a lesson from that day from our Queen, our armed forces and our emergency services, of how to treat people and how to treat others.
“We can get through tough times together, we can learn so much from that day.
“We are the greatest country in the world.”
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