Winnipegger part of history, standing on guard for the Queen’s Crown Jewels

For the first time in its 94 year history, members of the Royal Canadian Air Force are performing public duties for the Queen.

Over 120 members from across Canada have been charged with guarding the Sovereign and official royal residences in the United Kingdom.

One of them is Jason Patterson, a warrant officer from Winnipeg’s 17 Wing, tasked with guarding the Crown Jewels at the Tower of London.

“They have this ceremony called the Ceremony of the Keys, which has been going on for 700 years, did my first Monday night. What a weight on the shoulders,” Patterson explained.

“It’s been done for 700 years, uninterrupted, and on top of that being the first time the RCAF has ever done this in our history, it’s a huge weight with the public watching you to make sure you didn’t mess it up.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It's been done for 700 years, uninterrupted, and on top of that being the first time the RCAF has ever done this in our history, it's a huge weight with the public watching you to make sure you didn't mess it up."

Patterson had to train for six weeks in Winnipeg to prepare for the role.

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“The training has been really, really good. We had representations from the Irish Guard that came over to give us a hand with the format and how to do the actual ceremonial duties. Once we got here, we continued on with that training.”

If you’ve ever taken a trip to Buckingham Palace or the Tower of London, you’ve likely seen the soldiers in red coats and tall bearskin hats. You may have also seen tourists dancing like fools in front of soliders, trying to get them to crack a smile.

That’s something Patterson also had to prepare for.

“We did a little bit of training to try and do that. We would play games with each other trying to get each other to laugh. If we could force ourselves to maintain that composure with our friends, it’s even easier with the public. We did a little bit of personal training with that, and we’re expected to hold that, too.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We did a little bit of training to try and do that. We would play games with each other trying to get each other to laugh. If we could force ourselves to maintain that composure with our friends, it's even easier with the public. We did a little bit of personal training with that, and we're expected to hold that, too."

He said he’s had some good chats with locals about these strangers taking care of the Crown Jewels.

“They normally see the red coats so they’re surprised to see a different uniform. Right away they come over to talk to us and ask who we are and what we’re doing there,” Patterson explained. “They’re really proud of the fact that we have the honour of coming here as part of the British Commonwealth and being invited to do this task.”

RCAF members will be charged with these public duties until July 15.