The towering presence of yeomen

Pomp and pageantry are continually on parade in England. At the Tower of London, visitors have the opportunity for a human encounter with British tradition in the form of the yeoman warders.

These stalwart men have served crown and country at the tower for at least 600 years. (Their oath of allegiance dates to 1337.) Now their most conspicuous duty is giving tours of the walled palace, where construction began in the time of William the Conqueror.

The yeoman wardens have booming voices, regal bearings and stories to tell about body parts of traitors buried beneath the floor of the chapel and the execution of dainty Lady Jane Grey on the block in the yard. On ceremonial occasions the yeomen wear Tudor-style red hose and coats with gold piping, a uniform made famous by the label on Beefeater gin.

I followed a yeoman warder around the tower during my visit to London in July. Then I had a long chat by phone with John Keohane, second in command of the warders, to find out what being a beefeater is like.

Q. What exactly are you called?

A. I am yeoman gaoler -- that’s spelled the old English way -- a member of the yeoman warders of the Tower of London, the oldest part of the queen’s bodyguard [or yeomen of the guard]. Our origins date prior to the yeomen of the guard, begun in 1485, when Henry Tudor defeated Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field.

During Henry VIII’s reign, the yeomen of the guard went to St. James’s Palace, and the yeoman warders stayed at the tower.

Q. At one time, warders sold their positions when they retired. How do you become one now?

A. We are all retired soldiers who have served in the military for at least 22 years, having attained a minimum rank of warrant officer and been awarded the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal. Applicants must be between 40 and 50. Yeoman warders retire at age 65.

Q. How did you get into this line of work?

A. I spent 27 years in the British Army’s Royal Corps of Signals -- that’s communications -- and became a warder in 1991. Accommodations went with the job. I came from this part of the country and have an interest in history. It’s a fairly easy way of making the transition from military service to retirement.

Q. You live at the tower?

A. With my wife. Our two children and grandchildren come to visit. We have a community here with 47 yeoman warder families living in the walls and around the green. We have a chaplain, doctor and private residents’ club, our pub. We do our shopping at a supermarket about 150 yards from the tower in Thomas More Street. The gates must close at midnight, so we have to book our comings and goings. That’s a disadvantage. On the other hand, nobody comes to the door selling religion.

Q. Were you put through a yeoman warder’s course when you started?

A. When appointed, a warder is allocated a mentor who assists the new man in learning how to tell the story of the tower. Everything we say to tourists is true, handed down from warder to warder, year after year. History can be very boring, but we put it over in an interesting way.

Our loud voices come from the military training.

Q. Do people come to the tower expecting blood and gore?

A. That’s their perception. But in reality, it isn’t the case. Most of that comes from film and TV. The classic example is Mary, Queen of Scots. Hollywood made people think she died at the tower, but she was executed 250 miles away at Fotheringhay.

Q. Would you describe your uniform?

A. We have two. The first is the Tudor state dress uniform, worn 14 or 15 times a year for ceremonial occasions and when the queen comes. It has a white ruff around the collar and red woolen tights like women’s pantyhose.

Our daily uniforms are red and blue, but instead of wearing pantyhose with them, we wear trousers. These uniforms come in three weights: cotton for summer, medium and heavy for winter.

The dress uniform costs 9,000 pounds [about $14,200], the daily uniform 1,000 pounds [about $1,600]. We don’t have to pay for them. We’re issued a new uniform every two years.

Q. Why do people call you beefeaters?

A. That is simply a nickname commonly used by thousands of visitors. It comes from the picture that appears on Beefeater gin bottles. In the 1870s the company, which had a distillery near the tower, was looking for something that symbolized England and settled on the man in the red and gold uniform.

The actual origins of the name come from Tudor times, when cattle were reared for milking, not eating. After banquets [with beef] in the White Tower, yeoman warders were allowed to take the leftovers home.

Q. What kinds of ceremonies do you take part in?

A. There’s the Beating of the Bounds every three years when we go around the area surrounding the tower, and Constable’s Dues when one of her majesty’s ships comes in.

The Ceremony of the Keys takes place every night from 9:30 to 10:15. Eighty members of the public are allowed to watch. They must apply in writing six to eight weeks in advance. The address is Ceremony of the Keys, Tower of London, London, England EC3N 4AB.

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I didn’t get a chance to see the nightly locking-up ceremony. It ends with a yeoman warder doffing his bonnet and crying, “God preserve Queen Elizabeth.”