A SOMERSET man has been appointed a Beefeater at the Tower of London.

As a Yeoman Warder, Ryan 'Barney' Barnett will live and work at the Tower alongside his family.

Barney, from Yeovil, who served for nearly 26 years in the Fleet Air Arm, is the first Royal Navy aircraft engineer to become a Beefeater.

Throughout his career he was deployed in Sierra Leone, The Gulf, Malaysia, the United States, and across Europe.

Having spent part of his childhood growing up just a few miles from the Tower of London, he said: “I always dreamed of returning to London, but now I have the best of both worlds, both living and working here."

Over the coming months, Barney and fellow new Beefeater Lisa Garland will learn ‘the Story’- the script of the famous Yeoman Warder Tour - word for word before being allowed to lead their own tours of the Tower of London.

They will also learn the 21 separate duties conducted by the Yeoman Warders each day, including the Ceremony of the Keys; the ancient closing ceremony that has taken place every single night for at least 700 years.

Both will wear the iconic Yeoman Warder uniform, which features a large royal crown in red, below which is the insignia of the reigning monarch, which now depicts ‘CIIIR’ in recognition of the king.

The position of Beefeater was created in 1485 by Henry VII, although the role can be traced back to the band of warders who guarded the Tower of London and its prisoners from the reign of William the Conqueror.

Henry VII created the Yeoman Body as an extension of his personal protection, and to this day they continue to hold a traditional ceremonial role as Extraordinary Members of The King’s Bodyguard.

Today the Yeoman Warders help to bring the history of the Tower of London to life for millions of visitors each year, regaling them with stories on their famous Yeoman Warder tours, posing for photographs, and carrying out their ceremonial duties.

Applicants must have served at least 22 years in the armed forces, hold the Long Service and Good Conduct medal and have reached a certain rank in their service before being selected for interview and a rigorous selection process.

BEEFEATER FACTS.

As of October 2023, there are currently 35 Yeoman Warders at the Tower including the Chief Yeoman Warder and Yeoman Gaoler.

There are two uniforms for the Yeoman Body. The Ceremonial Uniform is worn for state occasions; for example, when the monarch visits the Tower or for any state occasion that the Body attends. It is scarlet and gold with red stockings, white ruff and black shoes. On a typical day at the Tower of London, visitors will see the Yeoman Warders wearing their blue undress uniform, which comes in two different weights for summer and winter.

The sovereign’s initials have traditionally appeared on Yeoman Warder uniforms since 1570, and the uniforms were updated just before the Coronation to bear the new cypher of HM King Charles III.

No one is exactly sure what the origins of the nickname ‘Beefeater’ are, but there are plenty of myths and legends associated with the name. The most likely explanation is that the Yeoman Warders were given a daily ration of meat, reflected by records which show that even in 1813 the daily ration for the thirty men on duty was 24lbs of beef, 18lbs of mutton and 16lbs of veal.