Rachel guards Crown Jewels

12:00pm Tuesday 31st July 2007

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A Chorley soldier will remember a glittering duty for the rest of her life.

Signaller Rachael Usher, aged 21, has become one of only a handful of women since the 17th century to stand sentry over the world famous Crown Jewels at the Tower of London.

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Sig Usher spent the day standing guard and then took part in the famous ceremony of the keys in the evening, holding the lantern that led the way for the warder.

"Sig Usher is one of very few women to have stood guard at the tower and I believe she is the first to have stood sentry outside Queen's House," said the resident governor Major General Keith Cima.

"She is certainly one of only a few who have been on Tower guard," added John Keohane, the chief yeoman warder.

Rachael stood guard just a few weeks before the first female yeoman warder or Beefeater' in the history of the tower takes up her post.

Rachael was hand picked by 16 Signal Regiment to form part of the guard at Buckingham Palace, St James' Palace, the Tower of London and Windsor Castle over the summer.

A former pupil of Holy Cross High School, Chorley, she said: "I feel very proud to have been selected for public duties.

"It's an amazing opportunity that not many people get, certainly not many women. I wouldn't have turned it down for the world"

Rachel's parents Chris and Shelley live in Coppull.

"My parents and sister Lisa are very proud of me and very excited to come and see me at Buckingham Palace," added Rachael.

Late last year Rachael was in Afghanistan with the Royal Signals working as a systems operator. She was responsible for monitoring communications in theatre and back to the UK and Germany.

"Public duties is very different to being on operations, but I am honoured to have had the chance to do both" she said.

Rachael is based in Elmpt, Germany as a member of 16 Signal Regiment.

The regiment provides communications and support to NATO and other multinational or UK operations worldwide.

16 Signal Regiment are the first members of the Royal Corps of Signals ever to conduct a tour of ceremonial public duties, a task usually reserved for the Guards Division.